Staten Island man lobbies for more medical help for 9/11 responders

by Staten Island Advance

Sunday June 07, 2009, 10:32 PM

Advance file photoRetired police officer Gary White of Bay Terrace is hoping legislation will be passed that would help individuals like himself and other officers who have fallen through the cracks of the confusing and incomplete medical care provided by the government for Sept. 11 illnesses.

The way Bay Terrace resident Gary White puts it, he didn't retire three years ago, he just switched careers from commanding officer of a Lower Manhattan detective squad to "professional patient."

His list of maladies includes severe asthma, gastroesophageal reflux disease, sleep apnea, pulmonary artery disorder and a stroke that resulted in temporary paralysis and permanent brain damage.

Physicians at several hospitals, including Staten Island University Hospital, traced the 54-year-old's medical condition to months of recovery efforts at "The Pile" at Ground Zero and the former Fresh Kills Landfill.

A panel of surgeons at the NYPD Medical Board didn't buy it, and twice refused him a line-of-duty disability pension. That designation would have granted White a bigger income and better benefits than the regular pension he now gets, including footing the cost of thousands of dollars of out-of-pocket expenses.

But legislation recently introduced in City Hall and Congress after more than a year of delay may help White and other officers who have fallen through the cracks of the confusing and incomplete medical care provided by the government for Sept. 11 illnesses.

"I don't understand. I am sick from 9/11. The doctors have said so. So why am I being denied?" White said.

White helped to create The 9/11 Police Aid Foundation, in part to lobby for the bills, which would provide full coverage and long-term funding for all responders. Those bills have stalled, mostly amid concerns over the costs.

"The bill before the Council will certainly increase the costs of medical coverage -- in fact, it is extremely difficult to estimate what those costs will be," said Joey Kara Koch, a member of the police and fire pension boards and special counsel to Mayor Michael Bloomberg on the issues of Sept. 11 illnesses, at a hearing for the Council bill in City Hall last week.

The bill, introduced last February by then-North Shore Councilman Michael McMahon, would provide full line-of-duty health coverage for a city employee with any of the designated Sept. 11 medical conditions as long as they meet eligibility requirements for the time spent at World Trade Center sites. All three Island Councilmen have signed on as sponsors.

NO SUPPORT FROM MAYOR Beside the unknown costs, Ms. Koch said the Bloomberg administration does not support the bill because it "strips medical professionals of the ability" to make decisions.

But Frank Tramontano, research director for the Patrolman's Benevolent Association, said the NYPD's medical panel rarely grants line-of-duty benefits to officers who meet the state criteria for Sept. 11 illnesses. From January 2007 to December 2008, 59 police officers were approved for accidental disability under the state World Trade Center Disability Law; only three were provided line-of-duty benefits, according to PBA stats. Tramontano estimates some 10,000 PBA members -- about a third of the city's current police force -- may have applied for such benefits.

In total, more than 1,000 uniformed city employees were granted line-of-duty disability for post-Sept. 11 medical conditions, though it is unclear how many applied.

"We do not have a pre-approved list of illnesses. If something comes our way, we make the evaluation and follow the science that has been published," she said.

The problem, advocates and medical experts say, is that the science of post-9/11 illness is changing almost every year, as more and more people exhibit new symptoms.

The city and federal government have addressed the problem by providing free integrated physical and mental health care for eligible patients at designated World Trade Center Centers of Excellence across the city, including one at Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton. But critics point out the coverage is limited. The centers do not treat illnesses that have yet to be recognized as Sept. 11-related -- cancer, for example -- and it is difficult for some of the most ill patients to travel to them.

ON THE FEDERAL LEVEL Thus far, the 9/11 health centers have been funded through ad-hoc appropriations, and a non-responder program is funded entirely with city dollars. Members of Congress from New York presented a long-term solution with the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which was finally introduced at a session in February. The bill would establish a permanent WTC Health Program within the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to provide medical monitoring and treatment benefits to those who adversely affected by the attacks. The bill stalled last year, but was re-introduced this February with strong support from House Democratic leaders and the bipartisan New York delegation.

James Oddo (R-North Shore) said the Council could be "fine-tuned" in a way that controls the costs. However, he stressed the "overriding concern" is the city meeting its obligation to those who sacrificed their health in the performance of their duties. "If there are X number of officers who are genuinely impacted by exposure to Ground Zero, then we have a responsibility to take care of them, regardless of the fiscal impact," Oddo said. "They were there for us. I haven't forgotten that," he added.

--- Contributed by Peter N. Spencer