Earlier this month, President Obama signed a landmark piece of legislation, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. The law will provide medical and health aid to survivors of the September 11 World Trade Center tragedy, and first responders who fell sick as a result of working at the site.
The legislation is named after police officer James Zadroga, who fell seriously ill with a respiratory illness after he responded to the site of the greatest terrorist attack in US history. Zadroga was a detective at the New York Police Department and died of illnesses that he developed as a result of his work on the site.
The law will commit $20 billion to help 9/11 responders and volunteers who fell ill after they were exposed to toxic debris and other contaminants at the 9/11 site. The initial piece of legislation would have provided for approximately $7.4 billion to be set aside for medical and healthcare for 9/11 volunteers and emergency responders. That amount was whittled down to $4.3million.
Responders will have to wait until the month of July to see any benefits from this law. The bill will cover all responders, volunteers, and employees at Ground Zero. It will also cover those who lived near Ground Zero or worked nearby. The total package includes more than $1.5 billion for the treatment of related disorders that developed a result of mental health disorders. A further $2.8 billion has been earmarked in compensation for those who were affected by their work at the site.
The lawyers at Godosky and Gentile have been strongly involved in the efforts to secure medical and health aid for workers who were left with severely debilitating illnesses as a result of the work they performed at the theGround Zero site.