As I mentioned a few days ago, the law firm of Napoli & Bern (www.877wtchero.com) is doing good work at trying to help WTC rescue workers recover some of the $1 billion that Congress set aside for those that risked their lives amid the debris immediately after 9/11. One of Napoli & Bern’s greatest achievements was setting up a hearing six days from now (April 1) in front of the Judiciary Committee in Congress. Napoli & Bern’s goal at this hearing is to show the poor health of some WTC rescue workers and to exhibit the embarrassing incompetence of Christine LaSala and WTC Captive Insurance Fund. To the naked eye this seems like a cut and dry case. Napoli & Bern can parade a cavalcade of witnesses who saw the tragedy of 9/11, decided they wanted to help, and suffered horrible health problems such as occupational asthma, chronic bronchitis, asbestosis, mesothelioma, silicosis, emphysema, cancer, and various other respiratory illnesses.

Hopefully Congress can think back to 9/11 and how we all felt and will see these heroes who now have chronic health problems and aren’t being helped by a government that promised they wouldn’t let them down. Of course Christine LaSala and the WTC Captive Insurance Fund will counter Napoli & Bern’s points by arguing that each case requires due diligence so that the fund isn’t ripped off by rescue workers filing specious claims. It sounds like a tough fight until we realize that a lot of these rescue workers are already receiving some disability payments from the city (but not nearly enough to cover the astronomical medical bills that arrive from treating these chronic conditions). So what Christine LaSala is arguing against Napoli & Bern is that these WTC rescue workers are sick enough to receive disability payments from the city, but it’s still questionable if they are eligible to receive any of the $1 Billion that Congress set aside for these very individuals.

In fact LaSala and the WTC Captive Insurance Fund have basically admitted that it may be 2015 before a lot of this money is dispersed and during that time chunks of the $1 billion will be used to pay Christine LaSala’s outrageous salary and health benefits while WTC rescue workers wait as their health deteriorates further. This is what Napoli & Bern is fighting. In fact, Napoli & Bern is arranging for victims to be transported to Washington to energize support and raise awareness for this cause. Remember, despite what Christine LaSala tries to imply, these are not opportunistic charlatans trying to take advantage of our country’s good will and generosity after this tragedy. Napoli & Bern’s clients are regular New York men and women who saw the horror of 9/11 and wanted to pitch in anyway they could and now have no way of dealing with the health problems that have arisen. Hopefully on April 1 we will see the beginnings of change that will allow these heroic men and women to receive the help they need to improve their health. Please alert everyone you know about what Napoli & Bern is doing and make sure that Congress is held accountable also. It’s great to approve $1 Billion aid for these rescue workers, but Congress must also oversee the use of these funds so they aren’t squandered by Christine LaSala. Hopefully soon, I’ll have an interview with a representative of Napoli & Bern and give you more information about what they are trying to accomplish.