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Hanford News: tool name close tool goes here Former claims examiner criticizes Hanford ill worker program

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 08:06:39 -0000

Arbitrary and capricious actions by the Department of Labor have led to claims by ill workers at Hanford and other nuclear sites being improperly denied or decisions delayed, a former claims examiner with the Department of Labor said Thursday.

"This program is not claimant friendly," said attorney Anne Block. "You've got people more interested in keeping their jobs than helping claimants."

She was at the open house before Hanford's annual Tri-City State of the Site meeting to discuss problems she saw with the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program.

Tags: compensation contamination doe dol hanford n-weapons nuclear nuke.news wa workers

Posted by: theenergynet

Hanford News : Attorney to discuss ill Hanford workers issue

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 18:08:42 -0000

A former examiner with the Department of Labor program to compensate ill Hanford workers plans to bring her concerns to the Tri-Cities today.

Attorney Anne Block formerly worked in Seattle for the federal Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program and now is teaming with Hanford Challenge to help workers and their survivors receive compensation.

Tags: compensation contamination doe hanford n-weapons nuclear nuke.news wa workers

Posted by: theenergynet

Senators call for GAO probe into Feds' treatment of nuke workers : Deadly Denial : The Rocky Mountain News

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 07:15:27 -0000

Five others join Salazar, Allard in signing letter
Pressure is mounting for the investigative arm of Congress to probe how the federal government is treating sick nuclear weapons workers.

Meanwhile, officials from the agency responsible for compensating the workers have been to Capitol Hill this week defending their work.

Tags: compensation contamination doe gao investigation n-weapons nuclear nuke.news us workers

Posted by: theenergynet

knoxnews.com |GAO investigation of sick worker program

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 00:50:38 -0000

Sen. Lamar Alexander is among seven U.S. senators who wrote Sept. 16 letter asking the Government Accountability Office to "review the implementation" of the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act. The senators asked the GAO to focus on a number of concerns, including delays in processing claims and the credibility of the compensation decisions for sick nuclear workers.

Tags: compensation doe gao investigation n-weapons nuclear nuke.news us workers

Posted by: theenergynet

Sick ex-soldier Ken McGinley bids to sue Ministry of Defence - The Sunday Mail

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 08:10:38 -0000

A WAR veteran used as a guinea pig in secret nuclear tests has been granted his day in court.

Ken McGinley, 70, blames the Ministry of Defence for leaving him seriously ill and unable to have children after being exposed to huge doses of radiation.

If he and nine other ex-soldiers win their test cases at the High Court in London in January, they will sue for damages.

Tags: compensation contamination europe n-weapons nuclear nuke.news nuke.news.int uk vets

Posted by: theenergynet

Scoop: Compensation hearing for sick workers delayed

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 08:08:37 -0000

French Polynesians who worked on nuclear Pacific test sites are disappointed the Employment Court has again deferred a hearing into compensation for sick workers.

The court has postponed the date at which the French government will respond to allegations by eight former workers and widows that their illnesses were a result of nuclear fallout.

Tags: asia compensation fallout france n-weapons nuclear nuke.news nuke.news.int

Posted by: theenergynet

House Hearing Focuses On ldquoSecretrdquo DOL Rule

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 20:06:55 -0000

A Sept. 17 House Workforce Protections Subcommittee hearing considered the impact of the Department of Labor’s (DOL) worker health risk assessment proposal, a rule critics say was developed in secret and that could weaken and delay the enactment of future workplace health standards.

“I have called this hearing today on the Department of Labor’s proposed risk assessment regulation, because, quite frankly, I’m troubled by the agency’s attempt to rush through this rule without a full consideration of its effect on the health and safety of the American worker,” said Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif., in her opening statement.

Tags: compensation dol fuel-cycle n-weapons nuclear nuke.news scandal workers

Posted by: theenergynet

Alexander introduces more sick worker legislation - Oak Ridge, TN - The Oak Ridger

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 19:52:37 -0000

U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., last week introduced legislation that would ensure compensation for the families of sick former nuclear workers won't be taken away in cases where sick workers or their eligible survivors die before their claims are processed.

"We should not allow an inefficient bureaucracy to run out the clock through a claims process that takes so long that our Cold War heroes are dying before their claims are processed, leaving their families with no compensation," Alexander said in a press release. "The men and women who built our nuclear deterrent -- and their families -- deserve better. According to estimates from the Department of Labor, this will affect approximately 1,200 current and future claimants."

Tags: compensation doe legislatin n-weapons nuclear nuke.news tn worker

Posted by: theenergynet

Sick Hanford worker amendment dies - | Tri-City Herald

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 19:47:06 -0000

An amendment that would have allowed more survivors of ill Hanford workers to collect compensation hit a dead end Tuesday in the Senate.

Before the amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2009 was considered, the Senate voted to cut off debate on the bill, effectively killing the amendment.

Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., had proposed the amendment to ensure that compensation for sick former nuclear workers would not be taken away in cases in which an ill worker or a survivor who had filed a claim died before the claim was processed. The Department of Labor estimated it would have helped about 1,200 current and future claimants under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program.

Tags: compensation doe legislation n-weapons nuclear nuke.news us workers

Posted by: theenergynet

Legislation would expand benefits of ill Hanford workers | Tri-City Herald

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 06:56:52 -0000

More survivors of ill workers at Hanford and other nuclear sites could receive federal compensation under proposed legislation.

The proposed amendment to federal law is intended to ensure that compensation for sick former nuclear workers won't be taken away in cases in which a sick worker or a survivor who has filed a claim die before the claim is processed. Some ill workers have waited years for a claim to be processed.

