Victims who developed cancer after exposure to hazardous dust and materials at the site of the September 11 terrorist attacks have until December 2020 to file claims with the September 11th Victims Compensation Fund.

Victims’ Stories

According to the New York Daily News, one former New York City police sergeant, Thomas W. experienced firsthand the dangerous after-effects of working at Ground Zero, the site of the September 11th attacks.

For weeks after the attacks, Thomas spent almost all of his time sorting through the rubble at the site, even sleeping in temporary dormitories that were created near Ground Zero.

Even though at the time, he thought he was lucky to have avoided being injured in the attacks, several years later he was diagnosed with 9/11 related cancers. Seven years after the attacks, Thomas was diagnosed with a rare form of tongue cancer, as well as skin cancer. According to his doctors, these cancers were likely caused by exposure to toxic materials at Ground Zero.

Almost 100,000 people have been diagnosed with 9/11 related illnesses and conditions. Although the U.S. Government established the September 11th Victims Compensation Fund in order to provide compensation for victims of the attacks, money in the fund is running out.

About the September 11th Victims Compensation Fund

The original fund was established in the immediate aftermath of the attacks and operated until 2004. After this fund expired, President Obama signed a second fund into law on Jan. 2, 2011. This fund was reactivated in 2016, with a set expiration date of December 2020. According to an announcement from the operators of the fund in February 2019, money may run out prior to this end date, and future 9/11 victim awards will be paid out to claimants at as little as 30 percent of their prior amount.

In 2018, the fund issued compensatory awards to 8,619 applicants, amounting to almost $1.5 billion. Due to the record number of new claims lodged in 2018, the fund’s resources are quickly being depleted. As of February 2019, the fund has awarded nearly $5 billion to victims of the 9/11 attacks. Of the fund’s allotted $7.375 billion, a little over $2 billion is left.

However, nearly 20,000 9/11 filed claims are awaiting award determinations, and thousands more claims are expected to be filed. Claims that were submitted prior to Feb. 1, 2019, will be paid at 50 percent of the prior estimated value. Claims submitted after that date will be paid out at 30 percent.

Who is Eligible to Apply for the September 11th Victims Compensation Fund?

People who worked, attended school, or lived in the vicinity of Ground Zero immediately following the attacks may be eligible to apply for compensation through the fund if they have been diagnosed with one of 65 qualifying cancers.

First responders, EMTs, firefighters, police officers, sanitation workers, construction workers, utility workers, and cleaners may all be able to receive awards. 9/11 volunteers and out-of-state responders can also be eligible. Residents, employees, and students who lived, worked, or attended school below Canal Street may also be able to pursue compensation through the fund if they have suffered adverse health consequences.

Cancers that qualify victims for the fund include but are not limited to:

• Bladder cancer
• Bone cancer
• Brain cancer
• Breast cancer
• Colon cancer
• Esophageal cancer
• Kidney cancer
• Leukemia
• Liver cancer
• Lung cancer
• Melanoma
• Multiple myeloma
• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• Ovarian cancer
• Prostate cancer
• Skin cancer
• Stomach cancer
• Thyroid cancer

Victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks are still being discovered as more and more people who lived or worked in the area are being diagnosed with 9/11-related cancers. If you lived, worked, or went to school near Ground Zero between Sept. 11, 2001, until May 31, 2002, and have been diagnosed with qualifying cancer, you may be eligible to receive an award from the September 11th Victims Compensation Fund before the fund expires in December 2020.