(a) To claim benefits under EEOICPA, an employee must file a claim in writing with OWCP. Form EE-1 should be used for this purpose, but any written communication that requests benefits under EEOICPA will be considered a claim. It will, however, be necessary for an employee to submit a Form EE-1 for OWCP to fully develop the claim. Copies of Form EE-1 may be obtained from OWCP or on the internet at http://www.dol.gov/owcp/energy/index.htm. The employee must sign the written claim that is filed with OWCP, but another person may present the claim to OWCP on the employee's behalf.

(b) The employee may choose, at his or her own option, to file for benefits for only certain conditions that are potentially compensable under the Act (e.g., the employee may not want to claim for an occupational illness or a covered illness for which a payment has been received that would necessitate an offset of EEOICPA benefits under the provisions of § 30.505(b) of these regulations). The employee may withdraw his or her claim by so requesting in writing to OWCP at any time before OWCP determines his or her eligibility for benefits.

(c) Except as provided in paragraph (d) of this section, a claim is considered to be “filed” on the date that the employee mails his or her claim to OWCP, as determined by postmark or other carrier's date marking, or on the date that the claim is received by OWCP, whichever is the earliest determinable date. However, in no event will a claim under Part B of EEOICPA be considered to be “filed” earlier than July 31, 2001, nor will a claim under Part E of EEOICPA be considered to be “filed” earlier than October 30, 2000.

(1) The employee shall affirm that the information provided on the Form EE-1 is true, and must inform OWCP of any subsequent changes to that information.

(2) Except for a covered uranium employee filing a claim under Part B of the Act, the employee is responsible for submitting with his or her claim, or arranging for the submission of, medical evidence to OWCP that establishes that he or she sustained an occupational illness and/or a covered illness. This required medical evidence is described in § 30.114 and does not refer to mere recitations of symptoms the employee experienced that the employee believes indicate that he or she sustained an occupational illness or a covered illness.

(d) For those claims under Part E of EEOICPA that were originally filed with DOE as claims for assistance under former section 7385o of EEOICPA (which was repealed on October 28, 2004), a claim is considered to be “filed” on the date that the employee mailed his or her claim to DOE, as determined by postmark or other carrier's date marking, or on the date that the claim was received by DOE, whichever is the earliest determinable date. However, in no event will a claim referred to in this paragraph be considered to be “filed” earlier than October 30, 2000.

(a) A survivor of an employee must file a claim for compensation in writing with OWCP. Form EE-2 should be used for this purpose, but any written communication that requests survivor benefits under the Act will be considered a claim. It will, however, be necessary for a survivor to submit a Form EE-2 for OWCP to fully develop the claim. Copies of Form EE-2 may be obtained from OWCP or on the internet at http://www.dol.gov/owcp/energy/index.htm. The survivor must sign the written claim that is filed with OWCP, but another person may present the claim to OWCP on the survivor's behalf. Although only one survivor needs to file a claim under this section to initiate the development process, OWCP will distribute any monetary benefits payable on the claim among all eligible surviving beneficiaries who have filed claims with OWCP.

(b) A survivor may choose, at his or her own option, to file for benefits for only certain conditions that are potentially compensable under the Act (e.g., the survivor may not want to claim for an occupational illness or a covered illness for which a payment has been received that would necessitate an offset of EEOICPA benefits under the provisions of § 30.505(b) of these regulations). The survivor may withdraw his or her claim by so requesting in writing to OWCP at any time before OWCP determines his or her eligibility for benefits.

(c) A survivor must be alive to receive any payment under EEOICPA; there is no vested right to such payment.

(d) Except as provided in paragraph (e) of this section, a survivor's claim is considered to be “filed” on the date that the survivor mails his or her claim to OWCP, as determined by postmark or other carrier's date marking, or the date that the claim is received by OWCP, whichever is the earliest determinable date. However, in no event will a survivor's claim under Part B of the Act be considered to be “filed” earlier than July 31, 2001, nor will a survivor's claim under Part E of the Act be considered to be “filed” earlier than October 30, 2000.

(1) The survivor shall affirm that the information provided on the Form EE-2 is true, and must inform OWCP of any subsequent changes to that information.

