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Information & News for the 9/11 Community
Clear, current information on the Victim Compensation Fund, the World Trade Center Health Program, eligibility, and the developments that affect 9/11 benefits.
NYC 9/11 Records: What They Mean for VCF Claims
On September 8, 2026, New York City opened a public portal containing roughly 170,000 pages of records on post-9/11 air quality and the city's response. Most of the coverage is about what the city knew and when. There is a second story in the settlement that produced the release, and it matters to the people we represent: the city has committed to helping responders, survivors, former city employees, and former public school students obtain the records they need to prove where they were.
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Survivors Now Outnumber Responders in 9/11 Cancer Certifications
The WTC Health Program's (WTCHP) latest quarterly summary shows something that has never happened before. Of the members certified for a 9/11-related cancer over the lifetime of the program, 28,913 are survivors and 28,131 are responders. Survivors, the people who lived, worked, or went to school in the affected area, now outnumber the responders who worked the pile for 9/11-related cancer..
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Fresh Kills Was the Second Ground Zero. Staten Island Is Still Being Left Out of 9/11 Compensation.
In July 2026, a NYC Department of Health report put Staten Island at the top of the city's cancer mortality rankings, again. A few days later, the Staten Island Advance asked why the island has never gotten a comprehensive cancer study. It's a conversation Staten Island has been having with itself for a generation. This post is about why, and about the one place on the Island where federal law already drew a line: workers who handled 9/11 debris at Fresh Kills can access the WTC Health Program (WTCHP) and the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF). The people who worked and lived beside there cannot.
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Heart Disease and 9/11: What the WTC Health Program's New Ruling Means for Responders and Survivors
After reviewing 20 scientific studies, the WTC Health Program's Administrator has denied a set of petitions asking that ischemic heart disease, including heart attack and coronary artery disease, be added to the List of WTC-Related Health Conditions. Here is what the decision says, and does not say, about 9/11 and heart disease.
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Does Having Multiple Skin Cancers Increase Your VCF Award?
Generally, no, but it depends on the type. Multiple non-melanoma skin cancer diagnoses don't raise your VCF award beyond the $90,000 baseline, though a melanoma diagnosis alongside them does. Here's what actually moves the number, and what to do if a new diagnosis follows an existing award.
9/11 Benefits
Certified, But Never Registered: The Pattern We See Too Often
Receiving a certification letter from the World Trade Center Health Program can feel like confirmation that everything is on record with the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF), and that nothing else needs to be done to protect a claim. That isn't the case: a separate, timely registration with the VCF is required. This is the pattern we see most often in practice, and what it costs the people who don't catch it in time.
9/11 Benefits
The VCF Form That Can Make or Break Your Claim: Third Party Verification
The VCF publishes clear instructions for its Third Party Verification form, but many employers and organizations treat them as optional. Here is what a compliant TPV form actually requires, and why the details can decide a claim.
9/11 Benefits
9/11 Prostate Cancer Claims: What Goes Wrong When Amending for a Higher Award
A candid look at what it takes to amend a 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund prostate cancer claim from the baseline $200,000 award up to the maximum of $250,000, and what most claimants get wrong.
9/11 Benefits
What the City Knew, and When: A Court Order on the 9/11 Air Quality Files
A New York Supreme Court justice has ordered city officials to testify under oath about why the Department of Environmental Protection spent more than a year denying it had any records on post-9/11 air quality, then turned over 68 boxes. Here is what changed, and why it matters to the people we represent.
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A Seventh Bell: What the New Moment of Silence Means for the 9/11 Community
For 24 years, the annual September 11th commemoration has paused six times. On the 25th anniversary, a seventh moment of silence will honor those lost to 9/11-related illness. Here is what changed, and why it matters to the people we represent.
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