Victim Compensation Fund

Half a million responders and people working, living, and studying in Lower Manhattan on and after 9/11 were exposed to Ground Zero toxins, dramatically increasing their risk of developing 68 types of cancer and many respiratory illnesses. But Lower Manhattan was not the only area in New York City where the toxins were present.  The […]

Rupa Bhattacharyya, who has been Special Master of the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) since 2016, recently announced that she will leave the VCF at the end of April. She will assume a position with Georgetown University Law Center’s Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection. Earning bipartisan support, Bhattacharyya was appointed Special Master by President […]

Emotions were tense in Lower Manhattan in the weeks after 9/11, as military units patrolled the streets, and people worried that another terrorist attack could occur at any time. Yet, within a few weeks, schools from preschools to high schools were reopened – even Stuyvesant High School, which was across the street from Ground Zero. […]

April is Testicular Cancer Awareness Month. Young men between the ages of 15 and 35 generally have the highest risk of developing testicular cancer. But men who were exposed to Ground Zero toxins after 9/11 also have a higher risk of developing testicular cancer, along with 67 other types of cancer and many respiratory illnesses. […]

Among the nearly half a million people who were in Lower Manhattan on and after 9/11, door attendants and building maintenance staff played a crucial role in providing security for people living and working in the neighborhood. These workers – most of them represented by labor unions – contributed enormously to the recovery of New […]

April is Esophageal Cancer Awareness Month. 9/11 first responders and people who were near Ground Zero on and after 9/11 are at risk of developing many respiratory illnesses and 68 different types of cancer — including esophageal cancer. According to a report from the American Cancer Society, an estimated 20,640 new esophageal cancer cases will […]