Schumer Pushes Bill To Bring Long-Awaited Reform To Compensation Program For Cold War-Era Employees Plagued By Life-Threatening Illnesses From Radiation Exposure

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Schumer Pushes Bill To Bring Long-Awaited Reform To Compensation Program For Cold War-Era Employees Plagued By Life-Threatening Illnesses From Radiation Exposure

Federal Government Neglecting Thousands of Workers' Requests for Benefits and Denying Cold War Heroes the Benefits they Deserve CARE Act Would Help Survivors Cut Through Red Tape to Obtain Benefits and Compensation Schumer: Our Cold War Heroes Deserve to be Compensated for their Selfless Dedication to the United States

After eight years and thousands of workers struggling to obtain benefits through a government compensation program, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer pushed for legislation that will make it easier for Cold War workers to receive the settlements entitled to them. The legislation addresses flaws in the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program (EEOICPA), established by Congress in 2000 to compensate Cold War workers who contracted diseases due to exposure to dangerous levels of radiation. While many workers have successfully applied and received benefits under the program, thousands more face incredible obstacles as they try to demonstrate that they qualify for compensation under the inflexible eligibility requirements.

To address this issue and ensure that Cold War workers receive the benefits entitled to them, Senator Schumer is urging passage of the Compensation and Respect for Energy Workers Act of 2008 (CARE Act). The CARE Act is designed to expand the category of individuals eligible for compensation, improve the procedures for providing compensation and transparency, and grant the Office of Ombudsman greater authority to help workers. Senator Schumer is sponsoring the bill, which was introduced by Senator Ken Salazar last week.

"For a federal bureaucracy to continue to deny just compensation to the Cold War heroes who suffer radiation-related illnesses is callous and unconscionable; this bill seeks to rectify that. The men and women who dedicated their lives to the Cold War effort are true heroes and they deserve to be compensated for their efforts," Schumer said. "It is unfathomable to me that the government continues to make it so difficult for these workers to have access to health care benefits and monetary compensation that should have been awarded to them years ago. This bureaucratic red tape has got to be removed and I will continue to fight to make sure that our war heroes are taken care of now and in the future."

During World War II and at the start of the Cold War, the federal government lacked the capacity to manufacture weapons in federal facilities and turned to the private sector for help. Workers at these facilities, including several in Western New York, handled radioactive materials. Although government scientists knew of the dangers posed by the radiation, workers were given little or no protection and many have subsequently been diagnosed with cancer.

The EEOICPA was enacted to compensate the men and women working in these facilities. While thousands of workers have successfully applied and received benefits under the Program, many workers face incredible obstacles as they try to demonstrate that they qualify for benefits. More than eight years after enactment, workers have died without receiving the healthcare or compensation they deserve.

The CARE Act would expand the list of cancers for which individuals are eligible to receive compensation, expand the duties of the Office of Ombudsman, require DOL to provide public access to the "site exposure matrix" and any other databases or site profiles used to evaluate claims for compensation, expand the statute of limitations to one year to provide ample time for workers whose claims have been denied to file a petition in federal court, and prohibit the Department of Energy (DOE) and DOL from destroying original documents related to any DOE facility if employees might reasonably be expected to use those documents in support of filing claims under the Program.

To ensure that eligible workers receive the compensation they deserve, Senator Schumer is pushing for passage of the CARE Act.

"The CARE Act will guarantee that the men and women who sacrificed their own health and well being for the advancement and security of our country at a time when we needed it most are justly compensated," Schumer said. "Today is an opportunity for the federal government to step in and ensure these heroic workers receive the compensation they deserve, and I will fight tooth and nail to see it through."

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