NEW YORK — Hundreds of EMS employees were notified this week that they must submit notification forms to prove their involvement in the World Trade Center cleanup effort.
The NYC Employees Retirement System sent out a letter May 12 informing responders they had 60 days to prove they participated, reported NY Daily News.
“Please be advised … that your employing agency could not confirm that you participated at the WTC site, the Fresh Kills Landfill, the city morgue or temporary morgue on pier locations,” the letter said.
Although many EMS providers were assigned work efforts via FDNY computers, others said their assignments were not. NYCERS noted that specific types of proof, such as “log books … affidavits from fellow workers or supervisors … photographs .. or badges or passes,” are required by law. The agency has received over 10,000 clean-up notification letters.
“We get a list of all employees from a specific agency, and we send that list to the agency to ask for verification they did rescue, recovery or clean up. It takes a lot of time and there’s a lot of back and forth,” a NYCERS spokeswoman said.
Responders must also undergo an interview by a NYCERS committee to review the proof and hear testimony before deciding if they are eligible to apply for enhance health insurance.
“I sent in my notification form years ago, and got a notice back that NYCERS received it. I go every year for an annual WTC checkup, and now they’re telling me I don’t qualify,” one paramedic said.
In order to receive enhanced health insurance, responders must not only register with the city to be eligible for a WTC disability, but they must get approval from NYCERS before it can be considered a 9/11-related illness.
Although the process does not affect firefighters, as they are part of a different pension system, the FDNY is working to to help EMS providers.
“We’re assisting in any way we can to provide supporting documentation for any members being asked to provide evidence of their work at at any of the designated WTC Participation sites,” FDNY spokesman Frank Dwyer said.