Sick workers unite to rail against DOE

[MORTARDUDE]

Source:
http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/local_ne...688516,00.html
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Sick workers unite to rail against DOE
Employees from nuclear sites say agency hasn't helped them get compensation
for exposure

By FRANK MUNGER, munger@knews.com
February 28, 2004

OAK RIDGE - Sick workers at Oak Ridge and other federal nuclear sites have
joined in their complaint against the U.S. Department of Energy and asked that
DOE be removed from its role in the government's compensation program.

"DOE has had plenty of time to do the job correctly and has failed," said
Harry Williams, a former worker at the K-25 plant in Oak Ridge and one of the
leaders of Coalition for a Healthy Environment.


Several groups under the banner, Alliance for Nuclear Worker Advocacy Groups,
have asked Congress and the Bush administration to replace DOE with the U.S.
Department of Labor.

Federal legislation was enacted in 2000 to help compensate workers made sick
by exposures at Cold War nuclear facilities.

The Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act assigned
roles to different agencies, including DOE, which historically held
responsibility for the nation's weapons-production program.

Worker advocates claim that DOE has not helped employees get compensation for
their exposures to toxic chemicals in the workplace. Despite DOE's repeated
plans to improve the system, no progress is evident, they said.

The Department of Energy has committed more money to the effort as part of a
"Path Forward" effort announced in February and vowed to reduce the backlog of
compensation claims. The agency modified several aspects of the program to
speed the effort and created a new advisory board.

However, Williams said DOE is simply pumping more money into a flawed system,
which so far has produced surprisingly few results for sick workers.

According to the sick-worker groups, DOE has processed less than 1 percent of
the 22,600 claims it received as part of the compensation program.

The alliance of sick worker groups wants the Department of Labor to take over
administration of DOE's part of the program. DOL has drawn praise for its
efforts in the early stages of the compensation program.

DOE officials have refuted much of the criticism, saying the agency's role
involved the most difficult and time-consuming aspects of the compensation
program. DOE is responsible for researching the records to support compensation
claims and setting up boards to address difficult-to-evaluate cases.


Senior writer Frank Munger may be reached at 865-342-6329.