Leave of Absence for 9/11 Responders

The City will provide unlimited 9/11 Sick Leave to City workers who participated in World Trade Center rescue, recovery and cleanup operations and contracted a 9/11-related illness.

Eligibility

To qualify for this entitlement, you must have been an active DOE employee as of October 23, 2018, and you must have participated in World Trade Center rescue, recovery and cleanup operations, as verified by a Verification of Participation Form (VOP) HC-0027 from the New York City Agency, or company, you were employed with as a 9/11 responder. Contact your appropriate city agency for details about the Verification of Participation form and how to file one. 

You must also have a diagnosis confirming that you have a 9/11-related illness. You must obtain this diagnosis from medical doctors in the World Trade Center Health Program's Centers of Excellence. The application for enrollment in the World Trade Center Health Program is separate from the application for 9/11 sick leave.

You may submit as proof of diagnosis any federal certification letter confirming the diagnosis of a 9/11-related illness issued in association with enrollment in any WTC Health Program Clinical Center of Excellence.

To Apply

Complete the Request for Leave of Absence for a 9/11-Related Illness Form.

Submit this form along with all of the requested documentation:

Please submit your completed forms and documents to the HR Connect Web Portal. Once logged in, use the Upload Documents feature to submit any forms/supporting documents (also located on the top left of your screen). Please select the Leaves - Medical category from the drop-down.

For questions, please email MLR@schools.nyc.gov.

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