Non-Cancer VCF Payouts

The terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and the airlines the morning of September 11, 2001, left thousands of victims.

While most Americans are aware of the nearly 3,000 people who died instantly at one of those locations, fewer realize that thousands more in and around New York City also suffered tremendously, sometimes with permanent health conditions or eventually succumbing to disease caused by clean-up, debris removal, and other areas of the exposure zone.

Fortunately, Congress saw the need to assist those affected by the disaster by creating the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund in December 2001.

Work with Cannata, Hendele & Cannata to determine VCF program eligibility

The VCF attorneys at Cannata, Hendele & Cannata assist first responders and other victims exposed to toxic dust at the terror sites of Ground Zero, the Pentagon, and the Shanksville, Pennsylvania plane crash site. With the most recent revisions to the VCF and the additional funding secured in 2019, many more victims are now eligible for compensation from the fund.

This includes those who may have previously received a denial of benefits because their health condition wasn’t covered yet.

Cannata, Hendele & Cannata offer years of combined experience standing up for victim’s rights. We have earned a reputation in New York City, Manhattan, and the surrounding areas as aggressive litigators who care deeply for the well-being of our clients.

If you developed a respiratory illness or other non-cancer health condition related to time spent in the area of Ground Zero between September 11, 2001, and May 30, 2002, you may be eligible to register for the World Trade Center Health Program and the Victim Compensation Fund.

Although program rules don’t require you to work with an attorney, previous clients have shared their frustration in trying to navigate the system on their own.

Our firm’s fees are extremely reasonable and totally contingent upon receiving a financial award for you and your family. After ensuring that you qualify, we will work with you through every step to secure your proper compensation.

Please request your free consultation today by contacting us at 1-888-982-8428 or by completing our online contact form.

What types of non-cancer conditions does the VCF cover?

Administrators of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund continually add new health conditions that qualify first responders and other victims for compensation.

Currently, the program divides those health conditions depending on whether they are cancer or non-cancer. Here are just some examples of the dozens of non-cancer health conditions that could qualify you for a payout:

• Interstitial lung disease, including asbestosis, bronchiolitis, interstitial pneumonia, pulmonary fibrosis, and sarcoidosis.
• Upper respiratory and digestive illness, including GERD, asthma, Barrett’s esophagus, emphysema, obstructive sleep apnea, and several others.

Don’t worry if you don’t see your specific non-cancer health condition listed here. Our WTC VCF attorneys are interested in hearing your story and will help you determine your eligibility and next steps.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us today for further guidance.

Registering for the WTC Health Program (WTCHP)

As part of the process of receiving an award from the VCF, our attorneys will help you obtain a certification of causation of your illness from the World Trade Center Health Program. The Health Program is open for the next seventy-five years and under certain circumstances can provide treatment of your condition.

The WTC Health Program exists to serve four categories of victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. These include Fire Department New York (FDNY) first responders, World Trade Center general responders, World Trade Center survivors who lived, work, attended school or daycare in the area, and first responders at the site of the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania plane crash site.

Before our attorneys submit your application with the WTC Health Program, and also as a requirement for the Victim Compensation Fund, our attorneys will gather the important medical records and proofs of your presence in lower Manhattan, and/ or certain other areas, during the relevant time periods. Generally speaking ...exposure.

That means we need to show proof of being in the exposure zone, generally South of Canal Street and other eligible areas, in the nine and one-half months between September 11, 2001, and May 30, 2002. However, you need not have been present on the actual date of the terrorist attack.

Once we have the proper documentation we will be ready to seek enrollment for you in the WTC Health Program.

We will be with you every step of the way to help ensure your certification goes smoothly. Even if you are outside of the NYC area, the WTC Health Program has established centers and facilities throughout the country.

Understanding the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund

President George W. Bush authorized the first VCF three months after the terrorist attack. It operated until 2004, mostly seeing cases of respiratory disease. In 2010, President Barack Obama reauthorized the fund.

Realizing that some cancers are very slow-growing and may have taken years after 9/11 to develop, administrators added more than 75 types of cancer to the list of eligible health conditions.

It kept many of the same non-cancer health conditions included in the original program. Obama reauthorized the program again in 2015 before President Donald Trump signed permanent reauthorization until 2090.

The VCF provides compensation based on several complex models. Their awards are meant to recognize the extent of your suffering and economic loss if any within certain maximum caps as authorized by Congress. We are happy to go over the compensation plan in greater detail during your first free consultation with our law firm.

Enrolling in the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund

The VCF goes by many different names, including the Health and Compensation Act, Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization, and the Zadroga Act.

Amounts awarded by the Fund are discretionary with the Fund, however, the Fund has certain guidelines it imposes as a monetary cap.

Economic loss, however, can be awarded to compensate your out of pocket loss of earnings and benefits both in the short term and if permanently disabled, often through age 65. Many of our clients receive substantial awards for economic losses.

The VCF considers the following criteria when determining the amount of economic loss:

• Age
• Work history
• Income history prior to developing the non-cancer illness
• Severity of the illness
• Whether the illness is permanent or temporary
• Whether you have received some compensation from other sources such as Social Security Disability or Workers’ Compensation.

In all instances considering an award, the VCF program administrators consider these factors in reaching a decision for both non-economic and economic loss. The fund generally considers non-cancer illnesses most commonly associated with 9/11 exposures including many respiratory illnesses and GERDS and sleep apnea, but also considers orthopedic injuries sustained during 9/11 or its aftermath.

Like all personal injury cases, non-economic damages you suffered from the attack on the World Trade Center, Pentagon, or Shanksville plane crash site can be more complicated to determine.

The primary category of non-economic loss covers pain and suffering. Although the VCF is not set up to address psychological conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from the attack, you may qualify for mental health treatment with the World Trade Center Health Program.

Anyone who suffered an illness as a result of the events of 9/11 or exposures to the toxins in the air and who passed away as a result of their non-cancer 9/11-related illness qualify for payment as well.

It is especially helpful to work with an experienced attorney from Cannata, Hendele & Cannata when filing a death claim on behalf of a family member.

We will assist you in gathering his or her records and walk you through the process of registering for VCF claim eligibility. A death claim does first require World Trade Center certification but is challenging nonetheless for the family to navigate the process.

Call Cannata, Hendele & Cannata today to secure your non-cancer VCF payout

The entire United States shared in the horror of the terrorist attacks that took place on the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001. As life-changing as it was for the nation, most people were able to get back to their regular lives quickly.

That isn’t the case for those who acquired a long-term or permanent illness after their time of exposure in New York or Pennsylvania. We want you to know that we care about your situation and will do all that we can to help you get back on your feet, at least from a financial perspective.

We offer a free consultation for every new client and work on a contingency basis should you decide to work with us. That means you don’t pay us a dime unless and until we secure funding from the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund on your behalf. We receive a small percentage of an award for our legal services, as authorized by Congress. This is completely contingent upon an award being granted.

We urge you to contact Cannata, Hendele & Cannata today to secure legal representation.

The entire team of our combined law firms looks forward to meeting you and working with you to claim your non-cancer VCF payouts.

Please call 1-888-982-8428 to request your initial consultation at no cost to you.

If you prefer to have someone from our law firm contact you instead, please complete the online request form on our website.