The 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund
The history of the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund began on September 22, 2001, several days after the terrorist attacks claimed nearly 3,000 lives.
It was created by a Congress act to provide compensation to people who were injured or lost family members in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks or the immediate aftermath.
Twenty years later, the Victim Compensation Fund continues to serve the 9/11 community to make sure each responder and survivor is fairly compensated for their related health conditions.
Even though the original 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund closed in the winter of 2003, the Victim Compensation Fund was later reopened. As responders and survivors kept developing severe diseases from exposure to the toxins in the dust cloud, the fund expanded multiple times until it was permanently authorized in 2019 and funded through 2090. Until December 2003, the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund paid out a total of $7.049 billion to 5,560 claimants. Compensation is also available to those who worked or volunteered in construction and debris removal.
Eligibility criteria for the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund
To become eligible for compensation from the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, you must have been injured or developed a disease between September 11, 2001, and May 30, 2002, as:
- a New York City Fire Department active or retired member
- a World Trade Center general responder
- a person in the course of ordinary employment, residence, education, or otherwise present
Furthermore, you must have one of the following injuries, diseases, or health conditions:
Cancers
- bladder cancer
- breast cancer
- kidney cancer
- liver cancer
- pancreatic cancer
- prostate cancer
- testicular cancer
- blood and lymphoid tissue cancers
- Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- Leukemia
- Lymphoma
- myeloma
- non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- uterine cancer
- ovarian cancer
- any childhood cancer
- thyroid cancer
- bronchial cancer
- colon cancer
- digestive system cancers
- eye and orbit cancer
- head and neck cancers
- lung cancer
- oropharyngeal cancer
- rare cancers
- rectal cancer
- respiratory system cancers
- skin cancers
- soft and connective tissue cancer
- tonsil cancer
- urinary system cancer
- mesothelioma
Airway and digestive disorders
- asthma
- chronic cough syndrome
- chronic laryngitis
- chronic nasopharyngitis
- chronic respiratory disorder
- chronic rhinosinusitis
- gastroesophageal reflux disorder
- interstitial lung disease
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- reactive airway dysfunction syndrome
- sleep apnea
- upper airways hyperreactivity
Mental health conditions
- acute stress disorder
- adjustment disorder
- anxiety disorders
- depression
- dysthymic disorder
- generalized anxiety disorder
- major depressive disorder
- panic disorder
- post-traumatic stress disorder
- substance use disorder
Musculoskeletal disorders (applies to WTC responders only)
- carpal tunnel syndrome
- low back pain
- other musculoskeletal disorders
Acute traumatic injuries
- complex sprain
- eye injury
- fracture
- head trauma
- tendon tear
- other
To know with certainty whether you qualify for compensation from the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, we advise you to get in touch with our diligent attorneys, who will promptly evaluate your case to determine your eligibility. If we deem you eligible, we will begin working on your case as soon as possible, as we are well aware that many 9/11 victims need money to afford treatment if they have chronic health issues.
The toxic materials 9/11 victims might have been exposed to during the aftermath
When the plane crashed, it resulted in the collapse of the Twin Towers, which created massive dust clouds filling the air and leaving hundreds of highly populated city blocks covered with ash, debris, and harmful particles, including asbestos, metals, silica, concrete, and glass.
The dust from the collapsed buildings was "wildly toxic", according to air pollution expert and University of California Davis Professor Emeritus Thomas Cahill. Much of the debris resulting from the collapse of the Twin Towers was pulverized concrete, which is known to cause silicosis upon inhalation.
9/11 victims might have been exposed to the following toxic or dangerous substances and materials during the aftermath of the attack:
- dioxins
- polyaromatic hydrocarbons
- asbestos
- pulverized concrete
- microscopic shards glass
- silica
- heavy metals
- cement dust
- gypsum
- polychlorinated biphenyls
- calcite
- jet fuel
Over 70 known carcinogens and a myriad of toxic chemicals were released into the air across Lower Manhattan on the day of the 9/11 attack. "The debris pile acted like a chemical factory. It cooked together the components of the buildings and their contents, including enormous numbers of computers, and gave off gases of toxic metals, acids, and organics," according to atmospheric scientist Thomas Cahill. More than 15,000 people in the 9/11 community have been diagnosed with cancer, and over 2,000 have died of those cancers.
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