Tag

Eligibility

6posts

Sep 10, 2026 13 min

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.

Cancer Eligibility

Line chart of cumulative 9/11 cancer certifications in the WTC Health Program, showing survivors passing responders in the quarter ending December 31, 2025

Sep 8, 2026 10 min

Survivors Now Outnumber Responders in 9/11 Cancer Certifications

The WTC Health Program's 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..

Cancer Eligibility

Aug 13, 2026 7 min

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 and the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF). The people who worked and lived beside there cannot.

Eligibility Responders

Jul 30, 2026 7 min

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.

Compensation Covered Conditions

Jul 14, 2026 7 min

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.

Deadlines Eligibility

Jul 8, 2026 6 min

The 9/11 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.

Claim Filing Eligibility