What 9/11 Victims Need To Know About The Zadroga Act

9/11 is one of the most horrendous events in history. We all are aware of the disadvantages and horrors 9/11 brought to our lives. We must keep the martyrs alive in our hearts and work for those affected by these attacks. The Zadroga Act outlines the steps taken by the government in this direction; keep reading to find out more!

1.    What Is the Zadroga Act?

James Zadroga was one of the NYPD officers who developed respiratory disease after working at Ground Zero. The toxic fumes made him ill, and he eventually died because of this condition. He is known as one of the few first people diagnosed to have been affected by the toxic rubble.

The government has approved the federal law named “Zadroga Act” to honor James Zadroga and to help people who developed diseases or suffered financial losses during 9/11 and in the nine months afterward.

As per the Zadroga Act, the government is responsible for providing lifetime healthcare to the 9/11 victims. You, however, need to work with reliable lawyers like Weisfuse & Weisfuse, LLP to get the benefits.

2.    Eligibility Criteria

The three main requirements you have to fulfill to get coverage under the Zadroga Act are location, Date, and condition. Keep reading to find out more details about these requirements.

a.     Location

Meeting the location requirements is the first eligibility criteria for coverage under the Zadroga Act. Victims have to prove they were in the given list of areas when the attacks occurred or in the subsequent months.

Both the survivors and the deceased victims must have been in the NYC Exposure Zone when 9/11 occurred. Under the NYC Exposure Zone, several NYC neighborhoods have been declared as the affected areas. However, to extend the act’s coverage, victims who were at Pentagon or near the Flight 93 crash are also covered.

b.     Date

The Zadroga Act has a clear Date guideline to ensure that only the victims get lifetime healthcare coverage. Victims have to provide adequate proof that they come under direct exposure from 11^th September 2001 to 30^th May 2002.

Zadroga Act doesn’t put this limitation of Date on the firefighters on the 9/11 site. They are not required to provide any physical proof of the Date.

Other victims have to prove their presence in the given timeframe by providing health records, affidavits, school records, utility bills, or employment records. Claimants will not be considered for the coverage unless they show with clear proof.

c.     Condition

Claimants for the Zadroga Act have to provide enough medical proof that they have come under certain medical conditions after 9/11. WTC Health Program was established after the approval of the Zadroga Act to cure the physical conditions and the mental conditions that developed with the 9/11 exposure.

The good thing for victims is that they don’t have to undergo any specific tests. If you have specific symptoms and follow the eligibility conditions mentioned above, you can get treatment from the government.