On the anniversary of 9/11, it’s important to look at how these events have affected those who survived or volunteered in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks that impacted the World Trade Center in New York City, The Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and the crash site near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
On September 11, 2001, a total of 2,996 people were killed, including the 19 individuals who carried out these terrorist attacks against the U.S. Over the next few weeks, first responders, construction workers, search and rescue dogs and other volunteers were involved in cleaning up the sites, with a special focus in New York City at what was known as Ground Zero.
According to the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program, it is estimated that over 400,000 people were exposed to toxic contaminants, risk of traumatic injury and physically and emotionally stressful conditions in the days, weeks and months following the attacks. The common 9/11-related health conditions include chronic cough, asthma, sinus congestion, certain cancers, stress-related disorders and depression, among others. Members of the WTC Health Program are found across the U.S. with high populations in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina and Florida.
In 2010, The WTC Health Program was established under the “James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010,” signed by former President Barack Obama on Jan. 2, 2011. This act also re-opened the pre-existent September 11th Victims Compensation Fund (VCF), which provides monetary compensation to individuals of surviving family members whose health, in terms of injury, illness or death, were deemed related to 9/11. The WTC Health Program’s mission is to provide monitoring and treatment for health conditions that have been determined to be 9/11-related.
In July 2019, President Donald Trump signed the “Never Forget the Heroes, James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund,” which extended the filing claim deadline until Oct. 1, 2090, matching the permanent deadline of WTC Health Program.
The WTC Health Program serves responders at the WTC and related sites in New York City, the Pentagon and Shanksville Pennsylvania. This also includes survivors who were present in the dust or dust cloud and lived, worked or went to school in the WTC Health Programs New York City Disaster Area. The health care in this program is provided through the Clinical Centers of Excellence in the New York metropolitan area and a Nationwide Provider Network (NPN) for those who moved from states of 9/11 sites since 2001.
The VCF serves responders and survivors as well as families of deceased individuals who were present at 9/11 crash site in New York City, the Pentagon or Shanksville, PA, on routes of debris removal or present at any location within the VCF’s New York City Exposure Zone at any point from Sept. 11, 2001 through May 30, 2002. By registering for the VCF, it preserves the individual’s right to file a VCF claim in the future. Individuals who are members of the WTC Health Program with a certified condition have two years after certification to register with the VCF.
For individuals who are interested in learning more about these programs or interested in applying, they are encouraged to visit www.cdc.gov/wtc or call 1-888-982-4748 for the WTC Health Program and www.vcf.gov or 1-855-885-1555 or (1558 for hearing impaired) for the Victim’s Compensation Fund.
