HHS Halts Nuclear Workers’ Illness Reviews, Leaving Compensation Claims Stalled

The US Department of Health and Human Services has indefinitely suspended the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health, the panel that evaluates compensation claims from former nuclear-weapons and uranium-enrichment workers suffering radiation-linked illnesses. The pause, confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, took effect on 27 January and has left review of eight pending petitions—and any new filings—on hold. The freeze interrupts the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act, which entitles eligible workers or their survivors to a $150,000 lump-sum payment and lifelong medical coverage. Since the program’s 2000 launch, Washington has disbursed more than $25 billion to 141,000 claimants drawn from the roughly 700,000 people employed across 380 US nuclear sites since World War II. HHS cited “outstanding administrative requirements,” while the White House declined to comment. The action is part of President Donald Trump’s broader effort to streamline federal operations; unless he renews the executive order that created the board, it could be dissolved as early as September. Worker advocates say three additional petitions representing thousands of claimants were in preparation but cannot proceed until the panel reconvenes. The Energy Department said it is “learning from past experiences” as it modernizes the arsenal, but former employees and some board members warn that the suspension effectively halts crucial medical and financial support for retirees who developed cancers and other ailments after decades of handling radioactive material.