[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 36 (Thursday, March 10, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E448-E449]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  EEOIPCA AMENDMENT ACT OF 2011 AND THE ENERGY EMPLOYEES OCCUPATIONAL 
          ILLNESS COMPENSATION PROGRAM IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2011

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ED WHITFIELD

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 10, 2011

  Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, today I join with my colleague, Rep. 
Jared Polis (D-CO-02) to introduce two important pieces of legislation, 
the EEOIPCA Amendment Act of 2011 and the Energy Employees Occupational 
Illness Compensation Program Improvement Act of 2011, which will help 
ensure former employees at certain Department of Energy sites receive 
the benefits and care they are due while also bringing transparency and 
oversight to the program charged with administering compensation.
  During the Cold War, thousands of workers employed in the nation's 
atomic weapons programs were exposed to radioactive and toxic 
substances. For this reason, Congress passed the Energy Employees 
Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA) in 2000 to 
provide compensation to employees who have become ill as a result of 
work at atomic weapons facilities. Individuals, or their eligible 
survivors, who worked as an employee, contractor, or subcontractor at 
certain Department of Energy facilities may be eligible for 
compensation in the form of lump sum payments and medical expenses. Yet 
all too often workers and surviving family members, such as those in my 
Congressional District,

[[Page E449]]

run into challenges when weaving through the federal government maze to 
claim the benefits they deserve.
  The EEOIPCA Amendment Act is based upon a recent study by the 
Government Accountability Office (GAO) on how best to improve the 
EEOICPA program. Specifically, this legislation will require the 
President to establish and appoint an advisory board on toxic 
substances and worker health responsible for overseeing a portion of 
the original EEOICPA legislation known as ``Part E.'' The Part E 
program provides eligible employees with compensation payments of up to 
$250,000, plus medical expenses for health conditions as a result of 
having been exposed to toxic substances while working for DOE. Further, 
the Ombudsman for the Department of Labor will be required to provide 
an annual report to Congress on the program and make the report 
available to the public online.
  The second bill we introduce today, the Energy Employees Occupational 
Illness Compensation Program Improvement Act of 2011, will amend Part E 
of the EEOICPA program to allow survivors of family members who file 
claims under Part E but who pass away before their claims are approved 
to receive the full benefit that would have been awarded to the 
claimant, rather than a lesser survivor's benefit. This bill will 
correct the sort of inequity in the case of a Kentucky resident who 
passed away from complications sustained while working for DOE and 
whose claim was approved just days after his death.
  The EEOIPCA Amendment Act of 2011 and the Energy Employees 
Occupational Illness Compensation Program Improvement Act of 2011 are 
two important pieces of legislation that will improve the efficiency 
and effectiveness of EEOICPA and, in turn, help ensure workers and 
their families receive just compensation in a timely manner.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting these two bills and to 
push for swift passage in the House.

                          ____________________