On January 2, 2011, President Obama signed the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010. The Zadroga Act (named for James Zadroga, an NYPD Detective who died in 2006 from respiratory failure linked to Ground Zero exposure) established and provided funding for two separate but related federal benefit programs: The World Trade Center Health Program (“WTCHP”) and the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (“VCF”).
The WTCHP provides free medical monitoring, treatment, and medication for physical and psychological conditions while the VCF provides financial compensation for the pain, suffering, lost earnings, replacement services, and medical expenses caused by 9/11-related physical conditions.