OWCP News Release: [02/19/2013]
Contact Name: Adriano Llosa
Phone Number: (202) 693-4686
Email Address: llosa.adriano.t@dol.gov
Release Number: 13-0295-BOS
US Department of Labor notifies former Nuclear Metals Inc. employees of inclusion in new EEOICPA Special Exposure Cohort
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor is notifying all former employees of Nuclear Metals Inc. in West Concord, Mass., about a new class of employees recently added to the Special Exposure Cohort of the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act. 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.
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. On Dec. 7, 2012, the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services designated the following class of employees as an addition to the SEC: all atomic weapons employees who worked for Nuclear Metals Inc., or a subsequent owner, at its facility in West Concord from Oct. 29, 1958, through Dec. 31, 1979, 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 Jan. 6, 2013. The Labor Department’s role is to adjudicate these claims based on the new SEC designation as determined and introduced by HHS.
To date, $2.5 million in EEOICPA compensation and medical benefits has been paid to 18 Nuclear Metals Inc. claimants, while more than $9 billion has been paid nationwide. For additional information about the new SEC or to schedule an appointment for claim-filing assistance, contact the Labor Department’s New York Resource Center toll-free at 800-941-3943.
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