In September the New York WCB released data on the 45,000 workers who filed 9/11-related claims and special affidavits. The ‘special affidavits’ are not claims but rather “placeholders” for future claims, allowing the affiants to bring workers’ comp cases at a later date, preserving their rights to benefits.
Nearly 14,000 claims are currently pending before the Board. Of these active claims, about 50% are for victims of the attacks and about 40% are rescue and clean-up workers.
Carriers have challenged about 40% of the WTC cases, which is approximately double the rate of other claims. 90% of the claims for rescue and clean-up workers are for respiratory-related conditions.