Advisory Board to Department of Labor to Meet in Augusta, GA

The Advisory Board on Toxic Substances and Worker Health will meet at the Augusta Marriott at the Convention Center, Two 10th Street, Augusta, GA 30901, April 24-25, 2019. 

Public comment session is on Wednesday, April 24, 2019 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Eastern time.  We urge the claimants and their families to attend this public comment session so that they can share any problems they face with Part E claim or Part B claims for lung conditions with the Board.  Department of Labor officials will be in attendance and this meeting will also provide an opportunity to share concerns about the changes in the program with the DOL officials.

The Advisory Board on Toxic Substances and Worker Health is responsible for advising the Secretary of Labor with respect to technical aspects of the EEOICPA program and comments with claims should be limited to:

• the site exposure matrices of the Department of Labor;
• medical guidance for claims examiners for claims under this subtitle with respect to the weighing of the medical evidence of claimants;
• evidentiary requirements for claims under subtitle B related to lung disease; and
• the work of industrial hygienists and staff physicians and consulting physicians of the Department and reports of such hygienists and physicians to ensure quality, objectivity, and consistency.

This Board is not responsible for advising on Part B cancer claims or the pending Special Exposure Cohort.

The Advisory Board will meet:

• Tuesday, April 23, 2019, for a fact-finding site visit to the Savannah River Site, accompanied by the Designated Federal Officer;
• Wednesday, April 23, 2019, from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Eastern time; and
• Thursday, April 24, 2019, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern time in Augusta, Georgia.

For those who cannot attend in person but still wish to listen to the discussions,

Steps	Wednesday (4/24)	Thursday (4/25)
1	Meeting starts at: 8:30am EST Call: 877-602-3905 Enter Code: 154 283 0#	Meeting starts at: 8:30am EST Call: 877-602-3905 Enter Code: 154 283 0#
2	Click on this Webex link: Join the meeting	Click on this Webex link: Join the meeting
3	When prompted, enter your name, & email address. The password is pre-filled, but if prompted use: AB2019Day1! Then click “Join Now”	When prompted, enter your name, & email address. The password is pre-filled, but if prompted use: AB2019Day2! Then click “Join Now”
4	When prompted, either click “Run” or download the Cisco WebEx app (make sure ad-blocking software is turned off).	When prompted, either click “Run” or download the Cisco WebEx app (make sure ad-blocking software is turned off).
5	At 4:30pm EST, there will be a public comment period and to participate in that process, hang up when directed by the Chair and call: 800-857-9862 and enter Code: 929 426 1# The public comment session will last for one hour and thirty minutes.	There is no public comment session scheduled for today.

**IF YOU ARE HAVING TROUBLE CONNECTING, please email us at [email protected]

Agenda: The tentative agenda for the Advisory Board meeting includes:

• Review and follow-up on Advisory Board’s previous recommendations, data requests, and action items;
• Discussions from Advisory Board working groups;
• Presumption for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease;
• Presumption for solvent-based hearing loss;
• Potential recommendation on Parkinson’s disease;
• Review of public comments;
• Review of Board tasks, structure and work agenda;
• Consideration of any new issues; and
• Public comments.

If you cannot attend the meeting in person or remotely but still wish to provide comments, those comments can be submitted prior to the meeting.  Requests to speak and submissions of materials for the record may be submitted by identifying the Advisory Board meeting, the Advisory Board name and the meeting date of April 24-25, 2019, by any of the following methods:

• Electronically: Send to: [email protected] (specify in the email subject line, for example “Request to Speak: Advisory Board on Toxic Substances and Worker Health”).
• Mail, express delivery, hand delivery, messenger, or courier service: Submit one copy to the following address: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs, Advisory Board on Toxic Substances and Worker Health, Room S-3522, 200 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20210.

If you want to address the Advisory Board at the meeting you should submit a request to speak, as well as any written or electronic presentation, by April 17, 2019, using one of the methods listed above Your request may include:

• The amount of time requested to speak;
• The interest you represent (g., business, organization, affiliation), if any; and
• A brief outline of the presentation.

It should be noted that the Advisory Board in the past never refused an individual from addressing the board if they did not sign up in advance.

Requests for special accommodations: Please submit requests for special accommodations to attend the Advisory Board meeting by email, telephone, or hard copy to Ms. Carrie Rhoads, OWCP, Room S-3524, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20210; telephone (202) 343-5580; email [email protected].