DOL Advisory Board

ADVISORY BOARD ON TOXIC SUBSTANCES AND WORKER HEALTH

The President of the United States appointed the Advisory Board on Toxic Substances and Worker Health (ABTSWH) in July 2015. The board advises the Secretary of Labor on technical aspects of the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program (EEOICP) in four areas:

• The site exposure matrices of the U.S. Department of Labor

• Medical guidance for claims examiners for Part E claims as it relates to medical evidence of a claim

• Requirements for evidence for lung cancer for claims that are filed under Part B

• Work of industrial hygienists, staff physicians and consulting physicians of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and reports of DOL’s experts to make sure that they meet standards for quality, objectivity and consistency

Advisory board members have years of experience in the scientific and medical fields. They also bring hands-on experience from current and former workers of the Department of Energy’s nuclear weapons facilities plus knowledge of the claims process through their worker advocacy.

The board is made up of the following members:

Scientific Community:
John M. Dement, Ph.D, CIH, Department of Community and Family Medicine, Duke University Medical Center
Mark Griffon, Occupational Health and Safety consultant
Kenneth Z. Silver, D.Sc., S.M., Department of Environmental Health, ETSU College of Public Health
George Friedman-Jimenez, MD, Dr.Ph., Bellevue Hospital Center, NYU School of Medicine
Leslie I. Boden, Ph.D, Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health

Medical Community:
Chair: Steven Markowitz, MD. Dr.Ph., Queens College, CUNY School of Public Health
Laura S. Welch, MD, Center for Construction Research and Training
Rosemary K. Sokas, MD, MPH, M.Sc., Georgetown University School of Nursing and Health Studies
Carrie A. Redlich, MD, MPH, Yale School of Medicine
Victoria A. Cassano, MD, MPH, Performance Medicine Consulting

Claimant Community:
Duronda M. Pope, United Steelworkers
Kirk D. Domina, Hanford Atomic Metal Trades Council
Garry M. Whitley, Worker Health Protection Program, Atomic Trades and Labor Council
James H. Turner, Retired, Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Facility
Faye Vlieger, Claimant Advocate; Chair, DEEOIC Interim Advisory Board (DIAB)(volunteer organization)

The board meets in person in the spring and fall every year. They often schedule these meetings at active facilities, such as Hanford and Oak Ridge, so that non-worker board members have a better understanding of the workplace environment. It also gives people who have filed claims in the local area an opportunity to share with the board first-hand the issues they have experienced, for which the board has responsibility.

In between in-person meetings, the board has teleconferences, which are open to the public. While these meetings don’t have a public comment period, the board encourages all stakeholders to share concerns and suggestions. Anyone who is interested in doing this can email the board at [email protected]. You can also click here to read more about the board, including past meetings.