The World Trade Center Health Program

The World Trade Center Health Program

An Overview

Prepared by Single Stop USA

What is the WTC Health Program?The WTC Health Program was established in

2011 under the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010.

It provides health tests and medical care for people who worked in response and recovery at the World Trade Center.

It also provides services for survivors who were in the New York City disaster area, and those that lived, worked, or were in school in the area.

What is a Responder?

Responder: a worker or volunteer who provided rescue, recovery, demolition, debris removal, and other services specifically because of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center.

What is a Survivor?

Survivor: a person who lived, worked, was in school or was in day care in the New York City disaster area on September 11, or in following months.

Map of NYC Disaster Area:• The entire area of

Manhattan that is south of Houston Street.

• Any block in Brooklyn that is within a 1.5-mile radius of the former World Trade Center site, including:• Brooklyn Heights• Northern

Downtown Brooklyn

• DUMBO• Western Vinegar

Hill

Houston St.

WTC Site

Canal St.

Examples of “Responders”Patrick volunteered in the World Trade Center site

following the September 11th attacks, performing rescue work in the debris

Cynthia worked on the barge loading piers, managing shipments of debris from Manhattan to the Staten Island Landfill (Fresh Kills).

Jennifer worked for the Chief Medical Examiner of New York City, and handled human remains from the WTC attacks.

Angel worked in the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) Tunnel

Rudolph was exposed to debris from the former World Trade Center while maintaining vehicles for the Red Cross.

Examples of “Survivors”Wanda was visiting a friend in the financial district the

morning of September 11th, and got trapped in the dust cloud when trying to evacuate from the neighborhood.

Harriet worked in the financial district a few blocks away from the towers; she returned to work only weeks after September 11th.

Sally studied at Stuyvesant High School and was evacuated on September 11th, but returned to school in a month’s time.

Robert was doing routine maintenance on telephone lines in the area near ground zero for almost two months after the September 11th attacks.

Diego worked in an office building in the WTC disaster area, returning to work only a couple months after the attacks.

Application ProcessCompleted Application (along with required

documents)1-2 Week Processing Period

If approved will be notified in writing and enrolled in the program; may schedule first monitoring appointment immediately.

If Denied, follow steps to a Fair Hearing*Approved Responder applicants are then able to set

up an appointment at any of the available WTC Health Program Clinic Center of Excellence in NYC and NJ

Application: OverviewAll documentation is available on the WTCHP website:

http://www.cdc.gov/wtc/

All applications are available in English, Spanish, Polish, and Chinese.

Application must have Name, Address, and Date of Birth

When submitting the application, it is best to fax for the applicant to avoid any problems that may arise; but can also mail (make sure to ask for a Return Receipt with proof of delivery).

Undocumented individuals are able to apply. In order to expedite the process it is best, but not required, to supply an IRS tax ID number (or ITIN), passport number (from home country), driver’s license, etc. They can be expired.

Application: Responders• Responders do not need to have symptoms when

applying to the Health Program.

• All accepted Responders are guaranteed for five years of monitoring and treatment.

• The Federal Government will cover all costs, whether or not the patient is insured. All medications approved by Health Program-affiliated physicians that are prescribed due to a specifically 9/11-related condition are free of charge.

Survivors Need SymptomsAnyone applying as a Survivor must write down all

WTC-related symptoms. Potential clients will be contacted if no symptoms are given.

May prove useful to prompt with these questions:Has their family/partner noticed anything different

with them?Have they been hospitalized recently?Have they needed any new medications?

Application: Survivors

Survivors are only eligible to visit three hospitals: Bellevue, Gouverneur , and Elmhurst.

If approved, and Survivors have insurance, the insurance will be billed first, however there will be no out of pocket costs. All co-pays or premiums will be paid for by the

federal government, as well as any approved treatments/medications not covered through insurance.

Required Documents: RespondersApplicants must have documents proving the

following:1) Your work or volunteer activity at the former

World Trade Center site(s).2) Your location at the former World Trade Center site(s).3) The time period that you were working or volunteering at the site(s).

Applicants can obtain these documents from their work, a union, or an employer/co-worker (the closer, the better).For example: pay stubs, official personnel roster, written

statement from employer, etc.

Required Documents: Survivors Applicants must have documents proving the following:

1) The location of your home, work, or school, child care, or adult day care

2) The time period that you lived, worked, or attended school at that location.-Note: Survivors must prove a certain amount of time was spent in the disaster area.

Examples include: Wage income transcript from 2001

Call the IRS at (1-800)829-1040 to get that document Site worker must call while sitting with the client

Affidavit from a co-worker Photographs (only can be used as secondary evidence)* Utility bills What else?

As a last resort, applicants may write own affidavit: a narrative, explaining their story. Only if the applicant was in the disaster area on Sept. 11, 2001

Example 1Julio was at home in Washington Heights, Manhattan

when the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 occurred. A couple days after, Julio went to ground zero to volunteer with the Red Cross in the search and rescue operations. He worked in the rubble for over two months. A few years ago, he began to experience coughing fits, and dizzy spells. To this day, Julio continues to experience these health problems in addition to frequent shortness of breath on a daily basis.

What do you see? What follow-up questions must we ask?

Example 1Due to the nature of his work in ground zero,

Julio is already eligible for the WTC Health Program, as a Responder. Although he has symptoms that appear to be directly related to the attacks on 9/11, he does not need to have them in order to qualify for health monitoring. If, upon his first visit, a doctor rules these symptoms as WTC-related, Julio will be able to begin receiving treatment, at no out of pocket cost.

Julio’s application



Points to Remember SYMPTOMS FOR SURVIVORSUndocumented individuals are able to

apply. And applicants are not required to list a SSN, ITIN, etc.

When submitting the application, it is best to fax. If mailed, make sure to request a Return Receipt with proof of delivery.

If symptoms are found to be ineligible under the WTC HP, applicants can be referred out to separate HHC sliding scale clinics.

Applications are processed within 1-2 weeks. If there is no notification within a month, clients are urged to call hotline at (1-888-WTC-HP4U or 1-888-982-4748) for updates on the application process.

Note: There is no connection between the WTC Health Program and the WTC Health Registry; registry provides no medical help.

Outside of NYC? There is a national WTC Health Program:

The federal government has located resources and services nationwide (through United Healthcare) designed for folks that either relocated, or are planning to relocate in the near future. Applicants are encouraged to state a potential change of address directly in their application.

Points to Remember (Cont.)

Application Follow-upThe main reason for potentially denied

applications would be an incomplete application, therefore:Make sure to fill out all necessary informationProvide as much evidence as possible to prove

an applicant’s employment, residence, education, or any other information that proves they were there.

For Survivors, make sure to fill-out all symptoms on the application.

Call hotline at 1-888-WTC-HP4U for updates on any specific application’s process.

Important informationTo access the applications and for various FAQs:

http://www.cdc.gov/wtc/For a complete list of WTC HP Medical centers:

http://www.cdc.gov/WTC/clinics.htmlTo access information relating to NIOSH:

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/wtc/All questions may be directed to either the WTC

Health Program’s hotline or email:1-888-WTC-HP4U or [email protected]

The World Trade Center Health Program

Any questions?

Prepared by Single Stop USA