If you do not intend to appeal, you do not need to do anything. If the VCF sent you an award letter, we will begin processing any applicable payment on your claim. If you received a letter notifying you that your claim was denied, it will remain in that status.  If in the future you have new information to submit to the VCF that you believe may change the eligibility decision on your claim, you may amend your claim.  

An appeal can be filed within 30 days after the VCF has notified you of the eligibility or compensation decision on your claim. You may appeal only if your eligibility denial letter or award letter includes an Appeal Request Form.

If you intend to appeal the decision on your claim, there are specific steps you must take and specific deadlines that apply. Your eligibility denial or award letter will include detailed information about how to appeal the decision.

It is best to wait to file your claim until you have been certified by the WTC Health Program. If you submit your claim without first being certified, the VCF will place your claim in Inactive status and it will remain in that status and will not be reviewed until you submit your certification letter.

The VCF does not receive copies of your medical records as part of our information-sharing agreement with the WTC Health Program.  The WTC Health Program only provides the VCF with information that is used to determine whether you have an eligible, certified condition.  The information we receive from the WTC Health Program includes the name of the condition, the WTC Health Program category under which the condition falls (for example, Cancer or Upper Respiratory Disorder), and the associated medical diagnosis code.  If the WTC Health Program notifies us that you have been certified

No, the VCF and the WTC Health Program are two separate programs, each of which has its own registration process, eligibility criteria, and mission. The WTC Health Program is administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and provides medical monitoring and treatment for responders to the WTC and related sites in New York City, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, PA; and for survivors who were in the WTC Health Program’s New York City Disaster Area during the required timeframe.

No, you do not need to be certified for treatment by the WTC Health Program in order to register with the VCF. You can register at any time – either online, or by calling our Helpline at 1-855-885-1555, so long as you do so before your Registration Deadline.  Registering with the VCF preserves your right to file a claim, either now or at some point in the future.

Registration is the first step in the claim filing process and it simply preserves your right to file a claim in the future.  You do not waive any legal rights when you register, and registering does not obligate you to file a claim.  Registration serves only to alert the VCF that you may be a potential claimant; and it meets the legal requirement of timeliness set forth in the law.  Registration Deadlines vary based on claim type and individual circumstances. 

There are two deadlines in the claim filing process – the first is the Registration Deadline and the second is the Claim Filing Deadline.  Registration is not the same as filing a claim and the deadline varies according to claim type and individual circumstances.  To understand what is applicable to your situation, please see detailed information about the VCF’s Registration Deadlines.

The Claim Filing Deadline is the same for everyone:  October 1, 2090.

Yes, if you participate in a lawsuit under JASTA, you can still file a VCF claim.  See Section 405(c)(3)(C)(i), Zadroga Act, as amended (49 U.S.C. § 40101 note).  Any compensation awarded by the court in the lawsuit or obtained in a settlement of litigation will be treated as an offset and deducted from your VCF award. 

Yes, however, the VCF is required by law to offset any benefit paid by other collateral sources relating to the 9/11 attacks. As a result, USVSST Fund payments made to victims who are also eligible for compensation from the VCF, will be subject to offset by the VCF. To be clear, the VCF is required to offset USVSST Fund payments made on account of 9/11-related injuries to the same victim.

For more information, refer to Section 3.9 of the VCF’s Policies and Procedures.