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You are a cleaner in a downtown Manhattan office building on 9/11. In 2018, you were just diagnosed with 9/11 breast cancer. Your exact diagnosis is invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), the most common type of breast cancer. Almost 80% of all breast cancers are invasive ductal carcinomas. You are only 51 and your family has no history of cancer. You are very scared for you and your family.
The recent passing of a veteran NYPD cop who rushed to the World Trade Center on September 11th is yet another unwelcome reminder that cancers and other illnesses related to that terrible day continue to take the lives of first responders, recovery workers, and others.
9/11 Lung Cancer screening is available through the World Trade Center Health Program for first responders, lower Manhattan residents and lower Manhattan workers.
Joe Battista was an FDNY firefighter who worked for months at Ground Zero after the September 11th attacks, and then spent time sifting through debris at the Fresh Kills landfill looking for human remains. This soul-crushing work eventually took its toll.
For tens of thousands of victims, survivors, and families who have suffered incomprehensible losses as a result of the September 11th attacks, the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) and the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) have provided critical compensation and care to help them rebuild their lives. As essential and effective as these two programs have been, one thing that they cannot provide is justice and accountability for those responsible for the tragic events of that horrible day.
The 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) was established to provide compensation and resources to those who have suffered as a result of the September 11th attacks. But for New York first responders, rescue workers, and recovery workers, the VCF is not the only potential source of compensation for 9/11-related illnesses. The conditions caused by 9/11 exposure can and do impede victims’ ability to work and support their families. As with other injuries or illnesses which keep people off the job, 9/11-related conditions can be the basis of claims for workers’ compensation benefits.
Not all 9/11-related illnesses and medical conditions make themselves known at the same time. Years can go by between the diagnosis of one condition and the diagnosis of a separate 9/11 illness or cancer. Additionally, new conditions continue to be certified as 9/11-related and thus eligible for treatment through the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) and compensation from the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF).
By law, the Special Master who administers the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) must issue an annual status report outlining the fund’s activities for the previous year. The reports identify progress and any shortcomings in processing claims and awarding compensation to thousands of first-responders, recovery workers and other individuals who have suffered from cancer and other illnesses relating to the September 11th attacks.
On the heels of an increasing number of stories about 9/11 victims being denied compensation, benefits, or care for conditions that have already been certified as 9/11-related, the New York Daily News published an editorial urging certain federal agencies and New York City pension authorities to clear roadblocks which they have placed in the way of victims.
If you live on Long Island and are a member of the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP), the treatments, resources, and facilities available to you have significantly expanded and improved.
800-887-7299