Teachers & Faculty

Dedicated 9/11 Attorneys Fighting for NYC Teachers’ Rights

With the passage of time, it’s become evident that first responders are not the only people sickened by toxins released from the wreckage of the World Trade Center after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Among the emerging victims are current and former teachers who worked at schools located within the WTC exposure zone: below Canal Street in Lower Manhattan. Federal, state and local governments pushed for a return to normalcy after the attacks, but that push proved premature. Fast-forward many years and teachers who were exposed to toxins in the workplace are developing all the cancers and diseases that have been linked to the toxic 9/11 dust. At Barasch & McGarry, we believe that all victims of 9/11 have a right to health benefits and monetary compensation. We are prepared to fight for yours.

Teacher & School Staff 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund Claims

In 2019, after dozens of trips down to Washington, D.C. to lobby Congress, our firm and many other 9/11 advocates aided in the full funding and permanent extension of the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF)— the government fund with over $10 billion to compensate teachers, students, alumni, faculty, and school staff who have become sick or have died from WTC-linked cancers and illnesses. Passage of the Never Forget the Heroes Act essentially ensures funds are available to compensate all who are currently sick or get sick in the future.

The second program available to 9/11 survivors is the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) which provides free health screenings and medical treatment. The program covers bystanders, like teachers and faculty, who developed illnesses from the toxins released in the air in Lower Manhattan. This free health care is available nationwide.

I recently received my VCF payment check. I know a lot of people in your office made this possible with their hard work. Please let them know how much they have helped my family. My thoughts will always be with the hard working people of your firm who made this possible.

T.N
9/11 Survivor

How Teachers Can Qualify For 9/11 Benefits

To prove eligibility for 9/11 benefits from the WTCHP or the VCF, a current or former teacher must satisfy two requirements:

• Employment south of Canal Street during the 2001–2002 school year
• Diagnosis of a cancer or a specific respiratory illnesses linked to the WTC’s toxic dust

Schools in the 9/11 Exposure Zone

• PS 234
• PS 150
• PS 1 Alfred Smith
• PS 2 Meyer London
• PS 124 Yung Wing School
• PS/IS 89
• Leadership & Public Service High School
• Stuyvesant High School
• Murry Bergtraum High School
• High School of Economics and Finance
• PS 184 Shuang Wen School
• PS 134 Henrietta Szold School
• PS 137 John Bernstein
• PS 110 Florence Nightingale
• PS 42 Benjamin Altman
• PS 130 Hernando Desoto School
• PS 142 Amalia Castro School
• PS 140 Nathan Straus
• PS 188 Island School
• PS 126 Jacob Riis
• Marte Valle High School
• Bard High School
• City As School High School
• NEST
• University Neighborhood High School
• Chelsea Career and Technical High School
• MS 131
• Touro College
• Elisabeth Haub Psce School of Law
• Pace University 
• NYACK College
• New York Film Academy
• Carnegie Mellon NY
• College of New Rochelle NY
• Hunter College of the CUNY
• New York Law
• BMCC
• St John’s University Manhattan Campus
• Bard High School Early College 
• Cascades High School
• Essex Street Academy 
• Orchard Collegiate Academy
• John V Lindsay Wildcat Academy
• Leman Manhattan Prep
• PS/MS 8 Robert Fulton

Spreading The Word About Teacher And Student VCF Eligibility

Many survivors have since left the NYC area and now live in parts of the country where they are unaware of the benefits available to them through these important programs. Many others have been sickened but, because of the passage of time, don’t connect their illness back to 9/11.

For example, Catherine Heron, now retired, was a math teacher at the High School of Economics and Finance at 100 Trinity Place. As she evacuated her students on 9/11, the second tower fell. Catherine and her students found themselves surrounded by toxic dust. Catherine developed lung cancer in 2007, but never knew to register for the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund until this year, when the United Federation of Teachers urged retired educators to enroll.

Barasch & McGarry is actively reaching out to survivors who may be suffering to inform them of their rights. We urge you to help in those efforts.

Deadline to register for compensation has been extended

Deadlines to register VCF claims are approaching. If you or anyone you know had cancer or lost a family member, reach out to us to register for compensation quickly.

If you were exposed to the toxic air on 9/11 or in the 8 months that followed, but have not had your medical condition linked to 9/11, you also still have time to apply for significant compensation. The deadline to apply to the Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) is two years from the date that your cancer or illness has been certified by the WTC Health Program. The two-year period to register doesn’t start on the day of diagnosis. Rather, it starts only when a victim is made aware their condition was linked to exposure to the WTC toxins.

For those who died from their WTC-linked condition, the two-year period for their family to register starts on the day of the death of the WTC victim.

Many people have tried to complete the VCF application on their own, only to learn that it requires answers to hundreds of questions and many documents to download. It would be our pleasure to help you complete the process in order to ensure that you receive the compensation that you are entitled to. Please contact us for a free consultation.