Thousands of sick people or family members of those who died of 9/11-related illnesses and missed the deadline to qualify for aid from the Sept. 11 Victims Compensation Fund will get extra time to reapply, it was announced Wednesday.
Special Master Rupa Bhattacharyya revealed that those affected by the terror attack will have through July 29, 2021.
The policy change is part of the new “Never Forget the Heroes Act” approved by President Trump and Congress last July that makes the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund permanent through 2090.
The action was taken after gaunt cancer-stricken retired cop Luis Alvarez, accompanied by comedian-activist Jon Stewart, gave gut-wrenching testimony in D.C. urging lawmakers to extend VCF. He died weeks later.
First responders or people who worked or lived near Ground Zero are supposed to apply for financial assistance within two years of medical diagnosis or the death of a family member.
But thousands of victims didn’t know about the fund and miss the deadline.
The new window – two years from the date the Heroes Act took effect – applies retroactively to them.
After that date in 2021, individuals again will have two years to register with the VCF upon medial diagnosis or death of a family member.
Reopening the deadline is a welcome development, said attorney Michael Barasch, whose firm represents many patients ravaged with 9/11-related cancers. He said he will be contacting hundreds of clients who missed the deadline to reapply.
“Thousands of people could benefit,” Barasch said.
He noted there were 300,000 downtown officers, 25,000 residents and 50,000 students — as well as first responders — exposed to 9/11 toxins after the World Trade Centers collapsed following the plane terror attacks.
In its report, the VCF emphasized that people can register with the fund even if they are not sick. That preserves their option to apply for aid later if they do become ill