Somerset meetings to address 9/11 benefits for local first responders

Local emergency personnel who responded to the Flight 93 crash near Shanksville may qualify for federal benefits through the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund and the World Trade Center Health Program.

Meetings about the benefits, eligibility criteria and enrollment information are scheduled for March 25, 26 and 27 at the Marriott Towneplace Inn & Suites, 117 Tollgate Road, Somerset. The meetings, scheduled for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., will include a complimentary breakfast and lunch.

The meeting room can accommodate 25 attendees each day, and an RSVP is required by March 19.

Eligible responders include active or retired members of area fire and police departments (fire or emergency personnel), those who worked for a recovery or cleanup contractor, and volunteers who assisted at the crash site with recovery, cleanup and related support services for a minimum of four hours between Sept. 11, 2001, and Oct. 3, 2001.

Jeannie Kelly, 9/11 outreach/education director for the law firm Turken, Heath & McCauley, led a similar meeting in November and will return to discuss benefits and answer questions, according to a Facebook post by the Shanksville Volunteer Fire Department.

To RSVP, contact Kelly at jkelly@thmllp.com or 516-307-7965.