9/11 responders

The World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) and the Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) are often mentioned in the same breath. This makes sense since both were established by the Zadroga Act and run by the federal government. Misunderstandings about the differences often cause confusion, however, since many people don’t realize it is possible to qualify […]

Not everybody is familiar with the terminology that the WTC Health Program and Victim Compensation Fund use to classify the populations they serve. Here’s a quick primer: General Responders: This category is for people who worked or, in some cases, volunteered down at the WTC site on September 11th or during any part of the […]

With each passing year, we learn more about the terrible health toll suffered by the men and women who worked at Ground Zero in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. These World Trade Center rescue and recovery workers will be honored with a fitting monument at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum. The memorial, […]

As the serious medical problems associated with 9/11 exposure mount, a new cancer risk has been identified. During a four-year period, diagnoses of head and neck cancers increased by 40 percent among World Trade Center first responders. Carcinogenic particles that were inhaled by police officers, fire fighters, military personnel and others at or near Ground […]

Demonstrating that good things can come from personal tragedies, injured 9/11 responder John Feal has built a support network to assist fellow responders. Feal was a construction supervisor working on recovery efforts at Ground Zero five days after the attack when a huge piece of steel fell and crushed his foot, necessitating amputation and an […]