Debris Removal Workers

Attorneys Helping 9/11 Debris Removal Workers

When the Twin Towers fell on September 11, 2001, they released tons of toxic dust into the air over Lower Manhattan. In some areas of the city, the residue was thick enough to conjure images of a nuclear winter. And yet, authorities said the air was safe. Without assessing the potential dangers of exposure, they dispatched workers, unprepared and ill-equipped, to remove the heavy sediment that had collected on the streets, in the subways, and within the interiors of buildings. Immediately, cleanup workers complained of eye and lung ailments. Now, more than 19 years later, workers who participated in the city-wide cleanup are coming down with the same cancers known to afflict 9/11 first responders.

Fortunately, help is available for former cleanup workers from the WTC Health Program and the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund. If you participated in the post-attack cleanup, you may be eligible for free health screenings and medical treatment, as well as cash compensation. But you must act quickly so you don’t lose your rights. At Barasch & McGarry, our attorneys have been fighting for 9/11 compensation since the earliest health effects were detected. We are determined to see every victim of 9/11-related illness compensated, and we are ready to help you.

Debris Removal Workers Can Receive VCF Benefits for 9/11-Related Cancers

In response to the health crisis caused by exposure to toxic dust from Ground Zero, Congress passed the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act in 2010 and reauthorized the Act in 2016, and again, permanently in 2019. The law established the WTC Health Program and a list of covered medical conditions which has been continually updated as more cancers and illnesses are proven to be linked to the exposure zone on September 11th.

Unfortunately, the list of illnesses linked to the WTC toxins has grown to include 69 different cancers including: skin, prostate, thyroid, breast, lung, and kidney cancers among many others. If you participated in the cleanup of Lower Manhattan after the 9/11 attacks, you may be eligible for benefits in the Non-Responder NYC cleaning or maintenance work claimant category. Thousands of workers are potentially eligible, but as of August 31, 2019, only 1,147 of these workers have filed claims.

Debris Removal Workers Eligibility for the VCF

The NYC Department of Health violated city, state, and federal law, abrogated its responsibility to provide guidance for tenants, and allowed landlords to self-regulate cleanup efforts. This lack of oversight meant cleanup workers operated with very little protective equipment while in heavily contaminated areas. As a result, the long-term diseases we usually associate with 9/11 first responders and rescue/recovery workers have emerged among New York City cleanup workers too.

To prove eligibility for 9/11 benefits, a cleanup worker must be able to show:

• Employment south of Canal Street from Sept. 11, 2001 to May 30, 2002.
• Diagnosis of a cancer or specific respiratory illnesses linked to the toxic dust of the WTC.

But to preserve your rights, you must register within the time permitted.

I want to personally thank the firm for their hard work at both the forefront, and in the offices of the VCF in Washington. Without the firm’s non-stop commitment to the VCF, I wonder where many of us first responders would be today.

E.S.
9/11 Responder

Deadline To Register For 9/11 VCF Has Been Extended

If you are a cleanup worker who has been diagnosed with any of the 69 cancers linked to WTC toxic dust, the deadline to apply for VCF benefits is two years from the date that your type of cancer was certified by the WTC Health Program — or any other governmental agency. However, your two-year period to register doesn’t start on the day of your cancer diagnosis. Rather, it starts only when you are made aware your cancer was linked to exposure to the WTC toxins. If you are closely related to a cleanup worker who died from a WTC-related cancer, your family has two years from the date of death to register. Please be sure to register and help spread the word about the strict two-year deadline to register a claim.