Justification for change

Justification for Change

Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act Dose Reconstruction Interviews and Forms (OMB No. 0920-0530)

The Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 (EEOICPA), Public Law 106-398, 114 Stat. 1654, 1654A-1231 (October 30, 2000), established a compensation program to provide a lump sum payment of $150,000 and medical benefits as compensation to covered employees suffering from designated illnesses incurred as a result of their exposure to radiation, beryllium, or silica while in the performance of duty for the Department of Energy and certain of its vendors, contractors and subcontractors. This legislation also provided for payment of compensation for certain survivors of these covered employees.

EEOICPA instructed the President to designate one or more Federal Agencies to carry out the compensation program. Accordingly, the President issued Executive Order 13179 (“Providing Compensation to America’s Nuclear Weapons Workers”) on December 7, 2000 (65 FR 77487), assigning primary responsibility for administration of the compensation program to the Department of Labor (DOL). The executive order also directed the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to perform several technical and policymaking roles in support of the DOL program, and established the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health (“the Board”) to provide advice to the Secretary, HHS on certain matters.

The Board, with support from the Office of Compensation, Analysis and Support, NIOSH, CDC, and contractors, has undertaken a number of activities, including a review of several of the procedures used by NIOSH. Among the procedures reviewed by the Board was the process used to interview claimants, including the text of the telephone questionnaire. NIOSH invited the Board to comment on the questionnaire, and the Board proposed several changes in the questionnaire that the Board felt would make it easier for the claimants to understand, and improve the usefulness of the data that was collected. NIOSH has accepted these recommendations with minor adaptations and additions, and proposes to modify the questionnaire slightly by rephrasing certain questions, and adding additional clarifying questions in certain sections. These proposed changes are shown in the attached document.

There is no change in the number of respondents or burden hours.