Deadline Extended
For Ground Zero Health Claim Registration

Last month, New York Governor Eliot Spitzer extended by one year the deadline for people who helped in the Ground Zero recovery effort attack to register with the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board for possible health issues that may arise in years to come.

The new deadline is August 14, 2008.

Almost 20,000 people have registered, but officials believe as many as 60,000 workers participated in the recovery and clean-up operations. Evidence is mounting that many are experiencing or will experience significant respiratory problems whose links to 9/11 may not be readily recognized by their physicians. By registering with the Workers’ Compensation Board, Ground Zero workers and volunteers protect their right to file a claim, even if symptoms or the connection to 9/11 do not become clear until a future date.

The registration form is available online, and the New York State Laborers’ Health and Safety Trust Fund offers assistance. Call 800-797-5931. Additional information is available in LIFELINES (Summer, 2007).

[Steve Clark]