Marking One Year Since the January 2, 2011 Enactment of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010

On January 2, 2011 President Obama signed into law the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010. The Zadroga Act provided for a new federal health program in the Department of Health and Human Services called the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program. The WTC Health Program provides medical evaluation and treatment for eligible 9/11 responders and survivors in addition to funding research into health conditions associated with the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. On July 1, 2011, just six months after President Obama signed the Zadroga Act, the WTC Health Program opened its doors.

What follows is a brief description of the activities in the first year since the Zadroga Act was enacted, and a glimpse into the next six months of Program activities. If you should have any questions about the WTC Health Program, please email us at WTC@cdc.gov.

Thank you.

John Howard, M.D.
Administrator, World Trade Center Health Program

Activities in the First Year since Enactment

• Awarded contracts (through an open-competition) to seven Clinical Centers of Excellence to provide medical monitoring and treatment for responders, and health evaluation and treatment to survivors.
  
  
• Awarded contracts (through an open-competition) to three Data Centers to receive, analyze, and report on data associated with health effects associated with the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
  
  
• Established a toll-free call center to provide information for program applicants and members, medical providers, and any interested party.
  
  
• Launched a new website www.cdc.gov/wtc for interested parties to learn about the WTC Health Program.
  
  
• Developed WTC Health Program Enrollment Applications for responders and survivors, and developed a process for determining eligibility for WTC Health Program membership based on criteria specified in the Zadroga Act.
  
  
• Researched the Pentagon and Shanksville responder experience to develop eligibility criteria for those responders to apply for membership in the WTC Health Program.
  
  
• Developed a health condition certification review process to certify such claims for payment by the payment contractor.
  
  
• Awarded competitive contract to payment contractors to ensure prompt payment for health condition claims from Clinical Center of Excellence providers.
  
  
• Established a consolidated pharmacy benefits management system for the WTC Health Program.
  
  
• Participated in local community meetings and events to raise awareness of the existence of the WTC Health Program among potential members.
  
  
• Selected members for the WTC Health Program's Scientific/Technical Advisory Committee and facilitated the first meeting of the Scientific/Technical Advisory Committee November 9-10, 2011.
  
  
• Published the First Periodic Review of the Scientific and Medical Evidence Related to Cancer for the WTC Health Program.
  
  
• Awarded eight contracts for research on health conditions resulting from the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks (under a limited competition solicitation).
  
  
• Promulgated an Interim Final Rule in the Federal Register establishing procedures for enrollment, appeals, certification of health conditions and reimbursement of medical claims.
  
  
• Published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the Federal Register proposing procedures to add new health conditions to the list of World Trade Center-Related Health Conditions.

Going Forward

• Integrate healthcare providers who provide care for responders and survivors who reside outside of the New York City Metropolitan Area into the national WTC Health Program.
  
  
• Refine outreach efforts for potentially eligible populations to educate them about the existence and availability of the WTC Health Program.
  
  
• Finalize medical protocols for monitoring, health evaluations and treatment.
  
  
• Finalize a comprehensive medical Quality Assurance Program customized to each Clinical Center.
  
  
• Promulgate final WTC Health Program regulations .
  
  
• Publish the Second Periodic Review of the Scientific and Medical Evidence Related to Cancer for the WTC Health Program by mid-2012.
  
  
• Convene 2012 meetings of the WTC Health Program's Scientific/Technical Advisory Committee.
  
  
• Seek consultation from the Scientific/Technical Advisory Committee about the provisional eligibility criteria for Pentagon and Shanksville responders and finalize Pentagon and Shanksville eligibility criteria.
  
  
• Announce 2012 awards for grants and contracts for research on health conditions resulting from the September 11, 2011, terrorist attacks (under open competition)