A quarter-century later, Giuliani tries to join 9/11 health program

• Giuliani's lawyer has said the former NYC mayor was diagnosed with respiratory issues linked to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
• A lawyer helping Giuliani with his WTC Health Program enrollment said many people wait to apply. But they shouldn't.
• Survivors qualify for the same benefits as first responders. “They were all exposed to the same toxins,” said lawyer Michael Barasch.

Rudy Giuliani, who was hospitalized in Florida with pneumonia that his lawyer has attributed to toxic exposures after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, is just now applying for coverage under the World Trade Center Health Program.

Giuliani, 81, was hospitalized on 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, attributing the octogenarian's illness to his exposure to pollutants at the site of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks when he was 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, a quarter of a century later.

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. Those responders’ unions had done a great job ensuring their people received 9/11 health and Victims Compensation Fund coverage before it was needed, Barasch said.

The program's definition of responder includes those who came to help, said Benjamin Chevat, executive director of Citizens for the Extension of the James Zadroga Act.

It would appear that Giuliani would be categorized as a responder since he was the mayor, Chevat said.

Survivors, including people who lived, worked and attended school in Lower Manhattan on Sept. 11, 2001, and in the months that followed, 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, signed into law in 2011.

That legislation also established the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund. The two programs are distinct; however, to qualify for the VCF, an applicant must be certified by the WTC Health Program.

First responders fought hard to establish the program and ensure its funding is replenished, lobbying Congress, some using wheelchairs due to the effects of their illness.

After years of lobbying by first responders, the program finally won full funding this year.

The WTC Health Program is also responsible for researching medical conditions that could be attributed to 9/11 illnesses and covered by the program.

The program has undergone a couple of rounds of cuts, followed by restorations, this year.

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently pledged to lift hiring freezes for the WTC Health Program, which had lost key personnel.

Chevat said there remain questions about how that hiring will proceed. The program is under the umbrella of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has cut its hiring.

Chevat said he would welcome help from Giuliani, who previously worked with the Trump administration and remains a friend of the president's, to urge Kennedy to ensure a fully functional WTC Health Program.

In the meantime, 9/11 Health Watch continues to advocate for the release of documents that would answer what the city knew about the hazards and when it knew it.

Chevat said he hoped Giuliani would now support the release of records collected during his mayoral administration that could address these questions.

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 could 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 as related health impacts under 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 more people 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 Clinical Center of Excellence, civilians are not entitled to a medical exam unless they are sick.

Barasch calls that unfair.

To be certified in the World Trade Center Health Program, patients have to be able to document that they were present in the area after the 2001 terrorist attacks.

For Giuliani, that won’t be a challenge. “He was the Poster Child for 9/11,” said Barasch, who is a 9/11 cancer survivor. Scores of photos and video footage exist 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.

Note: This story was updated to include further sources and information.