Mike Megna rushed to Ground Zero on Sept. 11, 2001, to help look for survivors in the rubble of the fallen towers. Along with his two brothers, Megna, then a Pompton Lakes police officer, searched the debris pile and ruined buildings nearby for three weeks. 
 
 jennifer brown/special to the record Mike Megna, a father of three, wants compensation for his rare kidney disease before he loses his home. 
 
 Now sick and disabled from a rare kidney disease that he believes was caused by dust from the destroyed World Trade Center, he wants the Victim Compensation Fund created after the attacks to pay him for his losses, which may soon include the house in West Milford where he and his three children live. 
 
 He's so desperate, he put his story up on billboards outside MetLife Stadium, the Holland Tunnel and on the sides of New York City buses. He paid for only one, but the advertising company helped him with the second billboard and the buses, he said, because they felt sorry for him. 
 
 "Add Kidney Disease for 9/11 Rescue Workers!" the signs read, beside a photo of the bearded ex-Marine, identified as "Mike Megna, Sick 9/11 Responder." The backdrop includes a photo of the burning towers and a portrait of his family, and lists his website — DoRightByMike.com. 
 
 "I want my disease to be certified," he said, so that the fund will provide compensation. "They owe me a lot of money." 
 
 On a hot Monday afternoon, Megna fielded phone calls from reporters interested in his story while the truck from his former scrap-metal business – "Scrapman Mike" – stood in the driveway. He has sold the business because he's too tired for that work, he said. 
 
 The list of health conditions eligible for coverage under the James Zadroga Health and Compensation Act of 2010 does not currently include kidney disease caused by the World Trade Center dust. 
 
 "A health condition can be added to the list, only after published, peer-reviewed epidemiologic evidence in 9/11-exposed populations provides substantial support for a causal relationship between the 9/11 exposures and the health condition," said Christina Spring, a spokeswoman for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which administers the program. Currently, the evidence is insufficient, she said. 
 
 A medical researcher at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Manhattan, Mary Ann McLaughlin, petitioned the program two years ago to add kidney disease to the list, based on preliminary research, Spring said. But the program has not done so, pending the completion of that study — expected this year — and its publication. 
 
 Although Megna is not included in McLaughlin's study, she met with him and examined his medical records. 
 
 "It is my opinion that exposure from toxins from 9/11/01 may more likely than not be related to the development of Mr. Megna's biopsy-proven renal disease," she wrote in March 2015. 
 
 "As soon as the McLaughlin study is published, the issue of adding kidney disease will be reevaluated for addition to the list," Spring said. 
 
 Megna, however, is impatient. He's 44 and doesn't have time to wait. "I'm anemic. I can't get up in the morning. I can't afford my mortgage. I've been waiting eight years," he said. 
 
 Megna has been monitored by the World Trade Center Responder Health Program at Rutgers/Robert Wood Johnson Medical School since 2003. For the first few years, his ailments were those common to many 9/11 responders and included a chronic runny or stuffy nose, digestive problems and anxiety. 
 
 But "I started urinating blood in 2007," he said. He was in denial for months, but after rounds and rounds of tests, he finally received a definitive diagnosis at the Mayo Clinic. 
 
 He has a "super-rare kidney disease," he said the team there told him, after a three-week work-up in June that included bone marrow and kidney biopsies and blood tests. 
 
 Only 20 people in the world have been diagnosed with atypical anti-glomerular basement membrane nephritis, his Mayo doctors told him. For those afflicted, the antibodies produced by bone marrow are not filtered by the kidneys; instead they destroy the filters in the kidneys, leading to blood in the urine. 
 
 Megna said he was reassured by the doctors that the disease was slow-moving and wouldn't kill him. But they said in eight or nine years he would likely need dialysis to replace the function of his damaged kidneys. By that time, he hopes further research will produce a treatment. 
 
 He has been disabled since 2011 and receives medical treatment through the Department of Veterans Affairs. 
 
 His quest now is for lost income so he can save his house, on which he owes upward of $120,000, he said. 
 
