If you were a CWA member who worked for Lucent Technologies in 2001, the VCF may be able to obtain records confirming presence. If we do not have an agreement with your employer or organization, you should provide your employer/organization with the VCF Third Party Verification Form, and instruct them to send the completed form directly to the VCF. The only exception to the age requirement is for witnesses who were in high school at the time and who are submitting a Witness Presence Statement for a fellow student who was also in school at the time. If you were a Sanitation employee during the period beginning onSeptember 11, 2001, throughMay 30, 2002, the VCF will contact the Sanitation Department to confirm your presence in the NYC Exposure Zone. When you submit a VCF claim, you waive your right to file a civil action (or to be a party to an action) in any federal or state court for damages sustained as a result of the terrorist- related aircraft crashes of 9/11, or for damages arising from or related to debris removal. The VCF will review the information and, as appropriate, will submit the information to the WTC Health Program for assistance in verifying that your condition meets the definition of a 9/11-related condition. If one or both of these documents are missing, the system will automatically move the claim to Inactive status and an automated Missing Information letter will be generated. The VCF works directly with ConEd to obtain information for ConEd employees who assert that they participated in the World Trade Center response while working for ConEd. If you were employed by Verizon and worked at a Verizon office located in the NYC Exposure Zone during the period beginning on September 11, 2001, through May 30, 2002, Verizon may be able to provide you with a letter verifying your presence. Claimants must first give their permission to release these responses to the VCF. The most prevalent cancers identified among September 11th survivors are non-melanoma skin cancer, prostate cancer and female breast cancer. In order to be eligible for compensation under the VCF, an individual must have been present at a 9/11 crash site or in locations of debris removal at any point during the period beginning on September 11, 2001, through May 30, 2002. If you are submitting statements from witnesses as proof of your presence, you must use the VCF Witness Presence Statement form. Our Team 9/11 Victim Programs Case Results Resources Contact Us 800-887-7299 ENEnglish ESSpanish Our Team Meet Dan Hansen Meet Troy Rosasco Our Team Why Choose Us 9/11 Victim Programs Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) WTC Health Program (WTCHP) To be eligible for an award from the VCF, you must meet the following criteria: There are two deadlines in the VCFs claim filing process:aClaim Filing Deadlineand aRegistration Deadline. This list includes only major categories of conditions and is not meant to represent every type of eligible injury that falls within each category: Certain types of cancer as specified in the chart below: Rare Cancers defined as any type of cancer that occurs in less than 15 cases per 100,000 persons per year in the United States. Some examples of cancer that meet the rare cancer definition include, but are not limited to, the following: Childhood Cancers defined as any type of cancer diagnosed in a person less than 20 years of age.. Please see Section 1.4.e for more information specific to mental health conditions. The forms and instructions, as well as more detailed information on the process are available on our Private Physician resources page. Note: The automated process will not confirm sufficiency or completeness of these documents this will be done by a VCF team member during preliminary review. Documents in this category should be certified or be accompanied by a letter from an employee of the school or day care facility, or from your legal counsel (if an attorney is assisting you with your claim), confirming that the document submitted is a true and accurate copy. This is true regardless of the date on which the earlier condition is certified or verified. In cases meeting these criteria, where withdrawal or dismissal occurred after January 2, 2012, only newly covered conditions will be considered eligible for compensation. If you were an employee of the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA), and worked in the NYC Exposure Zone, please provide your NYCTA employee identification number to the VCF. The adult child can then authorize the VCF to share information about the claim with a parent by adding the parent as an Alternative Contact on the claim form. In limited cases, the FDNY may be able to provide documents and/or information directly to the VCF regarding proof of an EMS members presence at the site. If you want to provide additional details about your presence that are not already provided as part of your claim form responses, or to supplement or provide context for whichever of the documents listed below that you are submitting in support of your claim, you may complete and submit the VCF Victim Presence Statement. The VCF may be able to obtain records confirming presence from the New York State Workers Compensation Board for individuals who have made a Workers Compensation claim based on their 9/11-related work. You should also notify us once you have requested the letter from Goldman Sachs, so we know to expect it in support of your claim. To ensure there is no delay in the processing of your claim, please submit your document(s) with the appropriate signature where required. Rule for Newly Covered Conditions and Lawsuits Filed Before November 16, 2016:[3] If the condition for which you are seeking compensation from the VCF was added to the list of qualified injuries after January 2, 2012, you must meet the following requirements in order to be eligible for compensation from the VCF: In cases meeting these criteria, where settlement occurred after January 2, 2011, only