Following the success of finally passing a bill to permanently fund the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, 9/11 advocates must now find a way to convince survivors to sign up for the fund.

Survivors May Not Realize They Qualify

Although as many as 450,000 people may be eligible to apply for the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, only about 25 percent have enrolled in the fund. According to demographic data taken from the Fund, 80 percent of the victims enrolled in the program are first responders, while only 20 percent are survivors of the attacks. These numbers indicate that survivors are less likely than first responders to sign up for the fund and take advantage of the program.

CBS News reports that, according to 9/11 victim advocates, many victims of the attacks may not realize that they may qualify to apply for the fund. After the passage of the bill funding the 9/11 Compensation Fund, many media outlets focused on the impact of the fund on first responders. This coverage may have led some survivors to incorrectly believe the fund was exclusively for first responders. Victim advocates, including comedian Jon Stewart, are making the effort to reach out to all victims harmed by the attacks and urge them to sign up. “Nobody owns 9/11,” Stewart said in a press release regarding the fund.

In addition to outreach by victim advocates, the Borough of Manhattan Community College and New York Law School both reportedly sent out letters to alumni and faculty who were enrolled or worked on campus around the time of the attacks, informing them of their possible eligibility for the fund. The Department of Education also reached out to approximately 19,000 former elementary, middle school, and high school students who may qualify.

Recent Background on the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund

In July, a bill was passed providing a permanent extension to 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, as well as providing funding until 2092. More than $10 billion was allocated to the fund for the purposes of providing health care and paying for medical expenses for victims harmed by toxins released in the 9/11 attacks.

Approximately 400,000 people were in the vicinity of Ground Zero on the day of, and the days immediately following the attacks. Approximately 100,000 were first responders, including police officers and firefighters. The remaining 300,000 were survivors, or people who lived or worked in the area surrounding the towers.

At the time, the Environmental Protection Agency assured first responders and victims that the air surrounding the site of the attacks was safe to breathe. However, it is now known that toxins were released into the air due to the 9/11 attacks, and those in the area, first responders or otherwise, may have been exposed to these dangerous chemicals and particulates. These toxins may have caused victims to develop serious conditions, including cancer. More than 70 types of cancer are covered by the 9/11 fund, and victims who were diagnosed with these conditions at least four years after exposure to 9/11 toxins may qualify to have their medical expenses covered by the program. For victims who suffer from blood or bone cancers, this time limit is reduced to at least one year following exposure.