Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

ESA Press Release: Clinton/Gore Administration Finalizes Promise to America's Cold War Veterans[12/07/2000]

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President Clinton today issued an executive order outlining the framework for compensating thousands of current and former nuclear weapons plant workers, or their survivors, whose service to the country has left them sick or dying.

"We've come a long way since I apologized on behalf of the government last year. This is one of the most meaningful new federal programs in decades, impacting the lives of thousands of Americans," said Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson. "President Clinton's executive order ensures the compensation program will remain on course for years to come and that all weapons plant workers - past, present and future - can rely on their government to do the right thing, even after the sites where they worked have closed."

The order begins implementing the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-398), which was enacted in October with strong bipartisan support as part of the National Defense Authorization Act. The Act compensates Energy Department workers, or their survivors, who have occupational illnesses from exposure to unique hazards associated with building the nation's nuclear defense. The order assigns responsibilities for implementing the program among three federal agencies - the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Energy.

The Department of Labor has primary responsibility for administering the compensation and medical benefits program, including determining eligibility requirements and adjudicating claims.

"We at the Department of Labor are proud to administer this important new program," said Secretary of Labor Alexis M. Herman. "It reflects the Administration's strong commitment to fair play for American workers and their families. Workers in the nuclear industry have suffered grave harm and compensation is long overdue. As soon as Congress provides funds, we will establish an office within the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, headed by a qualified career professional, to discharge our new responsibilities. OWCP, which already administers three workers' compensation programs, will draw upon that experience and expert knowledge to deal with workers' claims in a timely manner at every stage of the process."

Herman added, "This executive order reflects the dedicated efforts of many within the Administration, the Congress and the labor movement."

The Department of Health and Human Services will provide the scientific analysis and information needed for the Department of Labor to appropriately adjudicate claims. HHS will develop guidelines for determining whether a cancer is likely to be related to a worker's occupational exposure to radiation, establish methods to estimate worker exposure to radiation, and develop estimates for those who have applied for compensation. HHS would advise the Department of Labor when estimates are sufficiently difficult to develop that they should be placed in a "special exposure cohort" the law established. A Presidential Advisory Board will be established to provide oversight and assure confidence in the scientific validity and quality of this work.

The order establishes a Worker Assistance Program within the Department of Energy that will help workers with occupational illnesses not specifically covered in the Act, or their survivors, apply for benefits under state compensation programs, building upon the Worker Advocacy Office Richardson opened in May.

In addition, the order:

• Creates an interagency working group composed of representatives from the Office of Management and Budget, the National Economic Council and the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Energy and Justice and

• Directs the Department of Energy to publish in the Federal Register a preliminary list of facilities where workers may be eligible for benefits, including atomic weapons employer facilities, Department of Energy employer facilities and beryllium vendor facilities.

Also, Energy Secretary Richardson today announced a series of actions the Energy Department will take to implement the program. The Energy Department will work closely with the Department of Labor to establish a nationwide outreach program to publicize the compensation program and the availability of employment, medical and exposure records and other information to support compensation claims by workers or their survivors. The Energy Department also will ensure that these records remain accessible to potential claimants even after current Energy Department facilities have terminated operations, and will ensure records are available on former sites that have closed years ago. Richardson reiterated to Energy Department contractors that he expects their full support helping workers get the compensation they deserve.

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.