Adding New Health Conditions to the World Trade Center Health Program and the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund

There are currently 68 types of cancer and several respiratory illnesses presumed linked to the WTC toxins. The World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) and the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) provide free health care and compensation, respectively, for these 68 cancers and a host of respiratory illnesses.

WTCHP also covers acute traumatic injuries, mental health conditions, and musculoskeletal disorders (only for World Trade Center first responders).

These conditions are included because doctors and public health experts who work with the 9/11 community have determined that exposure to Ground Zero toxins after September 11, 2001 increases the risk of developing them.

WTCHP regulations allow the agency to add new conditions after receiving a petition or on its own initiative, noted a recent article in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, as when prostate cancer was added as a “covered condition” in 2013.

If you were in Lower Manhattan on or after 9/11, we encourage you to register with the WTCHP and the VCF as soon as possible. It’s your data that the programs need in order to continue to add new conditions to be covered.

Even if you have not yet been diagnosed with a health condition now eligible for compensation, your health information could provide evidence for the WTCHP and the VCF to add a new condition.

For example, several studies have found a higher incidence of heart disease in 9/11 first responders and survivors.

As more 9/11 community members register, evidence will likely build for adding new conditions such as heart disease and, with the VCF, providing compensation for mental health conditions.

We will fight tirelessly to secure access to health care and compensation for all eligible 9/11 victims.

If you are interested in registering with the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) and the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF), call 212-385-8000 or visit 911victims.com today.