CPWR — The Center for Construction Research and Training: Service: Nuclear Worker Compensation

When workers or their families file EEOICPA compensation claims with the U.S. Department of Labor, DOE records may not verify their past employment on DOE sites. CPWR, in collaboration with union pension and health and welfare funds, is working with the U.S. Department of Labor to verify and document eligible employment for claims where DOE records prove inadequate.

Thousands of construction workers received high exposures to ionizing radiation and hazardous materials working in the nation’s nuclear weapons complex and in nuclear weapons testing. The Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA) provides for a lump sum payment of $150,000 and medical expenses to current and former DOE employees who became ill as a result of their exposure to radiation, beryllium or silica. DOE contractor employees, and certain survivors, are also potentially eligible. Covered conditions include radiogenic cancers, beryllium diseases and chronic silicosis. Qualified survivors of deceased covered employees may also be eligible for the lump sum compensation of $150,000. In some cases DOE records of contractor and subcontractor employees are inadequate to verify eligibility. CPWR, working with international and local unions and their pension and health and welfare funds, assists the Department of Labor in searching for documentation of employment for claims that cannot be substantiated using Department of Energy records available to DOL. Over 80% of claims received from DOL have been successfully returned with adequate documentation of eligibility.

All claims must be filed with the Department of Labor, NOT with CPWR. For additional information, please contact the Department of Labor Division of Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation (DEEOIC) at 1-866-888-3322.