Tag Archives: New York WTC lawyers
Your Acid Reflux May Be 9/11 Related
Post 9/11, many Ground Zero, Pentagon and Shanksville crash site first responders and lower Manhattan residents and workers experienced Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disorder (GERD). After several studies concluded that GERD could be triggered by the conditions at the attack and crash sites, the medical disorder was included in the list of presumptively covered conditions under the […]
What to Expect at a VCF Hearing
The VCF hearing process has been largely uncharted territory, owing in part to the fact that the Zadroga Act did not provide any detailed guidelines for adjudicating contested VCF eligibility and compensation decisions. Indeed, the first such hearings have only taken place within the last year. However, consistent with the purpose of the Act, the […]
VCF Claims on Behalf of Minor Children
Tragically, many children were victims of the World Trade Center collapse, Pentagon attack and plane crash at Shanksville. Some lost parents either during the attacks or in later years as a result of 9/11-related diseases. Others who lived or attended school in lower Manhattan sustained physical injuries or illnesses. In fact, children exposed to the […]
Options for 9/11 Victims Struggling with Mental Health Issues
The psychological aftermath of being involved in an event such as 9/11 can be just as painful, debilitating and real as any physical injury. Even more than a decade later, many first responders still struggle with flashbacks, anxiety, depression and other serious psychiatric symptoms. For some, these issues can reach disabling severity. For others, they […]
Proving Non-economic Losses in a VCF Claim
For most VCF claimants, non-economic losses represent the bulk of their recovery. While out of pocket costs for medical treatment — as well as lost wages from total or partial disability — can be significant, intangible losses like pain, disfigurement and the inability to fully enjoy life’s pleasures remain a major factor. Unfortunately, proving the […]
9/11 Illness No Longer Bar to Insurance Coverage Under Affordable Care Act
In a 2006 New York Times article, the co-director of Mount Sinai’s World Trade Center Worker and Volunteer Medical Screening Program, Dr. Robin Herbert, stressed the lifelong health consequences faced by ground zero workers: ”There should no longer be any doubt about the health effects of the World Trade Center disaster . . . Our […]
How the DOMA Supreme Court Ruling Helps Spouses of 9/11 Victims
The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) prohibited the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages. As a result, same-sex partners who were legally married in their home state were nonetheless denied federal benefits. In 2002, Kenneth R. Feinberg, the special master of the initial September 11 Victims Compensation Fund (VCF), announced that gay and lesbian domestic […]
Little Progress on Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA)
In a previous post, we outlined some of the various civil suits initiated in U.S. courts against terrorist organizations as well as other entities that allegedly provided funding and support in relation to the 9/11 attacks on New York City, Washington, DC and Pennsylvania. While many of these suits are ultimately symbolic in nature, some […]
Issues Affecting Your VCF Award
Once you receive your Victims Compensation Fund (VCF) decision letter, you should expect to receive your first payment within 30 days. The VCF is authorized to pay 10 percent of your total loss in the first installment. The VCF will send you the remainder of your payment sometime between 2016 and 2017. Prior to receiving […]
9/11-Related Compensation Programs
You may have several options to obtain treatment for your 9/11-related injuries or compensation for the death of your loved one under three primary benefits programs: Victims Compensation Fund (VCF) World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program New York State Workers’ Compensation These separate programs have their own requirements, procedures and deadlines. You may be enrolled […]
