Victims and first responders involved in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks are reporting “increasing numbers and types of illnesses” nearly two decades later, according to a new report.
The 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund released new data on Thursday that indicated the organization has awarded $3.6 billion to date to individuals who have filed claims since the attacks.
Many who were near the site of the attacks were exposed to smoke, debris, toxic dust and chemicals.
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The organization has received 35,477 eligibility claims since its inception.
As of April 30, the fund has found just over 19,000 individuals are eligible for compensation because of their connection to the attacks in New York City, Shanksville, Pa., and at the Pentagon.
Individuals have until December 2020 to file a claim before the fund stops accepting submissions.
“I continue to remain focused on what more needs to be done. As we see increasing numbers and types of illnesses befalling this heroic community, I am acutely aware of the need to process claims as expeditiously as possible,” victims fund special master Rupa Bhattacharyya said in a statement.
A coalition of New York lawmakers urged President Trump in March to withdraw a proposal from his 2019 budget proposal that would have altered the healthcare program for 9/11 first responders.
The administration submitted a proposal that would move the 9/11 health-care program from being housed in the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health to the National Institutes of Health.
Advocates for the program argued that doing so would needlessly upend the program and impact services.