Of 17,500 ill Ground Zero responders and lower Manhattan residents registered with the James Zadroga 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, only 53 have gotten payouts.
Their awards total $5.9 million, but recipients get only 10 percent now, and the rest in 2016. Another 192 claimants deemed ill from 9/11 are under consideration for payment, officials said.The rules require extensive documentation — first to prove Ground Zero exposure, then to show economic need not met by sources such as pension, disability payments or payouts from a mass settlement with the city.
Congress provided $2.7 billion for the fund, which President Obama signed into law on Jan. 2, 2011. In September, the feds added 50 types of cancer as eligible for coverage. The fund is currently reviewing 25 cancer compensation claims, a spokeswoman said.The deadline for those with known ailments to register is Oct. 3.