# 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act of 2025 - Plain Language Summary

## What This Bill Does

This bill makes changes to the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program, which provides medical care and monitoring to people who were exposed to toxins during the September 11, 2001 attacks. The main goal is to improve access to mental health services and streamline how the program operates. Specifically, the bill allows licensed mental health professionals (like psychologists, counselors, and social workers) to evaluate and certify mental health conditions, rather than requiring evaluations only from physicians. It also removes some outdated credentialing requirements for healthcare providers in the program's network.

## Who Benefits

The primary beneficiaries are 9/11 responders (firefighters, police officers, construction workers, and other first responders) and survivors (people who were in or near the World Trade Center during the attacks) who suffer from mental health conditions like PTSD and depression. By allowing qualified mental health professionals to conduct evaluations, the bill aims to make it easier and faster for these individuals to access care and get their conditions certified for treatment.

## Key Changes

- **Mental health provider flexibility**: Licensed mental health providers can now conduct initial health evaluations and make determinations about mental health conditions, not just physicians
- **Cleaner enrollment counts**: The program will no longer count deceased responders and survivors in enrollment numbers, providing more accurate data
- **Extended timelines**: The time period for adding new health conditions to the program's list is extended from 90 to 180 days, allowing for more thorough review
- **Simplified credentialing**: Removes certain credentialing requirements that were creating barriers for healthcare providers to participate in the program's nationwide network

9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act of 2025

Gillibrand, Kirsten E.

9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act of 2025This bill modifies the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP), including by&nbsp;updating the formula for determining the program’s annual funding amounts and authorizing mental health providers to provide certain evaluations under the program.The&nbsp;WTCHP is a federal health care program (terminating in FY2090) providing responders and survivors with monitoring and treatment of certified medical conditions related to the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001. Under current law, the program’s annual federal funding is determined based on the amount specifically appropriated in the previous fiscal year, adjusted for inflation.The bill establishes a new federal&nbsp;funding&nbsp;formula for&nbsp;FY2026-FY2090 that is generally based on annual changes in the number of enrollees. The bill also increases the amounts the program may spend annually on medical research and activities relating to data collection. The bill requires the&nbsp;National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), which administers the program,&nbsp;to submit a report to Congress on the program’s projected budgetary needs and expenditures.In addition, the bill authorizes licensed mental health providers to perform initial health evaluations with respect to&nbsp;mental health conditions for purposes of determining eligibility under the WTCHP. NIOSH must issue regulations specifying the categories of mental health providers that may perform these activities.