Recent Blog Posts

The VCF has a few restrictions around “timely filing,” which is the amount of time that they allow to pass between a claimant learning of a diagnosis and filing with the fund. Recently, because so many people were not aware they qualified for the fund, the VCF updated their policy on timeliness to make it […]

The Victim Compensation Fund accepts a few different kinds of proof of presence, but for most claimants, the best evidence is two affidavits. These affidavits should come from people, preferably non-family members, who personally witnessed you in the NYC Exposure Zone between September 11, 2001 and May 30, 2002. To be accepted as proof, affidavits […]

Amidst the chaos of the COVID-19 crisis, many of our health care heroes on the front lines of this pandemic have resorted to eating their lunches and dinners from vending machines. It breaks our hearts to think about our heroes not having a proper meal while they risk their lives every day to protect us […]

Filling out an affidavit to support a residency claim for the NYC Exposure Zone is similar to filling one out for any other purpose, but these affidavits should include a couple of extra facts: Your exact address during the time you were living in the area. The specific time period that you lived at that […]

Though she wasn’t a firefighter, police officer or EMT, Marya Columbia described herself as a “responder” when applying for the World Trade Center Health Program. She qualified for benefits as a survivor because her Lower Manhattan apartment was in the designated exposure zone. However, that classification does not begin to describe Ms. Columbia’s contribution to […]

As a first responder, you are able to access monitoring from the WTC Health Program whether or not you are sick. Going to your yearly monitoring visits, even if you’re healthy now, is helpful from a research perspective and is also a great way to make sure that you get certified immediately should you develop […]