The VCF does not require you to submit original documents. A civil action against any person who is a "knowing participant in any conspiracy to hijack any aircraft or commit any terrorist act." 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. 75 pages or more), you must highlight the relevant information relating to the severity of your condition, or provide a written guide or statement directing us to the pertinent information, so the VCF can assess your non-economic loss. 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. 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. Note that this is not a comprehensive list of acceptable documentation. In very limited circumstances where the Personal Representative is unable to obtain Letters of Administration, Letters Testamentary, or other Court Order, the Special Master may appoint a Personal Representative for purposes of the VCF claim. VCF Pain and Suffering Compensation for 9/11 Cancers Under the Zadroga Act, a 9/11 responder or survivor may be awarded up to $250,000 for non-economic losses related to their cancer condition. For more VCF information or for questions, visit the VCF website or call the VCF directly at 1-855-885-1555. 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. Memo Book/Activity Log (must include cover page and excerpts of relevant portions with consecutive pages), Line of Duty Injury Report (must include an injury date within the relevant time period and signature of supervising officer), NYPD Consultation Referral Medical Division/NYPD Surgeon Form, NYPD Rescue Detail badge (must include victims name and photo), clearly identify a VCF-qualifying date and location of service; and. 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. If eligibility is denied, the letter will explain how to appeal the decision or how to amend your claim in the future when you are able to provide the additional information for consideration. The two types of primary evidence described above (Third-Party Verification or Contemporaneous Documents) are the best evidence that an individual was present during the relevant period. The VCF may be able to obtain records confirming presence from the New York State Workers Compensation Board for individuals who have made a claim to the WTC Volunteer Fund based on their 9/11-related work. 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. The statute requires that, to be eligible, you must have at least one WTC-Related Physical Health Condition. 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. Claims can be filed at www.claims.vcf.gov/account/loginor on a hard copy claim form. The VCF is available to not only first responders, but also 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 above-described exposure zones. You will receive a letter from the VCF explaining the eligibility decision on your claim. 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. It is also helpful if you specify your job title within EMS during the period beginningon September 11, 2001, through May 30, 2002. This is not a comprehensive list. It is important to distinguish between the two and be aware of the deadlines that apply based on your individual circumstances. Undefined malignant neoplasms also qualify. Please note that the NYPD will not be able to provide the VCF direct access to the below listed documents. An official website of the United States government. 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 . Medical records or insurance claims showing your home address. The Reauthorized Zadroga Act extended VCF II for an additional five years, allowing individuals to submit claims until December 18, 2020, and appropriated an additional $4.6 billion to pay claims. $10 billion is available for office workers through the Victim Compensation Fund. 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. This may happen if the completed form does not provide sufficient detail regarding your presence (i.e., your actual work or volunteer location and confirmation that you were present at that location at some point during the requisite time period), or about the source of the information used to complete the form. Workers injury reports dated on or before September 11, 2003, documenting treatment of your injury that occurred at the site. As a general rule, the compensation you receive in this iteration of the VCF (VCF2) will be calculated based on the amount of compensation any similarly situated person who filed a claim only in VCF2 would receive; any compensation you received in VCF1 will then be applied as an adjustment to the award. If you are certified by the WTC Health Program for a physical health condition, the two-year registration period is counted from the date of the, If neither of the above applies, but you qualify for the VCFs. If this happens, the VCF will contact the employer or organization to try and get additional details. 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. For further information, please see the Registration and Other Deadlines Frequently Asked Questions on the VCF website. If you have a document that you believe can be used to support your claim or your presence at a 9/11 site and it is not on the list below, you should submit the document to the VCF to be reviewed. 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, settlement payments from lawsuits that were timely settled and released will be deducted from VCF awards. 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. A 9/11-related lawsuit is any civil action in which you are seeking to recover damages based on your presence at a 9/11 crash site, your exposure to toxins, or a theory of causation related to your VCF-eligible condition or a VCF- compensable death (e.g., product liability, medical malpractice, etc.). Learn more about 9/11 cancers. 