Department of Labor Reaches Out to Oak Ridge Plant Employees
Recently, doctors along with representatives from the Department of Labor participated in an outreach effort to Tennessee residents who worked at the Oak Ridge plant during the Cold War and thereafter developed certain types of cancer or other illnesses. The event was sponsored by the Cold War Patriots and was designed to help inform employees of the Tennessee-area Y-12 National Security Complex, the K-25 Gaseous Diffusion Plant, and/or the X-10 Graphite Reactor of the benefits to which they may be entitled under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA) and the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA).
EEOICPA and RECA Benefits May be Substantial
Under the EEOICPA and RECA, employees who worked at certain nuclear or other hazardous sites used in the production of nuclear energy and/or atomic weapons are eligible to receive certain benefits if they have developed certain types of cancer or other illnesses. In other words, the three main qualifications that must be met in order to be eligible for any of the EEOICPA or RECA benefits include:
You must have been an employee of a covered work site involved in the production of nuclear energy or weapons (these covered facilities may have been owned and operated by the federal government or by contractors or subcontractors of the federal government;
You must have developed one of several “covered” types of cancers or illnesses. If your cancer is not of the specific type described by the EEOICPA and/or RECA programs, you may not be entitled to any benefits; and
The exposure to radiation or hazardous conditions at the covered worksite must be causally connected to the covered condition. Benefits may be denied, for example, if it does not appear the claimant’s level of radiation exposure at work could have led to the development of the claimant’s cancer or other illness.
Eligible claimants may be able to receive up to $400,000 in benefits to assist them in addressing their medical expenses and lost wages. Survivors of covered workers may also be entitled to receive a survivor’s benefit.
The Biggest Hurdle: Knowing About the Benefits
The outreach efforts revealed to the Cold War Patriots and others that many otherwise eligible claimants may not be aware of the benefits available to them under EEOICPA and RECA. This is despite the fact that both programs have been in place for several years and benefits have been paid to hundreds of eligible workers. Individuals who attended the outreach efforts put on by the Cold War Patriots were able to have some of their most frequently-asked questions about the programs and their personal medical diagnoses answered – even if the attendees were not all quite ready to apply for benefits.
Congress enacted the EEOICPA and RECA programs as a means of providing benefits to covered workers and intended the process to be accessible and easy to navigate. Additional efforts by lawmakers, government agencies responsible for administering the programs, and advocacy groups will be necessary in order for these goals to be achieved.