On September 11, 2023, New York’s 9/11 Notice Act (A75B/S2946B) was signed into law by Governor Hochul. During session, the law unanimously passed in both the New York State Senate (62-0) and Assembly (146-0).
Your Association of BellTel Retirees advocated and pushed for this legislation as one of its early supporters, recognizing the overwhelming good it offers for our members who responded to the terrorist attacks in Lower Manhattan.
In 2001 and 2002, Verizon, AT&T and Empire City Subway, all companies where a large number of our members retired, had significant operations in Lower Manhattan.
The 1.2 million square foot Verizon Building at 140 West Street was just a stone’s throw from 5 World Trade Center; plus another massive complex and switching station, at 375 Pearl Street, was also walking distance from the site of the 9/11 terrorist attack.
Sadly, many of our fellow retirees may have illnesses and health issues stemming directly from their work in the toxic exposure zones.
Our many members are among the civilian workers called in on 9/11 and the months that followed to restore essential communications and restore extensive damage to 140 West Street. Our teams knew where all the cables were located and led the restoration following the devastation.
Under this legislation, businesses and institutions will be required to notify their employees, past employees or contractors from 2001 to 2002 of their eligibility to register for free 9/11 healthcare and compensation authorized by Congress.
This includes Verizon, AT&T, Empire City Subway and countless telecommunications or engineering consulting firms that provided essential staff or services in the impacted areas of both Lower Manhattan and North Brooklyn.
This is a non-adversarial program that will cost companies little more than a first-class stamp and envelope. Its focus is to educate, inform, and protect.
At the time of writing, the New York State Department of Labor has yet to announce rules or timelines of when businesses must notify their former employees of their eligibility.
Currently, only about 10% of the 400,000 civilians who were in the exposure zone have registered for the World Trade Center Health Program or Victim Compensation Fund, in comparison to over 85% of uniformed first responders.
The 9/11 Notice Act is hoped and expected to result in a drastic increase in civilian registrations.
Without telecommunications employees’ skills and prompt restoration work, federal, state, and local first responders would have been in the dark without communication.
Our own unheralded workers were among the unsung heroes of 9/11 who deserve proper recognition and medical protections after putting their health and safety on the line.
Thousands of our fellow retirees and still active staff were assigned to work within the toxic exposure zone of Lower Manhattan and Northern Brooklyn between September 2001 and July 2002, the time period the legislation covers.
You need not be a resident of New York, so long as you were documented working there.
After NY State officials work out the details of implementation, each person who worked there will now be notified that they qualify to enroll in the World Trade Center Health Program and Victim’s Compensation Fund. These details will likely begin to come out in April of 2024.
Additionally, families of Verizon, AT&T, Empire City Subway or contractors who have already passed away, may qualify for wrongful death compensation under the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund.
The World Trade Center Health Program provides no-cost healthcare and prescription coverage, and the Victim Compensation Fund provides potential reimbursement of previously paid out-of-pocket medical expenses related to their exposure.
To register for 9/11 healthcare or compensation, a member of the 9/11 community must gather documentation or proof of presence in the exposure zone during the allowable time period, and detail their potential 9/11-related illness, or follow that process to apply on behalf of a deceased loved one.
This process can be time consuming, so the earlier our members organize their information, the faster they will get approval to enter the programs and receive the coverage they deserve.
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