Department of Energy Support to the 

Energy Employees Occupational Illness 

Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA)

Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security

August 2020
COVID-19 Update

• The DOE EEOICPA Operations have been significantly 

impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic since mid March

• DOE has been doing everything we can to respond to both 

individual records requests and records research projects

• Depending on location, many DOE sites still in a “maximum 

telework” situation where all but essential employees are 

teleworking

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COVID-19 Update

(cont.)

• Site status is determined individually at each site and depends 

primarily on the COVID rate and trends in that area, but there 

are other factors as well. These are site wide decisions, and 

the DOE Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security 

does not have direct input into these decisions

• Backlogs at many DOE sites and we will be doing everything 

we can to complete all requests once sites have staffing levels 

back to normal

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COVID-19 Update

(cont.)

The ability of the DOE sites to respond to records requests 

varies widely by the site. Factors include:

• Are key staff onsite (Medical, Rad, IH, HR, Record)

• If not onsite, can these groups search and access their 

records remotely 

– In some cases, if the collections can be searched 

remotely, sites are able to send limited staff on site to 

pull hard copy records (paper, microfilm, etc.). 

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COVID-19 Update

(cont.)

• Some DOE sites rely heavily on Federal Records Centers, and 

most of those have been closed or at a very reduced capacity 

(less than 20%) since the start of the pandemic

• Do sites have enough classification reviewers onsite (this is 

more relevant for site research projects but can sometimes 

impact individual claims)

5
DOE’s Core Mandate

Work on behalf of the program claimants to 

ensure that all available worker and facility 

records and data are provided to DOL, NIOSH, 

and the Advisory Board.

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DOE Responsibilities

• Respond via the SERT system to DOL and NIOSH 

requests for information related to individual claims 

(employment verification, exposure records).

• Provide support and assistance to DOL, NIOSH, and 

Advisory Board on large-scale research and site 

characterization projects through records research and 

retrieval efforts at various DOE sites. 

• Conduct research, in coordination with DOL and 

NIOSH, on issues related to covered facilities 

designations.

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Individual Records

• Claimants often worked at multiple DOE sites, for multiple 

contractors and subcontractors, and in different jobs or 

divisions over a career. 

• For a typical request for a worker’s records, DOE may have 

to go to many different site departments and within those 

departments many different records sources or databases. 

• For example, one DOE site routinely checks approximately 

40 different sources for responsive records, including 

hardcopy paper records, microfilm, microfiche, databases, 

and scanned electronic records. 

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Large-Scale

Research Projects

• Large-scale research projects are driven by the needs of DOL 

and NIOSH. 

• DOE accommodates all requests.

• These projects can take years. 

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Document Reviews

• DOE committed to providing documents to NIOSH, DOL, and 

the Advisory Board, but must do so in a responsible manner.

• DOE HQ reviews NIOSH generated reports but DOE field sites 

review the DOE source documents

– The average turnaround time for reports reviewed at DOE HQ is 

typically about 8 workdays. (but there are fewer reports and 

they are typically shorter)

– The turnaround time for source documents reviewed in the field 

can vary considerably because there can be hundreds of 

documents requested and thousands of pages to review. 

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Facility Research

Research and maintain the Covered Facilities Database

• Database of over 300 facilities covered under EEOICPA. This 

includes DOE facilities, AWEs and Beryllium Vendors whose 

employees are eligible for benefits under EEOICP.

• Full listing can be found at:

https://ehss.energy.gov/Search/Facility/findfacility.aspx

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Former Worker Medical 

Screening Program

• Mission: To identify and notify former workers at risk for 

occupational disease and offer them medical screening that 

can lead to treatment.

• Program now serves all former workers from all DOE sites in 

locations close to their residences.

• Published an annual report.

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Former Worker 

Program

FWP website: 

• http://energy.gov/ehss/services/worker-health-andsafety/former-worker-medical-screening-program

FWP brochure: 

• http://energy.gov/ehss/downloads/former-worker-medicalscreening-program-brochure

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Questions?

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