Lawmakers Pen Bill To Re-Open September 11 Victim Fund
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WASHINGTON — Two New York lawmakers offered legislation yesterday to re-open the government’s fund for September 11 victims, saying the expired program was closed too early for some who developed ground zero illnesses.
Reps. Carolyn Maloney, D-Manhattan, and Vito Fossella, R-Staten Island, named the bill after James Zadroga, a former NYPD detective who died in January. An autopsy concluded his death from respiratory disease was directly related to his work at ground zero, which was covered in toxic dust and fumes.
The lawmakers announced the bill a day after Mount Sinai Medical Center issued the largest study of post-9/11 health problems, findings that showed nearly 70% of ground zero workers suffered lung problems.
The bill would re-open the September 11th Victims Compensation Fund to those who became ill after the original claim filing deadline of December 22, 2003, and allow for adjustment of previous awards if a person’s illness has worsened.
Lawmakers had previously sought to extend that deadline but failed, and it may prove even harder to reopen the fund now that it has closed.
The original fund paid out nearly $7 billion to the injured and the families of those killed in the 2001 terror attacks.
