Hansen & Rosasco, LLP

Did The VCF Receive Your Medical Records

A very common question asked is “Does the VCF Receive My Medical Records from WTCHP?” The most common way for an individual who has suffered a 9/11-related illness to satisfy the eligibility requirements to seek compensation from the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) is by first applying for the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) and going through certifying the condition.

Nearly 3,000 people died in the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001. In the days, weeks, and months that followed, thousands of first responders and volunteers worked tirelessly on the rescue, recovery, and cleanup operations at Ground Zero in New York City, and tens of thousands of individuals lived, worked, or attended school in the area. This post will discuss compensation for families of deceased 9/11 victims.

The WTC Health Program and the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund are close to adding uterine cancer (including endometrial cancer) as a 9/11 presumed condition.

Special Master Rupa Bhattacharyya Farewell – Dan Hansen and Troy Rosasco met with 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund Special Master Rupa Bhattacharyya on a conference call last week as she graciously said goodbye to the 9/11 attorneys she has worked with for almost last six years. Ms. Bhattacharyya shared the following thoughts about the 9/11 lawyers she has worked with:

Downtown workers are, by far, the largest group of people sickened by the toxic 9/11 fallout. It is estimated that at least 300,000 downtown workers were exposed to the same toxic dust and fumes as the first responders. Since 911, at least 15 employees/vendors at Century 21 have been certified with 9/11-related medical conditions, and at least two have died. Twenty-one shoppers at the department store on 9/11 also received diagnoses for 9/11-related illnesses, as have 19 first responders who conducted recovery operations in the building. Did you know that the effects of 9/11 also impact retail workers?

​Diagnosed with 9/11-Related Leukemia: Now What? Recently, researchers from New York teamed up with scientists from Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center to conduct a study to determine if first responders who were present in the Lower Manhattan exposure area on 9/11 or in the months that followed had a higher risk of developing genetic mutations that can lead to blood cancers such as leukemia. This recent study adds more support to the already proven link between exposure to 9/11 toxins – by first responders, downtown workers, residents, students, and others – and leukemia and other forms of blood cancers.

Learn more about ​New Multi-Cancer Screening Tool to Help Detect Cancer Earlier. People in the 9/11 community were exposed to several cancer-causing substances through the toxic dust at Ground Zero. For these patients, a new multi-cancer early detection cancer screening test called Galleri shows promise in finding more types of cancers in earlier stages of development than ever before. Finding and treating cancers early has long been proven to give patients the best hope of recovery and survival.

This year, doctors will diagnose nearly 67,000 new endometrial (uterine) cancer cases – the fourth most common cancer among women. However, it has been the only reproductive cancer not on theWorld Trade Center Health Program’s (WTCHP) list of covered 9/11-related conditions. A recent unanimous decision by the WTCHP’s Scientific Advisory Committee signaled that endometrial cancer would finally gain Program coverage for lifetime treatment and also 9/11 victim compensation.