What is an EEOICPA Special Exposure Cohort?

In 2000 the U.S. Congress passed the EEOICPA, and provided for a Special Exposure Cohort (SEC) workers in certain plants (at the time it was only gaseous diffusion plants in Oak Ridge Tennessee, Portsmouth Ohio, and Paducah Kentucky, but X-10 or ORNL has now been added). The significance of the SEC designation is that an employee, or survivor of an employee, who worked at one of the designated SEC sites, for at least 250 working days, and has been diagnosed with at least one of the 22 specified cancers, is assumed to have contracted that cancer from radiation exposure during the performance of work at the SEC site. Employees, and their survivors, who are not members of an SEC, must have their radiation dose reconstructed to determine if radiation exposure was responsible for their cancer.

As a member of a SEC, an employee, or their survivor, does not have to endure the lengthy NIOSH dose reconstruction process, if they have been diagnosed with one of the 22 specified cancers. Those 22 specified cancers are:

1. Leukemia (other than chronic lymphocytic leukemia) provided that the onset of the disease was at least 2 years after first exposure;
2. Lung cancer (other than in situ lung cancer that is discovered during or after a post-mortem exam);
3. Bone cancer;
4. Renal cancers; or
5. The following diseases, provided onset was at least 5 years after first exposure:

(i) Multiple myeloma;

(ii) Lymphomas (other than Hodgkin’s disease); and

(iii) Primary cancer of the:

(A) Thyroid;

(B) Male or female breast;

(C) Esophagus;

(D) Stomach;

(E) Pharynx;

(F) Small intestine;

(G) Pancreas;

(H) Bile ducts;

(I) Gall bladder;

(J) Salivary gland;

(K) Urinary bladder;

(L) Brain;

(M) Colon;

(N) Ovary; or

(O) Liver (except if cirrhosis or hepatitis B is indicated).

If you need more information about a Social Security Disability/SSI, personal injury, EEOICPA, long or short-term disability, VA disability, Railroad Retirement Board disability, or a workers compensation matter, please contact the Law Offices of Tony Farmer and John Dreiser for a free case evaluation. We can be reached at (865) 584-1211 or (800) 806-4611 or through our website. Our office handles claims throughout East Tennessee, including Knoxville, Chattanooga, Kingsport, Bristol, Johnson City, Morristown, Maryville, Rogersville, Dandridge, Tazewell, New Tazewell, Jefferson City, Strawberry Plains, Sevierville, Gatlinburg, Loudon, Kingston, Halls, Maynardville, Crossville, Cookeville, Jamestown, Sweetwater, Lenoir City, Athens, Oak Ridge, Clinton, LaFollette, Lake City, Jacksboro, Bean Station, Cosby, Newport, White Pine, Mosheim, Wartburg, Sunbright, Pigeon Forge, and Deer Lodge.