Division of Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation (DEEOIC)
DEEOIC Offers its 3rd Authorized Representative (AR) Workshop - Authorized Representatives (ARs) met with representatives from DOL, DOE, HHS/NIOSH, the Office of the Ombudsman for EEOICPA, the Office of the Ombudsman to NIOSH, DOE’s Former Worker Program, and staff from the Cleveland District Office, at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Federal Building, 1150 Tusculum Avenue, in Cincinnati, Ohio, on October 16 & 17, 2018, for DEEOIC’s 3rd Authorized Representative (AR) Workshop. Joshua Novack, Acting Branch Chief for DEEOIC’s Branch of Outreach and Technical Assistance (BOTA) explained, “This was DEEOIC’s third in a series of hands-on events tailored to the specific needs of authorized representatives and attorneys who represent claimants under the EEOICPA. The AR workshops we held in Jacksonville, Florida, in December 2017, and in Kennewick, Washington, in May 2018, clearly showed that ARs and attorneys are willing to come and learn more about the Program. For the Cincinnati event, we sent out invitations in August 2018 to authorized representatives residing in Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York. Reservations were made on a first-come, first-served basis, up until October 1st, through the Portsmouth Resource Center.” The authorized representatives who attended this event were able to participate in several one-half-hour to one-hour long sessions given by JOTG presenters over the course of 2 days. Mr. Novack thanked everyone who participated in planning the event, noting, “It takes a lot of behind-the-scenes teamwork and on-site management to make these events run well. It also requires presenters who are well-versed in the topics and able to answer specific and sometimes difficult questions from the audience. Each workshop offers us an opportunity to learn more about the needs of these stakeholders; from there, we believe we can work to improve every aspect of the event itself and explore additional ways to support ARs.” The DEEOIC National Office is currently putting together a team to plan the next event. Stayed tuned for the location and date!