Wednesday, May 10, 2000
Nuclear workers aid plan offered
By Derrick DePledge
Enquirer Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON — Sen. George Voinovich said Tuesday that nuclear weapons workers exposed to radiation or other dangerous materials should be eligible for federal workers' compensation and health care coverage.
In a proposal that goes beyond what the Clinton administration suggested last month, Mr. Voinovich, R-Ohio, said workers who became ill at Department of Energy nuclear weapons facilities should be able to choose between federal workers' compensation or $200,000 lump-sum payments.
A similar bill by Reps. Ted Strickland, D-Lucasville, and Ed Whitfield, R-Ky., would provide sick workers with lifetime medical coverage.
The Energy Department has proposed $100,000 lump-sum payments or medical benefits, a portion of lost wages and job training.
Thousands of workers may have been exposed to radiation or toxic materials as the nation armed for the Cold War. The federal government has only recently acknowledged that some workers were unknowingly put at risk or were told not to worry about possible health hazards.
“Sadly, because of the government's stonewalling and denial of responsibility, the only way many of these employees believe they will ever receive proper restitution for what the government has done is to file a lawsuit against the Department of Energy or its contractors,” Mr. Voinovich said.
“That should not have to happen, and it is my hope that this legislation will preclude any perceived need for such lawsuits.”
Workers at the Feed Materials Production Center at Fernald, just outside Cincinnati, sued the federal government and reached a $15 million settlement that contains a pledge of lifetime medical monitoring. Neighbors around Fernald, a former uranium processing facility, won a $78 million settlement with the government that also includes medical testing.
Along with Fernald, workers at the Mound Plant in Dayton and the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Piketon would be potentially eligible for government assistance.
Mr. Voinovich would provide workers who became ill from radiation or beryllium, a compound used on warheads, with compensation at rates set by the Federal Employees Compensation Act — or about two-thirds of six years' worth of wages and health care coverage. Workers could opt for $200,000 lump-sum payments.
The Department of Health and Human Services also would be required to form a panel of doctors to evaluate worker claims of other illnesses related to nuclear weapons facilities.
Mr. Strickland and Mr. Whitfield's legislation would grant lifetime medical coverage to workers sick from contact with radiation, beryllium or other dangerous materials. Workers also could choose $200,000 lump-sum payments.
“My test is simple: If a worker was made ill by dangerous materials at any (Energy Department) facility, they deserve full and fair compensation from the United States government,” Mr. Strickland said. “It is time for the government to stop offering half measures. It is time to do right for these Cold War warriors.”
The Clinton administration's admission that some workers were harmed makes it likely that Congress and the White House eventually will approve some form of compensation. But lawmakers may not have the time or inclination to act before the end of this election-year session.
“I'm sure on the part of some lawmakers there would be a concern if the (compensation) was $100,” Mr. Strickland said. “But it's the right thing to do.”
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