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World Trade Center Health Program Policies and Procedures

Guidance for the World Trade Center Health Program

Final

Issued by: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Listed below are the policies used by the WTC Health Program:


Adding to the List of WTC-Related Health Conditions

Aerodigestive Disorders

  • Making a Determination about Exposure Aggravating Pre-Existing Aerodigestive Disorders
    (4 pages, 326 KB)
    Revised: February 18, 2015

    About this document: This document provides information for CCE and NPN physicians about making a determination that 9/11 exposure resulted in aggravating an aerodigestive disorder that existed on September 11, 2001.

    Aggravating the pre-existing health condition results in the aerodigestive disorder requiring medical treatment that is (or will be) in addition to, more frequent than, or of longer duration than the medical treatment that would have been required for such condition in the absence of the individual’s 9/11 exposure.

    Previous versions:

  • Policy and Procedures for Certification of Physician Determinations for Aerodigestive and Cancer Health Conditions
    (5 pages, 411 KB)
    Issue Date: February 20, 2015

    About this document: This document is based on applicable sections of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010 (“Zadroga Act”) and 42 C.F.R. Part 88 and defines the policies and procedures for physicians regarding the certification determinations for aerodigestive and cancer health conditions.

  • Time Intervals for New Onset Aerodigestive Disorders
    (15 pages, 330 KB)
    Revised: August 30, 2017

    About this document: The Administrator of the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program has determined that no minimum time interval will be applied to the five categories of new onset aerodigestive disorders that meet the temporal sequence of symptoms requirement for certification of a WTC-related health condition.

    Previous Versions

Cancer

  • Rare Cancers
    (1 page, 247 KB)
    Issue Date: May 5, 2014

    About this document: This document defines and lists WTC-related health conditions in the category of "Rare Cancers."

  • Malignant Neuroendocrine Neoplasms
    (4 pages, 352 KB)
    Issue Date: October 4, 2013

    About this document: This document provides information regarding the certification of malignant neuroendocrine neoplasm as a “rare cancer,” regardless of the anatomic site where identified. Each determination of any malignant neoplasm must be considered for certification as a WTC-related health condition under the minimum latency requirements for solid cancers, and the exposure requirements specified by the WTC Health Program in the WTC-3 Certification Request form.

  • Minimum Latency & Types or Categories of Cancer
    (12 pages, 624 KB)
    Revised: January 6, 2015

    About this document: As new scientific information becomes available to the WTC Program Administrator on minimum latencies for the types or categories of cancers on the List of WTC-Related Health Conditions found at 42 C.F.R. § 88.1, minimum latencies may be modified. The Administrator's May 1, 2013, revision to the White Paper on Minimum Latency & Types or Categories of Cancer changes minimum latencies for mesothelioma and the category of lymphoproliferative and hematopoietic cancers.

    Previous versions:


  • Myeloid Malignancies
    (9 pages, 381 KB)
    Issue Date: February 1, 2014

    About this document: Beginning on February 1, 2014, the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program will consider blood or bone marrow disorders of the myeloid line to be slow-growing blood cancers. Accordingly, they will be considered WTC-related health conditions, making them available for WTC Health Program medical treatment services for eligible members. These cancers had been considered non-malignant by the Administrator because they were referred to as “pre-leukemic” hematopoietic disorders in the medical literature. Recent scientific advances, however, characterize these “pre-leukemic” myeloid neoplasms as slow-growing blood cancers, and authoritative scientific sources now consider them to be malignant myeloid neoplasms.

  • Policy and Procedures for Cancer Screening
    (4 pages, 348 KB)
    Issue Date: April 2, 2014

    About this document: This document describes the purpose and procedure for cancer screening

Medically Associated Health Conditions

  • Health Conditions Medically Associated with WTC-Related Health Conditions
    (5 pages, 486 KB)
    Revised: November 7, 2014

    About this document: This document provides information for Clinical Center of Excellence (CCE) and Nationwide Provider Network (NPN) physicians about the determination and certification of health conditions found to be medically associated with a certified WTC-related health condition and therefore eligible for coverage by the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program.

    Previous version:

  • Evidence of Concluding Dates for Pentagon-Shanksville Response.pdf
    (70 pages, 907 KB)
    February 18, 2012

    About this document: This document: (1) identifies the important response and cleanup events after the attacks at the Pentagon and Shanksville sites, (2) identifies the dates that response cleanup activities ended at the Pentagon and Shanksville sites, and (3) provides information on the potential exposures to responders and volunteers during response and cleanup activities at the Pentagon and Shanksville sites after the attacks.

Privacy Practices

Recoupment and Coordination of Benefits

  • Policy and Procedures for Coordination of Benefits for Treatment Costs for Non-Work-Related, Certified WTC-Related Health Conditions: Coordination with Health Insurance
    (7 pages, 359 KB)
    Revised: February 18, 2014

    About this document: This document defines the policies and procedures to be used by the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program to coordinate benefits for treatment costs for non-work related, certified WTC-related health conditions with health insurance programs. These Policy and Procedures are effective on March 31, 2014, except Section IV, pertaining to the maintenance of minimum essential health insurance coverage, which is effective on July 1, 2014.

    Previous versions:

  • Policy and Procedures for Recoupment: Lump-Sum Workers' Compensation Settlements
    (7 pages, 337 KB)
    Revised: July 7, 2016

    About this document: This document restates and revises the policy regarding lump sum settlements that has been in effect since October 1, 2013, and was included in the earlier Policy and Procedures for Recoupment & Coordination of Benefits: Workers' Compensation Payment dated September 1, 2013 (as revised on October 1, 2013 and December 16, 2013).

    When a World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program member accepts a lump-sum settlement for a workers' compensation (WC) claim relating to conditions for which treatment is provided by the WTC Health Program, and that settlement releases an employer/insurer from responsibility for future medical expenses, the WTC Health Program will seek to recoup its costs of providing health care either from the member or from the individual/entity designated to administer any set-aside established to pay future medical expenses.3 The WTC Health Program will follow best practices for WC recoupment as outlined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

    Previous Versions:

  • Policy and Procedures for Recoupment & Coordination of Benefits: Workers’ Compensation Payment
    (5 pages, 392 KB)
    Revised: August 3, 2016

    About this document: The effective date of this document is August 3, 2016. This Policy supersedes an earlier version of this document that went into effect on September 1, 2013 and was revised on December 16, 2013.

    Contracts between the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program and the Clinical Centers of Excellence (CCEs) and the Nationwide Provider Network (NPN) require the CCEs and NPN to seek recoupment from workers’ compensation (WC) insurers when such insurers have been identified by the CCE and the NPN. CCEs and the NPN will no longer have a duty to bill primary WC insurers. The WTC Health Program will rely on the Health Insurers’ Match Program (HIMP), authorized under New York State (NYS) law to recover payments from WC insurers. To facilitate recoupment, the WTC Health Program has entered into a contract to recover money retrospectively from NYS WC insurers.

    Previous versions:

    FAQs regarding Recoupment & Coordination of Benefits regarding Workers' Compensation Payment can be found on the FAQ page.

Transportation Services


DISCLAIMER: The contents of this database lack the force and effect of law, except as authorized by law (including Medicare Advantage Rate Announcements and Advance Notices) or as specifically incorporated into a contract. The Department may not cite, use, or rely on any guidance that is not posted on the guidance repository, except to establish historical facts.