In the days and months following the attacks, over 90,000 responders who worked in the recovery effort and 400,000 survivors who lived, worked, or went to school in the area were exposed to toxins in Lower Manhattan. Today over 40,000 are in treatment for life-threatening illnesses, including over 100 cancers. With each passing day others are diagnosed and sadly, over 2,100 have died.

The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010 established the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) to provide medical and mental health care through 2090. Yet the law, which also authorized the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) to provide financial compensation for those suffering from serious illnesses, is expiring in 2020. Efforts are being made today by 9/11 advocates to ensure the permanent authorization of the Victim Compensation Fund and they need your help.

The announcement last week by the Victim Compensation Fund Special Master that there will be cutbacks in the VCF awards due to the increase in claimants and dwindling funds has serious consequences. Responders and survivors continue to be diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses every day, and the latency period for some cancers has not yet been reached. 

 

Each day we receive calls from survivors, responders, and their family members who are desperately seeking help as a result of the financial devastation they are experiencing due to their serious illnesses: From the iron workers who worked in the recovery effort, to the volunteers who passed out meals, to the stockbrokers who returned to work, and the school children who were urged to return to school in Lower Manhattan. In the aftermath of the most deadly attack on our country, these individuals demonstrated their unwavering spirit of patriotism and resiliency. Now these courageous individuals need our help!

 

9/11 advocates John Feal with the FealGood Foundation and Ben Chevat with Citizens for the Extension of the James Zadroga Act are working tirelessly by calling upon our senators and congressmen to support the permanent authorization of the Victim Compensation Fund so that those impacted will have the financial compensation they deserve to support their families.

 

As a family member, I am personally indebted to the recovery workers who worked day and night sifting through rubble for our loved ones' remains. I am in awe of the survivors who despite unprecedented fear and uncertainty returned to Lower Manhattan to reinstate a sense of normalcy. While we can never repay these brave individuals who are now suffering from life-threatening illnesses and dying more frequently every day, we can support this advocacy effort on their behalf.