The U.S. Department of Labor’s Division of Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation (DEEOIC) established 11 Resource Centers nationwide to assist workers and their families apply for benefits under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA). Resource Centers are located in Livermore, California; Westminster, Colorado; Idaho Falls, Idaho; Paducah, Kentucky; Espanola, New Mexico; Las Vegas, Nevada; Buffalo, New York; Portsmouth, Ohio; North Augusta, South Carolina; Oak Ridge, Tennessee; and Richland, Washington.
The Resource Centers provide valuable information about the claims process to claimants, assist claimants in completing the necessary forms, and transmit documents to the DEEOIC District Offices. The Resource Centers can provide assistance either in person or over the telephone, and thus are able to service individuals who are outside the immediate geographical area. The Resource Centers are tasked with taking initial employment verification steps for all new EEOICPA claims and occupational history development for certain employees.
The resource centers also conduct outreach activities to inform the public of benefits and requirements of the EEOICPA.
Click here for the complete list of Resource Centers, including regional jurisdictions, contact information, and toll-free numbers.
The DEEOIC maintains four district offices nationwide that process claims under the EEOICPA. District offices are located in Cleveland, Ohio; Denver, Colorado; Jacksonville, Florida; and Seattle, Washington, with jurisdiction based on the location of the employee’s last employment.
The principle function of each district office is to review claims to determine eligibility for benefits. Once the district office receives a claim, the claims examiner (CE) reviews the evidence submitted. Once appropriate development of a case file has been completed, a recommended decision is issued. The recommended decision is a preliminary finding of the district office, and includes a statement of the case, findings of fact, conclusions of law, and claimant rights of action. Each claimant is given the opportunity to object to the findings contained in the recommended decision within 60 days of issuance.
Click here for the complete list of District Offices, including regional jurisdictions and contact information.
The Final Adjudication Branch (FAB) maintains a National Office in Washington D.C. and four district FAB offices geographically located with the district offices. The FAB independently reviews each recommended decision to ensure adherence to the EEOICPA and established program policies and procedures. Claimant objections are considered by way of review of the written record or oral hearings. Oral hearings are scheduled by FAB and are conducted at a location near the claimant. After due consideration of any argument or evidence presented by the claimant, the FAB issues a final decision. The final decision is a written document that discusses the finding of FAB and addresses any specific objection brought forth by a claimant. Subsequent to the issuance of a final decision, the claimant may request a reconsideration of the final decision or a request for reopening. Claimants are not required to request any of these types of administrative review before petitioning a U.S. District Court for review of an adverse final decision on their claims.
The National Office of the DEEOIC is located in Washington, D.C. This office provides planning, budgeting, performance measures, accountability evaluations, policies and procedures, and central medical bill processing. National Office comprises the Director’s Office, the Policy Branch, the Branch of Outreach and Technical Assistance (BOTA), Branch of Medical Benefits (BMB) and the Performance Management Branch. Each of these offices is tasked with separate functions that oversee the functioning of the entire program.