Rudy Giuliani, hospitalized in Florida with pneumonia his lawyer has attributed to toxic exposures on and after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, is just now applying for coverage in the World Trade Center Health Program.
Giuliani, 81, was hospitalized May 3. His spokesperson, Ted Goodman, said the former New York City mayor was being treated for pneumonia.
Goodman also revealed that Giuliani was previously diagnosed with restrictive airway disease following his response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks while serving as mayor.
Michael Barasch, the attorney helping the former New York City mayor with his certification in the WTC Health Program, confirmed that Giuliani is only now applying to participate in the program.
Tens of thousands could still enroll
Barasch said such a delay is not rare.
“It is so common among the non-firefighters and cops and construction workers,” said Barasch of Barasch & McGarry. Those responders’ unions had done a great job ensuring their people got 9/11 health and Victims Compensation Fund coverage in place before it’s needed, Barasch said.
But those who lived, worked and went to school in Lower Manhattan on Sept. 11, 2001 and in the months afterward are also entitled to these programs.
“They were all exposed to the same toxins,” said Barasch, who has facilitated enrollment in the WTC Health Program for thousands.
WTC Health Program’s rocky road
The WTC Health Program was established as part of the James Zadroga Health and Compensation Act that was signed into law in 2011.
That legislation also established the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund. The two programs are distinct, but to qualify for the VCF, a person needs certification by the WTC Health Program.
The program’s establishment and funding replenishment had been hard-fought by first responders, who’ve often lobbied Congress at the U.S. Capitol, some using wheelchairs because they were weakened by their illness.
After years of lobbying by first responders to had to fight repeatedly to replenish program funding, the program finally won full funding this year.
The program, though, has undergone a couple rounds of cuts, followed by restorations, this year. The program is under the umbrella of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and relies on staff from the National Institute of Occupational Health.
The WTC Health Program also is responsible for researching medical conditions that could be attributed to 9/11 illnesses and therefore covered by the program.
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has recently pledged that any hiring freezes would be lifted for the WTC Health Program, which had lost key personnel amid previous turmoil.
9/11 illness treatments covered by program
Because Giuliani is only seeking certification now, Barasch confirmed, any costs associated with his current hospitalization would not be covered, even if his illness is confirmed to be a 9/11 covered illness.
But once Giuliani is accepted, Barasch said, any future 9/11-related illness would be covered.
The World Trade Center Health Program has now classified 69 cancers as linked to exposure to Ground Zero’s toxic swirl. Various respiratory health issues, and post-traumatic stress disorder, are also listed by the program.
More than 150,000 people are currently registered in the WTC Health Program, but Barasch said hundreds of thousands more could be eligible.
As of 2026, three times as many people have died of 9/11-related illnesses than perished at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, in Pennsylvania and on the four hijacked jets.
Providing proof gets harder as years go by
There is a key difference between benefits for responders and survivors: While first responders can access free annual health screenings at a World Trade Center Centers for Excellence, civilians aren’t entitled a medical exam unless they are sick.
Barasch calls that unfair.
To be certified in the World Trade Center Health Program, one has to prove presence in the area on or after the 2001 terrorist attacks.
For Giuliani, that won’t be a challenge. “He was the Poster Child for 9/11,” said Barasch, himself a 9/11 cancer survivor. Scores of photo and video exists of the former mayor at Ground Zero.
But others have struggled, decades later, to prove they meet the criteria.
“That’s why I tell even healthy people, enroll now. Secure your proof,” Barasch said.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Rudy Giuliani seeks to join 9/11 health program amid pneumonia battle
Reporting by Nancy Cutler, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
