Titus Statement On Compensation Decision For Test Site Workers

Statement

Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada's Third District released the following statement today on the decision by the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health to grant Special Exposure Cohort status to workers employed at the Nevada Test Site between January 1, 1963 and December 31, 1992. The board's decision must now be accepted by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

"The decision by the advisory board is an important one and is a long-overdue step to ensure that the men and women who were on the front lines of the Cold War receive the benefits that they have earned through their service to our nation.

"Nevada's Test Site workers were instrumental in the effort to create a nuclear deterrent that helped defeat the forces of communism. Too often, their sacrifices are not recognized the way those of veterans of other wars have been. But just as the veterans of other battles served with distinction to protect our nation, so too did the workers at the Nevada Test Site. And while they did not face the dangers of conventional warfare, unfortunately, too many of those workers were left with the lasting scars of a battle that was waged in labs and test facilities.

"Nuclear weapons workers from the Test Site deserve our support and are entitled to the care and benefits they have earned from their service during a period of our history when the threat of nuclear war was ever present. Just as we care for our soldiers returning home from the battlefield, it is our responsibility to care for the workers who have been exposed to the dangerous material that has damaged their health. I applaud today's decision that paves the way to provide the Test Site workers with the compensation they deserve."

Source