[CPEO-MEF] Feds to help nuclear workers get compensation from states

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Feds to help nuclear workers get compensation from states

DOE reverses longstanding policy, vows to seek aid for 12,000 nationwide

By  Mike Soraghan
Denver Post Washington Bureau

Friday, August 09, 2002 - WASHINGTON - The federal government will help 
nuclear weapons workers sickened by exposure to toxic chemicals at 
facilities such as Colorado's Rocky Flats try to get state workers' 
compensation benefits, the Department of Energy announced Thursday.

The Bush administration reversed a previous proposal that would have 
helped government contractors contest such injury claims. Energy 
Secretary Spencer Abraham said the federal government has an obligation 
to the employees of companies it contracted to help build weapons for 
the Cold War.

"Employees of DOE contractors have performed important work for their 
country," Abraham said.

Most of the workers affected live in states with large DOE facilities, 
such as Colorado, California, Kentucky, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, South 
Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Washington.

The move, a deviation from decades of DOE policy, could affect more than 
12,000 workers nationwide. DOE spokesman Joe Davis did not return calls 
about how many Colorado employees might be affected or how much it will 
cost. State workers' compensation officials said they couldn't 
immediately estimate the number of people who might be eligible for 
benefits.

This article can be viewed in its entirety at:
http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36%257E53%257E783380%257E,00.html

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