The Department of Energy on Monday opened a new resource center near the Hanford Site to help guide facility workers, former personnel, and their families to the best care and compensation programs for their needs. The center was championed by Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell (both D-Wash.), who have been concerned about how workers’ compensation claims by ill workers were being addressed.
The new Hanford Workforce Engagement Center is being operated as a partnership among DOE, Hanford Site contractors, and two union groups – the Hanford Atomic Metal Trades Council and the Central Washington Building and Construction Trades Council. It is staffed with union and nonunion workers trained on the multiple occupational health programs available.
Staff will be able to walk workers or their survivors through the differing benefits of the Washington state and federal compensation programs for ill workers. They also can provide help on understanding the third-party administration DOE uses for its state workers’ compensation claims. Workers can get information on specific programs offered by past and current contractors. The center will also provide information on the Hanford beryllium health program and medical screening programs for former workers.
“I’m pleased that DOE has coordinated with Hanford contractors and the unions to open the Hanford Workforce Engagement Center, a first-of-its-kind facility, which will help Hanford workers and their beneficiaries understand options for compensation and care,” said Doug Shoop, manager of the DOE Richland Operations Office.
The new center is open 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays at 309 Bradley Blvd., Suite 120, Richland. Call 509-376-4932 for an appointment.
