DOL to Host Event in Oak Ridge for Nuclear Weapons Workers The U.S. Department of Labor will host an event April 24 in Oak Ridge, Tenn., to discuss the benefits available to current and former nuclear weapons workers from covered facilities, and their families, under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act. Apr 19, 2019 The U.S. Department of Labor will host an event April 24 in Oak Ridge, Tenn., to discuss the benefits available to current and former nuclear weapons workers from covered facilities, and their families, under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act. Representatives from DOL, the U.S. Department of Energy, and NIOSH will present information on their roles in the program, and staffers will be on hand to answer questions, provide claim status updates, and help individuals file new claims. The location is the New Hope Center, 602 Scarboro Road. Presentations are scheduled to start at 10 a.m. EDT. The event is open to the public, and pre-registration is not required. Services are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Current and former workers at Y-12 or any other covered facility involved in nuclear weapons production are welcome. "The U.S. Department of Labor encourages all current and former nuclear weapons workers and their families living in Tennessee to attend this event and learn more about the benefits to which they may be entitled," said the department's Division of Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Director Rachel P. Leiton. "Attendees may either file a claim at the event or check the status of existing claims." Current and former employees of the Y-12 Plant in Oak Ridge may qualify for a presumption of causation if they are included in a designated Special Exposure Cohort class of employees and diagnosed with one of 22 specified cancers. The change comes after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services amended its Special Exposure Cohort in March 2019. A presumption of causation can help nuclear weapons workers applying for compensation under the act, which 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. The Special Exposure Cohort now includes all employees of the Department of Energy, its predecessor agencies, and their contractors and subcontractors who worked at the Y-12 Plant for 250 or more work days during one or more of these periods: Jan. 1, 1958 – Dec. 31, 1976 (new) Jan. 1, 1948 – Dec. 31, 1957 March 1, 1943 – Dec. 31, 1947 For more information about the event or to schedule an appointment for claim-filing assistance, contact the Oak Ridge Resource Center at 866-481-0411. Let's block ads! (Why?)