2014

New Registry Study Finds Increased Injuries After Hurricanes

October 29, 2014

Survivors of the World Trade Center disaster who lived in the Tri-State area during Hurricane Sandy experienced multiple types of injuries. Most of the injuries occurred among those who attempted to do clean-up or repair work in a damaged or destroyed home.

Registry researchers sent surveys to 8,870 Registry enrollees living in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut five months after the storm. Among the 4,435 respondents who lived in flooded areas, ten percent reported injuries, and nearly three quarters of them had more than one injury. The greatest number of injuries occurred among persons who attempted clean-up or repair work in a damaged or destroyed home. The most common injuries were arm/hand cuts and back strain. The risk of injury was greater among those who had more flooding in their homes, whether they evacuated or did not evacuate. The highest percent of injured persons, about 39 percent, was among responders who evacuated by walking or swimming.
Read the study

Preserve Your Right to Worker’s Comp—Register by 9/11/2014

August 15, 2014

New York State would like to ensure you preserve your right to worker’s compensation if you participated in the rescue, recovery and clean-up of the World Trade Center through September 12, 2002. File a WTC-12 form with the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board by 9/11/14. This preserves your right to future benefits, should you ever need them.

Most people are eligible. You should file a WTC-12 form whether you were injured or not and whether you were employed or volunteered. This includes duty at Ground Zero, Fresh Kills Landfill, on the barges, the piers, and at the morgues.

All forms must be notarized and received by the Board by 9/11/14. For questions, please call 855-WTC-2014. Tell us you were there.

9/11 Injury Increases Risk of Chronic Disease

April 18, 2014

Injury as a result of the 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, including, for instance, broken bones or burns, increased the risk of chronic disease 5-6 years after 9/11, according to a study of more than 14,000 enrollees who reported no previous diagnosis of heart disease, respiratory disease, diabetes or cancer.

Enrollees who reported more than one injury—a group of nearly 2,000 people—were twice as likely to also report respiratory illness as those who were not injured. Enrollees with multiple injuries and probable posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were three times more likely to report heart disease than those with no injuries and no PTSD.
Read the study

WTC Health Program to Cover Four More Cancers

February 21, 2014

The federal government added malignant neoplasms of the brain, cervix uteri (invasive cervical cancer), pancreas, and testis to the list of conditions that can be treated by the WTC Health Program. Coverage for the additional cancers began on February 18, 2014.
A Rule by the Health and Human Services Department

Federal Government Redefines Childhood Cancer

February 21, 2014

The federal government has revised the definition of childhood cancer it uses for the WTC Health Program to clarify that it means any cancer first diagnosed in a person younger than 20. The revised definition is based on the age at diagnosis, not the current age of the WTC Health Program member.
A Rule by the Health and Human Services Department