United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Health, Education, and Human Services Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2000-01-28 monographic deposited born digital 28 p. GA 1.13:HEHS-00-32 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-00-32 P0b002ee1803a5428 f:he00032 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-HEHS-00-32 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-HEHS-00-32 HEHS-00-32 Radiation safety Radiation exposure hazards Nuclear radiation monitoring Nuclear weapons testing Veterans disability compensation Veterans benefits Military benefits claims Atomic energy defense activities Data collection DOD Exercise Desert Rock VII Marshall Islands Operation Plumbob Letter Report HEHS Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the validity of dose reconstruction as a tool for determining veterans' eligibility for benefits, focusing on: (1) reviewing studies that assessed the validity of dose reconstruction for estimating veterans' radiation exposure and discussing the issue with experts in the field and other knowledgeable individuals; (2) determining what activities are in place to oversee the dose reconstruction process; and (3) examining alternatives for deciding veterans' claims for compensation related to radiation exposure.<p/>GAO noted that: (1) some veterans, veterans' organizations, and experts GAO talked with do not have confidence in the Department of Defense's (DOD) dose reconstruction program; (2) they question the completeness of DOD's data and methodology and believe the DOD's involvement in estimating radiation doses from exposure to tests for which it was responsible presents a conflict of interest; (3) however, independent studies by the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine have validated the dose reconstruction process that DOD uses for deciding radiation claims; (4) these studies point out that DOD's reconstruction process tends to overestimate both external and internal does--an outcome that would increase the likelihood that a claim would be decided in a veteran's favor; (5) DOD conducted separate studies to determine the accuracy of dose reconstruction and found that the external radiation dose estimates obtained through reconstruction methods were about the same as the readings directly measured by film badges worn by other participants at the same tests; (6) some experts interviewed, including Health Physics Society representatives, also support the use of dose reconstruction for claims decisions; (7) although studies appear to validate DOD's dose reconstruction program for deciding claims, the agency is not providing for independent oversight of the program; (8) the Institute of Medicine has been critical of the program's lack of quality control, including the lack of a peer review process; (9) the National Research Council has also suggested that dose reconstruction be reviewed, or subjected to peer review, by outside independent scientists; (10) a VA official told GAO it was not VA's responsibility to establish a process to oversee a DOD program; (11) a DOD official explained that there had been no direct recommendation to DOD for a peer review process and the program did not include one when it was designed; (12) GAO did not identify any better alternatives available for deciding claims that dose reconstruction; (13) some suggest expanding the list of presumptive diseases as an alternative to dose reconstruction; and (14) others favor adding all human cancers to the list, but some experts, including officials at the National Cancer Institute, find little or no evidence that would link many cancers to relatively low levels of radiation, such as those levels to which most veterans were exposed. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-00-32/html/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-00-32.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-00-32/pdf/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-00-32.pdf GAO/HEHS-00-32 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-00-32 Letter Report GAO/HEHS-00-32; Veterans' Benefits: Independent Review Could Improve; Radiation safety Radiation exposure hazards Nuclear radiation monitoring Nuclear weapons testing Veterans disability compensation Veterans benefits Military benefits claims Atomic energy defense activities Data collection DOD Exercise Desert Rock VII Marshall Islands Operation Plumbob