Deadline looms for Ground Zero first responders to register for disability benefits
Rescue workers removing debries as they search for survivors at Ground Zero, Sept 15 2001. Credit: Newsday/Viorel Florescu
First responders who participated in the rescue, recovery and cleanup of the World Trade Center have until Sunday to register with the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board to preserve their right to receive benefits such as lost wages — even if they are not yet sick.
Registration could help an individual who responded to the terror attacks and becomes permanently disabled due to illness linked to the toxic air at Ground Zero to qualify for a World Trade Center accidental disability presumption, officials said.
Signing up also can help beneficiaries become eligible for an accidental death benefit if the applicant dies. Individuals who applied previously, and were denied benefits, would also have an opportunity to have their claims reconsidered.
Initially, individuals who participated in the rescue, recovery or cleanup operations had until Sept. 11, 2010, to file a notice of participation. This is the third extension of the deadline.
The board has received 48,255 World Trade Center filings to date, a state spokesman said.
Both chambers of the State Legislature have passed a measure that would extend the filing deadline to 2026. Gov. Kathy Hochul is reviewing the legislation, the spokesman said.
State officials said individuals should register with the board whether they are sick or not and if they were paid or volunteered to work at either Ground Zero, the Fresh Kills landfill, area piers, barges or morgues between Sept. 11, 2001 and Sept. 12, 2002.
Filing with the state board does not preclude individuals from filing a claim with the federal Victims Compensation Fund, which provides financial assistance with medical monitoring, treatment and medication, and helps compensate victims for the financial impact of 9/11-related illnesses. People receiving lost wages from the fund, however, would not receive similar funds from the state board, experts said.
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
