Did you live or work at or near Ground Zero? Important info on July 29, 2021 VCF deadline

Did you live or work at or near Ground Zero following 9/11? Are you registered with BOTH the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) and the Victim's Compensation Fund (VCF)?

If you're registered with the World Trade Center Health Program but not the VCF, it's not too late, but you may be subject to a July 29, 2021 deadline.

If you were certified by the WTC Health Program for a 9/11-related physical health condition before July 29, 2019, you are required to register your claim with the VCF by July 29, 2021. See below for more info on VCF registration and claim filing.

You don't need to be sick to register with the VCF. Registering with the VCF isn't the same as filing a claim, it just preserves your right to file a claim in the future. See below for more info.

World Trace Center Health Program

What does it cover? The Program provides no-cost medical monitoring and treatment for certified WTC-related health conditions to those directly affected by the 9/11 attacks in New York, the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Who's eligible? People who lived, worked, went to school, or attended child or adult day care in the NYC Disaster Area on 9/11 or in the days, weeks, or months after are eligible. Also those who were present in the dust or dust cloud within the NYC Disaster Area on 9/11. See a map of the NYC Disaster area here.

How do I apply? Click here for the World Trade Center Health Program website with information on how to apply.

Victim Compensation Fund

If you lived and/or worked in the NYC Exposure Zone between Sept 11, 2001 and May 30, 2002 and have not registered with the Victim Compensation Fund, you should do so now.

What does it cover? "The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) provides compensation to individuals (or a personal representative of a deceased individual) who were present at the World Trade Center or the surrounding New York City Exposure Zone; the Pentagon crash site; and the Shanksville, Pennsylvania crash site, at some point between September 11, 2001, and May 30, 2002, and who have since been diagnosed with a 9/11-related illness. The VCF is not limited to first responders. Compensation is also available to those who worked or volunteered in construction, clean-up, and debris removal; as well as people who lived, worked, or went to school in the exposure zone." (vcf.gov)

Click here for instructions and registration deadlines.

More Info on VCF Registration and Claim Filing Deadlines

There are two deadlines in the VCF’s claim filing process: a Claim Filing Deadline and a Registration Deadline. It is important to distinguish between the two and be aware of which applies to your individual circumstances.  

The Claim Filing Deadline.

The “Never Forget the Heroes, James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act,” (“VCF Permanent Authorization Act”) fully funded the VCF and extended the VCF’s Claim Filing Deadline until October 1, 2090.  The Claim Filing Deadline is the same for everyone. Although the VCF encourages you to file your claim after you have been certified by the World Trade Center (“WTC”) Health Program for a 9/11-related physical health condition and as soon as the full scope of your claimed losses are known so that your claim for compensation can be reviewed as quickly as possible, the last date on which anyone can file a claim is October 1, 2090.

The Registration Deadline.

There is a separate deadline by which you need to register with the VCF.  Registration is not the same as filing a claim.  Registration preserves the right to file your claim in the future, waives no legal rights, and does not obligate you to file a claim. 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.  The Registration Deadline is not the same for everyone.  It varies according to individual circumstances:

• If you were certified by the WTC Health Program for a 9/11-related physical health condition before July 29, 2019, you are required to register your claim with the VCF by July 29, 2021. This deadline, which is two years from the date of enactment of the VCF Permanent Authorization Act, provides an opportunity for potentially eligible individuals who did not know that the VCF existed or was open to them, did not know that their condition was related to 9/11 exposure, or did not realize that they were eligible to file a VCF claim or that the VCF would be in place beyond the previous 2020 end date, to register to file a claim.      
• If you have not been certified by the World Trade Center (“WTC”) Health Program for a 9/11-related physical health condition, or if any condition is certified after July 29, 2019, you may register by July 29, 2021, but you are not required to do so. You will be required to register within two years of the latest date on which the WTC Health Program certifies your physical health condition as 9/11-related.
• If you are registering to file a claim for an individual who you believe died of a 9/11-related physical health condition before July 29, 2019, you are required to register with the VCF by July 29, 2021.
• If you are registering to file a claim for an individual who you believe died of a 9/11-related physical health condition after July 29, 2019, you are required to register with the VCF within two years of the date of death.  

When to Register and When to File a Claim.

You may register at any time, so long as you do so before your individual deadline as outlined above. The VCF encourages early registration for all potential claimants, even if you are not sick or certified by the WTC Health Program, as it helps us establish our priorities, plan for our work, and process all claims as quickly as possible. You may register online at www.claims.vcf.gov or over the phone by calling the VCF Helpline at 1-855-885-1555.

You should file your claim only after you have been certified by the WTC Health Program for a 9/11-related physical health condition. This could happen anytime between now and when the WTC Health Program closes in 2090. The VCF encourages you to file your claim after you have been certified and the full scope of your losses are known so that we can review your claim as quickly as possible to evaluate your eligibility for compensation. Claims can be filed at www.vcf.gov.