Former Nevada Test Site workers are one step closer to achieving a compensation payout from the federal government, after they contracted cancer while working on underground nuclear tests.
“Special exposure cohort status” was granted to individuals who worked at The Test Site from 1963 through 1992, by The Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev, announced this week.
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The unanimous vote was hailed by Reid as great news for workers who served the nation during the Cold War.
“These brave men and women served their country honourably during one of the most dangerous conflicts in our nation’s history, and many of them contracted life-threatening illnesses in the process,” Reid said.
“While I believe it should never take this long to meet our obligation to those who serve their country, I am thankful that the correct decision was made and that we are now closer to compensating them in a manner equal to their service.”
Before the board’s decision becomes law, additional procedural steps will have to be taken over the next 90 days.
The board’s decision was made after a petition brought about in 2007, which both Reid and former Test Site Workers supported. For employees who worked at the government facility 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas from 1951 through 1962, a compensation process is already in place.