Attorneys Troy Rosasco and Daniel J. Hansen Say the “Light at the End of the Tunnel” Has Arrived for 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund

Troy Rosasco, Partner, Turley, Redmond, Rosasco & Rosasco, LLP, and Daniel J Hansen, Partner, Turley, Hansen & Partners, said they were pleased to learn that payments from the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) have finally been made out and that, after a long journey for the first responders, the light at the end of the tunnel has been reached. They also encouraged those who have not applied to receive financial compensation from the VCF to do so within the next few months.

The $2.775 billion fund was reopened in October 2011 to police officers, firefighters, Emergency Medical Service workers, construction workers, cleanup workers, utility workers, volunteers, residents and original survivors. These workers or volunteers had to be in the Ground Zero “crash site” area or the “debris removal area” between September 11, 2011 and May 30, 2002 in order to be eligible.

The first payments were made on January 29, 2013 to 14 firefighters and a corrections officer who responded shortly after the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001; all 15 suffered respiratory illnesses as a result of being exposed to the airborne toxins. The awards ranged from $10,000 to $1.5 million, less any applicable offsets such as disability pensions or prior litigation recoveries. The eligibility application deadline for filing for benefits is October 3, 2013 for those who knew of their 9/11-related medical condition before October 3, 2011.

“The beginning of these payments from the $2.775 billion fund shows that we have officially seen the light at the end of the tunnel,” Mr. Rosasco said. “We encourage those who have yet to file a claim to do so immediately. Those who were sickened while working at or living near the Ground Zero site now have the opportunity to get the financial compensation that they have waited too long to collect.”

“We are excited that these first responders have finally received payment from the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund,” Mr. Hansen said. “It will be satisfying to finally see our clients receiving the compensation that they justly deserve. It was a very long and arduous process and many of our clients, sadly, passed away before they ever had the opportunity to get compensation from the fund. However, we are glad to see that that their families will now benefit and justice has been done.”

For more information, call 1 (855) WTC-INFO or visit www.zadrogaclaimsinfo.com.