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WASHINGTON - Town hall meetings in more than 25
communities across the country will be held between now and the end of July to
explain the new Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act
to nuclear weapons industry employees.
The meetings will be hosted by the U.S. Departments of Labor and Energy
and will be held in areas near Department of Energy facilities or those of its
contractors or subcontractors.
"This is our first opportunity to meet with workers and explain the law
in detail," said Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. "It's critical that people
know how to fill out these forms properly. The Department is anxious to
expedite these claims and correctly completed claim forms will enable us to do
so."
Passed in October 2000, the Energy Employees Occupational Illness
Compensation Program Act pays $150,000 lump-sum compensation and related
medical expenses to workers who became seriously ill from exposure to
radiation, beryllium or silica while working in the nuclear weapons industry
for the Department of Energy, including its contractors and subcontractors.
Compensation will also be available to some survivors and to uranium employees
who are eligible for benefits under Section Five of the Radiation Exposure
Compensation Act.
The Labor Department has primary responsibility under the law and will
administer compensation and medical benefits. The Department of Energy's Office
of Worker Advocacy will help workers file state workers' compensation claims
and list facilities where workers were exposed.
A list of town hall meetings, dates and locations follows this
release.
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