Thousands of nuclear workers made sick by radiation, but not getting any help

Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., is among a group of federal lawmakers who have called for an investigation into the program following McClatchy’s probe, which revealed 7,762 workers died after being denied compensation by the government.

The McClatchy DC investigation found that nuclear worker safety remains an issue: Since 2001, more than 186,000 workers have been exposed to radiation.

Efficacy of compensation program for nuclear workers under scrutiny By Rebecca Moss
The New Mexican, 20 Feb 16, “………Due to the commingling of his exposure during the war and his work on various sites at Sandia, Thompson is one of at least 10,273 New Mexicans who have applied for a federal program that compensates individuals with a $150,000 lump sum payment for serious illness or death that can be attributed to work at the state’s nuclear defense facilities since 1943.

Since Congress passed the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act in 2000, the government has spent $12 billion in financial restitution for more than 100,000 workers whose onset of cancer, beryllium disease, neurological disorders and other ailments is a result of careers in the more than 300 nuclear facilities across the country.

As of March 2015, New Mexico had received the second-highest compensation of any state under the fund, with $1.64 billion paid out to workers for compensation and medical bills.

But the program has come under scrutiny lately. An investigation by the McClatchy DC news service found that fewer than half of the people who have applied for benefits have received them, and workers’ complaints are often suspended in the complex process of paperwork or court hearings, with some claims languishing in the system for up to 10 years. A new documentary coming out in March, titled Safe Side of the Fence, questions why side-by-side workers with similar ailments would receive different judgments from the Department of Labor on the validity of their claims.

At least 5,400 workers in New Mexico have been denied financial assistance, according to the Department of Labor, which issues the compensation.

The department recently added new language to the regulations, which is intended to clarify who is eligible for relief. A 60-day public comment period for the proposal ended Thursday. But critics say the new language could make it even more difficult for ailing workers to receive compensation.

One commenter last week implored the Department of Labor not to make the process any more complex. He said it took 10 years for his sister’s claim to be accepted, and since then, many of her bills remain uncovered and have been sent to collections, despite the Department of Labor’s legal commitment to pay them.

“My sister is too sick to do this,” the commenter wrote Wednesday. “I have no idea how other sick people manage this program but I suspect they give up and pay out of pocket.”

“It’s a shame that so many Americans who contributed to our nation’s security have spent the last years of their life fighting both their illness and their own government,” Udall said in an email to The New Mexican. “I have serious concerns about the [Department of Labor’s] latest rule changes. … These changes could make it even harder for workers to prove their case.”

He said congressional hearings and regulation reform are necessary to transparently and effectively connect sick workers with the support they deserve.

The senator also has joined U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján and others in the New Mexico congressional delegation in seeking to increase funding for uranium mine workers and grant compensation for people who were downwind of the original atomic bomb test at the Trinity Site in Southern New Mexico………

Terrie Barrie, a founding member of the Alliance of Nuclear Worker Advocacy Groups, said people are glad to have the program, but it can be a drawn-out battle to obtain compensation.

“One of the trends I’ve seen is legitimate claims being denied even though the evidence has been provided,” she said. “Evidence is ignored.”…….

Since 2012, the number of workers who have filed claims related to Los Alamos National Laboratory has jumped from 3,361 to more than 5,100, representing a total of 13,854 claims (a person can file more than one claim) and $618 million in compensation. At least 3,800 cases at Los Alamos have been denied since 2001.

The McClatchy DC investigation found that nuclear worker safety remains an issue: Since 2001, more than 186,000 workers have been exposed to radiation.

The New Mexico Environment Department did not respond to multiple requests for information regarding the radiation exposure records for state workers since 2001, nor to questions related to worker safety and claims of inadequate radiation monitoring made by former lab workers.

A spokesperson for the lab said they were unable to respond to comments on worker safety by deadline.

But with the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant set to reopen at the end of the year in Southern New Mexico, and a federal push to increase plutonium pit production over the coming decades at Los Alamos, the consideration of worker safety, and how effectively workers are compensated, will remain an issue.

“I want assurance that the strongest environment standards are followed, but I would be skeptical,” Richardson said of the state’s nuclear future. “I don’t want any more New Mexico workers exposed to potential radiation.”

Rebecca Moss can be reached at rmoss@sfnewmexican.com or 505-986-3011. http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/efficacy-of-compensation-program-for-nuclear-workers-under-scrutiny/article_7a531d32-b383-54fd-a82e-2d56345d6b42.html

February 22, 2016 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | employment, health, USA

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