Particle.news
Download on the App Store
3 ARTICLES
·
6h ago

HHS Halts Radiation Worker Advisory Board, Stalling Nuclear Illness Claims

An indefinite CDC pause over administrative requirements now collides with a September 2025 expiration of the program’s authority.

Steve Hicks, a retired nuclear machinist at the Y-12 National Security Complex who says he is now battling skin cancer after years of handling hazardous materials, stands outside his rural log cabin in Harriman, Tennessee, U.S., August 8, 2025. REUTERS/Eric Cox
The Y-12 National Security Complex, a facility of the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration, is located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, U.S., August 7, 2025. REUTERS/Eric Cox
Steve Hicks, a retired nuclear machinist at the Y-12 National Security Complex who says he is now battling skin cancer after years of handling hazardous materials, shows a scar where cancer was removed, outside his rural log cabin in Harriman, Tennessee, U.S., August 8, 2025. REUTERS/Eric Cox
Retired Y-12 nuclear machinist Steve Hicks has his blood pressure checked, in Harriman, Tennessee, U.S., August 8, 2025. REUTERS/Eric Cox

Overview

  • The CDC confirmed that meetings of the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health are paused indefinitely after a Jan. 27 suspension tied to administrative requirements.
  • Eight petitions seeking compensation for former nuclear workers were under review when activity stopped, and advocates say three additional petitions were being prepared.
  • Several board members say they have not met since December 2024, report unclear reappointments, and note the White House declined to comment on the board’s status.
  • Board members warn the panel could be dissolved in September 2025 without a renewed executive order, raising the risk that reviews will not restart before the statute lapses.
  • The EEOICPA provides a $150,000 payment and medical coverage to eligible workers; DOE reports more than $25 billion paid to about 141,000 people from a workforce that numbered over 700,000.