Hundreds of sick Americans are still seeking federal compensation for 9/11-related illnesses nearly 25 years after the attacks.
The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund is processing an average of 750 new case applications every month, Special Master Allison Turkel revealed Wednesday. That breaks down to roughly 25 people per day who are just now coming forward with health conditions tied to the 2001 terrorist attacks.
“As we reflect upon the immeasurable tragedy endured that day, we honor the lives of those we lost that day and the heroism of those who responded in a time of unprecedented crisis, and the resilience of those who have been impacted by 9/11-related health effects,” Turkel said.
The scale of accepted claims has reached staggering proportions. As of August 31, the VCF has received more than 112,000 total claims from individuals who were present at the three crash sites in New York City, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, plus those who remained in the aftermath during select time periods. Of those, 77,000 claims have been accepted from people diagnosed with 9/11-related illnesses or from families of those who died from such sicknesses.
The financial toll has been enormous. Award determinations have totaled $18.56 billion, with more than $1.8 billion paid out across 9,800 cases in 2025 alone.
The death count from 9/11-related illnesses has now surpassed the immediate casualties of the attacks themselves. More than 6,000 people have died from these conditions, a figure that more than doubles the roughly 2,977 killed on September 11, 2001. Turkel expects that number to keep climbing.
Turkel is actively urging anyone who was present during the attacks to register with the fund, even if they currently show no symptoms of illness. Eligibility extends far beyond first responders to include everyone within the designated exposure zone.
“It is estimated that as many as 400,000 people — those who lived, worked, went to school, or visited the area within the VCF’s New York City Exposure Zone — may have been exposed to the toxins,” Turkel said.
The fund’s authorization runs for generations. Congress has legally empowered the VCF to continue issuing payments until 2090, ensuring that those who develop late-emerging health conditions decades from now will remain eligible for compensation.
The sustained monthly application volume represents what Turkel called a “clear indication” of how the toxic dust and debris from the collapsed towers continues to claim new victims. Many of the cancers and respiratory conditions linked to Ground Zero exposure have lengthy latency periods, meaning people who were healthy in 2001 are only now receiving diagnoses.
The original September 11, 2001 attacks involved four hijacked commercial airliners. Two planes struck the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan, causing both 110-story buildings to collapse within hours. A third plane hit the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, while a fourth crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers fought back against the hijackers. The coordinated attacks killed nearly 3,000 people and exposed hundreds of thousands to hazardous materials including asbestos, lead, and pulverized concrete.
The VCF will continue accepting and processing claims through its statutory end date of 2090.