History of the September 11th
Victims Compensation Fund

What is the 9/11 Zadroga Act Victim Compensation Fund?

The first September 11th Victim’s Compensation Fund (VCF) was enacted by Congress in 2011 shortly after the attacks.  The VCF provided compensation to individuals who suffered physical injury or death as a result of the 9/11 attacks. The original VCF fund closed on December 23, 2003. Approximately seven years later on January 2, 2011, President Obama signed into law the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010, (Zadroga 9/11 Act) passed as H.R. 847, which reactivated the Victim Compensation Fund. The new law was named for James Zadroga, a New York police detective who spent hundreds of hours working at Ground Zero and died five years later from respiratory illnesses caused by dust he inhaled at the scene. The Zadroga 9/11 Act of 2010 was reauthorized in 2015 and extends health benefits for another 75 years and the time to file a claim to December 18, 2020.  The reauthorization also provides approximately $4.5 billion in compensation over the next five years.

The Zadroga 9/11 Act provides medical benefits and compensation to workers, volunteers and residents who lived or worked in Lower Manhattan.

Who is eligible to file claims with the VCF?

Anyone who was a first responder, construction or utility worker, rescue or recovery worker office cleaner, volunteer, office worker, student, teacher or anyone who worked, lived, attended school, or was present in lower Manhattan, south of Canal Street, at the NYC Morgue, Staten Island Landfill, piers at any point in time between September 11, 2001 and May 30, 2002, and has been diagnosed with a cancer, illness or pulmonary disease is eligible, and can file a claim with the VCF.

What types of injuries are compensable under the VCF?

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) confirmed what many of us already knew; exposure to the WTC toxic dust can cause cancer. As a result, the Zadroga 9/11 Act and VCF that now covers 68 different WTC-related cancers. The Act also covers other debilitating and potentially disabling injuries like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, mesothelioma, asbestosis, chronic rhinosinusitis, gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD), Interstitial lung diseases, reactive airways dysfunction syndrome (RADS) ,WTC-exacerbated and new-onset chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

What was in the toxic cloud in lower Manhattan?

The toxic cloud that descended upon lower Manhattan was made up of many dangerous contaminants. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, lower Manhattan was bathed in a toxic stew of chemicals and particulates. Thousands of first responders, workers and others rushed to the scene and many spent hours, days and months breathing the air. The toxic cloud was comprised of asbestos, 91,000 L jet fuel, pulverized building materials, cement dust, dioxin, gypsum and calcite, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), microscopic shards of glass, silica, heavy metals, benzene and other numerous volatile organic compounds.

Is there a deadline to register and file a claim?

There is still time to apply for compensation if you have been diagnosed with a WTC related cancer or illness. If you were diagnosed with a cancer, the deadline to register with the VCF is two years from the date that the cancer was certified by the WTC Health Program (or “any other governmental agency”). The families of those who died from WTC related cancers or illnesses must register with the VCF within 2 years of the day of death.