Recent Blog Posts

Within months after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, many first responders began experiencing hard coughing, followed by a loss of breath. This coughing caused throat irritation. Another related symptom was acid reflux, or heartburn. World Trade Center (WTC) cough was the first 9/11-related injury to be recognized. This was only one of the chronic, debilitating […]

The immune system has many responses to something it identifies as potentially harmful to the body, including inflammatory responses. When inflammatory cells do not disperse, small clumps, called granulomas, can develop in many tissues in the body, but is most prevalent in the lungs. Symptoms of pulmonary sarcoidosis include coughing and shortness of breath. If […]

To qualify for compensation through the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF), you must demonstrate both a covered physical illness or injury and that you were present at the crash sites, in a defined area of Lower Manhattan surrounding the World Trade Center, or along one of the routes taken by the debris from WTC. […]

What did the James Zadroga Health and Compensation Act of 2010 do? The Zadroga Act did two main things: it created the World Trade Center Health Program, consolidating and expanding several programs already in place, and it reopened the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) to people injured before May 30, 2002 who did not […]

A study published in the American Journal of Public Health in January 2012 for the first time linked lower respiratory symptoms with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adults living or working in Lower Manhattan on September 11, 2001. The study analyzed medical records of 16,363 people participating in the World Trade Center Health Program registry. […]

Congress created the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) soon after the attacks of September 11th, 2001 to provide recompense and financial assistance to those injured in the attacks and the building collapse as well as to the families of those who lost their lives. The first version of the VCF only compensated those present […]