It took almost 10 years after September 11, 2001, for Congress to create the The James L. Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which is also called the “Zadroga Bill.” The legistlation was originally made law by President Obama and was reauthorized again in 2015. This piece of legislation created two very important programs for anyone who was in the zone of danger on September 11.
First, it created the World Trade Center Health Program (“WTCHP”). This program provides individuals who were in the zone of danger with health monitoring and treatment services. Next, it also created the Victim Compensation Fund (“VCF”), which pays financial awards to those who have physical injuries and have died due to exposure-related conditions.
This program is open to individuals and first-responders. To be eligible, you must meet two requirements:
- You had to be in the zone of danger on or soon after September 11 (between September 11, 2001 and May 30, 2002). The zone of danger is defined as south of Canal Street in Lower Manhattan.
- You must be diagnosed with one of the eligible conditions. The most common condition is some form of cancer.
When the World Trade Center towers collapsed, they created massive dust and debris clouds containing toxic dust that covered virtually all of Manhattan. The buildings contained special materials that were originally designed to make the buildings more fire proof. However, these materials were laced with cancer causing fibers, which resulted in an enormous exposure to first responders and emergency personnel who responded to the area.
The WTCHP is tracking almost half a million people who were exposed to toxic chemicals and fibers during the rescue and recovery efforts.
If you believe you have a claim against the Victims Compensation Fund, you can contact us. We have helped individuals qualify for the fund and have helped them recover money for their families.
It is important that you contact us as soon as possible, as the 2015 re-authorization expires in 2020 and all individuals must be in the system before the deadline passes.
I need help, how do I get started?
The best way to get started is to simply give us a call: 877-862-4635. You can call any time, day or night. If we can’t answer, you will get a call back very quickly. If you prefer that we call you first, you can simply fill out a form on the right side of the screen and we will contact you shortly.