SUBJECT: Updating information regarding employment by the Nuclear Material and Equipment Corporation (NUMEC).

NUMEC has been designated as an atomic weapons employer (AWE) and a beryllium vendor. NUMEC’s Apollo, Pennsylvania location has been identified as an AWE facility during the covered time period from 1957 through 1983, with a “residual radiation” time period of 1984 through 1995, and as a beryllium vendor facility from 1960 through 1968. NUMEC’s Parks Township, Pennsylvania location is an AWE facility during the covered time period from 1957 through 1980, with a “residual radiation” time period of 1981 through 2004, and as a beryllium vendor facility from 1960 through 1968. In addition, NUMEC is identified as a Department of Energy (DOE) contractor at the Lake Ontario Ordnance Works (LOOW) location in Niagara Falls, New York from 1964 through 1971. This last location is a DOE facility only.

After reviewing available documents related to NUMEC, the Policy Branch has determined that on April 17, 1967, NUMEC sold all of its assets to the Atlantic Richfield Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, which was given the name NUMEC II. As a condition of that sale, the original NUMEC was required to both change its name to the “N.M.E. Liquidating Corporation” and to dissolve its corporate existence. In 1971, the Atlantic Richfield Company sold its subsidiary NUMEC II to the Babcock & Wilcox Company (B&W). B&W absorbed NUMEC II by the end of 1974, at which point in time NUMEC II ceased to exist.

Given the above history, claims staff should be aware of the following:

1. The above-noted “covered periods” for all three locations extend beyond April 17, 1967. However, since NUMEC II purchased all of NUMEC’s assets on that date, and B&W thereafter acquired those same assets when it bought NUMEC II in 1971, NUMEC II and B&W are “successor” corporations of NUMEC that acquired NUMEC’s AWE and beryllium vendor statuses at the Apollo and Parks Township locations. NUMEC II also acquired NUMEC’s status as a DOE contractor at the LOOW location.

2. Because NUMEC changed its corporate name to the N.M.E. Liquidating Corporation, the Social Security Administration (SSA) changed the employer name of “NUMEC” in its records to the “N.M.E. Liquidating Corporation” for all employees of NUMEC who worked for that employer, at all three locations, before the second quarter of 1967. Thus, when records from SSA show the N.M.E. Liquidating Corporation as the employer on and before April 17, 1967, any such employment must be considered to be employment by NUMEC in any recommended or final decision.

SSA records for employment at all three locations that occurred after April 17, 1967 through 1971 will show NUMEC as the employer. However, any employment during this period was actually employment by NUMEC II, the subsidiary of the Atlantic Richfield Company, and must be identified as such in any recommended or final decision.

Finally, SSA records for employment at the Apollo and Parks Township locations that occurred from 1971 through 1974 will also show NUMEC as the employer. However, this employment was actually employment by NUMEC II, which by this point had been sold to B&W, and must be identified as such in any decision. Starting in 1975, SSA records should correctly reflect that any employment at these two locations was with B&W.

3. Also as a result of the above corporate changes, NUMEC was a DOE contractor at LOOW only from 1964 through April 17, 1967. Since NUMEC no longer held the contract with DOE as of April 17, 1967, the successor corporation NUMEC II was a DOE contractor at LOOW from April 18, 1967 through 1971.

RACHEL P. LEITON

Director, Division of Energy Employees

Occupational Illness Compensation

Attachment

Distribution List No. 1: Claims Examiners, Supervisory Claims Examiners, Technical Assistants, Customer Service Representatives, Fiscal Officers, FAB District Managers, Operation Chiefs, Hearing Representatives, District Office Mail & File Section