In this Oct. 11, 2001 file photo, firefighters make their way over the ruins and through clouds of smoke at the World Trade Center in New York. Many of the first responders and those who labored at the site in the months following the attacks suffer from a variety of respiratory ailments after working at the World Trade Center site. Nearly two years after President Obama signed the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act into law, about 60,000 responders and survivors continue to receive monitoring and treatment for their illnesses as part of the World Trade Center Health Program, one of the lawís two components.By ALEX KATZ
Associated Press
NEW YORK – Sheila Birnbaum is known in legal circles across New York as the “queen of torts” for her prowess in sorting out complicated cases. But she may be up against her most daunting task to date.
Since Attorney General Eric Holder appointed her special master of a Sept. 11 victims’ compensation fund in May 2011, Birnbaum has been responsible for evenhandedly distributing $2.7 billion to ground zero responders and others who became ill after being exposed to dust and ash from the smoldering ruins of the World Trade Center.
The problem is, she doesn’t quite know how many people will be eligible for compensation.