US Department of Labor to participate in town hall meetings in Bolingbrook, Ill., on June 19 to assist nuclear weapons workers

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor and other federal agencies will participate in two town hall meetings on June 19 in Bolingbrook, Ill., to provide former nuclear weapons workers, including those who worked at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and at Argonne National Laboratory East, with information about the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act.

The EEOICPA was created to assist individuals who became ill as a result of working in the nuclear weapons industry. Survivors may also be eligible for benefits. Staff from the Division of Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation, part of the department's Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, will present an overview of Parts B and E of the EEOICPA.

The meetings are being hosted by the Joint Outreach Task Group, of which DEEOIC is a member. Representatives of the group's other members will be present to answer questions, including the U.S. Department of Energy and its Former Worker Medical Screening Program; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the Ombudsman to NIOSH for the EEOICPA; and the Department of Labor's Office of the Ombudsman for the EEOICPA.

On July 31, 2001, the Labor Department began administering Part B of the EEOICPA. Part B covers current or former workers who have been diagnosed with cancers, beryllium disease or chronic silicosis, and whose illness was caused by exposure to radiation, beryllium or silica while working directly for the Energy Department, its contractors or subcontractors, a designated Atomic Weapons Employer or beryllium vendor. Part E, created by an amendment to the EEOICPA on Oct. 28, 2004, provides federal compensation and medical benefits to Energy Department contractors and subcontractors who worked at covered facilities and sustained an illness as a result of exposure to toxic substances.

To date, more than $157 million in EEOICPA compensation and medical benefits have been paid to 1,596 claimants living in Illinois; more than $9.2 billion has been paid nationwide. For additional information about the upcoming town hall meetings or to schedule an appointment for claim-filing assistance, contact the department's Paducah Resource Center toll-free at 866-534-0599. These events are open to the public, and pre-registration is not required. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

TOWN HALL MEETINGHoliday Inn & Suites Bolingbrook

LOCATION, DATE AND TIMES:205 Remington Blvd. Bolingbrook, Ill. Wednesday, June 19, 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. CDT