A public announcement made by Rupa Bhattacharyya, Special Master of the $7.4 billion federal 9/11 victims compensation fund, indicates the fund is in a precarious position. The 9/11 victims compensation fund will likely run out of monies before it reaches its current expiration date of 2020.

The 9/11 victims compensation fund was first initiated after the devastating terrorist attacks on that date in 2001. It was active for roughly three years before shutting down in 2004. At the time, it was thought that all first responders, firefighters, police officers, city personnel, and volunteer citizens who had been injured in search and rescue, body retrieval, and clean-up efforts had come forward.

When it was discovered that 9/11 injuries were more elusive and potentially slow to reveal themselves after exposure to the toxic debris that was ever present at ground zero, the 9/11 victims compensation fund was reactivated in 2011. At present, the 9/11 victims compensation fund is set to remain in place through 2020, but it might run dangerously low on necessary funds.

Bhattacharyya’s notice rings a bell of alarm concerning current and anticipated trends in claim filing and the 9/11 victims compensation fund’s ability to payout. The sound of this bell has gotten the attention of a bipartisan group of federal legislators from New York State. According to Newsday, these legislators are passionately presenting a case to Congress for the budget allotment to be made permanent.

Among the legislators are Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, and Rep. Peter T. King. They have written and signed a recent letter to their colleagues in the U.S. Congress in the hopes of garnering support for permanent funding, according to Newsday.

Their arguments notably appeal to the patriotic heart by espousing the virtues of those who without thought of personal harm put themselves in threatening positions to help in any way they could on this dark day in U.S. history and for months afterwards.

The legislators grounded their passionate letter with statistical data revealing the actualization of a scientifically predicted uptick in cancer diagnoses among first responders. While a good percentage of our 9/11 heroes have struggled with physical problems for years if they continue to live, the intake of toxic material at Ground Zero has led to chronic disease in many first responders over the long term.

Over 70 different cancers and other diseases can qualify claimants to seek compensation for their suffering. Of particular note are reports of breast cancer among men who were near Ground Zero. Others suffer from the types of cancer most associated with exposure to asbestos fibers. While its use has been greatly curtailed, asbestos is still used and was part of the insulation materials in the World Trade Center twin towers.

Asbestos fibers can lay dormant in the body for an average latency period of 30 years before mesothelioma—a cancer which attacks the lining of the lungs, heart, abdomen, and testes—or lung cancer is diagnosed. Once found, this cancer is often very advanced and difficult to treat.

The 9/11 victims compensation fund must follow established policies and priorities when it comes to figuring out award levels and the recent diagnostic uptick runs the risk of bankrupting its budget before its scheduled demise.