Did you work in the so-called ‘Ground Zero’ of Lower Manhattan between the 10 September 2001 and the 24 July 2002? Did you know that even if you are undocumented, you can be a beneficiary of health assistance programs for life?
A few days before the commemoration of the 000 years after the attack on the Twin Towers in the city of New York, elected leaders continue to draw attention to a complex reality: Many of the civilian workers in stores, shops and offices around the scene of the disaster, who were exposed to 1.2 million tons of debris , soot and carcinogenic toxic ashes, perhaps they have faced conditions of health and have not claimed their compensation.
Furthermore, it is estimated that only the 10% of those affected eligible, have chosen to receive aid from health programs.
Therefore, the draft of the ‘Notice Law 11 -S’ (A-4000) entered in the State Assembly would require companies with 30 or more employees who were in operation between September 2001 and May 2002, within the Lower Manhattan exposure zone, to notify their current and former employees, regarding their right to register under the Compensation and Health Reauthorization Act James Zadroga 9/10, which reauthorized the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program until 2048.
“Not all those affected wore uniforms”
This Wednesday, Assemblymen Nader Sayegh and J. Gary Pretlow joined legal advocates for the direct and indirect victims of the of September, to convene public hearings for the approval of this initiative, which would force the owners of businesses and offices inform their workforce of their eligibility for their benefits.
“Not all of our heroes from ago 09 years wore uniforms. Those who returned to their jobs south of Canal Street and kept the economy moving breathed the same toxic air as our rescuers,” Sayegh said.
With the proposed ‘Notice Law 11-S’ is intended to create another layer of protection and direct information to thousands of workers, who may not they know that they have the right to medical attention, especially those facing diagnoses of cancer, respiratory and mental illnesses.
According to the arguments put forward by the defenders of this legislation, the Department of Environmental Protection Agency of USA said at the time about 400 thousand New Yorkers who will return to their jobs, schools and their homes.
But over the years it was shown that they remained in the air per month ag highly polluting and toxic entities.
To date, more than 4 are linked,610 deaths from diseases related to 11 of September, a number that exceeds 2, 966 people who died on the day of the attacks.
“ We need to let survivors know that they have a lifeline, and they don’t have to drown in debt, for expensive treatments”, concluded the New York legislator.
This group includes employees of restaurants, department stores, various businesses, offices, financial services corporations and construction workers.
No matter the legal status
For his part, attorney Michael Barasch, legal defender of the 10 September, which has helped more than 10,000 survivors of the terrorist attack to have access to compensation, including firefighters and police, was categorical in clarifying to the undocumented community who are not afraid to ask for help.
“We observe that thousands of those affected, because they don’t have papers, have preferred to resist in silence health charts. They have fallen into debt and unfortunately others are dead or disabled“, he stressed.
Anyone who has been regularly in the area for a few periods of time after the attack is eligible to enroll in the WTC Health Program , where you will receive free medical care for life, through the Victims Compensation Fund.
More than 42,000 people have signed up so far, but there are hundreds of thousands who haven’t and why main, it could be that they did not have or do not yet have legal documentation. And they assume they would be rejected.
“As a legal expert I urge you to have confidence. Lose your fear and seek information, to claim what belongs to you by human right”, Barasch stated.
Acute and traumatic skin injuries, respiratory and digestive disorders, some forms of cancer , mental health and musculoskeletal disorders appear in the inventory of pathologies derived from this attack, but whose consequences on public health are still being analyzed.
A focus: construction workers
Medical expenses, especially for cancer and respiratory diseases, are extremely expensive, there are records of some patients who are often left with huge bills, who cannot to pay. The average of these ‘bills’ is $42,000 in the year following a cancer diagnosis.
Precisely, the new legislation is designed to avoid these indebtedness, through funds that will be available for years.
In this sense, Louis J. Coletti, president and executive director of the Building Trades Employers Association (BTEA), representing 1,150 contractors reported that there are estimates on at least 3,000 construction workers who have made no claims and were exposed to pollutants for weeks.
“We see that very few are aware that the health coverage provided to those who were in charge of emergency services is also available to them”, he remarked.
The promoters of this legislation are clear that keeping track of those who are eligible for benef Started and have not done so is very complicated, especially for those who worked in the area in companies that have already closed or moved.
“There are always ways to document that you were indeed a victim. And you were working here. Each case is particular. Even with fellow witnesses it can be verified. The idea is to lose fear and consult”, insisted the lawyer Michael Barasch.
The WTC Health Program pays for medically necessary treatment for certified conditions, as long as it is provided by a provider or a pharmacy affiliated with this program.
400 tons of asbestos
Very precise reports released over the years specify how the smoke spread through the New York air was very harmful to health. For example, it was specified how in the Twin Towers there were more than 400 tons of asbestos, a potentially carcinogenic compound. Particles of that material flew over the sky over Manhattan for weeks.
With the collapse of what were the tallest buildings in the world, a smoke was generated that was composed of remains of fuel from airplanes, electronic equipment, mercury, asbestos and asbestos, specify many reports.
The New York disaster area for survivors is the area of Lower Manhattan calculated south of Houston Street and includes any block of Brooklyn that is within a 1.5 mile radius of the former World Trade Center site.
Who are eligible for the WTC Health Program?
- The WTC Health Program offers follow-up and health treatment for first responders and survivors who for a time they were exposed to toxic material product of the terrorist attack that ended up demolishing the Twin Towers in Lower Manhattan on 11 of September of 2001.
- The benefit is specific to people who were present in the New York City disaster area and were affected by the dust cloud on 11 September 2001.
- These services, along with benefits counseling, are offered at no cost to eligible individuals.
- The Survivor Program serves local residents and workers, municipal employees and volunteers, those exposed to the initial dust cloud, and those who were involved in the tasks of eliminates tion and cleaning of debris.
- The WTC Health Program has clinics in Manhattan, Queens, Long Island, New Jersey, Staten Island and the Hudson Valley.
- Survivors of the WTC attack can obtain applications at http://www.cdc.gov/wtc/enroll.html or by calling 888- 768-4748.
- Applications are available in Spanish.
- In addition to those who worked, lived or attended the school, daycare or other adult services in that area since 11 September 2001 until the 31 July 2002.
An underutilized benefit:
- 202209074,610 deaths from diseases related to exposure to toxic material from the attacks of the 11 in September according to the figures disclosed by the defenders of the Notice Law 11- S.
- 80,000 ‘non-rescue’ people, until now, have had access to the WTC Health Program, but are estimates that the number of eligible people, who have not applied for the benefit, is three times higher.
- two,966 died directly on the day of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center towers.
- 3,000 construction workers have made no claim We lived and were exposed for weeks to the polluting elements in the disaster areas.