Off The Record – 911 Claims

Video Transcript

Hi, everyone. Craig Rosasco, law firm Turley Redmond & Rosasco. Today we’re going to discuss 9/11 claims with the Workers’ Compensation Board and also through the Victims’ Compensation Fund.

So first and foremost, for workers’ compensation purposes, you’ve got to register by filing a WTC-12. They’ve extended that deadline to September 11th of 2026. What does that mean? That just means that you’re registering, stating that you were involved downtown in the rescue, recovery, or cleanup in the aftermath of the 9/11 disasters. That protects you. That doesn’t mean that you have a disability yet, but should you come down with a disability, you’re now registered, stating, “I was down there and if anything comes up, I’m going to retroactively make that application based upon my prior registration.”

That’s done, once again, through Section 8(a) of the Workers’ Compensation Law, Article 8(a) of the Workers’ Compensation Law. And if you were downtown, there’s no harm and no fees in filing that, so I strongly recommend that you protect yourself and go ahead and do that filing as soon as possible. Once again, the deadline currently is September 11th of 2026. They have extended it on many occasions. They may extend it in the future, but if you were down there, just go ahead and file it.

Similarly, you could be entitled to monetary and healthcare benefits through the Victims’ Compensation Fund. July of 2019, President Trump signed into act the most recent 9/11 claims fund, the Authorization Fund, and that goes through 2090. So if you were downtown and you need medical care, you could certainly pursue medical treatment through the World Trade Center Healthcare Program. And certainly, if you’re certified for injuries that are considered to be related to your rescue, recovery, and cleanup downtown, or if you were a resident downtown or visiting downtown, you’ll be entitled also. You are entitled to financial compensation through the Victims’ Compensation Fund.

So give us a call. Let us try to flesh it out as to what you’re entitled to, either medically or financially. Certainly, the burdens are higher on the workers’ compensation end than they are on the Victims’ Compensation Fund based upon the requirements on causality, but we’ll walk you through it. So give me a call. 516-745-5666. Talk to you soon.