Have you ever heard of the EEOICA?  It’s the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act that Congress enacted in October 2000 and added additional protection in 2004.  The Act protects certain nuclear workers who were injured or become ill on the job. Furthermore, the act protects eligible families by making timely, appropriate, and accurate decisions on claims and providing prompt benefit payments to eligible claimants.

Which employers does EEOICPA apply to?

EEOICPA compensates current or former employees (or their survivors) of the Department of Energy (DOE), its predecessor agencies, and certain vendors, contractors, and subcontractors. For qualified individuals, benefits apply if diagnosed with radiogenic cancer, chronic beryllium disease, beryllium sensitivity, or chronic silicosis due to exposure to radiation, beryllium, or silica while employed at a covered facility.  Furthermore, EEOICPA compensates any occupational illnesses causally linked to toxic exposure in the DOE or mining work environment. These include any DOE contractor and subcontractor employees, eligible survivors of such employees, and uranium miners, millers, and ore transporters as defined by RECA Section 5.

For examples of companies that may be eligible during certain time frames: 

• Arthur D. Little Co. San Francisco AWE
• Atomics International Canoga Park BE
• Burris Park Field Station Kingsburg AWE
• Ceradyne, Inc. Santa Ana BE
• Dow Chemical Co. Walnut Creek AWE
• Electro Circuits, Inc. Pasadena AWE
• Energy Technology Engineering Center Santa Susana DOE
• General Atomics La Jolla AWE/BE/DOE
• General Electric Vallecitos Pleasanton AWE
• Hunter Douglas Aluminum Corp. Riverside AWE
• Laboratory for Energy-Related Health Research Davis DOE
• Laboratory of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences Los Angeles DOE
• Laboratory of Radiobiology and Environmental Health San Francisco DOE
• Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Berkeley DOE
• Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Livermore DOE
• Sandia Laboratory, Salton Sea Base Imperial County DOE
• Sandia National Laboratories–Livermore Livermore DOE
• Stanford Linear Accelerator Center Palo Alto DOE
• Stauffer Metals, Inc. Richmond AWE
• University of California Berkeley AWE/DOE

What are the EEOICPA program benefits?

Under Part B and E of the Act, qualified individuals can be compensated and paid for medical expenses from the date a claim is filed.

• Claimants are compensated up to $150,000 under Part B of the EEOICPA.
• If the employee is no longer living, the compensation is payable to eligible survivors.
• Benefits up to $50,000 for eligible uranium workers (or their survivors) previously awarded benefits by the Department of Justice under Section 5 of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act.
• Compensated up to $250,000, based on wage loss, impairment, and survivorship under Part E of the EEOICPA.
• Compensation for eligible survivors (qualifying spouses or children) if the employee’s death was caused, contributed to, or aggravated by the covered illness.

How to file a claim

If you think you may be eligible, please look at the Department of Energy or Department of Labor websites for more information. Moreover, some companies specialize in this industry and can assist people with their claims or care, such as Nuclear Care Partners, Nuclear Workers, or Atomic Workers.

To apply for benefits, a person should print and fill out an application and submit it to:

U.S. Department of Labor OWCP/DEEOIC
P.O. Box 8306
London, KY 40742-8306

Understanding the various benefits available is crucial. STAGES educates people about the various resources and services available as people age.