The Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act

摘要

In 2000, Congress passed the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA). EEOICPA provides compensation to employees of government-owned, contractor-operated facilities in the nuclear weapons complex. Employees of private-sector firms that had contracts with the federal government during the Cold War era may also be covered. EEOICPA establishes presumptive criteria for chronic beryllium disease and silicosis. Most radiation-related cancer claims are evaluated using historical dose reconstruction techniques, in conjunction with the concept of the "probability of causation." Recent amendments to EEOICPA broaden coverage for illnesses in which exposure to toxic substances was a "significant factor in aggravating, contributing to or causing the illness." Claims are paid from a federal trust fund, which obviates the need for annual congressional appropriations.