 Megna received some money from the Victim Compensation Fund, a separate program run by the Department of Justice that aids people who were present at one of the crash sites and have suffered from a physical injury or from debris removal. 
 
 He used part of that money to pay for the billboard, which ran for a month until mid-July, and website development. 
 
 But the payout was based on his initial diagnosis of less severe respiratory and digestive ailments, and not on the kidney disease. 
 
 If kidney disease becomes a recognized illness for 9/11 compensation, he will be permitted to reapply, according to a spokeswoman for the fund. 
 
 "If you have already submitted a claim and a decision has been rendered on your claim, and you subsequently develop a new condition, your eligible condition increases in severity, or you incur a loss not accounted for in your original award, you may amend your claim,'' the spokeswoman said. "The [fund] will review the new information and determine if it provides the basis for a revised decision.'' The deadline to submit an amendment is Dec. 18, 2020. 
 
 At the time of the World Trade Center attack, Megna was a Pompton Lakes police officer. He later resigned after being indicted and pleading guilty to hindering the prosecution of an undercover drug investigation. He was sentenced in 2008 to six months of Pretrial Intervention, a form of probation. 
 
 The program through which Megna and thousands of other responders are monitored for the lingering effects of the dust cloud on 9/11 is named after James Zadroga, a North Arlington resident and New York City police detective who worked on the rescue and recovery efforts at Ground Zero for about three weeks after 9/11. 
 
 Soon after, his family said, he began experiencing flu-like symptoms and difficulty breathing — common symptoms in first responders that doctors called the "World Trade Center cough." Zadroga was recognized as the first police officer to die as a direct result of inhaling the toxic dust. He died at age 34 in 2006. 
 
 Staff Writer Mary Jo Layton contributed to this article.Email: washburn@northjersey.com ||||| Mike Megna can't afford to wait for science. 
 
 His kidneys are functioning at 45 percent, the bank has foreclosed on his West Milford home, and his urine is routinely pink. 
 
 "I'm leading my life like I'm rotting from the inside," he said. 
 
 He traces all this back to the three weeks he said he spent at Ground Zero, trying to rescue people he hoped were still alive in the smoldering debris of the World Trade Center. 
 
 There is a fund to help 9/11 workers who developed health problems as a result of their work at the site, but Megna's kidney ailment isn't on its list of covered illnesses. 
 
 In fact, his illness is so rare researchers at the Mayo Clinic just named it three months ago. 
 
 In his frustration, Megna has taken out two billboards – one on Route 3 across from MetLife Stadium, the other on an approach to the Holland Tunnel – to plead his case. 
 
 "Add Kidney Disease for 9/11 Rescue Workers," they state, accompanied by a photo of the burning towers, along with one of Megna and his three kids. 
 
 They urge motorists to call the top administrator of the World Trade Center Health Program, John Howard, and list his phone number. 
 
 One of the revolving digital messages even asks Donald Trump for help. ("I figured he was raising money for veterans, so he could buy my house. I'd pay him back, totally," Megna said. "Is that such a crazy idea?") 
 
 The billboards mention his website, www.DoRightByMike.com, which tells his story. 
 
 Howard, the director of the Fund, had no comment, said a spokeswoman for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the federal agency that determines which diseases qualify for compensation. 
 
 Megna, 44, has been told he needs to wait until medical researchers can prove a link between 9/11 exposure and his illness. His blunt response: "When they asked us to come down to help that day, I didn't wait." 
 
 Megna was a Marine vet working as a Pompton Lakes police officer on the day of the terrorist attacks. He said he and his brothers, who worked for sheriff's departments in two counties, headed into the city because they hadn't heard from their father, a Port Authority police officer. 
 
 After locating their father safe and sound, Megna said he and his brothers stayed to help with rescue efforts, often working as part of the "bucket brigade" clearing debris. 
 
 Megna said he returned to the site nearly every day after work for as long as hope remained there might be survivors – about three weeks. 
 
