Title 42The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-73

§7384l Definitions for program administration

Title 42 › Chapter CHAPTER 84— - DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER XVI— - ENERGY EMPLOYEES OCCUPATIONAL ILLNESS COMPENSATION PROGRAM › Part Part B— - Program Administration › § 7384l

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Defines key words used to run the federal program that helps workers exposed to radiation, beryllium, or silica. It names who counts as a covered worker and explains terms used to decide eligibility and how illnesses are recognized. "Covered employee" means a worker who fits one of three illness groups: beryllium-related, cancer-related, or (when allowed under other law) chronic silicosis. "Atomic weapon" is defined elsewhere in the law. "Atomic weapons employee" means someone who worked for a private employer making radiation-emitting materials for U.S. weapons (not including uranium mining/milling), or someone who worked at facilities the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health found could have lasting contamination during certain reported periods. "Atomic weapons employer" and "atomic weapons employer facility" mean the private company and its site that made such materials and that the Secretary of Energy has named for the program. "Beryllium vendor" lists specific companies by name and also allows other vendors to be added by designation. "Covered beryllium employee" means a current or former worker who is shown to have been exposed to beryllium while doing DOE work or working for a beryllium vendor, including contractor and subcontractor workers and those involved in production for DOE. "Covered beryllium illness" includes beryllium sensitivity proven by an abnormal beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test on blood or lung lavage, or three borderline blood tests over 3 years; established chronic beryllium disease; and injuries or disabilities caused by those conditions. "Covered employee with cancer" includes members of the Special Exposure Cohort who got a listed cancer after starting DOE or atomic weapons work, and other workers whose specified cancers are found to be work-related under the program. "Department of Energy" includes predecessor agencies such as the Manhattan Engineering District. "Department of Energy contractor employee" covers researchers resident 24 months or more and workers employed at DOE sites by managing contractors or other service contractors. "Department of Energy facility" means places where DOE operations occurred (with some exclusions under Executive Order No. 12344, Feb. 1, 1982) where DOE had ownership or a contract for operation or services. "Established chronic beryllium disease" has separate proof rules for diagnoses on or after Jan. 1, 1993 and for diagnoses before that date. "Member of the Special Exposure Cohort" covers certain workers with at least 250 work days before Feb. 1, 1992 at three named gaseous diffusion plants, workers employed before Jan. 1, 1974 on Amchitka Island exposed in the Long Shot, Milrow, or Cannikin tests, and others the President may designate (effective 30 days after a report to Congress). "Occupational illness" means a covered beryllium illness, a specified cancer, or chronic silicosis. "Radiation" means ionizing radiation: alpha particles, beta particles, neutrons, gamma rays, or accelerated ions or subatomic particles from accelerators. "Specified cancer" includes certain diseases listed in the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, bone cancer, renal cancers, and certain leukemia when initial exposure was before age 21 and onset was more than two years after that exposure.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §7384l

The Public Health and Welfare — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

