The World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) provides medical monitoring and treatment to 9/11 exposure victims who suffer from serious medical conditions. The medical care for exposure victims who live outside of the New York City metropolitan area is managed and administered by the National Provider Network (NPN).
Over the past decade, Logistics Health, Inc. (LHI) has been the contracted party responsible for managing the treatment of tens of thousands of 9/11 exposure victims within the NPN. After investigative reporting and complaints from exposure victims who received treatment for 9/11-related health conditions, the WTCHP chose to replace LHI with a new contractor: Managed Care Advisors (MCA)-Sedgwick.
Fulfilling Congressional Oversight Duties of the WTCHP
New York lawmakers Carolyn B. Maloney (Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform), Jerrold Nadler (Chairman of the Judiciary Committee), and Andrew Garbarino, sent a letter to Dr. John Howard, M.D., who is the WTCHP Administrator and Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Maloney, Nadler, and Garbarino are seeking information on the contract awarded to MCA-Sedgwick, and they requested a copy of the contract. These New York lawmakers have long championed the rights of the 9/11 community. Before the Zadroga Act was passed by President Obama in 2011, lawmakers Maloney, Nadler, and Garbarino sponsored legislation to help 9/11 toxin exposure victims receive much-needed medical treatment and compensation.
Additionally, Congresswoman Maloney sponsored – with Congressman Nadler and Congressman Garbarino as co-sponsors – the Never Forget Heroes Act (NFHA), which was signed into law by President Trump in 2019. The NFHA permanently funds the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) through 2092.
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Preventing a Repeat of the LHI Experience
New York lawmakers Maloney, Nadler, and Garbarino, along with many other members of Congress, want to ensure that the difficulties which WTCHP members experienced with LHI do not happen again with the new contractor, MCA-Sedgwick. In their letter to Dr. Howard, the lawmakers stated that they “…are seeking to ensure that issues uncovered through investigative reporting and our own inquiry that impacted the previous contract do not reoccur and the 9/11 responders [and survivors] receive seamless care during the transition to a new health care program administrator.”
Dr. Howard is also the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The lawmakers have asked to see a copy of the contract awarded to MCA-Sedgwick, along with other details that have not been disclosed.
The Current Transition from LHI to MCA-Sedgwick
On February 4, 2022, the WTCHP issued a statement regarding the change in NPN vendors from LHI to MCA-Sedgwick.
Members of the WTCHP have gone through a period of what is intended to be a seamless transition. The transition was initially scheduled to occur in late spring of 2022. Pursuant to a recent announcement from the WTCHP, however, the full transition has been delayed until late summer/fall of 2022.
Whether or not the transition turns out to be seamless remains to be seen. Continued vigilance by Congress is essential to ensure that 9/11 exposure victims who are reliant on the third-party NPN to receive medically necessary treatment are not forgotten or left behind, as was the experience for many victims who dealt with LHI.
Contact Pitta & Baione Today to Speak with a 9/11 Lawyer
If you are a 9/11 exposure victim and have suffered a 9/11-related injury or illness, you may be entitled to benefits and compensation. At Pitta & Baione, our team of 9/11 lawyers are familiar with the struggles that exposure victims have faced with LHI, as many of these victims are our clients. If you are seeking 9/11 benefits – or are already receiving benefits and have questions about the transition from LHI to MCA-Sedgwick – contact Pitta & Baione today for a free consultation by calling (844) 982-2667.
