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Debris Removal Workers

Highlights

  • Lower Manhattan 9/11 Clean-Up Workers were some of the first to come down with ailments caused by the September 11th terrorist attacks.
  • There are 69 different cancers and a host of respiratory illnesses that qualify clean-up workers for the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF).
  • The VCF has awarded over $94,000,000 to NYC Clean Up & Maintenance workers.
  • Barasch & McGarry has helped thousands of NYC clean up workers get the compensation they deserve from the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund.

Attorneys Helping 9/11 Debris Removal Workers

When the Twin Towers fell on September 11, 2001, they released tons of toxic dust into the air over Lower Manhattan. In some areas of the city, the residue was thick enough to conjure images of a nuclear winter. And yet, authorities said the air was safe. Without assessing the potential dangers of exposure, they dispatched workers, unprepared and ill-equipped, to remove the heavy sediment that had collected on the streets, in the subways, and within the interiors of buildings. Immediately, cleanup workers complained of eye and lung ailments. Now, more than 19 years later, workers who participated in the city-wide cleanup are coming down with the same cancers known to afflict 9/11 first responders.

Fortunately, help is available for former cleanup workers from the WTC Health Program and the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund. If you participated in the post-attack cleanup, you may be eligible for free health screenings and medical treatment, as well as cash compensation. But you must act quickly so you don’t lose your rights. At Barasch & McGarry, our attorneys have been fighting for 9/11 compensation since the earliest health effects were detected. We are determined to see every victim of 9/11-related illness compensated, and we are ready to help you.

Debris Removal Workers Can Receive VCF Benefits for 9/11-Related Cancers

In response to the health crisis caused by exposure to toxic dust from Ground Zero, Congress passed the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act in 2010 and reauthorized the Act in 2016, and again, permanently in 2019. The law established the WTC Health Program and a list of covered medical conditions which has been continually updated as more cancers and illnesses are proven to be linked to the exposure zone on September 11th.

Unfortunately, the list of illnesses linked to the WTC toxins has grown to include 69 different cancers including: skin, prostate, thyroid, breast, lung, and kidney cancers among many others. If you participated in the cleanup of Lower Manhattan after the 9/11 attacks, you may be eligible for benefits in the Non-Responder NYC cleaning or maintenance work claimant category. Thousands of workers are potentially eligible, but as of August 31, 2019, only 1,147 of these workers have filed claims.

Actual Client VCF Awards

View More Results

$3,700,651for a disabled NYC police officer due to leukemia

$3,254,242for wrongful death of a firefighter due to 9/11-related asthma/RADS

$2,811,150for a disabled stock broker due to multiple myeloma

$1,934,316for a disabled teacher due to esophageal cancer

$1,422,694for wrongful death of a downtown office worker due to pulmonary fibrosis

$1,251,411for wrongful death of a paralegal working in a downtown law firm due to breast cancer

$1,345,427for a NYC Police Officer with breast cancer

$1,188,741for a disabled EMT with colon cancer

$1,011,957for the wrongful death of a sound engineer due to bladder cancer

Debris Removal Workers Eligibility for the VCF

The NYC Department of Health violated city, state, and federal law, abrogated its responsibility to provide guidance for tenants, and allowed landlords to self-regulate cleanup efforts. This lack of oversight meant cleanup workers operated with very little protective equipment while in heavily contaminated areas. As a result, the long-term diseases we usually associate with 9/11 first responders and rescue/recovery workers have emerged among New York City cleanup workers too.

To prove eligibility for 9/11 benefits, a cleanup worker must be able to show:

  • Employment south of Canal Street from Sept. 11, 2001 to May 30, 2002.
  • Diagnosis of a cancer or specific respiratory illnesses linked to the toxic dust of the WTC.

But to preserve your rights, you must register within the time permitted.

I want to personally thank the firm for their hard work at both the forefront, and in the offices of the VCF in Washington. Without the firm’s non-stop commitment to the VCF, I wonder where many of us first responders would be today.

E.S.
9/11 Responder

Deadline To Register For 9/11 VCF Has Been Extended

If you are a cleanup worker who has been diagnosed with any of the 69 cancers linked to WTC toxic dust, the deadline to apply for VCF benefits is two years from the date that your type of cancer was certified by the WTC Health Program — or any other governmental agency. However, your two-year period to register doesn’t start on the day of your cancer diagnosis. Rather, it starts only when you are made aware your cancer was linked to exposure to the WTC toxins. If you are closely related to a cleanup worker who died from a WTC-related cancer, your family has two years from the date of death to register. Please be sure to register and help spread the word about the strict two-year deadline to register a claim.

Contact Us

It’s important to act quickly. Find out if you’re eligible to receive compensation from the $10 billion set aside for 9/11 responders and victims. Call 212-385-8000 or contact us online today.

Debris Removal Workers

Additional Topics

  • 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF)

    Learn about the 9/11 VCF; permanently funded with over $10 billion to compensate anyone with 9/11-linked illnesses and 69 different cancers.

    Read More
  • World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP)

    Find out about the WTCHP which provides free medical monitoring, testing, treatment, and prescription drugs for a range of 9/11-linked conditions.

    Read More
  • 9/11 VCF Results & Awards

    Barasch & McGarry has recovered more money from the Victim's Compensation Fund than any other law firm. See example awards & results.

    Read More
  • Why Barasch & McGarry

    With over 20,000 clients under representation and $3 Billion+ recovered from the Victim Compensation Fund, find out why Barasch & McGarry are truly "Lawyers for the 9/11 Community".

    Read More

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