System Name

Office of the Ombudsman for the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA) File.

Security Classification

Most files and data are unclassified. Files and data in certain cases may have Top Secret classification and the rules concerning their maintenance and disclosure are determined by the agency that has given the information the security classification of Top Secret.

System Location

U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Ombudsman for the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act, Frances Perkins Building, 200 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20210.

Categories of Individuals Covered by the System

Individuals or their survivors who are seeking benefits under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA). These individuals include, but are not limited to, employees or survivors of employees of Department of Energy contractors and subcontractors, and certain uranium workers or survivors of those workers as described under Section 5 of the Radiation Employees Compensation Act (RECA).

Categories of Records in the System

This system may contain the following kinds of records: correspondence between the Office of the Ombudsman and claimants, potential claimants, and/or survivors of such individuals or correspondence between the Office of the Ombudsman and the program agency regarding those individuals' EEOICPA claims; logs recording and detailing communications between claimants, potential claimants, and/or survivors of such individuals and the Office of the Ombudsman; claim forms filed by or on behalf of injured individuals or their survivors seeking benefits under the EEOICPA; reports by the employee and/or the United States Department of Energy; employment records; exposure records; safety records or other incident reports; dose reconstruction records; workers' or family members' contemporaneous diaries, journals, or other notes; forms authorizing medical care and treatment; other medical records and reports; bills and other payment records; compensation payment records; formal orders for or against the payment of benefits; transcripts of hearings conducted; and any other medical, employment, or personal information submitted or gathered in connection with the claim or complaint.

The system may also contain information relating to dates of birth, marriage, divorce, and death; notes (written or typed in e-mail or other correspondence) of telephone conversations conducted in connection with the claim or complaint; information relating to vocational and/or medical rehabilitation plans and progress reports; records relating to court proceedings, insurance, banking and employment; articles from newspapers and other publications; information relating to other benefits (financial and otherwise) that the employee and/or survivor may be entitled to, including previously filed claims; and information received from various investigative agencies concerning possible violations of civil or criminal laws.

The system may also contain consumer credit reports on individuals indebted to the United States including information relating to the debtor's assets, liabilities, income and expenses, personal financial statements, correspondence to and from the debtor, and information relating to the location of the debtor. In addition, the system may contain other records and reports relating to the implementation of the Federal Claims Collection Act (as amended), including investigative reports or administrative review matters. Individual records listed here are included in a claim file only insofar as they may be pertinent or applicable to the individual claiming benefits.

Authority for Maintenance of the System

Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000, Title XXXVI of Pub. L. 106-398, as amended by Pub. L. 108-375, 3161 (October 28, 2004), 42 U.S.C. 7385s-15.

Purpose(s)

To fulfill the duties of the Ombudsman under the EEOICPA as specified by Congress. The EEOICPA establishes a program for compensating certain individuals for covered illnesses related to exposure to toxic substances. These records are necessary to provide information to the public regarding the benefits available under the EEOICPA and the procedures attendant to those benefits, as well as to prepare the Congressionally-mandated Report to Congress detailing the complaints and concerns received in the Office of the Ombudsman concerning that program.

Routine Uses of Records Maintained in the System, Including Categories of Users and the Purpose of Such Uses

In addition to the universal routine uses listed in the General Prefatory Statement to this document, the Ombudsman may disclose relevant and necessary information to the Department of Labor's Office of Workers' Compensation Program (OWCP); the Department of Health and Human Services' National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH); and/or the Department of Energy's Office of Health and Safety in order for the Ombudsman to respond to inquiries made by claimants, potential claimants, and/or survivors of such individuals regarding those individuals' EEOICPA claims, to the extent necessary to identify the individual and inform the source of the purpose(s) of the request.

Disclosure to Consumer Reporting Agencies

The amount, status and history of overdue debts; the name and address, taxpayer identification (SSN), and other information necessary to establish the identity of a debtor; and the agency and program under which the claim arose may be disclosed pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552a(b)(12) to consumer reporting agencies as defined by section 603(f) of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. 1681a(f)) or in accordance with section 3(d)(4)(A)(ii) of the Federal Claims Collection Act of 1966 as amended (31 U.S.C. 3711(f)) for the purpose of encouraging the repayment of an overdue debt.

Policies and Practices for Storing, Retrieving, Accessing, Retaining, and Disposing of Records in the System

 

Storage

Files are stored electronically and/or on paper.

Retrievability

By name, employer, contractor, date, or nature of injury.

Safeguards

Access by authorized personnel only. Computer security safeguards are used for electronically stored data and locked locations for paper files.

Retention and Disposal

All case files and automated data pertaining to a claim are destroyed 15 years after the case file has become inactive. Paper records that have been scanned to create electronic records are destroyed after the electronic records are verified. Automated data is retained in its most current form only, and as information is updated, outdated information is deleted. Electronic records are destroyed six years and three months after creation or receipt.

System Manager(s) and Address

Ombudsman, Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act, 200 Constitution Ave NW, Suite N-2454, Washington, DC 20210.

Notification Procedure

Individuals wishing to inquire whether this system of records contains information about them may write or telephone the Office of the Ombudsman. In order for the record to be located, the individual must provide his or her full name, claim number (if known), and date of injury (if known).

Record Access Procedures

Any individual seeking access to non-exempt information about a claim in which he/she is a party in interest may write or telephone the Office of the Ombudsman.

Contesting Record Procedures

Any individual requesting amendment of non-exempt records should contact the Office of the Ombudsman. Individuals requesting amendment of records must comply with the Department's Privacy Act regulations at 29 CFR 71.1 and 71.9.

Record Source Categories

Claimants who are the subject of the record and their family members; employers; current and former Federal contractors and subcontractors and their family members; State governments, State agencies, and other Federal agencies; State and Federal workers' compensation offices; physicians and other medical professionals; hospitals; clinics; medical laboratories; suppliers of health care products and services and their agents and representatives; educational institutions; attorneys; Members of Congress; EEOICPA investigations; consumer credit reports; investigative reports; correspondence with the debtor including personal financial statements; records relating to hearings on the debt; and other Department systems of records.

Systems Exempted from Certain Provisions of the Act

In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552a(k)(2), investigative material in this system of records compiled for law enforcement purposes is exempt from subsections (c)(3), (d), (e)(1), (e)(4)(G), (H) and (I), and (f) of 5 U.S.C. 552a, provided, however, that if any individual is denied any right, privilege, or benefit that he or she would otherwise be entitled to by Federal law, or for which he or she would otherwise be eligible, as a result of the maintenance of these records, such material shall be provided to the individual, except to the extent that the disclosure of the material would reveal the identity of a source who furnished information to the Government under an express promise that the identity of the source would be held in confidence, or prior to January 1, 1975, under an implied promise that the identity of the source would be held in confidence.