Public Employee Press

August deadline nears for 9/11 workers

If you aided in the rescue, recovery or cleanup efforts of the World Trade Center ruins, it is important that you register no later than Aug. 13 with the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board. By registering, you will preserve your right to file a Workers’ Compensation claim, in case you get sick in the future.

Without a second thought, tens of thousands of people rushed to help after the terrorist attacks. Thousands of others worked at the site in the year after 9/11 – and now, over six years later, many of those responders are becoming sick, and some are dying.

Last summer, the New York State Workers’ Compensation Law was changed to allow workers and volunteers who worked in the World Trade Center’s vicinity to file a claim for Workers’ Compensation if they have or develop in the future a 9/11-related illness. But to do so, rescue, recovery and cleanup workers and volunteers must register with the Workers’ Compensation Board no later than Aug. 13.

For detailed information, contact your union, visit the NYCOSH Web site at www.nycosh.org, or call the toll-free, 24-hour hotline, 1-866-WTC-2556. Information is available in Spanish and English.