newly covered conditions will be considered eligible for compensation. The documents listed in the sections below are examples of the most common types of documents used to demonstrate presence at an eligible location. If you filed a FECA claim with the U.S. Department of Labor based on your 9/11-related work, the VCF may be able to obtain documentation directly from the U.S. Department of Labor to help verify your presence. You will receive a letter from the VCF explaining the eligibility decision on your claim. Examples of contemporaneous documents that may be helpful in proving presence are listed below. The list of required documentsis explainedin the subsections below according to the type of claim you are filing. Exhibit A Authorization for Release of Medical Records(, Original and signed Exhibit A Authorization for Release of Medical Records(. Over 300,000 office workers were exposed to toxic air on 9/11 and in the 8 months that followed. The VCF understands there may be a delay in the certification process and will not deny a claim when the certification is the only missing item identified during our preliminary review; these claims will remain inactive and you can reactivate a claim in this circumstance by providing the VCF a copy of your certification letter once you receive it. The person you ask to be a witness must have personal knowledge of your presence at a 9/11 crash site or along the routes of debris removal. If you were represented by Sullivan Papain Block McGrath and Cannavo (Sullivan Papain) in both your lawsuit and your VCF claim, the VCF may be able to get the necessary information from Sullivan Papain. or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Registration serves only to alert the VCF that you may be a potential claimant; and it meets the legal requirement of timeliness set forth in the law. You will still need to submit other evidence (such as contemporaneous records, Witness Presence Statements, or affidavits) demonstrating that you were physically present in the NYC Exposure Zone during the period beginning on September 11, 2001, through May 30, 2002. This form is optional you are not required to submit this form as part of your claim. The VCFAct states that if an individual tendered a release after the VCFAct was enacted on January 2, 2011, the individual is not eligible for the VCF. While the National Guard may be able to confirm whether an individual was on Active Duty, it does not have records that would confirm the actual location of the work. Box 34500, Washington, D.C. 20043; and request the employer verification letter to confirm your work location between September 11, 2001, and May 30, 2002, for your 9/11 Victim Compensation claim to be sent directly to the VCF at our official email address, VCF.Thirdpartyverification@usdoj.gov. If the VCF needs additional information from you after reviewing your claim form and documentation, the VCF will contact you. You do not need to submit any additional information to demonstrate your presence at the site. Prostate Cancer. The VCF Permanent Authorization Actfully funded the VCF and extended the VCFs Claim Filing Deadline until October 1, 2090. Kreindler has been helping 9/11 victims since 2001, and to-date, we have helped our clients recover more than $3 billion through the Victim Compensation Fund. Date by which lawsuit must be Dismissed/Withdrawn/Settled, After 12/22/2003 and before November 16, 2016. The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are partnering to prevent, screen and promote research to speed the development of treatments and cures for prostate cancer among Veterans. The VCF (which stands for "Victim Compensation Fund") provides financial compensation for those who were physically injured or died as a result of an eligible 9/11-related illness (these include cancer claims ). You may be eligible for additional compensation if: Note: There are two objectives when evaluating whether a claimant who already received an award in VCF1 should be awarded additional compensation in VCF2 for exacerbated or new injuries: (1) avoiding the reassessment or recalculation of any component of the VCF1 award or changing any assumption applied in making that calculation, and (2) avoiding duplication of any component of the award that was already made in VCF1. If you received an award from the original September 11th Victim Compensation Fund that operated from 2001-2004 (VCF1), you must show that your VCF1 eligible injury or condition has substantially worsened, or that you have a new physical injury or condition which you had not suffered at the time of the VCF1 claim filing or which was not compensable at the time of VCF1; and that you have not already been fully compensated for your losses. In very limited circumstances (set forth below), the VCF may evaluate the eligibility of the physical injury or condition through the Private Physician process, subject to verification by the Special Master with the assistance of the WTC Health Program Administrator. You should check to see if your organization is listed in that section before identifying the documentation you need to submit with your claim. This includes Personal Representatives filing a claim for a deceased victim, and court appointed guardians filing a claim for an incapacitated adult. The WTC Health Program includes a Nationwide Provider Network (NPN) to serve members who live outside the New York City metropolitan area. Failure to provide detailed information relating to presence will result in the VCF sending you a Missing Information letter, which may result in your claim being denied if we are unable to get the additional detailed information needed to verify your presence. The prostate gland is found below the bladder. If you or a loved one suffer from prostate cancer related to exposure from September 11th, contact a 9/11 prostate cancer attorney at Pitta & Baione by completing our online contact form or calling us at 844-982-2667. If you were employed by the