U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Archives

Final notice: New class of Y-12 workers added to compensation program

Posted at 5:50 pm April 12, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A new class of workers at the Y-12 National Security Complex has been added to a federal energy employees compensation program that was established about two decades ago, officials announced Thursday.

The affected employees would have worked at Y-12 between January 1, 1958, and December 31, 1976. They would have been employees of the U.S. Department of Energy, its predecessor agencies, or their contractors and subcontractors. They would have had an aggregate of at least 250 work days. That could have occurred either only through this employment or in combination with work days that meet the parameters established for one or more other classes of employees in what is known as the Special Exposure Cohort.

The notice that the new class of employees has been added to the Special Exposure Cohort was published in the Federal Register by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday. Oak Ridge Today reported in December that the class was being evaluated, based on exposure to radiation from thorium metal parts and plutonium-241 isotopes, and reported in March that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services had designated the class of employees to be added. The new designation became effective March 28.

[Read more…]

(For members) NIOSH evaluating another class of Y-12 workers for compensation program

Posted at 2:58 pm April 8, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Federal health and safety officials are evaluating another class of Y-12 employees for a workersÂ compensation program that involves certain illnesses and work at sites that are affiliated with the U.S. Department of Energy.

The petition being evaluated now could include all laborers who fabricated or processed uranium between January 1, 1977, and December 31, 1994, in any area at Y-12. The petition was received November 1 and qualified for evaluation on March 25.

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(For members) HHS designates class of Y-12 workers to be added to compensation program

Posted at 9:05 pm March 25, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has designated a class of Y-12 employees to be added to a federal worker compensation program thatÂ involves certain illnesses and work at sites like Y-12 that are affiliated with the U.S. Department of Energy.

The employees who could be added, unless Congress says otherwise, would have worked at Y-12 between January 1, 1958, and December 31, 1976, when the plant was manufacturing nuclear weapons components during the Cold War. TheyÂ would have had an aggregate total of at least 250 work days. They could have beenÂ employees of DOE, its predecessor agencies, or their contractors and subcontractors.

Oak Ridge Today has previously reported that the workers could be added to theÂ compensation program based on exposure to radiation from thorium metal parts and plutonium-241 isotopes.

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(For members) Y-12 class could be added to worker compensation program based on thorium, Pu-241 exposure

Posted at 6:33 pm December 28, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A new class of Y-12 employees could be added to a federal worker compensation program based on exposure to radiation from thorium metal parts and plutonium-241 isotopes between 1958 and 1976, health officials said.

The worker compensation program involves certain illnesses and work at sites like Y-12 that are affiliated with the U.S. Department of Energy.

The program is a result of the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act, which was enacted in October 2000. The act includes what is known as the Special Exposure Cohort. The new class of Y-12 employees could be part of that Special Exposure Cohort.

That designation wouldÂ allow eligible claimants to be compensated without the complete reconstruction of a radiation dose or a determination of the probable cause. AÂ covered employee would have to have at least one of 22 specified cancers.

The class of employees being evaluated now would have worked at Y-12 between January 1, 1958, through December 31, 1976, when Y-12 was manufacturing nuclear weapons components during the Cold War. The employees would have had an aggregate total of at least 250 work days, according to a notice published in the Federal Register this month. The class could change, however, based upon the evaluation.

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New class of Y-12 employees being evaluated for worker compensation program

Posted at 12:53 pm December 14, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge is pictured above in June 2012. (Photo courtesy NNSA)

A new class of employees at the Y-12 National Security Complex is being evaluated for possible inclusion in a worker compensation program that involves certain illnesses and work at sites affiliated with the U.S. Department of Energy.

The class of employees being evaluated now would have worked at Y-12 between January 1, 1958, through December 31, 1976, and they would have had an aggregate total of at least 250 work days, according to a notice published in the Federal Register on Friday. The class could change, however, based upon the evaluation.

The decision to evaluate the petition for the Y-12 employees was announced by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, which is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

It’s not clear when the petition was filed, who filed it, or how long the evaluation might take. Oak Ridge Today has requested more information from the CDC. [Read more…]

More than 80,000 Tennesseans pick Health Insurance Marketplace plan in first month

Posted at 11:53 am December 30, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Federal officials announced Tuesday thatÂ 87,137 people in TennesseeÂ selected plans through the Health Insurance Marketplace leading up to the December 15 deadline for coverage beginning January 1.

It was the first month of open enrollment this year.

The U.S.Â Department of Health and Human Services saidÂ 83 percent of Tennesseans who selected a 2015 plan are getting financial assistance to lower monthly premiums. ThatÂ compared to 75 percent who selected plans over a similar period last year.

