9/11: Setting the Record Straight
TWU Local 100 9/11 pins and medals: Every transit worker who responded to 9/11 is entitled to a 9/11 Participation Pin from TWU Local 100. In order to get the pin you must assert in a sworn affidavit that you were engaged in duties during the rescue and recovery effort or your name must appear in the official MTA/NYCT list of those who served. To get the 9/11 medal from TWU Local 100 you must have a verified claim of injury, approved by the Victim's Compensation Fund (VCF) of the US Government. It is not enough to have been screened or treated by Mt. Sinai or another health provider.
Click here for samples of the acceptable forms of documentation which you must produce in order to be awarded a 9/11 medal from TWU Local 100.
What is "Proof of Presence"?
Proof of presence refers to documentation that establishes that you were, in fact at Ground Zero or within the "exposure zone" -- which is the area of lower Manhattan below Canal Street at any time within the period of 9/11/2001 through March 30, 2002. The Union has a list which we can check and if you want to determine whether you are on that list or not, please email us at communications@twulocal100.org. But first, you should request records from the MTA/NYCT in the following manner: Send a certified letter to: New York City Transit Legal Department, 130 Livingston Street, 12th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201, attention: Subpoena. In this letter, explain that you served at 9/11 or were in the exposure zone between the specified time periods. Request any and all records pertaining to your employment at that time. You can also obtain proof of presence by having a co-worker or anyone else fill out an affidavit attesting to the fact that you were serving in the exposure zone. A sample affidavit is here.
The VCF wants to see two affidavits, if you do not have other acceptable documentation, and these are legally binding documents that must be notarized. Whatever is written must be truthful and accurate subject to possible investigation. Photographic records of your time at Ground Zero or within the exposure zone can also be valuable and make your case, although you must be recognizable in the photo.
If you are an active, retired, or vested members of the New York City Employees Retirement System (NYCERS), you must act to preserve your rights to file for 9/11 related disability before 9/11/22. The form you need is here.
Very Important: If you produce documentation and are denied for a VCF claim because it is stated that you lack acceptable proof of presence, you have the right to go before a panel and tell your story about your service at 9/11. This can be persuasive and make your case.
Finding an Attorney to Take Your Claim
The Victim's Compensation Fund doesn't say that you must have an attorney to make your case for a 9/11 benefit. If you choose to use a lawyer, we can recommend the firm of Kreindler and Kreindler, and their lead attorney, Noah Kushlevsky, can be contacted here.
What to do if you think you have a 9/11 related illness -- or if you served there and are concerned about your health going forward
Here is the most recent information from Mt. Sinai, which is coordinating the WTC health registry, and the Victim's Compensation Fund, which is administered by the federal government pursuant to an act of Congress:
FIRST STEP: Register with the health registry, and get seen and have your case accepted as 9/11 related. Call the phone number for the WTC Health Program in the photo below.
You can also go to these websites:
NOTE THE TWO-YEAR REQUIREMENT: You must register with the VCF within two years of a finding by the WTC health program that you are certified with a 9/11-related physical health condition.
APPLYING FOR BENEFITS: If your claim is denied, you can appeal it. You can also amend it.
BIG TAKEAWAYS ABOUT APPLYING FOR BENEFITS:
Read our photographic record of New York City Transit at 9/11 here.
Our informational booklet, explaining the Recognition Program and outlining how to apply for compensation under the Zadroga Act/Victims Compensation Fund can be found here. NOTE: To obtain compensation for 9/11 related illness, you will need to establish proof of presence at the World Trade Center site on 9/11 and later during the rescue and recovery effort. To do this, we recommend obtaining affidavits from co-workers or supervisors who were at the site. You can get the blank affidavit here.
The TWU Local 100 Participation Pin (at left) is available to any transit worker who responded to 9/11 and served at Ground Zero. The pin is approximately 1.25 inches in diameter, and the Recognition Medal (at right) is approximately 3 inches in diameter. It is available to any transit worker who has documented injuries/illnesses stemming from service at Ground Zero. Find out more about these recognition items below.
On 9/11/2001, 3,000 transit workers responded at risk of life and limb in the rescue and recovery effort. Some were ordered to go; many went to volunteer on their own. You may have been one of them. But our story has not been told. In fact, Transit provided all of the heavy rigs that were so critical in the first three days. Our iron workers were first to cut the I-beams that held trapped civilians. Our buses and trains brought New Yorkers to safety and then ferried in first responders. Our titles labored for weeks at the pile, doing whatever was needed.
As of September 8, 2015, TWU Local 100 is awarding 9/11 Medals for those Injured at the WTC site, as well as Recognition Pins for those who worked there. The 9/11 medals are contingent on your receiving either a Workers Compensation Award directly linking your illness or injury to time served at the WTC site during the rescue and recovery effort, a notice of settlement of a claim stemming from your presence at the WTC site with the City of New York, or an approved award from the Victim's Compensation Fund (VCF), aka the Zadroga Act.
To qualify for a Recognition Pin, TWU Local 100 requires that you (1) register as a 9/11 responder with the September 11the Memorial and Museum through this link, and (2) Fill out and submit this affidavit, which must be notarized, to the Union. The Affidavit can be mailed to the Union at the address on the affidavit, or can be brought in to the Union Hall.
We were there: Watch the documentary, Above & Below, which includes great interviews with many transit workers.
Above Below
Uploaded by twulocalonehundred on 2016-04-26.
TWU Local 100 wants to set the record straight. We are making sure that the stories of transit workers at 9/11 are told.
On 9/11/2001, 3,000 transit workers responded at risk of life and limb in the rescue and recovery effort. Some were ordered to go; many went to volunteer on their own. You may have been one of them. But our story has not been told. In fact, Transit provided all of the heavy rigs that were so critical in the first three days. Our iron workers were first to cut the I-beams to clear the way for the rescue effort. Our buses and trains brought New Yorkers to safety and then ferried in first responders. Our titles labored for weeks at the pile, doing whatever was needed.
TWU Local 100 wants to set the record straight. We are making sure that the stories of transit workers at 9/11 are told. If you meet any of these three criteria, you are eligible to receive the TWU Local 100 9/11 Rescue and Recovery Recognition Award (pictured at right). To be presented with the Award, you must either:
• have an accepted workers’ comp claim related to 9/11 service
• have been granted an award under the Zadroga Act /Victims Compensation Fund
• have settled a claim against the City of New York and defendants regarding 9/11 injuries/illnesses
A 9/11 commemorative pin of smaller dimensions will be given to any transit worker who can document their presence at Ground Zero.
If you played a role in the rescue and recovery effort, please fill out the questionnaire below.
Also, please send us your photos and your stories. This is the one chance we have, while the event is still fresh in our memories, to document what our Transit titles did on that fateful day that will always be with us.