EEOICPA is an acronym most people know nothing about. It stands for Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act. This is basically a special Congress issued federal program that compensates the nuclear weapons workers that ended up ill or alternatively, the deceased worker’s family members. The EEOICPA claims are now available but it is hard to get them since many do not even know they are correct. With this in mind, here are some things you should be aware of.
EEOICPA Enactment By The Congress
The US Congress decided in 2000 that the testing and production of nuclear weapons brings in some unique dangers. The workers can be harmed when exposed to beryllium or radiation. It was decided that various people involved in the Cold War were at risk without being aware of this. Unmonitored radiation exposure was highlighted so EEOICPA claims became available to get financial compensation for the work that was done while under risk that was not understood. It is enough to say that many studies highlighted that nuclear weapons workers are faced with a high dying risk because of the appearance of serious diseases connected with radiation. This includes cancer.
Filing EEOICPA Claims
You can file EEOICPA claims in the following situations:
- Worker that was diagnosed with an injury connected with toxins and chemicals worked while in the DOE facilities.
- A survivor (as it is determined by law) of a person that died of a chemically caused illness or cancer and worked with the DOE facilities covered.
EEOICPA Part B
EEOICPA Part B is offering compensation for the radiation induced cancers, silicosis or beryllium disease conditions of the workers. As a claimant that is approved, you can expect medical benefits for the illness that is covered and a $150,000 as a lump sum payment. Part B means payment in one of 2 situations:
- The NIOSH reconstructs the situation of the claimant in order to estimate exactly how much radiation exposure appeared.
- When NIOSH does not have all the enough evidence to decide radiation amount, a special condition is going to be present and a third party institution is going to investigate the situation since dose reconstruction is practically impossible.
Filing The Claim
There are two forms that are present. The EE-1 form is designed for the worker while the EE-2 form will be filled by the survivor. Forms can be just mailed after being printed out. When you need aid, you will have to contact the local Resource Center. Also, it is really important that you seriously consider working with an attorney that has experience with EEOICPA cases. They are going to help out so much more than what you may believe.
We are faced with a claim type that can be quite difficult to deal with since the individual may be injured or may not know much about current laws. Helping hands are going to be offered by those that are true specialists in such cases. It is really important to get the aid of a specialist attorney.