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ESA News Release: [02/05/2007]
Contact Name: Dolline Hatchett
Phone Number: (202) 693-4676 or x4651
Release
Number: 07-0155-NAT
U.S. Labor Department Expands Outreach Plan
Resource Centers Offer Additional Services to Energy Workers
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced enhanced services at its Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program (EEOICP) resource centers to assist atomic weapons industry workers and their families in filing claims under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA).
Due to the complex nature of the Part E benefit structure and the difficulty of most employees in understanding the requirements necessary to qualify for impairment and/or wage-loss benefits, resource center staff will contact EEOICPA claimants who have received positive causation determinations under Part E and who have not applied for wage-loss and impairment benefits.
Resource center staff will provide claimants with an overview of the additional benefits for which they may be entitled, criteria for eligibility, options for filing, and assistance in applying for wage-loss and impairment benefits. Staff will also address claimants' questions and provide in-person support to those who file for wage-loss and impairment benefits at resource center locations.
"We are totally committed to getting compensation and benefits to eligible, injured workers and their families," said Shelby Hallmark, director of the Department of Labor's Office of Workers' Compensation Programs. "This new outreach effort at our resource centers promises to increase claimant awareness and understanding of the potential for additional compensation under the EEOICPA."
The additional claims assistance by the resource centers is designed to support the efforts of the EEOICP district offices to increase the number of wage loss and impairment claims received, processed, and awarded. To locate the nearest resource center, call toll-free (866) 888-3322.
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