Terms Used In New York Laws > Workers' Compensation > Article 8-A - World Trade Center Rescue, Recovery and Clean-up Operations

• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Public law: A public bill or joint resolution that has passed both chambers and been enacted into law. Public laws have general applicability nationwide.
• Qualifying condition: means any of the following diseases or conditions resulting from a hazardous exposure during participation in World Trade Center rescue, recovery or clean-up operations:
  
  (a) Diseases of the upper respiratory tract and mucosae, including conditions such as conjunctivitis, rhinitis, sinusitis, pharyngitis, laryngitis, vocal cord disease, upper airway hyper-reactivity and tracheo-bronchitis, or a combination of such conditions;
  
  (b) Diseases of the lower respiratory tract, including but not limited to bronchitis, asthma, reactive airway dysfunction syndrome, and different types of pneumonitis, such as hypersensitivity, granulomatous, or eosinophilic;
  
  (c) Diseases of the gastroesophageal tract, including esophagitis and reflux disease, either acute or chronic, caused by exposure or aggravated by exposure;
  
  (d) Diseases of the psychological axis, including post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, or any combination of such conditions; or
  
  (e) New onset diseases resulting from exposure as such diseases occur in the future including cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asbestos-related disease, heavy metal poisoning, musculoskeletal disease and chronic psychological disease. See N.Y. Workers' Compensation Law 161
• World Trade Center site: means anywhere below a line starting from the Hudson River and Canal Street; east on Canal Street to Pike Street; south on Pike Street to the East River; and extending to the lower tip of Manhattan. See N.Y. Workers' Compensation Law 161