Victim Compensation Fund

The financial costs of illness are often enormous – even beyond the health care bills. These expenses are a particular burden for 9/11 responders and survivors who have been diagnosed with cancer or respiratory illnesses. Economic loss awards may be given in several different scenarios:

If you were in the 9/11 exposure zones and have been diagnosed with any of 69 cancers and many respiratory illnesses, you have the right – protected by federal law – to file a claim with the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF). The fund provides compensation for pain and suffering, as well as economic losses […]

Even if you have already received an award from the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF), you or your family may become eligible for additional awards in the future if you are certified with new 9/11 illnesses. Follow John’s story below. 2012 $20,000 — John, a Goldman Sachs office worker in 2001, was exposed to 9/11 […]

Katie Carter was a devoted mother and administrative assistant working in Lower Manhattan on September 11, 2001. She was caught in the dust cloud from the Twin Towers’ collapse. Her office, just a few blocks from Ground Zero, reopened in October, after the E.P.A. assured the public that “the air is safe.” Years later, Katie […]

Today, February 6, 2025, would have been the 67th birthday of FDNY Firefighter Raymond J. Pfeifer, a 9/11 hero and Barasch & McGarry client. Ray Pfeifer’s advocacy helped to create permanent health and compensation benefits for 9/11 community members with cancer or respiratory illness and their families. After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Ray Pfeifer […]

January is National Thyroid Awareness Month. If you were there as a responder or you worked, lived, or studied in Lower Manhattan on or after 9/11, you have a higher risk of developing many respiratory illnesses and 69 different types of cancer resulting from exposure to Ground Zero toxins, including thyroid cancer. Within days of 9/11, the […]