Nuclear workers' searing cry for help

The Rocky

Saturday, July 26, 2008

The U.S. Department of Labor, if you can believe it, refused to talk to Rocky Mountain News reporter Laura Frank during the investigation that led to this week's series Deadly Denial - her description of grotesque red tape and foot-dragging inflicted upon those who once built nuclear arms for this country and who have been struck down since with terrible diseases.

Imagine: Although tens of thousands of former Rocky Flats workers toiled for years amid some of the most dangerous substances in the world, the government won't even deign to defend how it treats them when a major media outlet in their area comes calling.

Since Labor officials won't talk to the Rocky directly, we can only react to the sole official defense of the department's conduct that has been forthcoming at all. It is easily disposed of. Officials say they've paid out more money to more workers or their survivors - $4 billion and 42,000, respectively - than even the architects of the policy in the Clinton administration anticipated.

Please. Expectations from eight years ago have been exceeded in part because forecasts were intentionally lowballed. What better way to keep Congress from gagging on the cost and thus refusing to pass the program? Everyone in the know realized the figures would be higher - and yet even they weren't prepared for the flood of former workers who turned out to be sick or dying.

Never mind how many people have been awarded the promised money. The more important figure is how many have not been compensated, namely three of four sick workers or their survivors, according to the Labor Department's own statistics.

Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar this week proposed legislation to streamline the claims process as well as open records to victims and provide them with vital assistance. The bill is an excellent start, but it doesn't go far enough. In fact, it can't go far enough.

Dying workers are in some cases being treated like greedy pests by the federal bureaucracy not only because the law is flawed, but because the bureaucrats in charge - and we do not say this lightly - want it that way. The law never required that claimants be treated with stonewalling, midstream rule changes and arbitrary delays. It actually envisioned a process in which claimants were guided through the paperwork - one that granted them the benefit of the doubt rather than withheld it.

In other words, an adversarial culture within the Labor Department is even more at fault than the law, and will only change through top-down direction. Unfortunately, that appears unlikely for a few months at least, until a new administration arrives in Washington. Yet such a change should be the highest priority of the next labor secretary.

In the meantime, Salazar should beat the bushes on behalf of his proposal, which includes expanding the list of cancers for which victims don't have to jump through hoops to get compensation. Ideally, Congress would simply scrap the system by which the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health combines science and guesswork - let's be honest - in determining how much radiation workers absorbed many years ago in plants whose records are suspect, palpably incomplete or even nonexistent.

In the present system's place, we'd substitute one similar to that governing uranium miners, which operates with far less red tape and anguish. Then, perhaps, the government could divert the hundreds of millions of dollars it squanders in overhead to find - and train, if necessary - enough specialists in toxic exposure to upgrade the too often ordinary treatment now extended to the many neglected civilian victims of the Cold War.

• July 27, 2008

  10:34 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  RememberThis writes:

  Not a surprise really.....they are going to play this game to the bitter end.

• July 27, 2008

  10:37 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  RememberThis writes:

  Quit paying the blood s u c k i n g lawyers and give it to the victims.

• July 27, 2008

  3:56 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Frank25 writes:

  This group has viable case, but RMN continues to ignore a group who have been ignored since December 1946. American Merchant Marine Veterans served on the Blue Waters (oceans) to transport the war materials, men and equipment in harms way. After Pearl Harbor, FDR initiated Maritime Commission, split into Air Transport Command, and Navy Transport Command. These young men joined at age 16 (with parents consent) and into 70s, observed ship customs, under Universal Court Martial Manual (UCMJ), and took oath of service. Purchased own uniforms, and paid only when signed onto ship. Torpedoed, bombed, strafed, with every sailing facing death, injury, or POW status from submarines, ships, planes, or mines. When guns were installed on ships, they learned and fought the same enemies that Navy, Army, or Marines fought. In many cases when ship was sunk, they fought on shore with Army and Marine brothers. FDR promised full recognition for their services, but died before action could be taken. Did not receive Veteran status until 1986-88 era, but that only allowed burial in National Cemeteries, Family give a flag at death, and some could receive medical care. GI bill, property loans, and other benefits had long since ended. And a lot of myths and lies developed, that have were proved wrong or malicious. 13,000 such veterans (ages 80 and 90s) joined in "Just Compensation Committee" lobbying for monetary payments to compensate for non-payment of veteran benefits enjoyed by others of that era. About 3,000 would benefit under House bill H.R.23, or Senate Bill S-961, since others served in other services since 1946 and received benefits of that service. Legislative bills have been approved in House, but Senate Bill S-961 (with 59 sponsors) is is "held" in committee chaired by Senator Akaka, Hawaii. Time is running out for these veterans. Canada paid their Merchant Mariners years ago. Why are these veterans ignored? Without them, WW II could have had a different ending. Google: AMMV for information.