The city yesterday awarded full benefits to the daughter of Detective James Zadroga - whose death from lung disease contracted at Ground Zero led to a new law providing more generous benefits to families of responders struck by 9/11- related illness.
The police pension board voted unanimously to give 5-year-old Tyler Ann a 100 percent line of duty benefit until she's an adult. She also will receive health insurance.
Prior to the decision, she was receiving a 75 percent benefit and no health insurance.
A New Jersey coroner had concluded Zadroga's death was caused by breathing toxic dust from the collapsed World Trade Center towers in the first such medical finding for a Ground Zero responder.
Tyler Ann's mom has died from an unrelated illness and her grandparents now care for her.
The pension board acted after the Detectives Endowment Association helped convince the state Legislature to pass the "Zadroga Law" increasing survivor benefits.
Meanwhile, another victim of the attack has been identified, officials said yesterday.
She's Carol LaPlante, who was last seen on a security camera leaving a church before heading to her office at the Trade Center.
LaPlante, 59, worked for Marsh & McLennan - which occupied floors 93 through 100 of the north tower.
The Medical Examiner's Office has identified 1,607 of 2,749 victims from 9/11 so far and continues to retest remains as advances in DNA technology become available.
Republished with permission of The New York Post.
