What is the WTC Health Registry and How is it Different From the WTC Health Program?

Many of the people in the 9/11 Community tell us that they have already registered in the WTC Health Program when they are actually registered in the WTC Registry. The WTC Health Registry is a health study that was established in 2002 by the NYC Department of Health to monitor the health of people directly exposed to the WTC disaster. Participants completed a confidential health survey and were asked to fill out follow-up surveys every few years. Periodically the study’s findings were published in medical journals, but the registry does not conduct medical testing, nor is it a treatment program. The Registry is currently not accepting new participants, though they may be creating a millennial cohort soon to help track the health of the youngest members of the exposed community. (More news about that soon!).

Though their names are similar, the WTC Health Registry is completely independent from the World Trade Center Health Program, which is a federal health treatment program that was established by the Zadroga Act. The Health Program IS accepting new members and is available to anybody in the 9/11 survivor community who has at least one 9/11-linked condition or symptom. The health program certifies participants for their conditions, then offers treatment for WTC-linked illnesses at no cost. A full list of conditions is available here at www.cdc.gov/wtc/conditions.html, and includes mental health, gastrointestinal, and respiratory conditions, as well as more than 68 cancers.

The WTC Health Program also works with the VCF. The VCF may only award compensation to claimants who are certified by the health program with WTC-linked illnesses.