Ailing Energy Workers May Be Eligible For Compensation
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (AP) — Employees who worked at what is now the U.S. Department of Energy office in Grand Junction could be eligible for compensation if they suffer from illnesses related to radiation exposure.
The U.S. Department of Labor has added some employees and subcontractors who worked at the facility between 1975 and 1985 to a special group eligible for compensation.
Officials say people suffering from one of 22 specified illnesses can be eligible if they worked at least 250 days.
A person who is suffering from one or more of the illnesses could be paid as much as $400,000. Surviving spouses and children could be awarded as much as $325,000.
The facility was previously operated by the Atomic Energy Commission. Through 1975, it sampled and tested 347 million pounds of uranium concentrates.
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