Expansion may give former Battelle Laboratories workers in Columbus, Ohio easier access to EEOICPA compensation for illnesses

Expansion: Former Battelle Laboratories employees who worked at the King Avenue site in Columbus, Ohio, may qualify for a presumption of causation if they are included in a designated Special Exposure Cohort class of employees, and have a diagnosis of one of 22 specified cancers. For nuclear weapons workers applying for compensation under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act, a presumption of causation can simplify the process. 

Affected employees: Battelle Laboratories employees who worked at the King Avenue site in Columbus, Ohio 

Qualifying dates of employment: From July 1, 1956 to Dec. 31, 1970

Qualifying employees must have worked at least 250 days total, either solely under this employment, or in combination with workdays within the parameters established for one or more classes of employees included in the SEC. 

Effective date:  March 19, 2016

Background: The EEOICPA provides compensation and medical benefits to employees whose work in the nuclear weapons industry made them ill. Survivors of qualified workers may also be entitled to benefits. To date, the U.S. Department of Labor has paid $10.9 million in EEOICPA compensation and medical benefits to 99 King Avenue Battelle Laboratories claimants, and more than $12.3 billion in compensation and benefits nationwide. For additional information about the new cohort, or to schedule an appointment for claim-filing assistance, contact the department’s Portsmouth Resource Center toll-free at (866) 363-6993.