Click on the star icon and icon to review the possible reason for the origin of the "pig" reference. . . a symbolic jester by President George W. Bush and his Administrators that evolved from their "creative minds."
— a new GAO report on existing "Federal Compensation Programs" finds major problems in funding
shortfalls and delays for victims that will likely befall the proposed asbestos trust fund.
EXCERPTS: "Although we did not independently assess the accuracy of the data
obtained from the federal agencies, we determined the reliability of the data by
interviewing knowledgeable agency officials regarding the completeness and accuracy of
administrative data, reviewing related documentation, and obtaining assurances that the
agencies conducted tests of the data for omissions and errors. We determined that the
data were sufficiently reliable to meet the objectives of this engagement. Our
work was conducted from June to October 2005 in accordancewith generally
accepted government auditing standards.
In summary, we found that all four programs were designed to compensate individuals
injured by exposure to harmful substances. However, their design, the agencies
that administer them, their financing mechanisms, benefits paid, and
eligibility criteria, including their standards of proof (the evidence claimants
must provide to support their claims), differ significantly."
The GAO report warned that, "Policymakers must carefully consider the cost and precedent-setting implications of establishing any new federal compensation programs, particularly in light of the current
federal deficit." The GAO surveyed the claims and financial history of four compensation programs
through the end of fiscal year 2004. The programs reviewed were the Black Lung Program, the Vaccine
Injury Compensation Program (VICP), the Radiation Exposure Compensation Program (RECP), and the
Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program (EEOICP). The GAO concluded that in
all four programs, there have been far more claims than originally estimated for each program. In fact
the Black Lung program has cost U.S. taxpayers at least $38 billion more than expected. Significant
delays in completing claims for victims occurred in all four programs. It took at least two years for all
four programs to become fully operational once enabling legislation was enacted. Programs have been
expanded "to provide eligibility to additional categories of claimants, cover more medical conditions, or
provide additional benefits." See "Federal Compensation Programs; Perspectives on Four Programs;"
the Government Accountability Office; November 18, 2005. ITEM 2 — Common Dreams Progessive
See CDC - NIOSH EXHIBIT: NIOSH International Conference on U.S. "Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program: Adjudication of Radiation-related Cancer Claims Utilizing Dose Reconstruction and Probability of Causation Procedures" . . . Geneva, Switzerland August 26 - 30, 2002. See also RefEX site start Pg1, Item 9.
Key EXCERPTS:
"The HHS regulation on dose reconstruction uses methods similar to those applied
to the DTRA (U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency). These methods are based
on standard approaches of this research field but achieve efficiency by substituting
scientific, reasonable, and fair assumptions in the place of extensive data collection. The trade-off of reduced precision of dose estimatesfor increased processing
efficiency is essential for an effective compensation program, since claimants cannot await the months to years of data collection that a dose reconstruction might otherwise require, if conducted for the purpose of research."
"Of final note on the content of the HHS rules, both include provisions that
allow NIOSH to update scientific elements of the guidelines and methods
without the promulgation of revised rules."
"We expect at some point in these regulations may face legal challenges,
based on procedural and substantive grounds. Legal challenges are unlikely
to occur before DOL renders final decisions denying cancer claims for which dose
"The loss of this program’s credibility, in large part, lays at the feet of individuals at senior levels in the Labor Department. Indications are that those officials have been constantly sounding alarms that Special Cohort approvals were going to open a floodgate of benefit costs. When NIOSH and the Advisory Board initiated approval of a SEC for the Mallinckrodt plant in St. Louis, it was asserted that the precedent set by that approval would cause a flood of similar SEC applications from sites throughout the weapons complex, threaten the stability of Part B of the program, and possibly cause a $7 billion increase in program costs over 10 years. . .
We as a government are to blame, and unlike some involved in this program, we should step up and take responsibility for what has happened with integrity and purpose. Pinching pennies never looked so inappropriate as it does when addressing the plight of these workers. Those who have made it their mission to use any method possible to justify denial of assistance to these workers should be ashamed of themselves. We should ensure this program works as it should in acknowledging the harm this Government potentially caused these workers without their knowledge, so as a Government, we can take pride in that acknowledgment. "
RexEXs Pg6 . . . Gov Exec: Report shows little progress reducing case backlog at Office of Special Counsel (OSC) . . . 11-09-06
EXCERPT: "But after starting 2005 with an inventory of 524 cases to resolve, OSC finished
the year with almost as many -- 521 cases -- to be passed along. " --by Jenny Mandel
5-13-07 Part B & E combined claims / cases: 146,124 (claims) + 103,797 (cases) = 249,921 Total
USDOL designated Part B claims / cases: 82,510 + 57,281 = 139,791
USDOL designated Part E claims / cases: 63,497 + 46,468 = 109,965
