Both 9/11 Responders and Survivors Are Eligible for Health Care and Compensation – Regardless of Family History

Both first responders and people who were working, living, or studying in Lower Manhattan on or after 9/11 have a higher risk of developing respiratory illnesses and 68 different types of cancer from their exposure to Ground Zero toxins.

If you were there, you are at risk – even more than twenty years after 9/11 – despite initial claims by government officials that the air was safe to breathe.

There are some common misconceptions about eligibility for health care and compensation for 9/11-related illnesses.

If you were there and develop any of the respiratory illnesses or 68 cancers, you are eligible to access the free World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program and the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) – regardless of family history or any other factor.

Even if your parents, grandparents, and other family members all had the same type of cancer or other illness, you are eligible.

Barasch & McGarry is proud to have represented James Zadroga, an NYPD detective who developed pulmonary fibrosis as a result of his exposure to the deadly 9/11 toxins.

His death, at the age of 34, and subsequent autopsy (which discovered ground glass and a host of carcinogens in his lungs), persuaded Congress to pass the “James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act.”

The act reopened the first 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) and created the Health Program for those suffering from the harmful consequences of the WTC toxic dust. 

That was the evidence the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) needed to link 68 cancers to the 9/11 toxic dust.

In addition to 9/11 first responders, survivors – people who were living, working or studying in Lower Manhattan on and after 9/11 – have the right to health care and compensation for Ground Zero-related illnesses.

If you are diagnosed with or any 9/11-related cancers or respiratory illnesses, we can help you access resources through the free WTC Health Program and the 9/11 VCF. 

The health program provides free, comprehensive medical care to 9/11 victims for their 9/11-related illnesses.

The victim fund offers tax-free awards for pain and suffering, lost earnings, and benefits for surviving spouses and family members.

For the WTC Health Program, the exposure zone includes all of Manhattan below Houston Street and parts of Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO in Brooklyn.

For the 9/11 VCF, the exposure zone includes the area of Manhattan south of Canal Street and west of Clinton Street.

Barasch & McGarry, Lawyers for the 9/11 Community, represents more than 30,000 members of the 9/11 community, including thousands of both responders and survivors.

Visit 911victims.com or call 212-385-8000 today.