Category Archives: Victim Compensation Fund
Beware of 9/11 Early Payment Programs
As many claimants continue to await payments from the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, some ailing first responders and other victims are becoming increasingly desperate because they need the payments for their medical bills and living expenses. Some companies have responded to this need by offering to float advance payment of VCF benefits to victims […]
How Other Benefits Can Offset VCF Payments
The funds that Congress set aside for the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund are finite, and the number of claimants increases every day. To ensure fairness and stretch the funds as far as possible, the VCF has adopted the policy that certain collateral benefits should offset the amount of benefits a claimant receives from the […]
Lung Injuries Resulting from the 9/11 Attacks
In the moments, days, weeks and months following the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC) in 2001, clouds of dust enveloped Lower Manhattan. As the debris was cleared from the site, that same dust found its way to the Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island. Thousands of first responders inhaled this dust, […]
WTC Healthcare by the Numbers
Every quarter, the Centers for Disease Control publishes a report that gives a picture of the activities of the World Trade Center Health Program. The program was created as part of the Zadroga Act to provide free health monitoring and treatment for responders and survivors of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Those eligible to enroll include […]
Ground Zero and Cancer: The Surprising Side
As the years have gone by since the 9/11 disaster, studies have repeatedly demonstrated an increased rate of many cancers among emergency responders and other survivors who had breathed the toxic dust at Ground Zero. Except one. Somewhat surprisingly, statistics show 9/11 responders have experienced a lower rate of lung cancer than would be expected […]
Deadline Déjà Vu for Comp Fund
It is simply human nature, indicated the director of a Washington-based victim-support organization, for people to put off taking action until a deadline looms. Just look at the tax-filing ordeal many put themselves through every April. So it was no wonder, she concluded, that until the compensation fund deadline was imminent, the response was lower […]
Help is Available: VCF and WTCHP
Two programs provide relief to responders, recovery workers and others injured during the September 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States or by exposure to debris afterward. These two programs are the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) and the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP). Although both programs were established by the same legislation, […]
Added Weight: Burden of Proof
Although it began payout to victims again in January of this year, the World Trade Center September 11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) will not likely ever be able to fully compensate each victim. While vested with over $2 billion for illness and injury caused in the attack, the number of claims made against that sum […]
Your WTC Claim: Make Sure It’s Done Right
In January of this year, initial payments were made to 15 claimants from the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF). The recipients were all first responders currently experiencing respiratory problems. Depending upon the ultimate number of Fund claimants, payout figures may range from $10,000 to $1.5 million. If you registered with the VCF and filed […]
