Change may give Grand Junction Facilities, Dow Chemical nuclear weapons workers easier access to EEOICPA compensation for illnesses

WASHINGTON — Former employees of the Grand Junction Facilities site in Grand Junction, Colorado, and the Dow Chemical Co. site in Pittsburg, California, may qualify for a presumption of causation if they are included in a designated Special Exposure Cohort class of employees and diagnosed with one of 22 specified cancers. The change comes after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services amended its Special Exposure Cohort in May 2015.

For nuclear weapons workers applying for compensation under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act, a presumption of causation can facilitate the process. 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 workers also may be entitled to benefits.

The SEC now includes the following workers:

• All employees of the U.S. Department of Energy, its predecessor agencies, and its contractors and subcontractors who worked at the Grand Junction Facilities site between Feb. 1, 1975, and Dec. 31, 1985, for at least 250 work days, either solely under this employment or in combination with work days within the parameters established for one or more other classes of employees in the SEC. This SEC designation took effect on June 19, 2015.
• All atomic weapons employees who worked for Dow Chemical Co. in Pittsburg, between Oct. 1, 1947 and June 30, 1957, for at least 250 work days, either solely under this employment, or in combination with work days within the parameters established for one or more other classes of employees included in the SEC. This designation took effect on June 20.

To date, $19.7 million in EEOICPA compensation and medical benefits has been paid to 143 Grand Junction Facilities site claimants, and $1.6 million has been paid to eight Dow Chemical Co. claimants, while more than $11.6 billion has been paid nationwide. For additional information or to schedule an appointment for claim-filing assistance, contact the Labor Department’s Denver Resource Center toll-free at 866-540-4977 or the California Resource Center toll-free at 866-606-6302.