Getting Started

GETTING STARTED

Applying for benefits or taking advantage of the ones that you have under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA) is easy. Following are the most common questions that people have about getting started.

What if I am not sick with an illness that qualifies but I am a former employee, current employee or a contractor at a Department of Energy (U.S. DOE) facility? Or I work in the uranium industry?

1. Contact one of the medical screening programs and begin the free screening process. This is important to make sure you really are not sick or to identify any possible illness at its earliest point of detection.
   
2. Put together all of your work records, which need to include:
   • Your work history
   • Your job titles
   • The names of the buildings in which you worked
   • Copies of radiation exposure records
3. To keep up-to-date on the most recent changes and new information about EEOICPA, we encourage you to join Cold War Patriots (CWP). Membership is free and you can sign up here.

I think I have an illness that may be from my exposure at work to radioactive or toxic substances. I haven’t filed an EEOICPA claim before, what do I do?

1. Put together all of your health records that document the illness for which you’ve been diagnosed.
   
2. Contact the Resource Center so that they can answer any questions you may have and help you file an EEOICPA or RECA claim.
3. Put together all of your work records, which need to include:
   • Your work history
   • Your job titles
   • The names of the buildings in which you worked
   • Copies of radiation exposure records
     

I filed a claim in the past and was denied. Is there anything I can do to reapply for benefits?

1. Find out if the facility in which you work has become an SEC site since your last application.
   • If your former site is now on the SEC list, have you been diagnosed with one of the 22 radiogenic SEC cancers?
   • If so, did you work at the site for at least 250 days during the SEC time frame?
   • If you answered yes to the above questions, you may be eligible for benefits. The next step is to refile your claim with the U.S. DOL Resource Center.
     
2. Review the reason(s) why your original claim was denied. Understand if anything with your situation has changed.
   • Has anything changed with your health?
   • Do you have a new, possibly qualifying illness now?
     
3. Consider retaining an advocate to review your denied claim. They can provide recommendations and help you understand if you need to do anything else to re-open your claim.

What if I received my Part B or Part E benefit already? Is there anything else I should do?

1. If you are diagnosed with new illnesses, contact the U.S. DOL Resource Center to see if they could be caused by your workplace exposure
   
2. If you have received a new diagnosis for any illnesses that are not directly linked to your workplace exposure, still have a healthcare professional determine if they could have come from your original qualifying illness. These may include a new diagnosis due to:
   • The original illness, for instance, if you are now diagnosed with congestive heart failure, but that was caused by your original respiratory illness.
   • Treatment of your original illness, for instance, if you are recently diagnosed with diabetes, but that came from a prescribed steroidal medication for your original respiratory illness.
     
3. File for impairment for your qualifying illnesses every two years, or if your health deteriorates.

What if I am widowed and my spouse worked at a U.S. DOE facility or uranium site?

1. Surviving spouses can file for Part B or Part E financial compensation:
   1. Part B awards $150,000
   2. Part E awards $125,000 plus any accrued loss in wages up to $50,000
      
2. Work history and medical records must be filed with the U.S. DOL Resource Center following the same process as for a living worker.
   
3. If the worker and spouse are both deceased, surviving children and further lineages may file for Part B benefits.

If you have other questions or would like to talk to someone, call the CWP Help Center at (888) 903-8989.