Cresskill, NJ: In light of the extension of the Victims Compensation Fund (VCF), RD Legal Funding, LLC (“RD Legal”) is reaffirming their commitment to providing funding to 9/11 First Responders with VCF awards. The 9/11 First Responders achieved a monumental win when the James Zadroga Act was extended as part of a recent government spending bill. The healthcare portion of the Act has been extended through 2090 and the compensation portion was extended until 2021. The spending bill also added close to $5 billion to the VCF, which means more people will be able to claim their award and be compensated for risking their lives and health while working at Ground Zero. According to Roni Dersovitz, Founder of RD Legal Funding, the responders are getting what’s owed to them with this recent extension of the Zadroga Act.
“The 9/11 First Responders as well as their supporters deserve a lot of praise for their efforts in getting this extension passed” says Dersovitz. “For years, the act’s limitations were a burden to claimants applying for compensation and the passage of this legislation has assured their needs will be taken care of.”
2015 was the first time the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act faced renewal. The act became law in 2010 after years of lobbying from the 9/11 First Responder community, activists, and political allies. Even celebrities like Jon Stewart, former host of The Daily Show, lent their assistance to get the bill passed in Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama. However, the expiration of the law drew harsh criticism because many responders with long-term health issues would be cut off from future health services and compensation claims. Once again, supporters like Jon Stewart, the New York Congressional Delegation, and some of the surviving 9/11 First Responders went to Capitol Hill to highlight the issue and press for the long term extension of the law. Now that the law has been passed, responders with health issues can continue to get the help they need and get their due compensation from the VCF.
“RD Legal has been intimately involved with the 9/11 First Responder community since 2011” says Dersovitz. “Our familiarity with their problems and knowledge of the claims process allows us to be able to provide them with funding very quickly.”
Since 2011, RD Legal has provided funding to claimants with Zadroga awards who don’t want to wait for their payment. For any claimant with a VCF award looking for an advance, please contact RD Legal at 800-565-5177. They can also fill out the application on RD Legal’s website, www.legalfunding.com.
