Seminar to spread word on 9/11 benefi ts
BY GABE HERMAN
Now that the 9/11 Victims
Compensation Fund has been
permanently extended, local
lawyers and advocates are trying to get
the word out in Lower Manhattan that
those exposed to 9/11-related toxins
can quality for health benefi ts.
Attorney Michael Barasch, of Barasch
& McGarry, which represents more
than 15,000 people whose health was
affected by 9/11 toxins, will be among
those answering questions at an information
seminar on Sept. 16, from 6
p.m. to 8 p.m., at Borough of Manhattan
Community College.
The free event is for everyone in the
community. Barasch said the goal is to
spread the word that the fund’s extension
means benefi ts are available for
everyone exposed to the harmful air in
Lower Manhattan during the months
after 9/11.
“They now can count on healthcare
for the rest of their lives,” Barasch
said.
However, many still don’t know that
health benefi ts extend beyond fi rst responders,
and include offi ce workers,
residents, public school students and
everyone in the community. This also
includes those who may have moved
away from New York in the years since
the 9/11 attack.
Barasch emphasized that people who
were in Lower Manhattan back then
need to start collecting proof that they
were there, so they will be eligible for
health benefi ts should the need arise.
“Right now, even if you’re healthy,
you have to start collecting affi davits
from people who know you were
there,” he said.
He added that it will be harder 20
years from now for people to prove they
were actually in Lower Manhattan during
that post-9/11 period. And he said
the government requires proof of being
there, which is harder for ordinary
citizens to show than fi refi ghters and
police.
“Every day that goes by is another
day that is harder for them to prove
their exposure,” Barasch said of community
members.
Barasch represents 137 students and
teachers with 9/11-related cancers. He
noted that, over all, 68 types of cancer
have been linked to World Trade Center
toxins.
He added that not everyone realizes
their health issues are related to 9/11.
Young people often think they don’t
Toxins remained in the air in Lower Manhattan during the months after 9/11.
Attorney Michael Barasch, in foreground, above, will be at an informational
seminar on Sept. 16 at B.M.C.C.
need to think about health benefi ts if
they’re healthy, but Barasch noted that
plenty of young people are getting sick
and may get sick in the future.
“You owe it to yourself to protect
your future rights,” he said.
Back in February, it was announced
that 9/11 V.C.F. payouts for claims
FILE PHOTO BY COLIN MIXSON
would be cut by as much as 70 percent
because of a shortfall in funds coupled
with an increase in claims.
This led to many sick community
members saying they don’t want to
fi le claims, Barasch said, because they
wanted the money to go toward fi rst
responders.
COURTESY JASON SCOTT
But now with the fund’s permanent
extension, including billions of dollars
available in the coming years, more
people in the community are showing
interest in collecting benefi ts for sicknesses,
the attorney said.
And he said he wants to encourage
people to tell their friends and their
loved ones about the available fund
benefi ts, even if they may currently be
healthy.
Along with attorneys from Barasch
& McGarry, others who will be at the
Sept. 16 information seminar to answer
questions include advocates from
Students of 9/11, the FealGood Foundation,
which helps emergency personnel,
and doctors from the WTC Health
Program.
The seminar will be at 199 Chambers
St., Theater 1. Tickets are free, on
a fi rst-come, fi rst-served basis, and can
be reserved by calling 212-220-1460,
or by visiting: http://tickets.tribecapac.
org/FREE-911-informational-seminar.
16 September 5, 2019 TVG Schneps Media
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