Test Site workers can get benefits for silicosis

Thursday, Dec. 13, 2001 | 10:20 a.m.

A Senate conference committee approved a change in compensation legislation that will allow Nevada Test Site workers exposed to dust while preparing underground nuclear experiments to collect benefits.

A 2002 defense authorization bill would contain expanded aid for workers suffering from silicosis, a lung disease.

The committee relaxed X-ray standards that would allow some 71 Test Site workers to apply for a lump sum payment of $150,000 plus medical checkups.

Physicians discovered that workers assigned to tunnels at the Test Site, 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas, had silicosis, a disease caused by inhaling particles of dust, but workers had to prove they had an advanced form of the disease.

The Nevada congressional delegation had pushed lawmakers to change the compensation package since it was passed in October 2000. No Nevadan sits on the committee.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., the No. 2 Senate leader, initiated the change in the benefits.

Another change approved by the panel would allow all surviving children access to benefits.

Claims can be filed at an office operated by the Departments of Labor and Energy at 1051 E. Flamingo Road.

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