(2) Except for the survivor of a covered uranium employee claiming under Part B of the Act, the survivor is responsible for submitting, or arranging for the submission of, evidence to OWCP that establishes that the employee upon whom the survivor's claim is based was eligible for such benefits, including medical evidence that establishes that the employee sustained an occupational illness or a covered illness. This required medical evidence is described in § 30.114 and does not refer to mere recitations by the survivor of symptoms the employee experienced that the survivor believes indicate that the employee sustained an occupational illness or a covered illness.

(e) For those claims under Part E of EEOICPA that were originally filed with DOE as claims for assistance under former section 7385o of EEOICPA (which was repealed on October 28, 2004), a claim is considered to be “filed” on the date that the survivor mailed his or her claim to DOE, as determined by postmark or other carrier's date marking, or on the date that the claim was received by DOE, whichever is the earliest determinable date. However, in no event will a claim referred to in this paragraph be considered to be “filed” earlier than October 30, 2000.

(f) A spouse or a child of a deceased DOE contractor employee or RECA section 5 uranium worker, who is not a covered spouse or covered child under Part E, may submit a written request to OWCP for a determination of whether that deceased DOE contractor employee or RECA section 5 uranium worker contracted a covered illness under section 7385s-4(d) of EEOICPA.

(1) Any such request submitted pursuant to paragraph (f) of this section will not be considered a survivor's claim for benefits under Part E of the Act.

(2) As part of its consideration of any request submitted pursuant to paragraph (f) of this section, OWCP will apply the eligibility criteria in subpart C of this part. However, the adjudicatory procedures contained in subpart D of this part will not apply to OWCP's consideration of such a request, and OWCP's response to the request will not constitute a final agency decision on entitlement to any benefits under EEOICPA.

(a) An employee previously awarded impairment benefits by OWCP may file a claim for additional impairment benefits. Such claim must be based on an increase in the employee's impairment rating attributable to the covered illness or illnesses from the impairment rating that formed the basis for the last award of such benefits by OWCP. OWCP will only adjudicate claims for such an increased rating that are filed at least two years from the date of the last award of impairment benefits. However, OWCP will not wait two years before it will adjudicate a claim for additional impairment that is based on an allegation that the employee sustained a new covered illness.

(b) An employee previously awarded wage-loss benefits by OWCP may be eligible for additional wage-loss benefits for periods of wage-loss that were not addressed in a prior claim only if the employee had not reached his or her Social Security retirement age at the time of the prior award. OWCP will adjudicate claims filed on a yearly basis in connection with each succeeding calendar year for which qualifying wage-loss under Part E is alleged, as well as claims that aggregate calendar years for which qualifying wage-loss is alleged.

(c) Employees should use Form EE-10 to claim for additional impairment or wage-loss benefits under Part E of EEOICPA.

(1) The employee, or the person filing the claim on behalf of the employee, shall affirm that the information provided on Form EE-10 is true, and must inform OWCP of any subsequent changes to that information.

(2) The employee is responsible for submitting with any claim filed under this section, or arranging for the submission of, factual and medical evidence establishing that he or she experienced another calendar year of qualifying wage-loss, and/or medical evidence establishing that he or she has an increased minimum impairment rating, as appropriate.

(a) Claims and certain required submissions should be made on forms prescribed by OWCP. Persons submitting forms shall not modify these forms or use substitute forms.

(b) Copies of the forms listed in this section are available for public inspection at the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, Washington, DC 20210. They may also be obtained from OWCP district offices and on the internet at http://www.dol.gov/owcp/energy/index.htm.

(a) After it receives a claim for benefits described in § 30.100 or § 30.101, OWCP may request that DOE verify the employment history provided by the claimant. Upon receipt of such a request, DOE will complete Form EE-5 as soon as possible and transmit the completed form to OWCP. On this form, DOE will certify either that it concurs with the employment history provided by the claimant, that it disagrees with such history, or that it can neither concur nor disagree after making a reasonable search of its records and also making a reasonable effort to locate pertinent records not already in its possession.

(b) Claims for additional impairment or wage-loss benefits under Part E of the Act described in § 30.102 will not require any verification of employment by DOE, since OWCP will have made any required findings on this particular issue when it adjudicated the employee's initial claim for benefits.

