9/11 Victim Compensation Fund FAQ

The 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund has very strict deadlines for filing 9/11 compensation claims. Missing your deadline has a direct impact on your chances of receiving victim compensation payouts. The registration deadline for the VCF application is two years from the date that either: (i) the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) “certified” a cancer or other condition, or (ii) the date that a state worker’s compensation board or a government employer (such as the FDNY, NYPD, or NYCERS) found a condition as 9/11-related for purposes of awarding a disability pension. For a complete list of important deadlines, visit our “Deadlines” page.

If your condition changes or you are not satisfied with your award, you will need to file an amendment or appeal. Hansen & Rosasco, LLP can help you navigate this complex process. Learn more about the amendments and appeals processes here.

The attorneys at Hansen & Rosasco, LLP can help you properly gather all necessary records, interview witnesses and prepare necessary affidavits, and complete and file all forms so your VCF claim is approved promptly. We are determined to help you reach a VCF settlement with maximum compensation possible. See the steps for filing your VCF claim here.

• Loss of earnings or other benefits related to employment because of disability or death;
• Past medical and other out-of-pocket expense loss;
• Household replacement services loss (such as hiring landscapers, housekeepers, etc.).

Learn more about the “economic losses” covered through the VCF here.

If you have lost a family member to a 9/11 cancer or related condition, your family could be eligible for wrongful death awards from the Victim Compensation Fund. The timeframe for when a wrongful death claim can be filed expires two years after a victim’s date of death. Wrongful death claims are determined by personal injury pain and suffering, wrongful death pain and suffering, spouse and dependent awards, memorial service and funeral costs, loss of earnings, and replacement service losses. See detailed list of benefits for wrongful death claims here.

Yes. The 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund calls “pain and suffering” damages “non-economic loss.” Pain and suffering damages describe the physical pain, emotional distress, and the loss of enjoyment of life’s activities that a victim endures as a result of the 9/11-covered physical injuries or illnesses. Read more about the Zadroga Act and its benefits

The World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) consists of a Responder Program for rescue and recovery workers which includes more than 90,000 New York City first responders and construction workers, and a Survivor Program for those who lived, worked or went to school in Lower Manhattan on 9/11 or during the ten months after the attacks. Learn more about the World Trade Center Health Program here.

• Non-economic loss (pain and suffering)
• Wrongful death award
• Past and future lost earnings
• Past lost employment-related benefits
• Future lost employment-related benefits
• Past out-of-pocket medical expenses
• Past and future replacement services
• Funeral and burial expenses
• Memorial service expenses

Learn more about the benefits of the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund here.

VCF cancer payouts are among the most common claims made under the Victim Compensation Fund. Other common conditions include:

• Non-melanoma skin cancer
• Melanoma of the skin
• Prostate cancer
• Leukemia
• Lymphoma
• Multiple myeloma
• Kidney cancer

See a full list of WTC-related health conditions here.

You may have 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) eligibility if you were present in the “9/11 Crash Site Area” between September 11th, 2001 and May 30th, 2002. All 9/11 victims – including first responders and locals in the Lower Manhattan area – who were exposed to toxins on the day of, and nine months following the attacks, are eligible for VCF payouts. If you have a 9/11-related illness or are a family member who lost a loved one on 9/11, you could be eligible for an award from the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund. Learn more about who is covered by the Victim Compensation Fund here.