Equation: 139,791 + 109,965 = 249,756
Equation: 249,756 - 249,921 = 165 Total difference
5-23-07 Part B & Part E combined claims / cases: 146,620 (claims) + 104,098 (cases) = 250,718 Total
USDOL designated Part B claims / cases: 82,797 + 57,434 = 140,231
USDOL designated Part E claims / cases: 63,823 + 46,664 = 110,487
Equation: 140,231 + 110,487 = 250,718
Equation: 250,718 - 250,718 = 0 Total difference
US DEPARTMENT OF LABOR'S PROGRAM STATISTICS
May 13, 2007 & May 14, 2007
Part B & E Combined
ClaimsCasesTotal Paid Amount
146,124 (5-13-07) 103,797$2,635,893,718
146,620 (5-23-07) 104,098$2,655,345,652
Paid
29,892 (5-13-07) 21,670
Medical Cost Paid
$144,834,550 (5-13-07)
$145,790,644 (5-23-07)
Part B
ClaimsCasesTotal Paid Amount
82,510 (5-13-07) 57,281 $1,976,085,451
82,972 (5-14-07)57,304
82,797 (5-23-07) 57,434 $1,986,244,499
Paid
24,327 (5-13-07) 16,357
24,327 (5-14-07)16,357
24,455 (5-23-07) 16,437
Denied
35,719 (5-13-07)27,947
35,741 (5-14-07)27,961
35,879 (5-23-07)28,047
Part E
ClaimsCasesTotal Paid Amount
63,497 (5-13-07)46,468 $659,808,267
63,552 (5-14-07)46,493 $659,808,267
63,823 (5-23-07)46,664 $669,101,153
Paid
5,565 (5-13-07) 5,313
5,565 (5-14-07) 5,313
5,659 (5-23-07) 5,401
Denied
25,789 (5-13-07)16,209
35,741 (5-14-07)16,357
26,462(5-23-07)16,687
HANFORD
May 13, 2007 & May 14, 2007
Part B & E Combined
ClaimsCasesTotal Paid Amount
10,551 (5-14-07) 7,517 $125,478,546
10,593 (5-23-07) 7,545 $126,306,046
Paid
1,187 (5-14-07) 892
1,195 (5-23-07) 898
Part B
ClaimsCasesTotal Paid Amount
5,628 (5-13-07) 3,767 $90,585,357
5,629 (5-14-07) 3,767 $90,585,357
5,643 (5-23-07) 3,776 $91,065,357
Paid
885 (5-13-07) 608
885 (5-14-07) 608
889 (5-23-07) 611
Denied
3,019 (5-13-07) 2,218
3,022 (5-14-07)2,220
3,371 (5-23-07)2,430
Part E
ClaimsCasesTotal Paid Amount
4,921 (5-13-07) 3,750 $34,893,189
4,922 (5-14-07) 3,750 $34,893,189
4,950 (5-23-07) 3,769 $35,240,689
Paid
302 (5-13-07) 284
302 (5-14-07) 284
306 (5-23-07) 287
Denied
1,965 (5-13-07)1,338
1,976 (4-14-07) 1,347
2,037 (5-23-07)1,396
Crucial Rocky Flats "Special Exposure Cohort" petitions denied by current US President George W. Bush's Advisory Board on Radiation and Workers' Health. . .another "Energy Employees Occupational Illness Program" scandal.
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Everyone Dies
Saturday, May 5 at 12:01 AM
"It remains a mystery to me why the federal government will not accept the disdability claims of our Cold Warriors. The men and women who built the atomic weapons were as much soldiers in our global struggle as the troops in uniform. Shame on us for abandoning them."
Thousands of Nuclear Arms Workers See Cancer Claims Denied or Delayed; by Michael Alison Chandler and Joby Warrick . . . Washington Post Staff Writers . . . Saturday, May 12, 2007; Page A01
5-12-07. . .Where did the Washington Post media get there contrardictory program statistic
information?
EXCERPT: "Yet, of the 72,000 cases processed, more than 60 percent have been denied.
Thousands of other applicants have been waiting for years for an answer. Overall, only
21 percent of applicants have received checks. Even as the nation continues to close and
dismantle many nuclear weapons sites, a growing number of those who helped build the
bombs are turning to lawyers and legislators to argue they are being treated unfairly."
Why GAO Did This Study . . . Highlights Accountability Integrity Reliability
Highlights of GAO-07-233T, a testimony before the Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and Claims, Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives
December 5, 2006
ENERGY EMPLOYEES COMPENSATION
GAO’s Prior Work Has Identified Needed Improvements in Various Aspects of the Program
The Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA) was enacted in 2000 to compensate Department of Energy employees and contractors who developed work-related illnesses such as cancer and lung disease. Energy administered Subtitle D of the program. Subtitle B of the program is administered by the Department of Labor, which uses estimates of workers’ likely radiation exposure to make compensation decisions. The estimates, known as dose reconstructions, are performed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The act specified that the President establish an Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health to review the scientific validity of NIOSH’s dose reconstructions and recommend whether workers should be part of special exposure cohorts whose claimants can be compensated without dose reconstructions. A recent memorandum from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to Labor has raised concern about potential efforts to unduly contain the cost of benefits paid to claimants. This testimony presents GAO’s past work on program performance and the work of the advisory board. It also highlights GAO’s ongoing work relevant to issues raised by the OMB memorandum. GAO interviewed key officials and reviewed contract and other agency documents.
To view the full product, click on the link above. For more information, contact Daniel Bertoni at (202) 512-7215 or bertonid@gao.gov.
(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. The National Nuclear Victims for Justice (NNVJ) has no affiliation whatsoever with the originators of the articles nor is NNVJ endorsed or sponsored by the originators.) URL: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
"Go to Original" links are provided as a convenience to my readers and allow for verification of authenticity. However, as originating pages are often updated by their originating host sites, the versions posted on "TO" may not match the versions our readers view when clicking the "Go to Original" links.
"The GAO concluded its report on federal compensation programs with this advice: '[B]ecause 
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