Of the 87,137 Tennesseans who selected a plan, 51 percent re-enrolled in a Marketplace plan in 2015, and 49 percent signed up for the first time, HHS said in a press release. [Read more…]

Gov. Haslam announces Insure Tennessee plan

Posted at 11:24 am December 29, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Bill Haslam

NASHVILLEâ€”Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam this month unveiled his Insure Tennessee plan, a two-year pilot program to provide health care coverage to Tennesseans who currently donâ€™t have access to health insurance or have limited options. The program rewards healthy behaviors, prepares members to transition to private coverage, promotes personal responsibility, and incentivizes choosing preventative and routine care instead of unnecessary use of emergency rooms, a press release said.

The governor announced that he plans to call a special session to focus on the proposal after the 109th General Assembly convenes in January.

â€œWe made the decision in Tennessee nearly two years ago not to expand traditional Medicaid,â€ Haslam said in the press release. â€œThis is an alternative approach that forges a different path and is a unique Tennessee solution. This plan leverages federal dollars to provide health care coverage to more Tennesseans, to give people a choice in their coverage, and to address the cost of health care, better health outcomes, and personal responsibility. [Read more…]

Guest column: April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month

Posted at 2:47 pm April 23, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Guest Columns Leave a Comment

Join CASA of the Tennessee Heartlandâ€™s commitment to helping victims of child abuse and neglect heal, and making sure all children feel safe and loved

Anytime a child is abused or neglected, itâ€™s a tragedyâ€”one that all too often scars victims for a lifetime. The latest statistics from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services are sobering:

Child Protective Services agencies across the United States received some 3.4 million referrals of abuse or neglect involving 6.3 million children in 2012.
An estimated 1,640 children died from child abuse or neglect in 2012, and nearly three-quarters of them were younger than age 3.
In Anderson County, 592 child abuse cases were reported in 2012, and 121 children were brought into custody, with an additional 167 remaining in custody from previous years.

Studies have shown that children who have suffered abuse or neglect are more likely to struggle in school, have run-ins with law enforcement, experience homelessness, or abuse drugs or alcohol. Research also shows that abused children are more apt to grow up to abuse their own kids. [Read more…]

Two orthopedic clinics to pay $1.85 million over Medicare billing allegations

Posted at 5:42 pm January 25, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Two orthopedic clinics in East Tennessee have agreed to pay a combined $1.85 million to resolve state and federal False Claims Act allegations that they knowingly billed state and federal health care programs for reimported osteoarthritis medications, known as viscosupplements, federal authorities said.

Tennessee Orthopaedic Clinics, P.C., with headquarters in Knoxville and nine locations in East Tennessee, will pay $1.3 million and Appalachian Orthopaedic Clinics, P.C., with headquarters in Kingsport and threeÂ locationsÂ in the Tri-Cities area, will pay $550,000, according to a press release from Â the U.S. Attorney William C. Killian said in a press release. Killian is U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Tennessee.

The press release said viscosupplements, such as Synvisc and Orthovisc, are injections approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of osteoarthritis pain in the knee. Viscosupplements are reimbursed by Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal health care programs at a set rate based on the average sales price of the domestic product. [Read more…]

Saturday open house offers information on Affordable Care Act

Posted at 8:55 pm December 4, 2013
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Grace Lutheran Church in Oak Ridge will host an open house on Saturday to provide information about getting insurance via the Affordable Care Act, sometimes called “Obamacare.”

The open house is from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday.

“Although the deadline for individuals to sign up has been extended to Dec. 23, time is getting short for those who wish to have insurance that takes effect as of Jan. 1,” a press release said.

Anyone who is interested in learning more about the new health care act is invited to attend this educational event, especially those who need to get health insurance in the new Marketplace, the release said. Both printed information and computers to get online resources will be available to those attending, as well as individual assistance. [Read more…]

Health Insurance Marketplace opens Tuesday

Posted at 5:47 pm October 1, 2013
By Oak Ridge Today Staff 1 Comment

Kathleen Sebelius

The new Health Insurance Marketplace set up by the Affordable Care Act opened Tuesday, and Tennessee residents can apply for coverage, compare plans, and enroll at HealthCare.gov.

â€œFor the first time ever, today all Americans can begin shopping for quality health coverage that is affordable, and not be denied or charged more because they have a pre-existing condition,â€ the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said in a press release.

The HHS said the Health Insurance Marketplace will allow uninsured Americans and their families to purchase health insurance in one place. Coverage begins as early as Jan. 1, 2014, for people enrolling by Dec. 15, 2013. Open enrollment closes March 31. [Read more…]