Nominations sought for advisory board on nuclear weapons worker health

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Workers' Compensation Programs is seeking nominations for membership on the newly created Advisory Board on Toxic Substances and Worker Health for Part E of the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act. The act provides compensation and medical benefits to nuclear weapons workers diagnosed with medical conditions caused by their exposure to toxic substances at covered nuclear facilities. An executive order signed June 26, 2015, directed the department to establish the advisory board.

"We look forward to working with an advisory board of individuals committed to the well-being of nuclear weapons workers who sacrificed for our nation," said OWCP Director Leonard J. Howie III. "The advice of the new board members on the technical aspects of this important program will be invaluable."

The board, which will have up to 15 members, will advise the Secretary of Labor on technical aspects of the EEOICPA, including:

• The department's site exposure matrices database, which includes information about toxic substances present at EEOICPA-covered Department of Energy facilities, as well as established causal links between those substances and certain occupational illnesses;
• Medical guidance for claims examiners under the Energy program, with respect to the weighing of the medical evidence of claimants;
• Evidentiary requirements for certain claims related to lung disease; and
• The work of industrial hygienists, staff physicians and consulting physicians, and their reports, to ensure quality, objectivity and consistency.

To learn more or nominate an individual for the advisory board, please review the Federal Register notice and submit the requested information by August 20, 2015. Questions about the board can be emailed to EnergyAdvisoryBoard@dol.gov. More information is available.