The decision to list 50 additional cancer types to the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2012 may ultimately reduce the amount of compensation awarded to victims involved in the World Trade Center terrorist attacks.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) announced it would provide treatment, funds for lost wages, and compensatory damage for those who responded to the disaster at the towers in New York City following the September 11th attack. The fund also covers those working at the Pentagon and the crash site of United flight 93 in Shanksville, PA. Supporters hope this move by NIOSH will convince Congress to grow the fund and keep it going past the original 5 years.
The Zadroga Act was signed into law on January 2011 with $2.755 billion in compensation funds. The first responders have since been diagnosed with a wide range of medical issues including chronic pulmonary disease, asthma, interstitial lung disease, and chronic respiratory disorder.
NIOSH believes there will be many more claims for compensation now that additional cancers are being included. Congress has not provided funding for the new list of cancers added to the list. There may be thousands of additional claims put in and the funding for existing claimants may now be lessened.
Claims on the fund must be filed within two years after the diagnosis of a related medical condition. Claimants must be able to prove they were at one of the crash sites on September 11, 2001 through May 30, 2002 during cleanup efforts. They must also have a specific medical condition that was directly caused by debris at the crash