Blog
First study examines PTSD and cognitive impairment in World Trade Center responders
The impact of PTSD on cognitive ability is only now being charted. Mike Barash commented on the recent study linking the World Trade Center toxic dust to cognitive impairment. Barash said “I’m delighted to see that the World Trade Center health program and the Zadroga act are working as Congress intended them to. When the […]
Zadroga Act Special Master Publishes Interim Final Rule
Sheila Birnbaum, special master of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. When Congress voted to reauthorize the Zadroga Act, it charged the U.S. Department of Justice with the task of writing regulations for its implementation and assigned statutory deadlines for completion. The Attorney General selected Sheila Birnbaum to serve as Special Master for the September […]
Message from Special Master Rupa Bhattacharyya – VCF Program Updates
Michael Barasch commented on Victim Compensation Fund Special Master’s program update: When Congress re-authorized and extended the Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) last December, it mandated that the VCF pay claimants whose applications were completed, before it could even consider new or amended claims. As many of you know firsthand, many claimants have still not been […]
9/11 Victim Compensation Fund: Still waiting after 15 years
Bobby Zahn has been approved for a claim from the Victim Compensation Fund. He got metastatic prostate cancer following his work at ground zero in the weeks after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel) Mike Barasch, managing partner of Barasch & McGarry, attorneys for the Zadroga Family, as well as thousands of […]
Poor Lung Function Persists Among 9/11 Responders
A recent study published in CHEST Journal, the official publication of the American College of Chest Physicians, revealed that 13 years after the September 11 attacks, most firefighters exposed to toxic dust “continued to show a lack of lung function recovery.” However, the study did note a lung function benefit among affected firefighters who stopped […]
September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Begins Accepting New Claims
Michael Barasch, attorney for thousands of Victim Compensation Fund claimants, applauded the launch of the Fund’s new claim form. “We have been precluded from uploading new claims and documents for the past 7 months. It appears that the wait has been worth it. The new forms and online system do indeed seem “easier to navigate […]
Basking Ridge Yard Sale Funds Charity Begun in the Aftermath of 9/11
Heartworks founder Megan McDowell of Bernardsville at the annual Heartworks fundraising yard sale at 19 Route 202, Basking Ridge. Credits: By Betsy Bacot-Aigner A two-day yard sale whose proceeds benefit local families was recently held in the Somerset County town of Basking Ridge, New Jersey. What’s noteworthy about this event is its connection to the […]
WTC Survivors Up in Arms Over 28 Pages Missing from 9/11 Inquiry
© Brad Rickerby / Reuters Nearly 15 years after the 9/11 attacks, survivors are still waiting for justice. The perpetrators died that day, and some of the architects of the attacks have been imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay or killed. But there are still bitter feelings among survivors who suspect, quite reasonably, that persons who financed […]
