U.S. Department of Labor notifies former employees of Tyson Valley Powder Farm near Eureka, Mo., of new special exposure cohort designation

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor would like to notify all former Tyson Valley Powder Farm workers about a new class of employees added to the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act's (EEOICPA) Special Exposure Cohort (SEC). The EEOICPA provides compensation and medical benefits to employees who became ill as a result of working in the nuclear weapons industry. Survivors of qualified employees may also be entitled to benefits.

An employee who is included in a designated SEC class of employees, and who is diagnosed with one of 22 specified cancers, may receive a presumption of causation under the EEOICPA. The new SEC class of former employees includes all Atomic Weapons Employer employees who worked at Tyson Valley Powder Farm near Eureka, Mo., from Feb. 13, 1946, through June 30, 1948, for at least 250 workdays, occurring either solely under this employment or in combination with workdays within other classes of employees in the SEC.

To date, more than $4.9 billion in compensation and medical benefits has been paid to eligible claimants nationwide under the EEOICPA. For additional information about the new SEC at Tyson Valley Powder Farm or to schedule an appointment for claim-filing assistance, please contact the Labor Department's Paducah Resource Center toll-free at 866-534-0599.

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