Posts Tagged ‘9/11’

9/11 news roundup: health, insurance, and disability-related issues

Saturday, September 11th, 2004

Most Ground Zero Volunteers Still Waiting For Workers’ Comp
From Adjuster.com: “A study of workers’ compensation claims from the cleanup at the World Trade Center site after the Sept. 11 attacks found that about 90 percent of the 10,182 claims for workers’ comp have been resolved. In contrast, less than a third, or 31 percent, of the 588 volunteer claims were resolved as of June 30, 2004, the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, found.
Sept. 11 attacks didn’t bankrupt U.S. insurers: Study
Business Insurance reports on a forthcoming study from Ball State University in Muncie on the effects of 9/11 on the insurance industry that states that the impact on the insurance industry was less than anticipated, partly due to the federal compensation fund. .
Breathing and mental health problems widespread among Ground Zero rescue and recovery workers
Preliminary data from screenings conducted at The Mount Sinai Medical Center show that both upper and lower respiratory problems and mental health difficulties are widespread among rescue and recovery workers who dug through the ruins of the World Trade Center in the days following its destruction in the attack of September 11, 2001.
An analysis of the screenings of 1,138 workers and volunteers who responded to the World Trade Center disaster found that nearly three-quarters of them experienced new or worsened upper respiratory problems at some point while working at Ground Zero. And half of those examined had upper and/or lower respiratory symptoms that persisted up to the time of their examinations, an average of eight months after their WTC efforts ended. In addition, more than half of the Ground Zero workers who were examined had persistent psychological symptoms.
(via Pulse).
9/11 Impact on Marsh & McLennan Cos. Nothing Short of Devastation
Claims Journal features an interview with Marsh & McLennan Companies Chairman and CEO Jeff Greenberg reflecting on the lingering aftermath of the loss of 295 employees in terms of both the human and the business impact.
Additional stories:
Lingering 9/11 anger finds its outlet in courts
Court declines to hear appeal of 9-11 Workers’ Comp benefit case
No answers for kin of Mexican 9/11 victims
WTC rescue workers still ailing, study finds
Terrorism insurance is now common
World Trade Center Health Registry
Cantor Fitzgerald sues al-Qaeda over Sept. 11
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to join 9/11 lawsuit against Saudis
The miracle survivors – coping with recovery
Workers Comp and terror: the long shadow

9/11 remembered: One Day’s Pay

Saturday, September 11th, 2004

Many in the insurance industry still grieve over the loss of cherished colleagues at AON, Marsh, and other firms on September 11, 2001. We respectfully remember these and all the victims of that sad day.
One Day’s Pay is a nonprofit grassroots movement started by relatives and friends of 9/11 victims who hope to help establish September 11 as a national day of voluntary service, charity, kindness, and compassion. Individuals and companies throughout the nation find creative ways to donate a day of pay or a day of service:
“New York City firefighters will travel to San Diego to help rebuild homes destroyed in last year’s wildfires. Academy Award-nominated actor Gary Sinise (“Forrest Gump” and “Truman”) will assemble school supply kits for Iraqi children in partnership with Airline Ambassadors, who will do the same with children in 11 other cities and then package and ship the kits at major airports. JPMorgan Chase employees will host children with cancer and their families at a Long Island Ducks baseball game. Hundreds of volunteers nationwide will participate in service projects in local HandsOn Network locations, an innovative alliance of volunteer organizations transforming people and communities through service and civic engagement. Bryan Hallum, along with 70 other colleagues at Bell South in Memphis, Tenn., will build wheelchair ramps for the disabled.”
What a wonderful response to the senselessness of the day this seems. If there was any solace to be had in the days following this tragedy, it was in the courage, caring, concern, and kindness that neighbor showed to neighbor — if only we could sustain some measure of that kindness every day. It occurs to me that because most of the day’s deaths occurred while people were at the everyday business of their jobs, perhaps one tribute that many of us who work in insurance-related or risk management fields could make would be to devote a day to making workplaces safer. Thankfully, terrorism isn’t an every day occurrence for us, but on-the-job deaths are. What more fitting tribute to our colleagues and other workers who died while doing their jobs? I think this One Day’s Pay idea has merit.

Workers Comp and Terror: The Long Shadow

Thursday, May 13th, 2004

An article by Anthony DePalma in today’s New York Times (registration required) outlines the onging saga of workers’ compensation claims stemming from the attacks on 9/11. In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, most of the approximately 3,000 fatalities probably involved workers comp: these people were working. They died at work. (Death benefits in New York are capped at a relatively paltry $50,000.) But what about the survivors? What about the first responders? And in ever-widening circles, what about people who suffered post traumatic stress simply by their proximity to the horrifying events?

In the 9/11 aftermath there have been nearly 8,000 claims filed with the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board. While the events themselves were unique, when it comes to workers compensation, it’s business as usual. Claimants must be able to prove a causal relationship between the 9/11 disaster and their disabilities. A number of the claimants with respitory problems are offended that insurers are not forthcoming with benefits. They tried to help after the horrendous events. They breathed the chemical-laden air. Over time, they developed chronic breathing problems, what is now referred to as “World Trade Center cough.” They believe their injuries — and the link between the injuries and their permanent disabilities — is obvious. But in the world of workers comp, one person’s “obvious” is another’s “ambiguous.”

DePalma describes the Brooklyn courtroom where the compensability of claims stemming from 9/11 is determined. He provides the example of a former subway conductor who handed out bottled water immediately following the collapse of the towers and then worked at the 34th street station, keeping order on the platform. Despite wearing a mask, he breathed in the dust and debris brought into the station by incoming trains. In the following months, his breathing became more labored. In August 2002 he suffered a massive heart attack and was unable to return to work.

Should he collect workers compensation? Company lawyers have brought up his long-time smoking habit as a potential factor in the heart attack. How can you distinguish between the work and non-work related factors in this situation? A lot of money is at stake. Ultimately, it will have nothing to do with the iconic stature of the 9/11 events. It’s simply a matter of the judge determining whether or not there is a disability, and whether the disability is work related.

Post-Traumatic Stress

One of the fundamental lessons of workers comp is that people respond to adversity in different ways. Two people witness the same event: one moves on with life, the other suffers from lingering post-traumatic stress and is unable to function in any work environment. The former continues to earn a living; the latter may collect disability payments for being unable to work. And the “one size fits all” workers comp system has to make sense of it all.

What is striking about the 9/11 situation is the scale of the event. It does indeed cast a long shadow. It has been described as the “largest acute environmental disaster” in New York history. Despite the magnitude, workers compensation will play out as it usually does: in a court of law, with the presentation of evidence on both sides. Workers comp may be “no fault,” but it is by no means “no friction.” It is a constant drama of human suffering, of medical interpretation, of “expert” testimony, of point and counterpoint. What is taking place in the Brooklyn courtroom plays out in a similar manner every day across America.