Assemblyman Rob Walker (R,C,I-Hicksville) has joined with the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health to urge all workers and volunteers who aided in the rescue, recovery or cleanup efforts of the World Trade Center ruins to safeguard their workers' compensation benefits by registering with the State Workers' Compensation Board prior to the Aug. 14, 2007 deadline.

Thousands of dedicated New Yorkers worked at the site, and now five years later many of the responders are becoming sick and dying. According to a study coordinated by Mount Sinai Medical Center, the long-term health effects of breathing the toxic dust are that individuals may not show deteriorating health conditions for 20 to 30 years.

"The brave men and women who sacrificed during the rescue efforts, recovery or cleanup did so with a sense of duty and without a thought of long-term health issues," said Walker. "Now, years after their efforts many are experiencing health problems related to the exposure to toxic dusts. If you were involved in these efforts, you need to protect yourself and your family from the costs related to the unforseen medical conditions related to your efforts on September 11, 2001 and the year following. If you assisted in any way, you may be eligible to register for workers' compensation benefits. I urge everyone who participated in the efforts to review the eligibility requirements and file your claim by the deadline."

If you performed paid or unpaid rescue, recovery or cleanup work in Lower Manhattan during the year after September 11, 2001, you may be eligible for medical and wage replacement benefits. Individuals need to register with the New York State Workers' Compensation Board before Aug. 14 if they worked or volunteered:

• anywhere in Manhattan south of Canal or Pike Streets

• on the barge operation between Lower Manhattan and Staten Island

• at the Staten Island landfill

• at the New York City morgue; and

• are currently sick, psychologically distressed and have not filed a workers' compensation claim;

• not sick, but were exposed;

• have filed and been denied; and

• have filed a successful claim but are concerned that you might develop a different illness in the future.

For complete information, eligibility requirements and to obtain all the necessary registration forms visit the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health website at www.nycosh.org or call 1-866-WTC-2556.