During the early twentieth century, thousands of workers employed in the U.S. Nuclear weapons industry program were exposed to extremely harmful toxins, chemicals, and heavy metals with high radiation levels as part of their jobs. To help compensate workers who were injured as a result of their exposure, the federal government created The Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA)
The EEOICPA was created to compensate nuclear weapons workers employed by the Department of Energy (DOE) after 1941 and became ill due to exposure to toxic chemicals while working. Eligible individuals may obtain lump-sum payments and health benefits if they satisfy all criteria. Potential beneficiaries include current employees, former employees, contractors, and subcontractors.
If a worker has already passed, his or her surviving family members may also obtain compensation. EEOICPA is made up of two benefit plans, Part B and Part E. Under Part B, employees or their survivors may receive a lump-sum payment of up to $150,000 and reimbursement for full medical expenses. Beneficiaries under Part E can receive an even more considerable sum of 250,000 dollars. Furthermore, those who qualify under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) may also be eligible to receive a smaller sum of $50,000.
Only workers who satisfy specific requirements can obtain compensation under the EEOICPA. A claimant must have been diagnosed with cancer or an additional illness produced by chemicals and have operated at a covered DOE facility to qualify. In Particular, an employee must have sustained one of the following illnesses while employed by a DOE facility, an atomic weapons employer, and/or a beryllium vendor.
Furthermore any surviving family member of a deceased worker may also file a claim on that person’s behalf. However, the survivor’s definition differs depending on whether a claimant is filing under Part B or Part E.
Under Part B, survivors can include any of the following individuals:
Under Part E, survivors can include any of the following individuals:
The Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program provides benefits authorized by the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA). Part B of the Program went into effect on July 31, 2001, and Part E of the Program went into effect on October 28, 2004. The Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs is responsible for adjudicating and administering claims filed by employees or former employees or certain qualified survivors.
Conditions Eligible for Compensation
Under Part B, compensation includes a lump sum amount of $150,000 and payment of medical expenses from the date a claim is filed. If the employee is no longer living, the lump sum is payable to eligible survivors. Compensation is payable to eligible survivors in the following order: spouse, children, parents, grandchildren, and grandparents of the deceased covered employee.
Compensation of $50,000 and payment of medical expenses from the date a claim is filed is available for uranium workers (or their survivors) previously awarded benefits by the Department of Justice under Section 5 of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act.
Employees of the Department of Energy, its contractors and subcontractors who were exposed to beryllium on the job and now have beryllium sensitivity will receive medical monitoring to check for Chronic Beryllium Disease.
Eligible survivors include:
Conditions Eligible for Compensation
Under Part E, benefits are provided for any illness if it can be determined that it was “at least as likely as not” that occupational exposure to a toxic substance was a significant factor in causing, contributing to, or aggravating the illness or death of an employee. Compensation under Part E is awarded for Wage Loss, Impairment, and medical benefits.
Under Part E, variable compensation up to $250,000 is determined based on wage loss, impairment, and survivorship.
If the employee is no longer living, the compensation is payable to eligible survivors.
Compensation of $50,000 and payment of medical expenses from the date a claim is filed is available for :
Employees of the Department of Energy, its contractors and subcontractors who were exposed to beryllium on the job and now have beryllium sensitivity will receive medical monitoring to check for Chronic Beryllium Disease
Compensation and payment of medical expenses is available to employees of DOE contractors and subcontractors, or their survivors, who develop an illness due to exposure to toxic substances at certain DOE facilities. Uranium miners, millers, and ore transporters are also eligible for benefits if they develop an illness as a result of toxic exposure and worked at a facility covered under Section 5 of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA). Under Part E, a toxic substance is not limited to radiation but includes things such as chemicals, solvents, acids and metals.
Variable compensation up to $250,000 is determined based on wage loss, impairment, and survivor-ship.
Total survivor compensation not to exceed $175,000.
Eligible survivors may receive compensation if the employee’s death was caused, contributed to or aggravated by the covered illness. Eligible survivors include:
If there is no surviving spouse, then compensation may be awarded to a covered child if, at the time of the employee’s death, the child was:
Medical expenses are not included in the $250,000 cap.
In every life situation we have a choice as to how we react. At no time is this more profound than in facing the end of life of a loved one.
These months, days, weeks and moments can be among life’s most precious and that is precisely the reason that Nevada Hospice Care exists.
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