In this subchapter:
(1)The term “covered employee” means any of the following:
(A)A covered beryllium employee.
(B)A covered employee with cancer.
(C)To the extent provided in section 7384r of this title, a covered employee with chronic silicosis (as defined in that section).
(2)The term “atomic weapon” has the meaning given that term in section 2014(d) of this title.
(3)The term “atomic weapons employee” means any of the following:
(A)An individual employed by an atomic weapons employer during a period when the employer was processing or producing, for the use by the United States, material that emitted radiation and was used in the production of an atomic weapon, excluding uranium mining and milling.
(B)An individual employed—
(i)at a facility with respect to which the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, in its report dated October 2003 and titled “Report on Residual Radioactive and Beryllium Contamination at Atomic Weapons Employer Facilities and Beryllium Vendor Facilities”, or any update to that report, found that there is a potential for significant residual contamination outside of the period in which weapons-related production occurred;
(ii)by an atomic weapons employer or subsequent owner or operators of a facility described in clause (i); and
(iii)during a period, as specified in such report or any update to such report, of potential for significant residual radioactive contamination at such facility.
(4)The term “atomic weapons employer” means an entity, other than the United States, that—
(A)processed or produced, for use by the United States, material that emitted radiation and was used in the production of an atomic weapon, excluding uranium mining and milling; and
(B)is designated by the Secretary of Energy as an atomic weapons employer for purposes of the compensation program.
(5)The term “atomic weapons employer facility” means a facility, owned by an atomic weapons employer, that is or was used to process or produce, for use by the United States, material that emitted radiation and was used in the production of an atomic weapon, excluding uranium mining or milling.
(6)The term “beryllium vendor” means any of the following:
(A)Atomics International.
(B)Brush Wellman, Incorporated, and its predecessor, Brush Beryllium Company.
(C)General Atomics.
(D)General Electric Company.
(E)NGK Metals Corporation and its predecessors, Kawecki-Berylco, Cabot Corporation, BerylCo, and Beryllium Corporation of America.
(F)Nuclear Materials and Equipment Corporation.
(G)StarMet Corporation and its predecessor, Nuclear Metals, Incorporated.
(H)Wyman Gordan, Incorporated.
(I)Any other vendor, processor, or producer of beryllium or related products designated as a beryllium vendor for purposes of the compensation program under section 7384m of this title.
(7)The term “covered beryllium employee” means the following, if and only if the employee is determined to have been exposed to beryllium in the performance of duty in accordance with section 7384n(a) of this title:
(A)A current or former employee (as that term is defined in section 8101(1) of title 5) who may have been exposed to beryllium at a Department of Energy facility or at a facility owned, operated, or occupied by a beryllium vendor.
(B)A current or former employee of—
(i)any entity that contracted with the Department of Energy to provide management and operation, management and integration, or environmental remediation of a Department of Energy facility; or
(ii)any contractor or subcontractor that provided services, including construction and maintenance, at such a facility.
(C)A current or former employee of a beryllium vendor, or of a contractor or subcontractor of a beryllium vendor, during a period when the vendor was engaged in activities related to the production or processing of beryllium for sale to, or use by, the Department of Energy.
(8)The term “covered beryllium illness” means any of the following:
(A)Beryllium sensitivity as established by—
(i)an abnormal beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test performed on either blood or lung lavage cells; or
(ii)three borderline beryllium lymphocyte proliferation tests performed on blood cells over a period of 3 years.
(B)Established chronic beryllium disease.
(C)Any injury, illness, impairment, or disability sustained as a consequence of a covered beryllium illness referred to in subparagraph (A) or (B).
(9)The term “covered employee with cancer” means any of the following:
(A)An individual with a specified cancer who is a member of the Special Exposure Cohort, if and only if that individual contracted that specified cancer after beginning employment at a Department of Energy facility (in the case of a Department of Energy employee or Department of Energy contractor employee) or at an atomic weapons employer facility (in the case of an atomic weapons employee).
(B)(i)An individual with cancer specified in subclause (I), (II), or (III) of clause (ii), if and only if that individual is determined to have sustained that cancer in the performance of duty in accordance with section 7384n(b) of this title.
(ii)Clause (i) applies to any of the following:
(I)A Department of Energy employee who contracted that cancer after beginning employment at a Department of Energy facility.
(II)A Department of Energy contractor employee who contracted that cancer after beginning employment at a Department of Energy facility.
(III)An atomic weapons employee who contracted that cancer after beginning employment at an atomic weapons employer facility.
(10)The term “Department of Energy” includes the predecessor agencies of the Department of Energy, including the Manhattan Engineering District.
(11)The term “Department of Energy contractor employee” means any of the following:
(A)An individual who is or was in residence at a Department of Energy facility as a researcher for one or more periods aggregating at least 24 months.
(B)An individual who is or was employed at a Department of Energy facility by—
(i)an entity that contracted with the Department of Energy to provide management and operating, management and integration, or environmental remediation at the facility; or
(ii)a contractor or subcontractor that provided services, including construction and maintenance, at the facility.
(12)The term “Department of Energy facility” means any building, structure, or premise, including the grounds upon which such building, structure, or premise is located—
(A)in which operations are, or have been, conducted by, or on behalf of, the Department of Energy (except for buildings, structures, premises, grounds, or operations covered by Executive Order No. 12344, dated February 1, 1982, pertaining to the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program); and
(B)with regard to which the Department of Energy has or had—
(i)a proprietary interest; or
(ii)entered into a contract with an entity to provide management and operation, management and integration, environmental remediation services, construction, or maintenance services.
(13)The term “established chronic beryllium disease” means chronic beryllium disease as established by the following:
(A)For diagnoses on or after January 1, 1993, beryllium sensitivity (as established in accordance with paragraph (8)(A)), together with lung pathology consistent with chronic beryllium disease, including—
(i)a lung biopsy showing granulomas or a lymphocytic process consistent with chronic beryllium disease;
(ii)a computerized axial tomography scan showing changes consistent with chronic beryllium disease; or
(iii)pulmonary function or exercise testing showing pulmonary deficits consistent with chronic beryllium disease.
(B)For diagnoses before January 1, 1993, the presence of—
(i)occupational or environmental history, or epidemiologic evidence of beryllium exposure; and
(ii)any three of the following criteria:
(I)Characteristic chest radiographic (or computed tomography (CT)) abnormalities.
(II)Restrictive or obstructive lung physiology testing or diffusing lung capacity defect.
(III)Lung pathology consistent with chronic beryllium disease.
(IV)Clinical course consistent with a chronic respiratory disorder.
(V)Immunologic tests showing beryllium sensitivity (skin patch test or beryllium blood test preferred).
(14)The term “member of the Special Exposure Cohort” means a Department of Energy employee, Department of Energy contractor employee, or atomic weapons employee who meets any of the following requirements:
(A)The employee was so employed for a number of work days aggregating at least 250 work days before February 1, 1992, at a gaseous diffusion plant located in Paducah, Kentucky, Portsmouth, Ohio, or Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and, during such employment—
(i)was monitored through the use of dosimetry badges for exposure at the plant of the external parts of employee’s body to radiation; or
(ii)worked in a job that had exposures comparable to a job that is or was monitored through the use of dosimetry badges.
(B)The employee was so employed before January 1, 1974, by the Department of Energy or a Department of Energy contractor or subcontractor on Amchitka Island, Alaska, and was exposed to ionizing radiation in the performance of duty related to the Long Shot, Milrow, or Cannikin underground nuclear tests.
(C)(i)Subject to clause (ii), the employee is an individual designated as a member of the Special Exposure Cohort by the President for purposes of the compensation program under section 7384q of this title.
(ii)A designation under clause (i) shall, unless Congress otherwise provides, take effect on the date that is 30 days after the date on which the President submits to Congress a report identifying the individuals covered by the designation and describing the criteria used in designating those individuals.
(15)The term “occupational illness” means a covered beryllium illness, cancer referred to in paragraph (9)(B), specified cancer, or chronic silicosis, as the case may be.
(16)The term “radiation” means ionizing radiation in the form of—
(A)alpha particles;
(B)beta particles;
(C)neutrons;
(D)gamma rays; or
(E)accelerated ions or subatomic particles from accelerator machines.
(17)The term “specified cancer” means any of the following:
(A)A specified disease, as that term is defined in section 4(b)(2) of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (42 U.S.C. 2210 note).
(B)Bone cancer.
(C)Renal cancers.
(D)Leukemia (other than chronic lymphocytic leukemia), if initial occupational exposure occurred before 21 years of age and onset occurred more than two years after initial occupational exposure.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Executive Order No. 12344, referred to in par. (12)(A), is set out as a note under section 6102 of Title 10, Armed Forces. section 4(b)(2) of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, referred to in par. (17)(A), is section 4(b)(2) of Pub. L. 101–426, which is set out in a note under section 2210 of this title.

