Hansen & Rosasco, LLP

Since the terrorist attacks 23 years ago, every day I represent people with claims before the federal 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund. Not one has told me they have been asked about plea deals.

Uterine cancer is strongly linked to exposure to the 9/11 toxins in women who were in lower Manhattan on or during the year after 9/11, including civilians, residents, downtown office and other workers, area students, and clean-up workers/responders, The recent addition of uterine cancer to the list of World Trade Center (WTC)-related health conditions marks an important and long overdue recognition of the ongoing struggles of thousands. This was important because it finally gives women with uterine cancer – including women who were diagnosed many years ago – lifetime healthcare and significant compensation that ranges from $250,000 to over $1,000,000. 

Many people who experienced the 9/11 attacks are from Staten Island. This includes the many people who commuted to lower Manhattan as 9/11 first responders, construction and cleanup workers, or to an office or other jobs in lower Manhattan downtown any time during the many months after 9/11. Many of these responders or civilian workers have since been diagnosed with cancer or other 9/11 illnesses, caused by the toxic air and environment that they were exposed to in 2001 and 2001.  

BREAKING NEWS: New Study Shows 9/11 First Responders at Increased Risk for Dementia Before Age 65

Over 5,000 people have died from 9/11-related illnesses, including those who worked, lived, and went to school in Lower Manhattan – almost double the number of lives lost on that day. More than two decades after the attacks, the death toll for 9/11 firefighters continues to rise with over 340 members of the New York Fire Department (FDNY) who have now died from 9/11-related illnesses. 

One of the primary factors for the rising death toll is late-onset cancers linked to exposure to toxic substances at Ground Zero, the Pentagon, or the Shanksville, Pennsylvania crash site. 9/11 firefighters face an ongoing threat to their health, with new cases of cancer emerging long after the collapse of the Twin Towers created the cloud of dust and debris that filled the air in lower Manhattan and lingered for almost a year after the attacks. With the increased risk of developing cancer, understanding the various late-onset 9/11 cancers that affect firefighters and how to access ongoing medical monitoring is essential. 

Skin cancer is, by far, the most common cancer certified by the World Trade Center Health Program as related to exposure to the 9/11 toxins, including not only first responders but also anyone who lived, worked, or went to school in lower Manhattan between 9/11 and July 31, 2022.  Non-melanoma skin cancer has been definitively linked to 9/11 exposure in 8,019 responders and 3,159 non-responders such as area workers, residents, and students. The 9/11 toxins have been linked to melanoma of the skin in 878 responders and 460 non-responders, including downtown Manhattan workers, residents, and students. Melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancers are among the top 10 most common 9/11-related cancers reported among those present in the aftermath of 9/11. 

May is Melanoma and Skin Cancer Awareness Month and serves to highlight that Skin Cancer is the most common (by far) cancer suffered by 9/11 victims as a result of the toxic exposure in downtown Manhattan between 9/11 and May 30, 2002. To date, over 10,500 9/11 victims have been “certified” by the World Trade Center Health Program with either Basal cell or Squamous cell carcinomas. In addition, over 1250 9/11 victims have been diagnosed with Melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer and the most difficult to treat.

In addition to federal 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) benefits, 9/11 victims may also be entitled to 9/11 New York State Workers’ Compensation Board benefits. However, it is important to note that any workers’ compensation benefits received by a 9/11 victim are a “collateral offset'' to any compensation from the VCF. Therefore, 9/11 victims who pursue both types of benefits may not receive more actual “net” compensation at the end of the day.

Pursuit of New York Workers’ Compensation Board 9/11 benefits (especially by “Section 32 Settlement Agreements”) may also impact a 9/11 victims' rights to free lifetime health benefits from the World Trade Center Health Program. 

Prior to pursuing both 9/11 VCF benefits and New York State Workers’ Compensation benefits at the same time, you should speak to an experienced 9/11 Victim Lawyer to discuss any coordination of benefits

Long after hijacked airliners piloted by terrorists took down the World Trade Center towers in New York more than 22 years ago, fires burned below the fallen buildings’ rubble, emitting lethal toxins that posed long-term health problems for thousands of people.