[CPEO-MEF] CA - DOE public mtg on sick worker compensation

[marylia@earthlink.net]

Dear peace and environmental colleagues:
I thought this information (below) from DOE on the Oakland, CA public
meeting Tuesday, June 19 on the compensation program for sick workers would
be of interest. If you are in California, you are urged to attend.
Tri-Valley CAREs will have a table there. If you want to send me a
statement to bring on your behalf, please email me today or early tomorrow
morning -- and I will do so. Sorry for the late notice, but DOE did not
informa us about the meeting until AFTER we had completed our June
newsletter.
Peace, Marylia

NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:
Charlene D. Pugh, Oakland Operations Office
Media Hotline:  510/637-1818

DOL/DOE PUBLIC MEETING ON ENERGY EMPLOYEES OCCUPATIONAL ILLNESS
COMPENSATION PROGRAM ACT

WHO:            U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Energy

WHAT:   Public meeting regarding the Energy Employees Occupational Illness
Compensation Program Act

WHERE:  Oakland Marriott City Center, 1001 Broadway, Oakland, CA.  Contact the
hotel at (510) 451-4000 or 800-228-9290 for directions.

WHEN:   Tuesday, June 19, 2001
Afternoon session - 1:00 p.m.
Evening session - 7:00 p.m.

WHY:            The purpose of the public meeting is to present information
on the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Program and give workers and
concerned citizens the opportunity to ask questions about the program and
the application/claims process.

Here is little background, provided by Charlene Pugh (DOE):

On December 7, 2000, former President Bill Clinton issued an Executive
Order titled "Nuclear Weapons Worker Compensation", which ordered the
Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Energy to develop and
implement actions under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness
Compensation Program Act. The purpose of the Act is to compensate workers
and their families who have developed disabling or fatal illnesses as a
result of exposure to beryllium, ionizing radiation, and other hazards
unique to nuclear weapons production and testing.

In response to this Executive Order, DOL and DOE officials will be
conducting Town Hall Meetings throughout the country. Oakland has been
selected to host the only meeting being held in California. The meeting
will take place on Tuesday, June 19, at the Oakland Marriott City Center.
The first meeting will be held at 1 p.m. and the second at 7 p.m. The
purpose of the meeting is to afford workers and family members the
opportunity to ask questions about the program and receive answers from DOL
officials. For example, did you know that children of nuclear weapons
workers are disqualified from the $150,000 in compensation if they turned
18 before the parent died, even though they were underage at the time the
parent got sick? These and other questions of this nature will be answered
during the meeting.

Please share this information with your employees, contractors, unions,
family, neighbors and friends who may be affected by this new law. We are
trying to ensure the word gets to current and former employees so if you
have space, please also include this information in your newsletter and
post it on your web site. Again, the Town Hall Meeting with DOL and DOE
officials will be held on Tuesday, June 19 at the Oakland Marriott City
Center. The first meeting will be held at 1 p.m. and the second at 7 p.m.
Please contact me if you plan to attend so I can get an estimated
attendance count. DOL/DOE has reserved the ballrooms at the Marriott, which
seats 300 comfortably so the more the merrier. My goal is to make everyone
who can benefit from this program aware of their rights. Also, contact me
if you require special accommodations.

Charlene

end



Marylia Kelley
Tri-Valley CAREs
(Communities Against a Radioactive Environment)
2582 Old First Street
Livermore, CA USA 94550

<http://www.igc.org/tvc/> - is our web site, please visit us there!

(925) 443-7148 - is our phone
(925) 443-0177 - is our fax

Working for peace, justice and a healthy environment since 1983, Tri-Valley
CAREs has been a member of the nation-wide Alliance for Nuclear
Accountability in the U.S. since 1989, and is a co-founding member of the
Abolition 2000 global network for the elimination of nuclear weapons, the
U.S. Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons and the Back From the Brink
campaign to get nuclear weapons taken off hair-trigger alert.


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