 "That should be the end of my story, but in 2007, I started urinating blood," he said during an interview in the ranch house he and his three children will have to vacate because of the foreclosure. (He is divorced.) 
 
 After countless rounds of testing, his bewildered doctors could determine only that his bone marrow was producing some substance that was slowly attacking his kidneys. 
 
 As his condition worsened, he became chronically anemic from the blood loss. Eventually he could no longer work and went on disability. 
 
 (He'd resigned as a police officer after being indicted for failing to report a co-worker had leaked information to other members of the force about an undercover drug investigation. He was eventually sentenced in 2008 to probation for one count of hindering prosecution.) 
 
 With money tight, he said he stopped paying his mortgage, assuring his bank he'd catch up on payments once he got money from the September 11th fund. 
 
 When his application for a compensation award was rejected, the bank began foreclosure proceedings. 
 
 Meanwhile, Megna had a follow-up biopsy earlier this year, and this time, to the surprise of his Veterans Administration doctor, the lab report came back with a diagnosis: "Monotype atypical anti-GBM nephritis." 
 
 The disease had been documented by the Mayo Clinic, which had found it in just 20 people so far. 
 
 Megna headed to Minnesota recently to meet doctors, a trip funded by New York State's Workman's Compensation, which has a special fund set up for Ground Zero volunteers. 
 
 Stephen Erickson, his Mayo Clinic nephrologist, explained his ailment is a rare variation of an already rare kidney disease. 
 
 The antibodies of the human immune system are produced in the bone marrow. Any defective antibodies are usually filtered out by the kidneys. In Megna's case, however, his defective antibodies actually attack the kidney filters, Erickson said. 
 
 Since chemotherapy might do more harm than good, Erickson recommended more waiting – in this case, waiting until a better treatment comes along. 
 
 "He has time," Erickson said of his patient. "It's not his personality to let trouble come to him. But he's better off waiting." 
 
 While Megna was relieved to learn his illness wasn't moving quickly, having a disease that now has a name doesn't get him any closer to getting compensation. 
 
 "You can't honestly say that 9/11 caused this, but something caused it," Erickson said. "There's really no letter I could write to the commission that would be of any help to them. There's really no way to do a study that can prove this – the numbers are too small." 
 
 The problem is that the Fund awards compensation only if a person's illness has been scientifically associated with exposure to the terrorist attack sites. 
 
 The Zadroga Act, which sets aside taxpayer funds to deal with the long-term health damage of 9/11, lays out the steps that must be taken to qualify for money: 
 
 Researchers must first gather information about how many 9/11 responders have developed a condition, then compare it with the percentage of the general population that would come down with the same disease. 
 
 Only if the 9/11 group's rate is higher than that of the general population can an illness be placed on the list of ailments that entitles the victim to a payout. 
 
 "We have to follow the process that was put in place by Congress," said NIOSH spokeswoman Christina Spring. The World Trade Center Health Program funds some of the research projects aimed at establishing a connection between 9/11 exposure and illnesses. 
 
 One of those grants is to researchers at Mt. Sinai Hospital to look into kidney ailments. An earlier study had pointed to a link, but not a strong enough one to get kidney problems on the list. That could change with new information, Spring said. 
 
 "Some health conditions will take decades to show up," she said. 
 
 Megna's mood changes moment to moment these days: He can be agitated, perched excitedly on the edge of his couch, raging against all the closed doors he has encountered. 
 
 The very next minute, he'll slump back and say with a resigned wave of his hand, "I hate them all." 
 
 "He's depressed. Look at him!," said his brother Christopher, a retired sheriff's officer who has his own crop of 9/11-related medical problems. Mike has gained weight, he said, and the Mountain Man beard his brother now sports isn't a fashion choice, but rather a sign he has simply given up. 
 
 "I'm not asking for a pity party," Megna said. "How much sicker to I have to get?" 
 
