WTC Health Program Celebrates 6th Anniversary

On July 6, 2017, the WTC Health Program celebrated its 6th Anniversary. The WTC Health Program provides free medical monitoring, medication, and treatment for conditions certified as being related to 9/11. Individuals eligible for the WTC Health Program, may also be eligible for the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (“VCF”). Conditions eligible for free healthcare and compensation include cancer, respiratory illnesses, sleep apnea, and GERD (persistent heartburn). Families of those who have passed away, and suffered from a 9/11-related condition during their lifetime, may also be eligible for compensation. For more information, contact Pitta & Baione LLP at 844-982-2667 or info@pittabaione.com.

Dr. John Howard, Administrator of the World Trade Center Health Program commented:

As we enter the seventh year of the Program, the health effects from the September 11th terrorist attacks, and the rescue and cleanup operations that followed, continue to take their toll. Our program provides medical monitoring and treatment to those who were there almost sixteen years ago. In the last year, we’ve seen an increase in the number of people applying to the World Trade Center Health Program. Over 78,000 responders and survivors can now receive expert health care from our Clinical Centers Excellence, or the Nationwide Provider Network. The World Trade Center Health Program also conducts essential research into 9/11-related health conditions like asthma, sarcoidosis, PTSD, and cancer. From this research, we continue to learn more about the long-term physical and mental health effects of the attacks.

The WTC Health Program and the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund are funded by the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2011, and its 2015 reauthorization (“Zadroga Act”). The attorneys at Pitta & Baione LLP have successfully lobbied for the $12 billion Zadroga Act and its reauthorization, and have since recovered millions of dollars in 9/11 victims’ compensation for clients.

The federal government estimates over 500,000 people were exposed to 9/11 toxins, yet only 78,000 have enrolled in the WTC Health Program. Individuals may be eligible for free healthcare and compensation under the Zadroga Act if between September 11, 2001 and May 30, 2002, they were present:

• At Ground Zero
• In Lower Manhattan, south of Canal Street (working, living, attending school, etc.)
• At the Staten Island Fresh Kills Landfill
• In any area related to, or along, debris removal routes (piers, barges, etc.)
• In areas where WTC-contaminated vehicles or equipment were cleaned or rehabilitated
• At the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of New York City or temporary morgues.

Conditions eligible for free healthcare and compensation include:

• Cancer
  • Blood and Lymphoid Tissue (including, but not limited to, lymphoma, leukemia, and myeloma)
    • Diffuse non-Hodgkin lymphoma
    • Follicular (nodular) non-Hodgkin lymphoma
    • Hodgkin’s disease
    • Leukemia of unspecified cell type
    • Lymphoid leukemia
    • Malignant immunoproliferative diseases
    • Monocytic leukemia
    • Multiple myeloma and malignant plasma cell neoplasms
    • Myeloid leukemia
    • Other and unspecified lymphoid, hematopoietic, and related tissue
    • Other and unspecified types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma
    • Other leukemias of specified cell type
    • Peripheral and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma
  • Digestive System
    • Colon
    • Esophagus
    • Liver and intrahepatic bile ducts
    • Other and ill-defined digestive organs
    • Rectosignoid junction
    • Rectum
    • Retroperitoneum and peritoneum
    • Stomach
  • Eye and Orbit
    • Eye and adnexa
  • Female Breast
  • Ovary
  • Head and Neck
    • Accessory sinuses
    • Base of tongue
    • Floor of mouth
    • Gum
    • Hypopharynx
    • Larynx
    • Lip
    • Nasal cavity
    • Nasopharynx
    • Other and ill-defined conditions in the lip, oral cavity, and pharynx
    • Other and unspecified major salivary glands
    • Other and unspecified part of the mouth
    • Other and unspecified parts of the tongue
    • Oropharynx
    • Palate
    • Parotid gland
    • Piriform sinus
    • Tonsil
  • Respiratory System
    • Bronchus and lung
    • Heart, mediastinum, and pleura
    • Other and ill-defined sites in the respiratory system and intrathoracic organs
    • Trachea
  • Skin (Melanoma and non-Melanoma)
    • Malignant melanoma of skin
    • Other malignant neoplasms of skin
    • Scrotum
  • Soft Tissue
    • Other connective and soft tissue
    • Peripheral nerves and autonomic nervous system
  • Thyroid
    • Thyroid gland
  • Urinary System
    • Bladder
    • Kidney
    • Other and unspecified urinary organs
    • Prostate
    • Renal pelvis
    • Ureter
  • Mesothelioma
• Aerodigestive Disorders (Airways and Digestive Disorders)
  • Asthma
  • Chronic cough syndrome
  • Chronic laryngitis
  • Chronic nasopharyngitis
  • Chronic respiratory disorder—fumes/vapors
  • Chronic rhinosinusitis
  • Gastroesophageal reflux disorder (“GERD”) (persistent heartburn)
  • Interstitial lung diseases (e.g., sarcoidosis)
  • Reactive airways dysfunction syndrome (RADS)
  • Sleep apnea exacerbated by or related to another condition described in the list of aerodigestive disorders
  • Upper airway hyperreactivity
  • WTC-exacerbated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
  • New-onset COPD
• Mental Health Conditions (ineligible for compensation)
  • Acute stress disorder
  • Adjustment disorder
  • Anxiety disorder (not otherwise specified)
  • Depression (not otherwise specified)
  • Dysthymic disorder (persistent depressive disorder)
  • Generalized anxiety disorder
  • Major depressive disorder
  • Panic disorder
  • Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
  • Substance abuse
• Musculoskeletal Disorders (Responders only)
  • Responders who received treatment for a WTC-related musculoskeletal disorder, such as carpal tunnel syndrome or lower back pain, on or before September 11, 2003 are eligible for coverage.
• Acute Traumatic Injury 
  • Responders and survivors who received treatment for a WTC-related acute traumatic injury on or before September 11, 2003 are eligible for coverage. Examples include:
    • Eye injury
    • Burn
    • Head trauma
    • Fracture
    • Tendon tear
    • Complex sprain
• Rare Cancers
  • Malignant neoplasms of the adrenal gland and other endocrine glands and related structures
  • Anus and anal canal
  • Bone and articular cartilage
  • Breast among men
  • Gallbladder and other parts of biliary tract
  • Meninges, brain, spinal cord, cranial nerves, and other parts of central nervous system
  • Pancreas
  • Penis and testis
  • Placenta
  • Small intestine
  • Thymus
  • Vulva, vagina, and cervix uteri (invasive only)
  • Malignant neuroendocrine neoplasm, including carcinoid tumors
  • Myeloid neoplasms, including myelodysplastic syndromes, myeloproliferative neoplasms, myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasms, and myeloid malignancies associated with eosinophilia and abnormalities of growth factor receptors derived from platelets or fibroblasts
  • Other cancers that meet the threshold incidence rate of less than 15 cases per 100,000 persons per year based on age-adjusted 2005-2009 average annual data.

For more information on the WTC Health Program List of Covered Conditions and the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF), please contact Pitta & Baione LLP at 844-982-2667 or info@pittabaione.com.