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. To ensure there is no delay in the processing of your claim, please submit your document(s) with the appropriate signature where required. Release tendered before the date on which the WTC Health Program added the individuals eligible condition to the list of qualified physical injuries. But if the new condition is a cancer and the award was only based on a non-cancer, you might consider amending your claim. The NPN is available to WTC, Pentagon, and Shanksville responders and WTC survivors. Your prior eligible condition has substantially worsened, resulting in damages or loss that was not previously compensated. Once the required documents are received and verified as sufficient, the claim will be reactivated for review, and if applicable, the VCF will request information from certain government entities, employers, and other third parties that may support presence for VCF purposes. Note: The FECA claim might not contain information to help verify your presence. 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. The certification must come from a college, school or day care facility employee or your legal counsel (if applicable). Respiratory cancers eligible for a VCF award include: Bronchial and lung Heart, pleura, and mediastinum Other undefined respiratory sites in the intrathoracic organs and respiratory system 9/11-related skin cancer includes those diagnosed as either melanoma or non-melanoma. The VCF will contact the WTC Health Program directly to confirm you have an eligible certified condition. The VCF will contact you if any additional information is needed in these situations. 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. The form includes instructions for completing and submitting the form. 107-71, to provide compensation for any individual (or a personal representative of a deceased individual) who suffered physical harm or was killed as a result of the terrorist-related aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001, or the debris removal efforts that took place in the immediate aftermath of those crashes. The VCF considers the totality of the circumstances in each individual case and will consider a wide range of documents to support presence. It is important that you respond to all missing information letters within the timeframe specified in the letter. If your claim is denied, you can amend your claim once you have the necessary documents and the VCF will reactivate your claim for review. We will compare this number to records we received to confirm that you were present during the period beginning on September 11, 2001, through May 30, 2002. You should provide this form to individuals who witnessed you at the site or in the NYC Exposure Zone during the relevant time period. For information about the NPN call 1-888-982-4748. If you did not experience any physical injury or condition as a result of September 11th, but you experienced emotional or mental harm, you are not eligible for compensation from the VCF. 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, and you withdrew or dismissed your lawsuit prior to filing your claim or amendment. The World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program provides medically necessary monitoring and treatment for certified WTC-related health conditions. If you have exhausted every option available to you to try and find documentation to support your presence at a 9/11 crash site or in the NYC Exposure Zone during the relevant timeframe, and you cannot find any documents to submit with your claim, you may request that the VCF deny your claim and provide you the opportunity to provide testimony about your presence at an appeal hearing. We will send you a Missing Information letter if the documents you submitted do not have the detailed information we need in order to prove you were there. 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. 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. The WTC Health Program provides options for treatment of psychological conditions, including post-traumatic stress. If we need something further in order to determine your eligibility, you will receive a missing information letter. You can notify us by uploading a note to your claim, or by calling our Helpline. Alumni of Stuyvesant or any area school in the NYC Exposure Zone may email info@stuyhealth.org for assistance acquiring proof of attendance for their VCF claim. Thus, as a general matter, the VCF will rely on certification by the WTC Health Program that the individual is eligible for treatment for a particular physical injury or condition under the WTC Health Program. In addition, Pitta & Baione is one of the only 9/11 law firms that handles every step of the claims process for our clients . Second, you may pursue a civil action against any person who is a "knowing participant in any conspiracy to hijack any aircraft or commit any terrorist act." If you were employed by ICE (Legacy U.S. Customs Service, Legacy Immigration and Naturalization Service (Investigations, Deportation and Removal Operations, or Office of the Principal Legal Advisor)) and worked in your official capacity at a 9/11 crash site, or you were assigned to a post of duty in the NYC Exposure Zone during the period beginning on September 11, 2001, through May 30, 2002, ICE may be able to provide you with a letter verifying your presence. The court order establishing that the action has been discontinued and/or dismissed, or the notice/letter of withdrawal filed on the ECF system in the relevant docket, must be dated on or before the date you submit your claim or amendment. The most prevalent cancers identified among September 11th survivors are non-melanoma skin cancer, prostate cancer and female breast cancer. If you were employed by Goldman Sachs and worked at a Goldman Sachs office located in the NYC Exposure Zone during the period