 Kathleen O'Brien may be reached at kobrien@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @OBrienLedger. Find NJ.com on Facebook. ||||| Bipartisan Group of U.S. Senate and House Lawmakers From Across the Country Introduce Critical Reauthorization of James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act 
 
 Health and Compensation Programs Passed Into Law After Almost Decade Long Fight Set to Expire This Year – Participants in 9/11 Health Program Living in All 50 States and 429 of 435 Congressional Districts 
 
 April 14, 2015 
 
 Washington, D.C. – After nearly a decade long fight to stand by our first responders who answered the call of duty on September 11th, Congress finally fulfilled its moral obligation in late 2010 and provided our 9/11 heroes with the health care and financial compensation they deserved by passing the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. With the Zadroga bill’s two critical programs – the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program and the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund – set to expire in October 2015 and October 2016 respectively a bipartisan group of lawmakers from across the country today introduced the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Reauthorization Act to permanently extend these programs. Last month, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed an amendment to the Senate budget resolution that will facilitate future legislation to renew and extend the Zadroga Act. 
 
 Led by U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL), the bill was introduced in the Senate with 12 total cosponsors, including Senators Warren (D-MA), Blumenthal (D-CT), Sanders (D-VT), Menedez (D-NJ), Murphy (D-CT), Booker (D-NJ), Baldwin (D-WI) and Shaheen (D-NH). Led by Representatives Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Peter King (R-NY) and Lee Zeldin (R-NY), the companion legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives 39 total original co-sponsors, including: Israel (D-NY), Meeks (D-NY), Meng (D-NY), Rangel (D-NY), Crowley (D-NY), Serrano (D-NY), Engel (D-NY), Lowey (D-NY), Higgins (D-NY), SP Maloney (D-NY), Tonko (D-NY), Jeffries (D-NY), Rice (D-NY), Katko (R-NY), Gibson (R-NY), Clarke (D-NY), Hanna (R-NY), Slaughter (D-NY), Velazquez (D-NY), Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Pallone (D-NJ), MacArthur (R-NJ), DeLauro (D-CT), Himes (D-CT), Larson (D-CT), Esty (D-CT), Norton (D-DC), McGovern (D-VA), Connolly (D-VA), Sires (D-NJ), Courtney (D-CT), Pascrell (D-NJ), Grijalva (D-AZ), Vargas (D-CA), Cárdenas (D-CA), and Pocan (D-WI). 
 
 Nearly 14 years after September 11th, 9/11 responders and survivors are still battling serious health crises resulting from exposure to the toxins at Ground Zero. More than 33,000 9/11 responders and survivors have an illness or injury caused by the attacks or their aftermath, and over two-thirds of those have more than one illness. Many are disabled and can no longer work. They are suffering from a host of chronic diseases: asthma, obstructive pulmonary disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease, cancer and many more, caused by exposure to toxins and carcinogens at Ground Zero. 
 
 Responders came from all over the country to aid in the response to the attacks. And some area survivors, including area residents, workers and children harmed by the disaster, have since moved and are currently receiving care in cities and states across the country. Participants enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program for treatment currently reside in all 50 states and in 429 of the 435 Congressional Districts in the country. 
 
 “Nearly 14 years ago, we relied on our first responders to lead the rescue and recovery work at Ground Zero, in Shanksville and at the Pentagon – we cannot turn our back now when they need us most,” said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. “Just 4 years ago, Congress came together to ensure that the heroes of 9/11 – the first responders and survivors, including area residents, workers and children, who now live in all 50 states – receive the health care and compensation they deserve. I am proud to stand hand-in-hand with members from both sides of the aisle and from both chambers of Congress because it shouldn’t take another ‘Christmas Miracle’ for Congress to do the right thing and stand by our heroes.” 
 
 “170 Illinoisans are being cared for through these crucial 9/11 health programs, and those who helped lead Americans to safety deserve our continued care and support,” said Senator Mark Kirk. “This bipartisan group has stood by our heroes and Congress shouldn't hesitate to help provide vital health screenings and care to police, firefighters and EMS heroes who selflessly came to the rescue 14 years ago.” 
 
