Current News
- October 21, 2017 – Join the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program for the first ever Research to Care Community Engagement event! This free, interactive, one-day event is a unique opportunity to hear about new developments in 9/11 health research and learn how to maintain good health.
- September 11, 2017 – Statement from the Administrator regarding the Day of Remembrance on the 16th year since the September 11th terrorist attacks in New York, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
- Friday September, 8th – Join the FealGood Foundation and 9/11 Health Watch LIVE on Facebook on Friday September, 8th. WTC Health Program Administrator Dr. John Howard will be part of a Facebook Live event with FealGood Foundation Outreach And Education Program and 9/11 Health Watch this Friday 9/8 at 11am ET.
- July 13, 2017 — Petition 16 and 17 - Parkinson's Disease and Parkinsonism
Findings of Insufficient Evidence Published in the Federal Register:
World Trade Center Health Program; Petitions 016 and 017—Parkinson’s Disease and Parkinsonism
- July 6, 2017 — Federal Register Notice: Revised VCF Private Physician Process Affecting Applicants for Membership in the World Trade Center Health Program
The VCF has updated the criteria for claimants to seek verification of their conditions through the Private Physician Process. On July 6, 2017, the VCF posted information on its website (https://www.vcf.gov/privatephysicianprocess-forms.html) regarding these changes.
If you are a VCF claimant wanting to be certified for a health condition(s) by the WTC Health Program, information for applying to the Program can be found on our How to Apply to the Program page.
- Once a member is enrolled in the Program, the member will then have to make an appointment with their Clinical Center of Excellence (CCE) or the Nationwide Provider Network (NPN) to have a monitoring appointment (responders) or an initial evaluation (survivors).
- The first appointment requires history-taking, medical testing, and physical examination. The initial appointment may sometimes require additional diagnostic testing to determine if the member has a condition on the list of 9/11-related health conditions covered by the Program and meets the Program’s requirements for coverage (certification) of a condition (visit our Administrative Manual to learn more about the certification process).
- If the member has a health condition covered by the WTC Health Program that their Program physician determines is related to the member’s 9/11 exposures, the CCE or NPN will submit a certification request to the Program. It will be reviewed and a decision will be made to approve or deny the certification request. Once a decision is made, the WTC Health Program will notify the member, in writing, of the decision.
The charter for the World Trade Center Health Program Scientific/Technical Advisory Committee has been renewed for a 2-year period through May 12, 2019.
On November 25, 2016, the Administrator of the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program received a petition (Petition 015) to add neuropathy to the List of WTC-Related Health Conditions (List). Upon reviewing the scientific and medical literature, including information provided by the petitioner, the Administrator has determined that the available evidence does not have the potential to provide a basis for a decision on whether to add neuropathy to the List. The Administrator finds that insufficient evidence exists to request a recommendation of the WTC Health Program Scientific/Technical Advisory Committee (STAC), to publish a proposed rule, or to publish a determination not to publish a proposed rule.
The CDC is soliciting nominations, including self-nominations, for scientific peer reviewers of proposed additions of conditions to the List of WTC-Related Health Conditions (List). When the Administrator proposes to add a condition to the List, he must publish the proposed rule in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553). Additionally, as required by the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Reauthorization Act in section 3312(a)(6)(F), prior to issuing a final rule to add a health condition to the List, the Administrator must provide for an independent peer review of the scientific and technical evidence that would be the basis for issuing such final rule.
On September 29, 2016, the Administrator of the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program received a petition to add autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, to the List of WTC-Related Health Conditions (List). Upon reviewing the information provided by the petitioner, the Administrator has determined that Petition 014 is not substantially different from Petitions 007, 008, 009, 011, and 013, which also requested the addition of autoimmune diseases, including various subtypes. The Administrator has published responses to the five previous petitions in the Federal Register and has determined that Petition 014 does not provide additional evidence of a causal relationship between 9/11 exposures and autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis. Accordingly, the Administrator finds that insufficient evidence exists to request a recommendation of the WTC Health Program Scientific/Technical Advisory Committee (STAC), to publish a proposed rule, or to publish a determination not to publish a proposed rule.
Note: The above link to the letter to the STAC Chair will take you to the official docket (CDC-2016-0036) for this topic at Regulations.gov.
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