State to Process Sick Claims By WTC Volunteers

After months of political wrangling, New York state is moving ahead with compensation for sick and injured volunteers who searched the World Trade Center rubble for victims' remains after the 2001 terrorist attacks.

Last week, Republican Gov. George Pataki directed the state Workers' Compensation Board to expedite the processing of claims by ground zero volunteers. The move came after the Legislature ended its regular session on June 19 without a consensus on how to redress the volunteers on lost wages and expensive medical bills.

About 40,000 workers took part in the rescue, recovery and cleanup efforts at the site after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks killed nearly 3,000 people. So far, the state board has received less than 20 claims, said board spokesman Jon Sullivan.

He said officials have been contacting the claimants to find out the extent of their sicknesses or injuries, the length of time they volunteered and the types of duty they performed at the site.

Preliminary results from a federal screening program by Mount Sinai Medical Center released in January found that of 3,500 workers surveyed, more than half continued to suffer from lung, ear, nose and throat problems a year after hijacked planes smashed into the twin towers.

By law, employers are required to provide workers' compensation either through a private insurer, self-insurance or the New York State Insurance Fund. Those hurt on the job are entitled to health care. The World Trade Center volunteers were an exception because they had not been hired by anyone to help in the search of the rubble.

Last year, Congress secured $175 million in emergency money to pay for workers' compensation costs, $25 million of which were allotted for volunteers who would, under normal circumstances, be ineligible for the benefits. A memo by congressional researchers earlier this month concluded that the state's workers' compensation law suggests that most federal funds cannot be used for volunteers.

To date, the state spent only $44 million of the entire money, which was received this past February, and none of the money for volunteers had yet been used.

``We have been working on this process for quite a few months. We are now prepared to resolve these claims as quickly as possible,'' said board Chairman Robert Snashall.

Since the attack, the state processed more than 90 percent of all death and injury benefit claims filed by the Sept. 11 victims or the families of those who perished, Sullivan said.

I spent a straight month on The Pile following the attacks and was caught in the debris/dust wave when the North Tower came down. I suffered from the so called WTC Cough for another 5 months, have developed allergies (which I never had previously) and had a runny nose until Feb of this year. I have also had 2 chest X-Rays taken, a baseline one taken in Nov 2001 and another taken in Dec 2002 and fortunately it doesn't seem like I have suffered asbestos related lung damage. I have been to the doctor more times in the past 20 months then I have been in the past 10 years. Lot's of volunteers and paid workers have had similar problems and while my insurance has (reluctantly) paid my medical bills, others haven't been so lucky. It's about time that this got wrapped up.

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