 “Alongside my New York colleagues, and a group of bipartisan Senators from states as far-flung as Illinois and Alaska, I will fight to renew and strengthen the health program that serves the first-responder heroes from 9/11,” said Senator Charles E. Schumer. “The people who rushed to the towers on 9/11 and in the days and weeks after are veterans of the ‘War on Terror,’ and in this country we take care of our veterans – no ‘ifs, ands, or buts.’” 
 
 “I’m proud to continue the work we started years ago standing up for 9/11 first responders and survivors,” Senator Baldwin said. “It is vitally important that we take action to permanently extend these programs so our 9/11 first responders and their families continue receiving the care they deserve.” 
 
 “Though September 11, 2001 remains the most momentous date for this nation in the 21st century for every American, the tragic events that day have meant a lingering, difficult reality today and every day for the first responders who face adverse health issues simply because they answered the call to duty and sought to protect their fellow man,” said Senator Lisa Murkowski. “Extending the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act is about fulfilling our nation’s moral responsibility to the first responders from Alaska and every other state who responded to the events of September 11th at substantial risk to their own safety.” 
 
 “We made a promise on September 11th, not only to rebuild, and pursue justice against those who attacked us, but to care for the injured and their families, and the first responders and volunteers who risked everything to help others in the wake of the attacks,” said Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney. “Our commitment to ‘never forget’ knew no bounds or party lines when joined in unison on the steps of the Capitol back in 2001, and it doesn’t today. Those who were there at Ground Zero, the Pentagon, and Shanksville continue to suffer the consequences. We must let them know they are not alone - America stands with these heroes. We must reauthorize the Zadroga Act.” 
 
 “We will never forget those we lost on September 11th, and we will never forget the strength, bravery, and resilience our country demonstrated that morning,” said Congressman Jerrold Nadler. “And we must never abandon the brave first responders and survivors who risked everything in the days, weeks, and months following the attacks to rebuild our city and their lives. Just as they did not hesitate to answer our call 14 years ago, we cannot turn our back on them now. We must reauthorize the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act.” 
 
 “With two critical programs set to expire within the next 18 months and still too many of our 9/11 responders and survivors continuing to fight serious illnesses, it is imperative that we renew and extend the Zadroga Act,” said Congressman Peter King. “We have come too far and we must continue to ensure that our 9/11 heroes receive the care they deserve.” 
 
 “We don’t leave our injured soldiers on the battlefield, and we certainly shouldn’t leave the 9/11 first responders who are at increased risk for cancer and other ailments with no funding,” said Congressman Charles Rangel. “While we can never fully express our gratitude for their sacrifices and patriotism, we can provide them the care they need and deserve. I am proud to stand alongside my dear friends and colleagues to stand up for the heroes who now most need our help." 
 
 “We have a moral responsibility to continue caring for those who honorably served our nation at a time of great need,” said Congressman Joe Crowley. “The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act has brought much-needed assistance to thousands of people and must be reauthorized to ensure that support will continue to be there. We simply can’t afford to quit on the men and women who wouldn’t quit on our country when we needed them most.” 
 
 “It’s essential that The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act is extended so that the necessary assistance is provided to our 9/11 first responders,” said Congressman Lee Zeldin. “These brave men and women deserve the care and treatment they have earned for their selfless acts on September 11th, 2001. That’s why I co-sponsor the act and will be urging all of my colleagues to vote for it. After 9/11, we vowed to never forget; this is just one of the ways we can remember and help all of those who showed enormous amounts of courage and bravery in the aftermath of the attack on America." 
 
 “As a nation, we made a commitment to stand together and never forget the brave men and women who acted without hesitation to save thousands of lives on 9/11,” said Congressman Steve Israel. “It is our moral obligation to uphold this promise and extend the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Reauthorization Act to ensure that these survivors continue to receive the medical treatment and support that they need and deserve.” 
 
 “Fourteen years after the 9/11 attacks, there are still thousands of first responders suffering the effects of the attacks that need our help,” said Congressman José E. Serrano. “We have a moral obligation to them for the service they paid our nation, and the James Zadroga Reauthorization Act will help ensure they continue to have access to the health care and financial support they deserve. I am proud to join colleagues from both sides of the aisle and all parts of the nation to introduce this important legislation in support of our 9/11 heroes.” 
 
