Barasch McGarry Salzman & Penson has been there from the beginning for 9/11 responders, then we fought for the Zadroga Act, and now we are fighting for those who are suffering from cancer.
New York, NY (PRWEB) July 30, 2013
The personal injury attorneys at Barasch McGarry Salzman & Penson PC support the Obama Administration’s July 2 announcement that prostate cancer would be added to the list of diseases covered under the Zadroga Act, alongside more than 50 other types of cancers included since last year. The change came after the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association submitted a petition in May citing recent research results demonstrating the disease’s toll on its members. Sufferers exposed to the toxic dust on or in the year after September 11, 2001 are now eligible for free medical care under the World Trade Center Health Program.
Last September, program administrator Dr. John Howard excluded a short list of cancers from Zadroga coverage, citing inconclusive evidence of a link to 9/11 exposure ― among them brain, prostate and pancreatic cancer. However, since then, a study by Mount Sinai Hospital’s WTC Health Program has linked elevated levels of prostate cancer to September 11 exposure.
Studies showing elevated levels among firefighters are particularly robust, as FDNY members get annual medical exams as a condition of employment. Those tests include checking PSA levels, which can indicate prostate cancer — and they’ve been done consistently since before the terrorist attacks.
“This is an important step forward in seeing that justice is served for the brave 9/11 responders who are ill today, and those who, sadly, face elevated risk of developing prostate cancer in the future. Barasch McGarry Salzman & Penson has been there from the beginning for 9/11 responders, then we fought for the Zadroga Act, and now we are fighting for those who are suffering from cancer,” said Michael Barasch, Esq., founder and partner at Barasch McGarry Salzman & Penson.
The proposed rule change was published in the Federal Register July 2 and the public has 30 days to comment before it becomes law or is reconsidered. Those who became ill before October 2011 due to exposure to the 9/11 toxins have until Oct. 3 to apply for economic benefits through the Zadroga Act as well. The Victims’ Compensation Fund ― reimbursing qualified first responders, lower Manhattan residents and others for lost wages and other costs associated with their illnesses ― requires a separate registration from the health program and can be completed online. Fire unions and elected officials encourage anyone with symptoms to register. Applications can be amended later as the victim’s health situation changes.
About the Firm
The personal injury law firm of Barasch McGarry Salzman & Penson is dedicated to protecting the rights of 9/11 responders. The firm has decades of experience representing New York City firefighters injured in the line of duty, experience it used to assist injured first responders, and later those whose health suffered through their work cleaning up Ground Zero.
Serving clients from New York, the firm is one the most prominent concentrating in the areas of:
- Personal injury
- Wrongful death
- Medical malpractice
- Firefighter rights
Barasch McGarry Salzman & Penson, PC enjoys an outstanding reputation with people of every background, ethnic group, and profession in New York. Their prostate cancer lawyers represent seriously injured victims from all types of accidents and have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for clients at trials and in settlements.
Founded in 1994, the lawyers at Barasch McGarry Salzman & Penson, PC have more than 100 years of combined experience. For more information about the firm, please go to http://www.post911attorneys.com/ or call 888.746.8212.
11 Park Place
Suite 1801
New York, NY 10007
(888) 746-8212