Tags: compensation contamination doe hanford legislation n-weapons nuclear nuke.news wa workers

Posted by: theenergynet

Atomic veterans still awaiting compensation details

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 05:39:08 -0000

Canada's atomic veterans say they are being kept "in the dark" about the details of a financial package to compensate them for their exposure to nuclear blasts during the Cold War.

The government announced the package last week, but the retired military personnel are still trying to get answers about the compensation, which one veteran labelled as a political move by the Conservatives to deal with an embarrassing issue so it doesn't become a problem in the election campaign.

Those who took part in the atomic tests or were involved in the cleanup after a reactor accident at Chalk River, Ont., in the 1950s are eligible to apply for a $24,000 payment.

Tags: canada compensation contamination n-weapons nuclear nuke.news nuke.news.int vets

Posted by: theenergynet

Alexander sponsors bill to help sick nuclear workers' families: Knoxville News Sentinel

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 07:54:45 -0000

Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., today introduced legislation that he said would help the families of sick nuclear workers in cases where a worker dies before his or her claim for compensation is processed.

"We should not allow an inefficent bureaucracy to run out the clock through a claims process that takes so long that our Cold War heroes are dying before their claims are processed, leaving their families with no compensation," Alexander said in a statement distributed to the news media.

Tags: compensation contamination health n-weapons nuclear nuke.news or workers

Posted by: theenergynet

$4.8 million Hanford verdict award upheld

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 04:15:22 -0000

The state Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a $4.8 million verdict in favor of 11 pipefitters who claimed they were fired for raising safety concerns at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.

The workers filed suit nine years ago against Fluor Federal Services of Richland, a contractor at the south-central Washington nuclear site. They claimed they were laid off after refusing orders to install a valve they believed was too weak for the job.

Tags: awards compensation contamination doe fuel-cycle hanford n-weapons nuclear nuke.news wa workers

Posted by: theenergynet

'Atomic veterans' criticize compensation as 'pathetic'

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 02:52:58 -0000

After decades of pressuring for compensation, Ottawa announced Tuesday that "atomic veterans" - about 900 soldiers who were deployed at atomic-bomb test sites in Nevada half a century ago and showered with radiation - will be eligible for a special payment of $24,000.

The payment was quickly labelled "a joke" by the association representing the remaining veterans and their widows - some of whom have filed a class-action lawsuit against the government - and called an "election ploy" on the eve of an expected federal campaign.

Tags: canada compensation contamination n-weapons nuclear nuke.news nuke.news.int vets

Posted by: theenergynet

The Associated Press: Ex-Canadian soldiers to be compensated for A-tests

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 02:49:13 -0000

Hundreds of former Canadian soldiers will receive compensation for being assigned to participate in atomic bomb test explosions by the U.S. and British militaries in the 1960s, the Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

Defense Minister Peter MacKay said the soldiers were involved in operations in the United States, Australia and the South Pacific from the end of World War II until the international treaty banning atmospheric test explosions was signed in 1963.

Tags: canada compensation contamination n-weapons nuclear nuke.news nuke.news.int vets

Posted by: theenergynet

YouTube - THE EXPOSED: Sick Oak Ridge nuclear workers detail frustrations

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 05:54:47 -0000

An interview with a three DOE workers and their struggle to find out the truth about radiation safety conditions.

Tags: compensation contamination doe fuel-cycle n-weapons nuclear nuke.news video workers youtube

Posted by: theenergynet

Rocky responds to the Department of Labor : Deadly Denial : The Rocky Mountain News

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 21:00:48 -0000

The Rocky Mountain News responds to Department of Labor letters sent to Congressmen Mark Udall and Ed Perlmutter of Colorado and Tom Udall of New Mexico. The congressmen initially wrote to labor officials about the department's failure to respond to the Rocky's Deadly Denial series.

Tags: compensation dol health n-weapons nuclear nuke.news workers

Posted by: theenergynet

Feds: Stories about nuke workers flawed : Deadly Denial : The Rocky Mountain News

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 20:58:25 -0000

Officials at the U.S. Department of Labor say recent stories in the Rocky Mountain News "paint an inaccurate picture" of the program to compensate Cold War-era workers who became sick while building the nation's nuclear arsenal and "indict the entire program based on a small number of individual claimants' experiences."

The comments came in letters to three U.S. congressmen who had asked the Labor Department why it failed to respond to the findings of a Rocky investigation published last month in a special report called "Deadly Denial."

Tags: co compensation dol fuel-cycle health n-weapons nuclear nuke.news rocky-flats safety workers

Posted by: theenergynet

Springville Journal

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 07:52:45 -0000

A group of 15 cancer victims, survivors, relatives and friends who worked or who are still working at the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) were expecting to see Senator Chuck Schumer at their meeting held last Friday. But Susanne Klein, whose husband died of cancer at age 54 after working for 18 years in the warehouse, explained that an earlier phone call said neither he nor a representative would be attending, but that they could send him the minutes.

Highlights and Sticky Notes:

Tags: compensation energy fuel-cycle health nuclear nuke.news ny west-valley workers

Posted by: theenergynet

Marshall Islanders in pursuit of more US compensation for Bikini tests

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 07:11:33 -0000

Bikini Islanders in the Marshall Islands say they have no option but to pursue the US government in court to get additional compensation for the US nuclear weapons tests of the 1940’s and 1950s.

Their latest case has been heard in the US Court of Appeals which is expected to give its verdict within five months.

Tags: bikini-island compensation contamination marshall-islands n-weapons nuclear nuke.news nuke.news.int us

Posted by: theenergynet