 “I believe that allowing the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act to expire later this year, while so many first-responders and volunteers are still struggling with the health effects of 9/11, would be disgraceful,” said Congressman Eliot Engel, a senior member of the House Health Subcommittee. “Not renewing the Zadroga Act is an outrage to every first-responder, an insult to every man and woman who selflessly ran into those buildings that fateful day, and an affront to the memory of everyone who lost their lives. Congress has a moral obligation to renew this act.” 
 
 “In the days and months that followed 9/11, our first responders selflessly put their lives and health at risk,” said Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney. “With many of our heroes and survivors struggling with serious illnesses, it’s our duty to make a lifelong commitment to these men, women and children.” 
 
 “On September 11th, our brave first responders answered the call, and now, nearly 14 years after that horrible day, we must not turn our backs on the heroes who were sickened or injured while working at Ground Zero,” said Congresswoman Grace Meng. “We can never thank our first responders enough for all they did on 9/11 and all that they continue to do each and every day to keep us safe. Survivors and responders in New York and across the country continue to require critical medical care from the toxins that they were exposed to, and we must never, ever abandon them. I call on Congress to immediately renew and extend these vital programs.” 
 
 “If anything can unite Democrats and Republicans in Congress, it should be our commitment to the emergency responders who risked their lives to lead rescue and recovery efforts in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks,” said Congresswoman Kathleen Rice. “These men and women stepped up when we needed them, and they’re counting on us to do the same. They’re counting on us to come together, Democrats and Republicans from across the country, and ensure that they have the care and compensation they need, and they shouldn’t have to doubt that we’ll get it done.” 
 
 “In the aftermath of 9/11, New Yorkers joined with first responders and volunteers from across the nation at Ground Zero, working selflessly to help in any way possible,” Governor Cuomo said. “Those men and women stood up in our darkest hour, without concern for their own well-being, and we must continue to honor their service by providing the support they need through reauthorizing the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. They deserve nothing less than our full and unwavering support.” 
 
 “Our first responders were there for us on 9/11 – and every day after. We have a moral obligation to continue to stand with them and ensure that they receive the health care and support they need and deserve,” said NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio. “I’m proud to join this bipartisan coalition in support of our police officers, firefighters, medical professionals, and all of our first responders here and across the country, and thank all of the sponsors for their leadership. I urge Congress to quickly pass this vital reauthorization.” 
 
 “For almost 14 years, first responders have been dealing with the after effects of the 9/11 attacks,” said Harold Schaitberger, General President of the International Association of Fire Fighters. “For many, this is a fight that will never end. It is our duty to honor those who worked in the terrible aftermath by making sure that the critical programs authorized by the Zadroga Bill are renewed.” 
 
 “The National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) strongly supports the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Reauthorization Act,” said William Johnson, Executive Director of the National Association of Police Organizations. “This legislation will not only reauthorize programs to provide critical medical treatment and compensation for 9/11 heroes, but it will also honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our nation. James Zadroga, a New York City Police Department Detective and member of NAPO, died of respiratory disease caused by his exposure to toxic chemicals at Ground Zero. It is our obligation and duty to remember these heroes and ensure that survivors who risked their lives to protect us continue to receive the treatment and compensation that they deserve.” 
 
 “In 2010, working together, we passed the 9/11 James Zadroga Health and Compensation Act, which has provided medical treatment and compensation to thousands of responders and residents who are sick from toxic exposures following the 9/11 attacks,” said Elizabeth Shuler, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer. “The programs set up under the law have saved lives. Unless Congress acts, these lifesaving programs will end next year. We can’t and won’t let this law expire. As a country, we owe the heroes of 9/11 the care and support they need and deserve. We must pass this bill to renew and extend the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act.” 
 