(a) For most claims filed under EEOICPA, DOE has access to sufficient factual information to enable it to fulfill its obligations described in § 30.105(a). However, in instances where it lacks such information, DOE may arrange for other entities to provide OWCP with the information necessary to verify an employment history submitted as part of a claim. These other entities may consist of either current or former DOE contractors and subcontractors, atomic weapons employers, beryllium vendors, or other entities with access to relevant employment information.

(b) On its own initiative, OWCP may also arrange for entities other than DOE to perform the employment verification duties described in § 30.105(a).

(a) Under Part B of EEOICPA, compensation is payable to the following covered Part B employees, or their survivors:

(1) A “covered beryllium employee” (as described in § 30.205(a)) with a covered beryllium illness (as defined in § 30.5(p)) who was exposed to beryllium in the performance of duty (in accordance with § 30.206).

(2) A “covered Part B employee with cancer” (as described in § 30.210(a)).

(3) A “covered Part B employee with chronic silicosis” (as described in § 30.220).

(4) A “covered uranium employee” (as defined in § 30.5(t)).

(b) Under Part E of EEOICPA, compensation is payable to a “covered Part E employee” (as defined in § 30.5(q)), or his or her survivors.

(c) Any claim that does not meet all of the criteria for at least one of these categories, as set forth in the regulations in this part, must be denied.

(d) All claims for benefits under the Act must comply with the claims procedures and requirements set forth in subpart B of this part before any payment can be made from the Fund.

(a) Except where otherwise provided in the Act and these regulations, the claimant bears the burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence the existence of each and every criterion necessary to establish eligibility under any compensable claim category set forth in § 30.110. Proof by a preponderance of the evidence means that it is more likely than not that the proposition to be proved is true. Subject to the exceptions expressly provided in the Act and the regulations in this part, the claimant also bears the burden of providing to OWCP all written medical documentation, contemporaneous records, or other records and documents necessary to establish any and all criteria for benefits set forth in these regulations.

(b) In the event that the claim lacks required information or supporting documentation, OWCP will notify the claimant of the deficiencies and provide him or her an opportunity for correction of the deficiencies.

(c) Written affidavits or declarations, subject to penalty for perjury, by the employee, survivor or any other person, will be accepted as evidence of employment history and survivor relationship for purposes of establishing eligibility and may be relied on in determining whether a claim meets the requirements of the Act for benefits if, and only if, such person attests that due diligence was used to obtain records in support of the claim, but that no records exist.

(d) A claimant will not be entitled to any presumption otherwise provided for in these regulations if substantial evidence exists that rebuts the existence of the fact that is the subject of the presumption. Substantial evidence means such relevant evidence as a reasonable mind might accept as adequate to support a conclusion. When such evidence exists, the claimant shall be notified and afforded the opportunity to submit additional written medical documentation or records.

(a) Evidence of covered employment may include: employment records; pay stubs; tax returns; Social Security records; and written affidavits or declarations, subject to penalty of perjury, by the employee, survivor or any other person. However, no one document is required to establish covered employment and a claimant is not required to submit all of the evidence listed above. A claimant may submit other evidence not listed above to establish covered employment. To be acceptable as evidence, all documents and records must be legible. OWCP will accept photocopies, certified copies, and original documents and records.

(b) Pursuant to §§ 30.105 and/or 30.106, DOE or another entity verifying alleged employment shall certify that it concurs with the employment information provided by the claimant, that it disagrees with the information provided by the claimant, or, after a reasonable search of its records and a reasonable effort to locate pertinent records not already in its possession, it can neither concur nor disagree with the information provided by the claimant.

(1) If DOE or another entity certifies that it concurs with the employment information provided by the claimant, then the criterion for covered employment will be established.

(2) If DOE or another entity certifies that it disagrees with the information provided by the claimant or that after a reasonable search of its records and a reasonable effort to locate pertinent records not already in its possession it can neither concur nor disagree with the information provided by the claimant, OWCP will evaluate the evidence submitted by the claimant to determine whether the claimant has established covered employment by a preponderance of the evidence. OWCP may request additional evidence from the claimant to demonstrate that the claimant has met the criterion for covered employment. Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit OWCP's ability to require additional documentation.

