Responders who worked at Ground Zero and survivors have until October 3 to file a claim with the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF), which was created by the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act.
The New York Daily News recently (http://nydn.us/19EKjGc) profiled Brian and Chandra Davis, Tennessee residents who worked at Ground Zero following the 9/11 attacks and later fell ill. Because they are outside the New York Metro area, they only recently learned about the VCF.
If you were injured in the attacks on 9/11 or the rescue and recovery effort that followed, you need to learn about the VCF and how it could help you, and make sure you do not miss the coming deadlines that might apply to you.
The September 11th VCF, was reopened in 2010 when Congress passed and President Obama signed into law the “James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act.” The law allows 9/11 Responders and Survivors who became ill or the loved ones of those who have passed due to 9/11 injuries to apply for compensation for economic and non-economic losses (pain and suffering) stemming from their physical injuries. The deadlines are complicated, but for most responders and survivors, you must complete and submit an online registration by this coming October 3rd, 2013 if you know or should have known that you were injured as a result of the attacks of September 11th, 2001.
Even if you are enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program, receiving medical monitoring and or treatment for your 9/11 injury, you still NEED TO REGISTER WITH THE VCF.
Even if you filed with the N.Y.S. Worker’s Compensation Board or your Pension Board, you still NEED TO REGISTER WITH THE VCF.
For responders and survivors who have only a WTC cancer, the deadline is over a year later than October 3rd for filing a claim for injury due to cancer, but 9/11 Health Watch (http://www.911healthwatch.org/) is advising potential registrants to learn about their rights under the law now, to make sure they understand the deadlines and do not miss a required filing.
If you are not sure that you have begun the process and want to check whether you have filed a claim with the VCF, you can call the VCF helpline at 1-855-885-1555.
For more on the WTC response, consider HAVE WE LEARNED THE EVACUATION LESSONS? A COMMENTARY, LEARNING AND APPLYING THE LESSONS OF THE WTC DISASTER, and APPLYING THE LCES CONCEPT TO RESCUE OPERATIONS
