Information for Employees Involved in 9/11 Evidence Recovery and Clean-Up Efforts

WTCHP enrollment is the gateway for the other two programs (VCF and PSOB).

While WTCHP, VCF, and PSOB all have different eligibility criteria, both the VCF and PSOB have established procedures to use the WTCHP's health condition certification decisions in assessing eligibility for each of their programs.

• For VCF, WTCHP shares its health condition certification data for VCF claimants who are also WTCHP members.  For VCF claimants who are not WTCHP members, WTCHP provides a “certification-like” review, called “verification," for VCF. During this "verification" process, WTCHP applies the same criteria it uses when making certification decisions for its own members.  VCF relies on the certification and verifications from WTCHP to make its eligibility assessment.
• For PSOB, the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) recently announced that it will use WTCHP health condition certifications and VCF determinations to assess eligibility for PSOB claims connected to 9/11 exposure.

If you responded to the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City to include the Staten Island Landfill, the Pentagon, or Shanksville and performed rescue, recovery, and/or cleanup work, or lived or worked in the WTCHP-designated area in New York City, then you may be eligible for WTCHP. Note that the eligibility location and the requirement for the number of hours worked vary by site, so employees need to check the conditions for each site: New York City, the Pentagon, and/or Shanksville.

If you have questions about eligibility or how to register, please call (888) 982-4748 or visit www.cdc.gov/wtc/apply.html for descriptions of WTCHP's eligibility criteria.

In the WTCHP application, you will be asked to identify the capacity in which you responded as a worker or volunteer. The application requests: (1) applicant information (e.g., name, mailing address, phone number); (2) questions about your 9/11 terrorist site experience, including the location and duration of your response activities; (3) required documentation of your work experience; and (4) an attestation that you have completed the application truthfully.

Enrollment in WTCHP requires that you provide documentation to support the information in your application related to your response or location on 9/11 or in the following months.

Supporting documentation must show your location, dates of activities, and duration of activities. Examples of supporting documentation include, but are not limited to, a pay stub; a personnel roster; site credentials; or a written statement signed by an employer or co-worker under penalty of perjury.

If you do not have supporting documentation, you will be asked to write a short statement explaining how you tried to find documentation of what you did and why you cannot include documentation with your application.

For enrollment in WTCHP, you will not need to provide medical documentation. If you meet the eligibility requirements and are enrolled, WTCHP will provide instructions to set you up with a Clinical Center of Excellence (CCE) or the Nationwide Provider Network (NPN) for individuals living outside the New York metropolitan area. Once you are assigned to a CCE or the NPN, you will be contacted to set up an initial monitoring exam. This monitoring exam is a necessary step in WTCHP's process for certification of health conditions. If you have medical records related to a condition that you believe is related to your 9/11 exposure, you can take them with you to your monitoring exam.

The application asks for additional details about these filings, including where and when you filed, and whether your claim was accepted or denied. If your health condition gets certified, WTCHP will cover the cost from the date of certification of the medical services provided and when appropriate, will coordinate with other payers including but not limited to workers' compensation, line of duty injury insurance, and private and public healthcare programs.

A list of covered conditions (“List of WTC-Related Health Conditions” or “List”) is available at www.cdc.gov/wtc/conditions. These health conditions are called "WTC-related health conditions." Generally, an eligible responder may be certified and provided with medically necessary treatment for specific airway and digestive disorders, mental health conditions, musculoskeletal disorders, and/or cancers. WTCHP also provides treatment for health conditions medically associated with certified health conditions on the List. Medically associated health conditions are those health conditions that either result from the treatment or progression of a certified WTC-related health condition.

Eligible responders and survivors will receive free annual medical monitoring. And, if your condition is certified as a WTC-related health condition (see previous question), WTCHP healthcare providers will provide free, quality, medically necessary treatment for that condition.

No. WTCHP does not have an application deadline and was recently reauthorized through 2090. However, there are some time limitations for certification requirements. Please consult WTCHP regarding the time limitations.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) administers WTCHP through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

VCF provides benefits to individuals, or their beneficiaries, who worked at any 9/11 crash site (to include 6 World Trade Center evidence recovery efforts and the Staten Island Landfill) during the period between September 11, 2001, and May 30, 2002, and sustained a physical injury or have been diagnosed with an illness as a direct result of work at any 9/11 crash site. To receive VCF funds, a claimant must waive his/her rights to pursue civil litigation for damages related to 9/11 (other than from collateral sources such as insurance providers).

It is important for 9/11 responders to register with VCF now because registration preserves the right to file claims for injury or death later. There are a range of registration deadlines that depend on the nature of the injury (e.g., claims for death benefits must be filed within two years of death) that are described at https://www.vcf.gov/deadlines.

The VCF registration system is open and 9/11 responders should register with VCF to preserve their right to file claims later.

To register, go to www.claims.vcf.gov.

The registration process is described at https://www.vcf.gov/how-register.

VCF is administered by the U.S. Department of Justice.

For more information, go to www.vcf.gov or call (1-855) 885-1555.

Eligible beneficiaries for PSOB benefits can be spouses, children, and designated PSOB beneficiaries on file with the agency at the time of the death, or surviving parents. Eligible children include any biological natural, out-of-wedlock, adopted or posthumous child, or stepchild who is 18 years old or younger. Children between the ages of 19 and 22 may be eligible if they are full-time students at the time of the officer's death, and children over 18 who are incapable of self support at the time of the officer's death due to a disability may also be eligible.

Beneficiaries of employees who are eligible for VCF and/or PSOB benefits can receive up to $339,881 from the programs combined.

PSOB regulations provide that a claim must be filed within three years after the date of the individual's death or one year after the receipt or denial of any benefits payable by the officer's agency, unless the time for filing is extended by the Director of the BJA for good cause shown. For 9/11-related deaths, claims must be filed by December 18, 2020.

The U.S. Department of Justice administers PSOB through the Bureau of Justice Assistance. For more information, go to www.psob.gov or call (1-888) 744-6513.

If you have additional questions about the information contained in this broadcast message, please contact: Elaine Albert, at (949) 360-3483 or Lena Garcia, at (214) 905-5327.