 “Congress did the right thing in 2010 when it passed The Zadroga Act. Now, Congress must act quickly to renew and extend the vital benefits for the thousands of 9/11 responders and survivors who continue to battle for their lives and welfare,” said Mario Cilento, President of the New York State AFL-CIO. “The New York State AFL-CIO will coordinate with 49 other state federations across the country to secure bipartisan congressional support for the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Reauthorization Act. The Labor Movement remains committed to ensuring that the people who are suffering as a result of their bravery and determination continue to receive the care and support they deserve.” 
 
 “Providing for those who sacrificed their health responding to the terrorist attacks of September 11th is not a ‘New York issue’—it’s a national obligation,” said Ed Mullins. President of the Sergeants Benevolent Association of the NYPD. “The long-term health effects that we are seeing from exposure to the deadly cocktail of toxins at Ground Zero are affecting brave people from all 50 states. Constituents in 429 of 435 Congressional Districts are affected. As a nation, we owe it to these heroes to do everything we can to honor the sacrifices they made in carrying out their sworn duty to protect and serve on that fateful day.” 
 
 “We challenge Congress to preserve History collectively as a body of caring Americans, not a body of ideological parties,” said John Feal, 9/11 Responder Advocate. 
 
 “Citizens for the Extension of the James Zadroga Act, on behalf of thousands of ill 9/11 responders and survivors want to thank our legislative champions who today are beginning the process to extend the programs that help so many stricken by the toxins at Ground Zero,” said James Slevin, Member, Board of Directors of Citizens for the Extension of the James Zadroga Act, James Slevin, Board Member Citizens for the Extension of the James Zadroga Act and Vice President, Uniformed Firefighters Association Local 94 IAFF, AFL-CIO. “I particularly want to thank Senators Murkowski, Kirk, Baldwin and the others who may represent states far from New York and Washington but have shown today that they truly have Not Forgotten 9/11 and the thousands who came from all across the U.S. to help.” 
 
 The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act passed by Congress in 2010 helped ensure proper monitoring and treatment for thousands of men, women and children that face potential life-threatening health effects due to the toxins released at Ground Zero in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. 
 
 Currently, over 33,000 responders and survivors across the nation have at least one illness or injury while many have multiple 9/11 conditions and are receiving critical treatment and medical care through the WTC Health Program. Over 60,000 9/11 responders and survivors are receiving medical monitoring. The program treats responders and survivors for many chronic diseases and respiratory illnesses, including asthma, sinusitis, obstructive pulmonary disease, and gastroesophageal reflux disease. 
 
 The WTC Health Program continues to be a critical lifeline for many, particularly when the number of 9/11-related cancer cases among rescue workers and responders has increased over the past decade and continues to grow. So far, there are over 3,900 certified 9/11 cancers among the responders and survivors in the Health Program - including more than 950 New York City Fire Department members that have been diagnosed with 9/11-related cancers, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since 2012, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has added several types of cancers to the list of 9/11-related illnesses covered by the WTC Health Program. Studies show that 9/11 workers have gotten certain cancers – including prostate, thyroid, and multiple myeloma – at significantly higher rates than the general population. 
 
 Over 80 NYPD and over 100 FDNY personnel have reportedly died from their 9/11 illnesses since 9/11. More Police officers have died from their injuries since 9/11 than perished on 9/11. 
 
 The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF), which was reopened under the Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Bill, provides compensation for economic losses to 9/11 responders and survivors and their families for physical injuries as a result of involvement in Ground Zero, including breathing in toxins. Since 2013, the VCF has deemed 4,415 injured 9/11 individuals eligible for compensation. 
 
 Numerous studies have documented the health effects of the WTC attacks, which include lower and upper respiratory, gastrointestinal, and mental health conditions. These illnesses have caused major financial strains on many of those exposed who are subsequently no longer able to work and would be forced to pay the high price of health care without this federally-funded national program. 
 
