Over 130,000 Americans have enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program since the attacks on 9/11, receiving free medical monitoring and care for their 9/11-related illnesses.
Although they were present in Lower Manhattan at the time of the attacks, survivors and responders now live in all 50 states, receiving medical care away from the main “hub” of the WTC Health Program in the New York metropolitan area.
In recent years, reports of inefficiencies, problems, and delays for those living outside of NYC have drawn lawmakers’ attention.
How do non-NY residents receive help from the WTC Health program?
All survivors and responders of the 9/11 attacks are eligible to enroll in the WTC Health Program.
This includes those who helped in the clean-up effort in the aftermath of the attacks, as well as those who simply returned to Lower Manhattan below Houston Street to live, work or study between 11th September 2001 and 31st July 2002.
These people breathed in the air from the giant toxic dust cloud, which consisted of asbestos, silica, concrete, metal, glass particles, and 350 chemical agents, reaching nearly a mile high over Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Many of the people present in the days, weeks, and months after the attacks have since moved away from New York City, taking their 9/11-related health problems with them. A wide range of respiratory illnesses, digestive disorders, cancers, musculoskeletal disorders, psychological problems, and more have been certified as WTC-related health conditions by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
When people move interstate with these conditions, they become reliant on third-party providers selected by the CDC to administer the monitoring and treatment services for the WTC Health Program, rather than NYC clinicians.
In short, they must enroll with the third-party vendor that operates the WTC Health Program’s “national provider network”.
In November 2021, the CDC’s National Provider Network contract was awarded to Managed Care Advisors/Sedgwick, which took over the operation of the program on 2nd Aug 2022.
Reports from patients about delays in getting appointments, receiving treatment and other inefficiencies have since plagued the National Provider Network program and this has recently caught the attention of Congress members.
What are lawmakers doing about it?
In July 2024, seven members of Congress expressed uneasiness with how Managed Care Advisors/Sedgwick was administering WTC Health Program services in a letter sent to CDC’s director, Dr. Mandy Cohen.
The letter identified “serious deficiencies in MCA Sedgwick’s ability to deliver services” and requested an update on what was being done to address the main issues. Among other problems, the lawmakers highlighted the following:
- Program members are unable to get the annual monitoring exam to which they are entitled
- Members receiving bills for medical care that Sedgwick should have paid
- Serious problems with program providers getting paid
Some groups claim that because Sedgwick manages workers’ comp claims and other matters for large corporations as a third-party administrator, they do not have the relevant experience for managing the National Provider Network that thousands of survivors and their families depend on.
The lawmakers have stepped in because the shortcomings of the provider network cause undue stress and anxiety for an already vulnerable group of people.
Many thousands are still suffering from 9/11 toxins
The total of 2,996 deaths resulting from the 9/11 attacks made it the deadliest terrorist attack ever on U.S. soil.
When we consider the 7,000 people enrolled in the WTC Health Program who have died from breathing in the toxic air since the attacks and the 132,000 members enrolled to receive medical care for their conditions, the numbers become even more horrific.
The New York City Fire Department has now lost more of its heroes from 9/11-related diseases than were killed on the day of the attack.
The least that the responders and survivors deserve is free and efficient medical care for their 9/11-related illnesses—wherever they now reside.
As Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker said recently at the 9/11 ceremony at FDNY Headquarters in Brooklyn:
“Those insurmountable losses did not end at the World Trade Center site…we have seen our members become sick because of time they spent working in rescue-and-recovery. We have seen more than 360 members die because of their bravery and selflessness.”
How victims can get the help they need
Help is available for 9/11 survivors not only via the WTC Health Program but also the September 11th Victim’s Compensation Fund (VCF), which provides compensation for victims and their families.
As we have seen, medical monitoring and treatment for 9/11-related conditions should be the very least that survivors receive—but, in many cases, they are entitled to considerably more.
By contacting a 9/11 Victim Attorney, victims can better navigate the system to receive more timely medical care to treat their illnesses and get the compensation to cover both their economic and non-economic losses.
To discuss your situation and learn more about how we may be able to help you, please call Weisfuse & Weisfuse, LLP at 212-983-3000 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation.
