9/11 Eligibility Requirements for VCF Compensation and WTC Health Care

Eligibility is based on where you were, not who you are. Anyone who was present in the NYC Exposure Zone (Lower Manhattan), at the Pentagon, or in Shanksville during 9/11 and the months after may qualify. That includes first responders, recovery and cleanup workers, and survivors such as area residents, office workers, students, and teachers. Families of those who died from a 9/11-related condition may also qualify.

You do not need to have been a first responder, and you do not need to live in New York, or even in the United States, now. What matters is your presence during the covered period and a physical condition certified as 9/11-related.

See the covered locations and dates →

They are two separate federal benefits programs. The WTC Health Program provides free medical monitoring and treatment for physical and mental health conditions related to 9/11 exposure. The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund provides financial compensation for physical conditions only: lost earnings, pain and suffering, and past out-of-pocket medical expenses.

The two programs are connected: WTC Health Program certification of a condition is generally required before the VCF will compensate for it. Each program has its own eligibility requirements, and qualifying for one does not automatically qualify you for the other.

Although the VCF has no minimum exposure requirement for its presence test, that alone does not get you compensation. You also need a condition certified by the WTC Health Program, and that certification considers both the duration and intensity of your exposure.

For WTC Health Program enrollment, the rules vary by role and location. Responders generally need to meet minimum hour thresholds. Survivors who lived, worked, or attended school in the covered area have hour requirements too, with one exception: anyone caught in the dust cloud on September 11, 2001 qualifies for enrollment with no hours minimum.

Once enrolled, whether your condition gets certified depends on your diagnosis, when it was diagnosed, and whether the WTC Health Program finds your exposure sufficient. The exposure zones page explains the full requirements.

Possibly, and the answer depends on which program. The WTC Health Program covers a broader area than the VCF.

For the WTC Health Program, the survivor eligibility area includes all of lower Manhattan south of Houston Street, and any block in Brooklyn within 1.5 miles of the former World Trade Center site. Someone in that broader area may qualify for WTC Health Program healthcare even if they are outside the VCF's geographic boundary.

The VCF covers lower Manhattan south of Canal Street to the west of Clinton Street. Someone in the area between Canal and Houston Street, or in the Brooklyn radius, may qualify for healthcare through the WTC Health Program but not for VCF financial compensation, unless they also had separate presence below Canal Street during the VCF's covered period.

Yes. If a family member died from a 9/11-related physical condition, a court-appointed Personal Representative can file a deceased victim claim with the VCF.

A wrongful death claim has two parts. The first covers the victim's personal losses while alive: pain and suffering, and any past lost earnings. The second is the wrongful death portion, which compensates the family for their loss. Wrongful death portions are subject to offsets such as death benefits and life insurance proceeds that reduce the award calculation.

To file, the Personal Representative must be formally appointed by a court, such as a state probate or surrogate court. Required documents include the long-form death certificate listing cause of death and proof of court appointment as Personal Representative.

If the victim had already filed a personal injury claim before passing, the process differs depending on whether the death is believed to be caused by a 9/11-related condition. The WTC Health Program does not certify conditions for deceased members, but a prior certification obtained while the victim was alive carries forward for VCF purposes.

If the victim was never certified by the WTC Health Program, the VCF's Private Physician Process may provide an alternative path to verifying the condition for compensation purposes.

Covered conditions include dozens of cancers (among them blood cancers, lung cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, thyroid cancer, uterine cancer, kidney and bladder cancers, and others), as well as aerodigestive disorders such as asthma, chronic sinusitis, GERD, COPD, reactive airways dysfunction syndrome, and interstitial lung diseases such as sarcoidosis.

Musculoskeletal disorders and acute traumatic injuries are covered for responders under specific conditions. Mental health conditions, including PTSD, are treated by the WTC Health Program but do not qualify for VCF financial compensation. The full list of covered conditions is on the covered conditions page and each has its own allowed time interval between exposure and diagnosis.

Yes. Eligibility for both programs is based on where you were during the covered period after 9/11, not where you live now.

If you live in the United States outside the New York area, the WTC Health Program delivers care through the Nationwide Provider Network (NPN), a network of participating providers across the country. NPN members receive the same benefits as members who receive care through the Clinical Centers of Excellence in New York.

If you live outside the United States, you can still enroll in the WTC Health Program, but the program only covers treatment received within the United States and its territories. To use your benefits you would need to receive care through the NPN or a CCE during visits to the US.

For VCF compensation purposes, foreign residents who have not been certified by the WTC Health Program can use the Private Physician Process to have their condition verified through their own treating physician. VCF compensation is available regardless of where you currently reside.

The two benefit programs have different deadlines, and they are not the same.

For the VCF, there are two separate deadlines. The registration deadline varies by individual: for most personal injury claimants it is two years from the date the WTC Health Program certified their condition. Each new physical medical condition certification triggers a new two-year window. Missing your registration deadline may forfeit your right to file permanently.

The claim filing deadline, once you are registered, is October 1, 2090 and is the same for everyone.

For the WTC Health Program, there is no fixed enrollment deadline. Responders may apply at any time but survivors are encouraged to wait until they have symptoms, as long as the program is operating. The program is authorized through 2090.

Funding was secured through 2040 by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026, signed into law in February 2026, after the program faced a projected shortfall that would have caused service cuts starting in 2027. Congressional action will be needed before 2040 to maintain services beyond that date.

If you are not yet registered with the VCF, registering now preserves your rights at no cost and does not obligate you to file.