New York Elected Officials Renew Call to Protect 9/11 Community

As the nation honored the twentieth remembrance of September 11, 2001, a bipartisan group of New York State elected officials called for additional resources to fully fund the World Trade Center Health Program.

The health program provides medical treatment and monitoring for more than 100,000 responders and survivors who have been diagnosed with 9/11-related conditions, including 68 different types of cancer and many respiratory illnesses.

Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, joined by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney, Congressman Jerrold Nadler, and Congressman Andrew Garbarino, said he would include funds in the upcoming budget proposal.

Congresswoman Maloney, who wore a firefighter jacket for months in 2019 in support of responders and survivors, noted that nearly two decades after 9/11, people who were there continue to develop chronic illnesses.

“As we mark twenty years since that fateful day in 2001, we must remember that 9/11 isn’t just in the past,” Maloney said. “It is something that these responders, survivors and their families are living with each and every day as they deal with cancer, respiratory disease and mental health concerns.”

Barasch & McGarry attorneys and staff have frequently visited Capitol Hill to advocate for the federal government to fully fund both the health program and the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF).

Both Democrats and Republicans in Washington, D.C., have consistently supported the 9/11 community.

If you were there in Lower Manhattan, the Pentagon, or Shanksville on or after 9/11, we urge you to register with the WTC Health Program and the VCF – even if you are currently healthy. 

By registering, you protect your right to access free health care and register a claim with the Victim Compensation Fund in the future.

For more information, call us at 212-385-8000 or visit 911victims.com.