OWCP News Release: [02/13/2014]
Contact Name: Adriano Llosa
Phone Number: (202) 693-4686
Email Address: llosa.adriano.t@dol.gov
Release Number: 14-0210-DEN
US Department of Labor to assist nuclear weapons workers by holding town hall meetings in Denver on Feb. 19 and 20, 2014
DENVER — The U.S. Department of Labor will host two town hall meetings on Feb. 19 in Denver to provide former employees of the Rocky Flats Plant located in Golden with information about a new class of employees recently added to the Special Exposure Cohort of the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act. Staff from the Division of Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation, part of the department’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs, will present an overview of the new Special Exposure Cohort.
Member representatives from the Joint Outreach Task Group, of which the department’s DEEOIC is a member, will present information and answer questions. Other participating members include the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the Labor Department’s Office of the Ombudsman for the EEOICPA and DOE’s Former Worker Medical Screening Program.
In addition, the DEEOIC will host two town hall meetings on Feb. 20 to provide information about the medical benefits provided under EEOICPA. Information concerning home health care services, the Privacy Act, and how to serve EEOICPA claimants better will be discussed. Staff from DEEOIC’s Denver District Office and Resource Center will be available both Feb. 19 and 20 to assist individuals with filing claims under the EEOICPA and to provide updates on existing claims.
A worker who is included in a designated Special Exposure Cohort class of employees, and who is diagnosed with one of 22 specified cancers, may receive a presumption of causation under the EEOICPA. On Dec. 12, 2013, the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services designated the following class of employees as an addition to the Special Exposure Cohort: all employees of DOE, its predecessor agencies, and their contractors and subcontractors who worked at the Rocky Flats Plant in Golden from April 1, 1952, through Dec. 31, 1983, for at least 250 workdays occurring either solely under this employment or in combination with workdays within other classes of employees in the Special Exposure Cohort. This designation became effective on Jan. 11. The department’s role is to adjudicate these claims based on the new Special Exposure Cohort designation, as determined and introduced by HHS.
To date, 2,347 Rocky Flats Plant claimants have received a total of $304.1 million in EEOICPA compensation and medical benefits, while more than $10.1 billion has been paid nationwide. For additional information about the upcoming town hall meetings, or to schedule an appointment for help filing a claim, contact the department’s Denver Resource Center toll-free at 866-540-4977. These events are open to the public. Registration is not required.
| SEC TOWN HALL MEETINGS |
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| MEDICAL BENEFITS TOWN HALL |
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| DISTRICT OFFICE & RESOURCE | Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 19 and 20 |
| LOCATION: | International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 68 |
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