Gov. Kathy Hochul signed three 9/11-related bills on Sept. 10. The deadline for filing paperwork reporting participation in World Trade Center rescue, recovery and cleanup work has been extended four years, to Sept. 11, 2030. Claims that were previously denied as untimely will also be reviewed again.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed three bills on Sept. 10 for 9/11 victims and rescue workers. The key provision extends by four years, to Sept. 11, 2030, the deadline for filing paperwork reporting participation in World Trade Center (WTC) rescue, recovery and cleanup work. The deadline was originally set to expire on Sept. 11 this year, the 25th anniversary of the attacks.
The extension applies to the WTC-12 form filed with the New York State Workers' Compensation Board (WCB) and to documents proving participation that are submitted to the state retirement system. Anyone who worked at Ground Zero, the Fresh Kills landfill, barges, piers or temporary morgues between Sept. 11, 2001, and Sept. 11, 2002, is encouraged to file a WTC-12 even if they were not injured at the time. Filing the paperwork in advance preserves the right to claim workers' compensation benefits if a related illness appears later.
Denied Claims to Be Reviewed Again
The new law (A.11531/S.10605) directs the Workers' Compensation Board to reconsider claims involving disabilities that arose between Sept. 11, 2021, and Sept. 11, 2025, but were denied as untimely. New claims for injuries or illnesses that occurred during the same period can also be filed until Sept. 11, 2030.
The other two bills broaden coverage. A.11538/S.10650 extends by four years, to Sept. 11, 2030, the deadline for filing death and disability benefit claims for members of the New York National Guard, and their survivors, who were called to state active duty after Sept. 11, 2001, and assigned to work at WTC sites. A.11213A/S.10085A extends the presumptive period for WTC-related illness retirement benefits from 25 years to up to 35 years, allowing a death that occurs more than 25 years after retirement to be reclassified as a line-of-duty death.
The bills' sponsors, state Sen. Robert Jackson and Assembly members Charles Fall, Stacey Pheffer Amato and Grace Lee, cited the fact that WTC-related illnesses can appear decades later as the reason for the extension. WCB Chair Freida Foster urged everyone who took part in rescue, recovery and cleanup work to file a WTC-12 to protect their right to make a claim. Forms and registration information are available on the World Trade Center page of the New York State Workers' Compensation Board website (wcb.ny.gov).