(3) If the only evidence of covered employment submitted by the claimant is a written affidavit or declaration subject to penalty of perjury by the employee, survivor or any other person, and DOE or another entity either disagrees with the assertion of covered employment or cannot concur or disagree with the assertion of covered employment, then OWCP will evaluate the probative value of the affidavit in conjunction with the other evidence of employment, and may determine that the claimant has not met his or her burden of proof under § 30.111.

(a) All written medical documentation, contemporaneous records, and other records or documents submitted by an employee or his or her survivor to prove any criteria provided for in these regulations must be legible. OWCP will accept photocopies, certified copies, and original documents and records.

(b) To establish eligibility, the employee or his or her survivor may be required to provide, where appropriate, additional contemporaneous records to the extent they exist or an authorization to release additional contemporaneous records or a statement by the custodian(s) of the record(s) certifying that the requested record(s) no longer exist. Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit OWCP's ability to require additional documentation.

(c) If a claimant submits a certified statement, by a person with knowledge of the facts, that the medical records containing a diagnosis and date of diagnosis of a covered medical condition no longer exist, then OWCP may consider other evidence to establish a diagnosis and date of diagnosis of a covered medical condition. However, OWCP will evaluate the probative value of such other evidence to determine whether it is sufficient proof of a covered medical condition.

(a) Evidence of a compensable medical condition may include: a physician's report, laboratory reports, hospital records, death certificates, x-rays, magnetic resonance images or reports, computer axial tomography or other imaging reports, lymphocyte proliferation testings, beryllium patch tests, pulmonary function or exercise testing results, pathology reports including biopsy results and other medical records. A claimant is not required to submit all of the evidence listed in this paragraph. A claimant may submit other evidence that is not listed in this paragraph to establish a compensable medical condition. Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit OWCP's ability to require additional documentation.

(b) The medical evidence submitted will be used to establish the diagnosis and the date of diagnosis of the compensable medical condition.

(1) For covered beryllium illnesses under Part B of EEOICPA, additional medical evidence, as set forth in § 30.207, is required to establish a beryllium illness.

(2) For chronic silicosis under Part B of EEOICPA, additional medical evidence, as set forth in § 30.222, is required to establish chronic silicosis.

(3) For covered illnesses under Part E of EEOICPA, additional medical evidence, as set forth in § 30.232, is required to establish a covered illness.

(i) For impairment benefits under Part E of EEOICPA, additional medical evidence, as set forth in § 30.901, is required to establish an impairment that is the result of a covered illness referred to in § 30.900.

(ii) For wage-loss benefits under Part E of EEOICPA, additional medical evidence, as set forth in § 30.806, is required to establish wage-loss that is the result of a covered illness referred to in § 30.800.

(4) For consequential injuries, illnesses, impairments or diseases, the claimant must also submit a physician's fully rationalized medical report showing a causal relationship between the resulting injury, illness, impairment or disease and the compensable medical condition.

(c) OWCP will evaluate the medical evidence in accordance with recognized and accepted diagnostic criteria used by physicians to determine whether the claimant has established the medical condition for which compensation is sought in accordance with the requirements of the Act.

(a) Other than claims seeking benefits under Part E of the Act that have previously been accepted under section 7384u of the Act or claims previously accepted under Part B pursuant to the Special Exposure Cohort provisions, OWCP will forward the claim package (including, but not limited to, Forms EE-1, EE-2, EE-3, EE-4 and EE-5, as appropriate) to NIOSH for dose reconstruction. At that point in time, development of the claim by OWCP may be suspended.

(1) This package will include OWCP's initial findings in regard to the diagnosis and date of diagnosis of the employee, as well as any employment history compiled by OWCP (including information such as dates and locations worked, and job titles). The package, however, will not constitute either a recommended or final decision by OWCP on the claim.

(2) NIOSH will then reconstruct the radiation dose of the employee and provide the claimant and OWCP with the final dose reconstruction report. The final dose reconstruction record will be delivered to OWCP with the final dose reconstruction report and to the claimant upon request.

(b) Following its receipt of the final dose reconstruction report from NIOSH, OWCP will resume its adjudication of the cancer claim and consider whether the claimant has met the eligibility criteria set forth in subpart C of this part. However, during the period before it receives a reconstructed dose from NIOSH, OWCP may continue to develop other aspects of a claim, to the extent that it deems such development to be appropriate.