Amendments

2023—Par. (8)(A). Pub. L. 118–31 inserted dash after “established by”, designated remainder of existing provisions as cl. (i), and added cl. (ii). 2004—Par. (3). Pub. L. 108–375, § 3168(a), amended par. (3) generally. Prior to amendment, par. (3) read as follows: “The term ‘atomic weapons employee’ means an individual employed by an atomic weapons employer during a period when the employer was processing or producing, for the use by the United States, material that emitted radiation and was used in the production of an atomic weapon, excluding uranium mining and milling.” Par. (14)(C)(ii). Pub. L. 108–375, § 3166(b)(2), substituted “30 days” for “180 days”. 2001—Par. (17)(C). Pub. L. 107–20 added subpar. (C). Par. (17)(D). Pub. L. 107–107, § 3151(a)(1), added subpar. (D). Par. (18). Pub. L. 107–107, § 3151(a)(4)(C), struck out par. (18) which read as follows: “The term ‘survivor’ means any individual or individuals eligible to receive compensation pursuant to section 8133 of title 5.”

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2001

Amendments

Pub. L. 107–107, div. C, title XXXI, § 3151(a)(4)(D), Dec. 28, 2001, 115 Stat. 1374, provided that: “The

Amendments

made by this paragraph [amending this section and section 7384s and 7384u of this title] shall take effect on
July 1, 2001.” Pub. L. 107–20, title II, § 2403(b),
July 24, 2001, 115 Stat. 175, provided that: “This section [amending this section] shall be effective on
October 1, 2001.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 7384l

Title 42The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73