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9/11 Uterine Cancer Closer to a Reality

May 10, 2022
HomeBlog9/11 Uterine Cancer Closer to a Reality

On May 9, 2022, the WTC Health Program‘s Director, Dr. John Howard, proposed a formal rule to expand the list of covered conditions by including the following cancers of the female reproductive system:

  • Uterus
  • Isthmus uteri
  • Endometrium
  • Myometrium
  • Fundus uteri
  • Overlapping sites of corpus uteri
  • Corpus uteri unspecified

If you or loved one were in Manhattan south of Houston Street between 9/11/01 and 7/31/02, and were diagnosed with uterine cancer or endometrial cancer then – as the law is currently written – you are not eligible for 9/11 benefits for these conditions.

You may be shocked to learn that uterine cancers have not been included on the list of 9/11 conditions since over 70 cancers are already recognized, which includes every other female reproductive organ. This is an injustice that is now one step closer to being rectified.

For the past three years, the 9/11 community has been fighting for inclusion of uterine cancer on the official WTC Health Program list of covered conditions. Any interested party can submit a petition to add a new condition to the list. However, one petition was denied on September 24, 2019 and the second petition September 3,2020. While the first petition was submitted by an individual, the second was submitted by WTC Health Program clinical centers of excellence physicians. The second petition while dispositioned on a technicality, triggered a more extensive review which has included the support of the New York/New Jersey Congressional delegations. Dr. Howard called for a meeting of the WTC Health Program’s Scientific/Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) to request a recommendation. The STAC met on November 18, 2021 and unanimously voted to include uterine cancers on the list of covered conditions. Dr. Howard has now accepted that recommendation and proposed a formal federal rule.

Thank you to our clients and advocacy partners who submitted commentary for review by the STAC, to our Congressional leaders for lending public support, to the STAC for taking the time to review the evidence and to Dr. Howard for accepting their recommendation. These efforts may have life changing effects for our clients and the entire 9/11 Community.

The next step is a 45-day public comment period. Please let us know if you’d like further information.