Maloney Seeks Funds For Sick Ground Zero Vols

...approximately 40 percent of 6,500 workers at Ground Zero examined by the Mount Sinai Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine have respiratory problems related to their work at the World Trade Center site. —Congressmember Maloney

Responding to reports that New York state is denying healthcare assistance to September 11 volunteers who developed illnesses as a result of their heroic response, Congressmember Carolyn Maloney and area lawmakers have urged immediate action by Governor George Pataki to use federal funds already received to aid these injured parties.

In letters to Pataki and secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge, Maloney and her colleagues expressed serious concern that the federal government had provided the state with millions of dollars to pay workers’ compensation for activities related to September 11, but none of the funds have been used to assist the numerous volunteers who became ill as a result of their activities at Ground Zero.

They noted that a Congressional Research Service memorandum states that the federal funds provided could be used by state government officials to provide the volunteers with workers compensation’ payments for their injuries.

Malone declared, "These heroes came to aid New York and now it’s our turn to help them. This is one instance where the federal government actually gave New York recovery money very quickly, but it seems like the state is not using it to help all the people it could and should.

"We are calling on the governor to get this fixed because every day wasted is another day these heroic volunteers continue to suffer without help."

Maloney said approximately 40 percent of 6,500 workers at Ground Zero examined by the Mount Sinai Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine have respiratory problems related to their work at the World Trade Center site. Of these 2,600, officials at Mount Sinai estimate that about 10 percent (260) screened were volunteers at Ground Zero.

Maloney, acting jointly with Congressmember Ron Kind of Wisconsin, originally pursued this issue on May 23 in a letter to Ridge and to Marsha Johnson Evans, president and chief executive officer of the American Red Cross. The lawmakers wanted to know to what degree the two officials would offer assistance to those volunteers who developed illnesses as a result of their work at the World Trade Center. Kind became involved because one of his constituents who volunteered to work at the site became ill.

Among the New York area congressmembers who signed on to Maloney’s letter to Pataki and Ridge was Congressmember Anthony Weiner (D–Queens/Brooklyn).—John Toscano