Hanford workers' state-approved compensation claims stall under DOE appeals

The short version

• ProPublica reports the state approved 75% of 102 new Hanford worker claims filed since 2023, while the DOE recommended none.[ProPublica]
• Under a 2018 state law presuming Hanford work caused certain illnesses, the DOE has filed more than 500 appeals, state records show.[ProPublica]
• About 152 state-approved claims remain under DOE appeal, roughly half involving workers who have died, and the DOE disputes that work caused the illnesses.[ProPublica]

Key facts

• Workers filed 102 new benefit claims over a period starting in 2023, according to state data.[ProPublica]
• The DOE did not recommend approving any of the 102 new claims, while the state approved 75% of them.[ProPublica]
• About 152 state-approved claims remain under DOE appeal, and about half of those workers are dead.[ProPublica]
• State records show the DOE has filed more than 500 appeals since the 2018 presumption law passed.[ProPublica]
• Washington's 2018 law created a legal presumption that working at Hanford caused certain cancers, neurological diseases and respiratory illnesses.[ProPublica]
• In appeal filings, DOE lawyers argue that factors such as smoking, drinking, obesity or genetics played a role in workers' illnesses.[ProPublica]
• A DOE spokesperson said the agency follows applicable laws and has a long record of protecting human health and the environment.[ProPublica]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.

• Nuclear Weapons Waste Made Workers Sick. Despite a Law Meant to Help, the DOE Keeps Fighting Their Claims.ProPublica