WASHINGTON: The White House has restored an advisory board crucial for approving medical claims from nuclear weapons workers with high radiation exposure.
This board was previously suspended by the Department of Health and Human Services in January.
Eligible workers at US Department of Energy and Defense nuclear sites can receive a $150,000 lump-sum payment and medical insurance.
They must demonstrate their diagnosed cancers are linked to high radiation exposure during employment.
The restoration occurred through a White House executive order extending nearly two dozen federal advisory committees.
These committees, including the HHS Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health, will continue until at least September 30, 2027.
The radiation and worker health board was scheduled to expire on Tuesday.
Thousands of sick workers who built and maintain the US nuclear arsenal had their claims stalled when HHS suspended the board earlier this year.
This board reviews compensation and medical coverage claims for affected nuclear workers.
Tuesday’s order brought relief to nuclear workers continuing their fight for compensation.
“I have tears in my eyes thinking of everyone and how much help and hope it gives them,“ said Debbie Jordan, a former Missouri nuclear worker and pancreatic cancer survivor.
Jordan worked at the Hematite Westinghouse nuclear fuel site from 1981 to 2001.
Her petition had been held up by the board suspension.
Congressional staffers had been pressing the White House to restore the board, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Over 700,000 people have worked in the US nuclear weapons complex since the Cold War era.
These workers mined, transported and processed radioactive materials for military and civilian nuclear programs.
They worked across 380 sites throughout the country.
US presidents appoint medical specialists, scientists and former workers to the review board.
This board provides unbiased analysis of compensation petitions from affected nuclear workers. – Reuters