 The new James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Reauthorization Act would: 
 
 Continue the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program. The World Trade Center Health Program administered by NIOSH would continue medical monitoring for 9/11-related illnesses for over 63,000 9/11 first responders and treatment for over 7,800 injured 9/11 survivors. Over 33,000 responders and survivors have at least one or more medical conditions as a result of their 9/11 exposure. Most of these conditions require chronic care. These conditions include severe respiratory diseases, chronic sinus problems, and psychological conditions such as PTSD. Over 3,900 incidences of WTC-related 9/11 cancers have been certified in program participants, including over 950 among people working for the NYC Fire Department, and more are expected. 
 
 Continue to Provide Monitoring and Treatment for Communities Throughout the Nation. The program would continue to provide medical monitoring and treatment for responders to the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the Shanksville, PA crash site who live outside the New York metropolitan area. This legislation would continue that treatment for over 7,900 injured and ill 9/11 responders and survivors including responders who came to New York to provide assistance after 9/11 and those from New York who have moved out of the New York Metropolitan area. There are currently responders and survivors who are participating in the WTC Health Program from every state and from 429 of 435 Congressional Districts. 
 
 Continue the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF). Under the bill the fund, which is scheduled to close on October 3rd 2016, would remain open and be fully funded to provide compensation for economic damages and loss for responders and survivors who were injured by exposure to the toxins at Ground Zero. To date, the Fund has determined 10,549 claimants eligible and has made compensation decisions for 4,415 injured and ill 9/11 responders and survivors for over a billion dollars in compensation. More are expected in the coming years due to the delayed onset of cancer from 9/11 exposure. But without legislation and sufficient funding, 9/11 injured responders will face having their compensation reduced by perhaps 50 percent and those who are diagnosed with cancer in future years would have NO compensation. 
 
 Make the programs permanent. Many of the responders and survivors have chronic WTC-related illnesses requiring long-term care. Some will have delayed onset of illnesses, especially cancers, due to 9/11 exposures. They will continue to need medical care and compensation. Making the programs permanent would be similar to legislation that was enacted providing medical and compensation benefits for workers at our nuclear facilities (EEOICPA). 
 
 Continue to New York City’s Cost Share. The City of New York would continue to contribute a 10 percent matching cost share of the total costs of the World Trade Center Health Program. 
 
 Continue to Research New Conditions. The legislation would continue research in diagnosing and treating WTC-related illnesses. 
 
 The current WTC Health Program and the reopened September 11th Victim Compensation Fund expire during the 114th Congress. If the legislation is not extended, these vital programs will end.
– A 9/11 first responder with kidney disease close to losing his New Jersey home is taking his plight public in a big way: through his website and a series of tri-state area billboards, the Record reports. "Add Kidney Disease for 9/11 Rescue Workers!" the signs outside MetLife Stadium and the Holland Tunnel and on NYC buses read, referring to the illness 44-year-old Mike Megna says he came down with due to dust at the decimated World Trade Center, where he toiled for three weeks after the attacks. Megna started seeing smaller symptoms, like a constantly runny nose and digestive issues, early on, but in 2006 blood began showing in his urine, and a diagnosis delivered heart-sinking news: He had a "super-rare" form of kidney disease that only 20 people in the world have. And while Megna, who's been disabled since 2011, has applied for compensation cash from the James Zadroga Health and Compensation Act of 2010, there's a complication: Kidney disease isn't one of the recognized illnesses covered by the fund. That means the divorced dad of three isn't eligible for any money—even though Mary Ann McLaughlin, a Mount Sinai Medical Center researcher who petitioned the fund two years ago to add the disease based on initial research, has examined Megna's records and believes the WTC toxins "may more likely than not" be tied to his sickness. However, a rep for the CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, which runs the program, says a disease can be added to the list—and compensation issued—only after "published, peer-reviewed epidemiologic evidence" shows "substantial support" for a direct link between the WTC fallout and the disease. Megna will have to hold tight, per the rep, who says once McLaughlin publishes her study, kidney disease eligibility will be considered. But that's time Megna—$120,000 behind on his mortgage and anticipating dialysis down the road (his kidneys are now functioning at 45%, per the Star-Ledger)—says he doesn't have. "When they asked us to come down to help that day, I didn't wait," he tells the paper.