Caring for Former Rocky Flats Workers
In the decades following World War II, hundreds of thousands of Americans went to work to help build our nation's nuclear arsenal. Their service made it possible for us to win the Cold War. And like veterans of "hot" wars, they sacrificed for our freedom. Many of these workers were exposed to dangerous substances on the job - often without their knowledge. Among them were thousands of Coloradans who worked at the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, many of whom now suffer from beryllium disease, cancer, or other serious illnesses.
The government has recognized that these workers deserve to be compensated for their sacrifice. In 2000, Congress passed the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA) to compensate sick nuclear weapons workers and certain survivors. But, simply put, the program is not working the way it was intended. While many people have received benefits, too many have faced incredible obstacles as they try to demonstrate that they qualify. More than nine years after enactment, many workers have died without receiving the health care or compensation they deserve. Others are still struggling with bureaucratic delays, years after they first applied for benefits.
Among those workers was Charlie Wolf, an engineer who worked at a number of nuclear weapons facilities including Rocky Flats. Charlie battled brain cancer for more than six years - all along, struggling with the federal government for the compensation he deserved. Sadly, Charlie died earlier this year, but his family has continued the fight to get the benefits they were promised.
What's most unfortunate is that Charlie's situation is not isolated or unusual. Too many former workers like him have been subjected to repeated delays, lost records, complex exposure formulas, and other roadblocks as they applied for benefits under the EEOICPA program. It is unacceptable that these workers - who sacrificed for our freedom - have to fight the government to get compensation for illnesses they developed on the job. And that's why I've introduced the "Charlie Wolf Nuclear Workers Compensation Act" (S.757) - to help workers cut through the red tape. The Charlie Wolf Act expands the category of individuals eligible for compensation, improves the procedures for providing compensation and transparency, and grants the Office of the Ombudsman greater authority to help workers, among other provisions.
But I'm also working with my colleagues in Congress as well as the Obama Administration to try to improve the system for workers. In meetings with Labor Secretary Hilda Solis and Energy Secretary Steven Chu, I've shared the stories of Charlie Wolf and workers like him, and talked about potential actions the agencies could take to help sick workers through the process of applying for compensation. And I'll keep fighting until the compensation system works the way we intended it to.
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Charlie Wolf Nuclear Workers Compensation Act
I Introduced the Charlie Wolf Nuclear Workers Compensation Act to improve a program designed to compensate workers who became ill because of their work at Rocky Flats and other nuclear weapons sites. Named for Charlie Wolf, a former Rocky Flats employee who developed brain cancer related to his work at the site, the bill would make important changes to reduce the bureaucracy in the program and expand the list of cancers for which individuals are eligible to receive compensation.