Former General Atomics employees notified of inclusion
in EEOICPA Special Exposure Cohort by US Labor Department

WASHINGTON — Former employees of General Atomics in La Jolla, California, have been notified by the U.S. Department of Labor about a new class of employees added to the Special Exposure Cohort of the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act. The EEOICPA provides compensation and medical benefits to workers who became ill as a result of working in the nuclear weapons industry. Survivors of qualified workers also may be entitled to benefits.

A worker 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 secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services designated on Sept. 25 the following class of employees as an addition to the SEC: All Atomic Weapons Employees who worked for General Atomics at its facility in La Jolla during the period from Jan. 1, 1960, through Dec. 31, 1969, for at least 250 workdays occurring either solely under this employment or in combination with workdays within other classes of employees in the SEC. This designation became effective on Oct. 25. The Labor Department's role is to adjudicate these claims based on the new SEC class definition as determined and introduced by the Department of Health and Human Services.

To date, $18.4 million in EEOICPA compensation and medical benefits has been paid to 159 General Atomics claimants while more than $10.9 billion has been paid nationwide. For additional information about the new General Atomics SEC or to schedule an appointment for claim-filing assistance, contact the department's California Resource Center toll free at 866-606-6302, or click on the above map to find a resource center in your area.