GOP reps want Kennedy to address WTC Health Program staffing shortfall

WASHINGTON — Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Amityville) and a group of New York and New Jersey Republicans have asked Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. for a congressional briefing on the state of the World Trade Center Health Program, as advocates continue to raise concerns that staffing shortages are causing delays in treating and accepting new patients into the program.

A number of Sept. 11, 2001, first responders and survivors denied entry into the health program have been waiting more than a year for their appeals to be processed due to "staffing challenges," LaLota and eight other lawmakers, including Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport), said in a letter that requests a meeting with Kennedy.

"The heroes of 9/11 deserve the same dedication and responsiveness they showed nearly 25 years ago," LaLota wrote in the March 6 letter.

Advocates and public safety unions have raised alarms over the past year about staffing shortages at the health program as Kennedy and the Department of Government Efficiency pursued widespread layoffs across the Department of Health and Human Services. The health program, established in 2011, provides health care to more than 140,000 individuals grappling with diseases tied to their exposure to the toxic Sept. 11 attack sites in lower Manhattan, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

The letter to Kennedy cites Newsday reporting indicating the program is currently staffed by just 84 employees, although it is authorized to employ 120 staffers. Advocates say the additional workers are needed as demand for the program continues to increase, and responders and survivors continue to experience aggressive forms of cancer and respiratory diseases.

"The men and women served by the [World Trade Center Health Program] ran toward danger on September 11th and in its aftermath," states the letter. "As we mark the 25th anniversary this September and celebrate America 250, we have an important opportunity to demonstrate our nation’s commitment to those who served. Addressing operational challenges that may delay care, discourage providers, or disrupt research would honor both congressional intent and the administration’s objectives of supporting our nation’s heroes."

Asked about the letter and the concerns outlined by lawmakers, Department of Health and Human Services spokeswoman Emily Hilliard said in an email: "We look forward to working with these members to address the concerns they raised."

The program was delivered a lifeline last month when Congress passed a funding bill that included a new formula to ensure the program remains fully funded. The program was facing a massive funding shortfall, but New York lawmakers including Garbarino and Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) secured bipartisan support for the funding fix.

By Laura Figueroa Hernandez

laura.figueroa@newsday.com@Laura_Figueroa

Laura Figueroa Hernandez is the White House correspondent and previously covered New York City politics and government. She joined Newsday in 2012 after covering state and local politics for The Miami Herald.