Lower Manhattan Exposure Zone
In order to help identify those individuals in New York City who were affected by the terrorist attacks, the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) established a zone that included the site of the World Trade Center as well as any places where dust and debris would have fallen.
The VCF zone encompasses the area between the East River and the Hudson River, south of a line created by Canal Street to East Broadway to Clinton Street. Learn more about our 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund practice.
New York City Disaster Area
The World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) offers medical benefits, including screenings and treatment, for several health issues related to the collapse of the towers. The exposure zone is wider than that of the VCF’s: it includes the area south of Houston Street, as well as parts of Brooklyn that lie within a 1.5-mile radius from ground zero.
Both programs are open to first responders, survivors and those who assisted in cleanup and debris removal, as well as anyone who lived, worked or went to school in the area between September 11, 2001 and May 30, 2002.
To qualify for benefits for either the VCF or the WTCHP, the claimant must show proof of presence within the zone as well as be diagnosed with one of the covered conditions stipulated by the programs.
There are also exposure zones at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, the sites of the other two plane crashes that occurred on September 11th.