beginning on September 11, 2001, through May 30, 2002, Goldman Sachs may be able to provide you with a letter verifying your presence. [5] Please note that this is different from the rules applicable to the WTC Health Program. The VCF makes one award for the non-economic loss, also referred to as pain and suffering. The Special Master recognizes, however, that such documents may no longer exist or may be impossible to obtain. The WTC Health Program includes a Nationwide Provider Network (NPN) to serve members who live outside the New York City metropolitan area. The forms and instructions, as well as more detailed information on the process are available on our Private Physician resources page. Unsettled claims withdrawn/dismissed on or before January 2, 2012. To be eligible for the VCF, you must have been at one of the following locations: To be eligible, individuals must have been present at one of the eligible locations at the time or in the immediate aftermath of the September 11th aircraft crashes. You should contact the employee verifications team by email at GS-HCM-Help-Americas@ny.email.gs.com and request an employment verification letter. Blood in the urine, frequent urination, a slower-than-normal urine flow, erectile dysfunction, and blood in the semen following ejaculation are all signs of prostate cancer. If you are the parent of a young adult child and are helping your child with his or her VCF claim, the claim form must be completed by the adult child as a self claim in the victims name, with all applicable exhibits and supporting documents signed by the victim. Please note that the WTC Health Program and the VCF are different programs. See Section 6.5 for additional details and important information regarding the documentation that must be submitted, specific instructions for signing and submitting each of the required authorizations and forms, and an explanation of how any payment will be made on the claim. 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. 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. To be eligible for compensation, the VCFAct requires an individual to have suffered physical harm or death as a result of one of the terrorist-related aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001, or debris removal. 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. If we are unable to confirm presence by speaking with the employer or organization, then the VCF will contact you to explain what we need and to request additional documents that show where you were and when you were there. The VCF will accept claims with settled 9/11-related lawsuits if you meet the following conditions: You may have settled all your claims and, in that case, as long as the lawsuit was commenced after December 22, 2003, and the release was tendered by January 2, 2011, you can submit a claim to the VCF. You do not need to submit any additional information to demonstrate your presence at the site. The VCF is a Federal Government program and is separate from the lawsuits between individuals and the Port Authority, the Captive Insurer, and others. 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. Witness Presence Statement. Dismiss, withdraw, and/or settle any 9/11-related lawsuits by the appropriate deadline. To do so, the VCF needs the WCB number associated with the individuals Workers Compensation claim. Examples of lawsuits that fall into this category include (but are not limited to) the following lawsuits filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York: Claimants who participate in a lawsuit under the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), Pub. For example, the minimum latency period for Prostate Cancer is four years. Any location used for the repair, cleaning, or rehabilitation of vehicles or equipment contaminated by WTC-related debris. This process, which is entirely automated checks to confirm the receipt of two specific documents the VCF must have before we can begin our preliminary review of a claim: After allowing time for these documents to be received by the VCF, the automated process will confirm that both documents are present in the online system according to the document type associated with each document. If contemporaneous documents from that time are not available, you should ask your employer to complete the VCF Third Party Verification form. The VCF encourages everyone who was at an eligible location to gather documents now even if they are unsure about filing a claim in the future. You should know that the VCF may ask for additional proof of presence, even when your employer or volunteer organization submits a Third Party Verification Form directly to us. 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. You should contact human resources by email at hr-verify@verizon.com and request that they directly send the VCF an employer verification letter. The WTC Health Program provides medical monitoring and treatment for physical injuries and conditions resulting from 9/11 exposure. The VCF calculates each award individually using the following basic formula, as required by the VCF Act: Non-Economic Loss (pain and suffering), minus Collateral Offsets . Court orders, such as custody or guardian agreements, that clearly show your address at that time. 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. For all other individuals, the VCF generally needs proof documenting the amount of your settlement, the dates of commencement and release of all claims in the lawsuit, and the order dismissing any claims not part of the settlement. If you do not have a form on file at your local union, please leave a message for Micki Siegel de Hernandez, CWAs National Deputy Director of Occupational Safety and Health at 202-434-1100 to see if your form is on file at the District 1 office.

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