March 2005, the IAAP petition had not been officially recognized by the USHHS Secretary according to Senator Tom Harkin. The majority of the IAAP claims were originally dismissed because the claimants were unable to produce medical records to verify their qualified disease. Currently, the USDOL seems to have deleted all references to their so-deemed “precedential” IAAP Final Adjudication Board “decisions” that were once posted at their WEB site.
Senator Grassley’s testimony (EXHIBIT 14) before the Energy and Natural Resources Senate Committee March 30, 2004, during a budget debate.
URL internet location: http://energy.senate.gov/hearings/testimony.cfm?id=1106&wit_id=3220
EXCERPT: “I have a personal interest in this because hundreds of
patriotic Iowans worked at the Army Ammunition Plant in near Burlington for decades. Nothing can make up for the illnesses these workers developed because they were exposed to toxic substances without their knowledge or consent. Today they wear their battle scars in the form of illness and disease. These patriots served on the nation’s home-front during the Cold War, putting themselves at risk in the ultra-hazardous work of building nuclear weapons. The least our government can do is try to compensate them, compensate them quickly, and compensate them before they die. . . .the Senate unanimously passed the resolution, which called for improvements in the program in four areas. First, claims should be promptly, equitably, and efficiently compensated. Second, Changes should be made to the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act to improve claims processing and review by physicians panels to ensure cost- effective and efficient consideration and determination of workers' claims. Third, Changes should be made to the program to provide for membership in additional special exposure cohorts. Fourth, a plan must be made at the earliest opportunity to effectively resolve the issues dealing with a lack of a willing payer. We can’t afford to wait around any longer. This problem is not going to go away. but the “patriots” who served on the home-front of the Cold War are dying off. We need to do what we can to help as many as we can before it’s too late.”* * * * * * * * * *
About the USDOE’s Navy contractor employees’ — Science and Engineering Associates (SEA) — inflated salaries that Senator Grassley disclosed by his testimony. Reportedly, the USDOE / illegally procured contractor squandered about $95 to $111 million dollars to manage paperwork until they were
“ousted” from the process.
EXCERPT: “SEA is billing the government $90.51 an hour for nurse’s
work, or about $181,000 a year. But their counterparts at the 