Thursday, October 16, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Congressional panels OK funds for DOE workers

Congressional committees have authorized transfer of $9.7 million to compensate Department of Energy workers who became ill during the agency's Cold War endeavors, including those at the Nevada Test Site.

A statement Wednesday from the Energy Department's headquarters in Washington lauds the efforts of members of Congress, including Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., who supported improving the 2000 Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act.

"We are firmly committed to help former workers who performed an important service for this country to receive the benefits they deserve," says the statement, quoting Beverly Cook, assistant DOE secretary for Environment, Safety and Health.

In a prepared statement, Reid said, "The workers at the Nevada Test Site are heroes of the Cold War. They risked their health, and sometimes their lives, to keep our country safe. We can never really repay our debt to them, but we can -- and must -- make sure they are fairly compensated for their suffering."

Many former DOE workers in the nation's nuclear weapons complex suffer from exposure to toxic chemicals, radioactive materials and hazardous substances in their work environments.

The $9.7 million will be invested in collecting workers' records, processing cases and preparing them for physician panels. About half the money will be used to collect workers' exposure and medical records. The other half will go toward case processing and hiring about 30 more case-processing personnel, the statement says.