First Responders

With the start of the new year comes a new and critically important deadline for all members of the 9/11 community: July 29, 2021. Ordinarily, claimants with 9/11-related illnesses – which include 68 different types of cancer and dozens of respiratory conditions – must register with the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund within two years of their […]

It has been more than 19 years since that terrible September morning. If we thought in 2001 that we understood the human toll of the September 11th attacks, the passage of years has driven home a devastating truth – 9/11 did not end on 9/11. The painful reality is that more people have now died […]

NYPD veteran John Ferreyra figured he could trust his longtime friend Gus Vila, a former police officer who had since become an attorney, and who handled Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) claims. After the 9/11 attacks, Officer Ferreyra spent 12 hour days for 2 months assisting in the rescue and recovery efforts at Ground Zero. He […]

It has been almost a year since the coronavirus first swept through the U.S., and although a vaccine appears to be on the horizon, the fact remains that the health crisis has taken a heavy toll on the 9/11 community. Hundreds of first responders and survivors have died of COVID-19. Hundreds more have contracted more-severe-than-usual […]

The 9/11 community’s health crisis has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic because first responders and survivors with compromised immune and respiratory systems are uniquely vulnerable to the disease. This crisis has placed an enormous emotional, physical, and financial burden on individuals and families, including responders, debris removal and construction workers, downtown office workers, residents, […]

Regular medical checkups, including a physical examination and mental health assessment, are an important part of maintaining and even improving your overall health. For members of the 9/11 community, both first responders and survivors, these checkups are vitally important for detecting as early as possible – and successfully treating – the 68 different types of […]