Society News Archive

16 July 1999

The Office of Environment, Safety, and Health, Department of Energy (DOE), is investigating the possibility of launching a new federal workers' compensation program that will provide medical care and wage loss benefits to cover current and former contractor workers who have suffered illness through their work in DOE. The program would establish an expert panel at the Institute of Medicine that will define ‘disease presumptions' associated with a given level of exposure to known occupational hazards at DOE sites. The program would cover workers with illnesses caused by toxic substances or radiation.

A website (http://tis.eh.doe.gov/benefits/) has been established to provide information on this initiative.