Victim Compensation Fund

Dennis Smith, a longtime New York City firefighter and bestselling author, passed away on January 21. He was 81. Raised on the East Side of Manhattan, Smith joined the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) in 1963, when he was assigned to Engine Company 292 in Queens. In 1966, Smith was transferred to the busiest […]

January is National Thyroid Awareness Month. The half a million first responders and survivors who were exposed to Ground Zero toxins after 9/11 all have a dramatically higher risk of 68 different types of cancer, including thyroid cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 43,800 new cases of thyroid cancer (11,860 in men […]

Twenty years after 9/11, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) still refuses to update its regulation of corrosive alkaline dust, according to a lawsuit filed by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). Often released during building demolition and cement mixing, alkaline dust at high concentrations could result in chemical burns, particularly to the respiratory system. The […]

We recently honored the eleventh anniversary of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010, named in honor of hero NYPD Detective James Zadroga, a Barasch & McGarry client. The act established the World Trade Center Health Program and reactivated the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF), providing medical care and financial security to tens […]

January is Cervical Health Awareness Month. The nearly half a million people exposed to Ground Zero toxins on  9/11 or during the 8 following months have a substantially higher risk of developing many respiratory illnesses and 68 different types of cancer, including cervical cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 14,480 new cases […]

This January marks the sixteenth anniversary of the death of NYPD Detective James Zadroga, a Barasch & McGarry client. Zadroga was a 9/11 hero whose illness demonstrated the deadly health consequences of exposure to Ground Zero toxins and was a crucial part of the campaign to secure health care and compensation for tens of thousands […]