New York State Police (NYSP) and worked in the NYC Exposure Zone during the period beginning on September 11, 2001, through May 30, 2002, you can contact the NYSP Medical Monitoring Unit via phone at 518-485-5044, or via email at hresource@troopers.ny.gov, to request a letter documenting the dates and locations of your deployment to the NYC Exposure Zone during that time period. Please respect that the mission of the WTC Health Program is to provide medical treatment to those who are ill, and do not attempt to expedite your appointment unless you are in need of medical care. The Private Physician process is available only in the following limited circumstances: If the VCF determines that you are an appropriate candidate for the Private Physician process, the VCF will contact you and ask you to provide certain medical records and other information from a non-WTC Health Program physician. . [6] If you asked someone to write an affidavit on your behalf and the affidavit is signed and dated prior to this date, the VCF will accept the affidavit even if it is submitted after February 1, 2023. The VCF will consider a number of factors to determine the appropriate award including whether the cancer has spread, will recur, or cause permanent complications. The Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, Registration and Other Deadlines Frequently Asked Questions, https://www.cdc.gov/wtc/pdfs/policies/WTCHP-Minimum-Cancer-Latency-PP-01062015-508.pdf, https://www.cdc.gov/wtc/pdfs/policies/WTCHP_PP_Time_Intervals_New_Onset_AeroDig_Disorders_30_August_2017-508.pdf, Instructions for Letters of Administration with Limitations, VCF Lead Personal Representative Designation Form, Civil Division Freedom of Information Act, Register with the VCF by thedeadline applicable to your individual circumstances, see. It is also helpful if you specify your job title within EMS during the period beginningon September 11, 2001, through May 30, 2002. About Prostate Cancer. The VCF will review these submissions on a case-by-case basis and will notify you of any additional information required. If the VCF needs additional information from you after reviewing your claim form and the letter, the VCF will contact you. Claims can be filed at www.claims.vcf.gov/account/loginor on a hard copy claim form. On December 18, 2015, the President signed into law the James Zadroga 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund Reauthorization Act (Reauthorized Zadroga Act), Public Law No. Some limitations do not interfere with the VCFs ability to validate the Personal Representative, while other limitations may impact the VCFs ability to process the claim. 104.61, any person who has filed or is a party to a lawsuit seeking damages for injuries sustained as a result of the terrorist-related aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001, or for damages arising from or related to debris removal may not file a claim with the Special Master unless they withdraw from such action not later than January 2, 2012.. Here are popular VCF payout questions answered: In most cases, you do not need to submit proof of presence as otherwise required if you were deemed eligible for VCF1 (see Section 1.6 for more information on proof of presence). On January 2, 2011, the President signed into law the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010 (Zadroga Act), Public Law No. A complete copy of each document must be submitted, unless otherwise specified below. Is Prostate Cancer Screening Right for You? Any location used by employees of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of New York City (OCME) involved in the examination and handling of human remains, or locations used by morgue workers who performed similar functions for the OCME staff. Please note that the WTC Health Program and the VCF are different programs. Witness Presence Statement. Note: the VCF does not accept electronic signatures on any of its forms and documents. But if the new condition is a cancer and the award was only based on a non-cancer, you might consider amending your claim. Many of the third-party entities with whom we exchange information on your behalf also do not accept electronic signatures. You can notify us by uploading a note to your claim, or by calling our Helpline. Note that these records provided to the VCF do not include all NYCTA employees who were involved in the emergency response effort. You can notify us by uploading a note to your claim, or by calling our Helpline. Medical records or insurance claims showing your home address. 111-347. The VCF is a Federal Government program and is separate from the lawsuits between individuals and the Port Authority, the Captive Insurer, and others. What are the VCF payouts and how likely you will get one? Non-Disabling Cancer Awards The following are some of the hundreds of noneconomic loss awards that the VCF has issued to our clients with non-disabling cancers and other WTC-related illnesses. In the body of the email please include your first name, last name, last four digits of your social security number or your standard ID number, and the VCF official email address, VCF.Thirdpartyverification@usdoj.gov, where the employee verification team can directly send their response including the work history location letter. SeeSection 1.9for additional information. If your office or work or volunteer location was located in the NYC Exposure Zone, or you were present at a 9/11 site because your job required you to be there, you should review the list in Section 1.9 to see if the VCF has a relationship with your employer or organization to get presence information directly from them on your behalf. Each document submitted must clearly pertain to the named victim and identify the date(s) and location(s) of the victims WTC-related service. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS During Preliminary Review, the VCF will confirm that all of the minimally required documents have been submitted. For more VCF information or for questions, visit the VCF website or call the VCF directly at 1-855-885-1555. This includes lawsuits based on theories of aiding and abetting or assisting an attempt to commit a terrorist act. College, school, or day care records and transcripts confirming enrollment or attendance during the relevant time period must be accompanied by one of the following two certifications: (1) Accuracy: A certification in the form of an accompanying letter, or a certification within the document (common on transcripts) from an employee of the college, school, or day care facility certifying the accuracy of the records; OR (2) True Copy: A certification in the form of an accompanying letter from from your legal counsel (if an attorney is assisting you with your claim) certifying that the document is a true and accurate copy of what they received directly from the school/daycare facility. Note: The VCF is not able to pay any physician for providing this information or documentation. A civil action against any person who is a "knowing participant in any conspiracy to hijack any aircraft or commit any terrorist act." It is important to distinguish between the two and be aware of the deadlines that apply based on your individual circumstances. Show that you have a 9/11-related physical injury or condition that is certified for treatment by the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program or, in limited circumstances, that you have a physical injury or condition that was treated by your private physician and verified as 9/11-related through the VCFs, Show that you were present at one of the attack sites, within the. Police memo book submitted with the front cover including supervisory signature and opening and closing dates. Rental agreement, proof of rent payment, mortgage receipts, and/or utility bills that list your address within the NYC Exposure Zone. If the VCF needs additional information from you after reviewing your claim form and the letter, we will contact you. Enrollment in the WTC Health Program does not automatically register you with the VCF and if you are being treated by, or monitored through, the WTC Health Program, you are not automatically eligible for compensation from the VCF. that is sent directly to the VCF from the employer or other third party, with specific dates and locations, is often sufficient to verify presence. The VCF has instructions for uploading documents to the online system. Your acceptance of settlement and release of claims must have been tendered on or before the date on which the condition for which you are seeking compensation was added to the list of qualified injuries by the World Trade Center Health Program. To receive an award for VCF compensation, the survivor, responder or resident must have been diagnosed with at least one 9/11-related eligible condition. This is not a comprehensive list. You should also notify us once you have requested the letter from the Department of Buildings, so we know to expect it in support of your claim. See Section 405(c)(3)(A)(i) of the VCF Act. Please also see Section 1.9 for additional important information about these records. If, however, your certified condition is not among the list of conditions that the VCF considers to be presumptively severe and it significantly impairs activities of daily living, or if the certification does not reflect the severity of the condition, you may want to submit supporting medical documentation related to your condition to help the VCF evaluate the severity and effect of the condition in order to determine whether an increased non-economic loss award within the appropriate range is warranted. To do so, the VCF needs the WCB number associated with the individuals Workers Compensation claim. The VCF will contact you if any additional information is needed in these situations. If your claim is denied, we encourage you to request an appeal following the directions in the letter so that you can provide testimony in support of your claim. The WTC Health Programs general guidelines are summarized below. The maximum non-economic loss for any one type of cancer condition is $250,000, and the maximum non-economic loss for any one type of non- cancer condition is $90,000. This is true regardless of the date on which the earlier condition is certified or verified. Additional information about the VCF appeals and hearings process can be found in Section 4. In order to save administrative expenses so that there would be more money for awards and to have uniformity, the Victim Compensation Fund Special Master determined that the VCF would follow the World Trade Center Health Program list of covered conditions when . Effective February 1, 2023, the VCF will no longer accept affidavits as proof of presence. If you submit one or more Witness Presence Statements as proof of presence, and we determine it lacks the required level of detail, we will not call the witness for the purpose of gathering the necessary detail and information regarding your presence. If your claim is denied for lack of proof of presence, it does not mean the VCF does not believe that you were present during the relevant timeframe. Below is a sample of some of our recent awards for our clients: $4.4 million. The VCF Act provides that the award from settlements in civil suits regarding injuries related to 9/11 will be counted as a collateral source offset. Therefore, settlement payments from lawsuits that were timely settled and released will be deducted from VCF awards. Surgery, full prostatectomy or incontinence may impact payouts. The VCF Lead Personal Representative Designation Form includes information about the role of the Lead PR, and a summary of the rights and responsibilities of the other co-Personal Representatives. Therefore, Claimants who allege presence based on work with the National Guard will still need to submit other evidence (such ascontemporaneous documents, Witness Presence Statements, or affidavits) demonstrating that they were physically present in the NYC Exposure Zone during the period beginning on September 11, 2001, through May 30, 2002. Generally, the maximum amount of non-economic loss that the VCF will award for a cancer condition is $250,000. This means that even if you have other certified or verified conditions, regardless of when they were certified or verified, they will not be eligible for compensation unless they were added to the list of qualified injuries after January 2, 2012, you settled and released your lawsuit prior to the date the specific condition was added to the list of qualified injuries, and you properly withdrew or dismissed any remaining lawsuits prior to filing your claim or amendment. You suffered a new physical injury or condition that you had not suffered at the time of the VCF1 claim filing or that was not compensable at the time of VCF1. An official website of the United States government. Once we have all documents required for processing, we begin substantive review of the claim to determine if you meet the eligibility criteria set forth in the statute and implementing regulations based on the information and/or documentation in your claim file (see Section 1.1). Once you receive the letter, you should upload it to your claim or mail it to the VCF. For individuals enrolled in the WTC Health Registry, the VCF has an arrangement with the WTC Health Registry to obtain direct access to individual survey responses. Minimum Award:$90K+ . You must submit at least two of the following documents if you intend to rely on them to establish presence: If you need help obtaining documents to demonstrate that you were present at the site, please contact the Police Benevolent Association at 212- 298-9144. If the VCF needs additional information from you after reviewing your claim form and the letter, we will contact you. If the VCF needs additional information from you after reviewing your claim form and documentation, the VCF will contact you. If you were a contractor for ConEd, ConEd is unable to provide information regarding your presence at the site within the relevant timeframe. There are two exceptions to this general waiver rule that is, there are two types of permissible lawsuits that you can pursue and still file a claim with the VCF: As noted above, there are two types of 9/11-related lawsuits that you can pursue and still file a claim with the VCF. Undefined malignant neoplasms also qualify. Highlights. The chart below outlines the litigation settlement, withdrawal, and dismissal rules for filing a VCF claim. Individuals with questions about those settlements should contact their lawyers. You must identify all 9/11-related lawsuits when you submit your claim form. [5] Please note that this is different from the rules applicable to the WTC Health Program. If your condition is certified for treatment by the WTC Health Program, you do not need to submit any other records to support or demonstrate your condition. In that case, you should submit presence documentation (such as contemporaneous documents, Witness Presence Statements, or affidavits) demonstrating that you were physically present in the NYC Exposure Zone during the period beginning on September 11, 2001, through May 30, 2002. VCF II opened in October 2011 and was originally authorized to accept claims for a period of five years, ending in October 2016, with a final year for processing and paying claims until October 2017. That order may be dated after January 2, 2012, only if you have provided proof that you filed a notice of withdrawal on the ECF system in the relevant docket on or before January 2, 2012. It is important that you respond to all missing information letters within the timeframe specified in the letter. Listed below are the categories of physical health injuries and conditions that may be certified by the WTC Health Program (presumptively covered conditions). If you have an eligible 9/11-related physical condition, it does not mean that you are guaranteed to be compensated by the VCF. You should submit documents reflecting your WCB number. You should file your claim only after you have been certified by the WTC Health Program for a 9/11-related physical health condition. Please view our definitive presence guide for a quick reference on some of the following entities. The WTC Health Program provides options for treatment of psychological conditions, including post-traumatic stress. If the VCF needs additional information from you after reviewing your claim form and the letter, the VCF will contact you. Release tendered before the date on which the WTC Health Program added the individuals eligible condition to the list of qualified physical injuries. Note: The VCF cannot provide information about private settlements. If you were represented by Douglas & London or Napoli, Bern, Ripka, Shkolnik (Napoli Bern) in your lawsuit, you generally do not need to submit additional documents related to your settlement because the VCF may be able to get the necessary information from Douglas & London or Napoli Bern. Under 28 C.F.R. The VCF Act defines immediate aftermath as any period beginning with the terrorist-related aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001, and ending on May 30, 2002. There are no requirements for the minimum amount of time an individual needed to be at a site for purposes of confirming presence. Part 104. In addition to a complete Claim Form, we require the documents listed below before your claim can move forward for a more substantive review. If you are found to be eligible for compensation, the letter will list the physical injury or conditions for which you have been found eligible. The WTC Health Program website includes a map of the NIOSH-defined New York City Disaster Area, along with detailed information about the number of hours, dates, and levels of exposure that are required for purposes of certifying a condition for treatment.

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