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EEOICPA & RECA Attorneys

Stephens & Stephens has obtained over $60 million through the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act and the Energy Employees Occupation Illness Compensation Act for our clients

Dee GodfreyDee Godfrey
18:49 12 Mar 24
I was astounded with the service I received from Mr. Hugh Stephens in regard to my husband's compensation claim. He was not only efficient, but also compassionate, and communicated clearly and frequently. Because of his outstanding efforts and expertise, I, who am now a grieving widow, am unexpectedly stabile and secure. I had little to do. He did all the heavy lifting. I'm so very grateful for his help. I'll always remember not only his professionalism, but also his kindness.
Audrey OgletreeAudrey Ogletree
22:19 09 Mar 24
From: Laurence OgletreeI received good assistance from Stephens & Stephens in submitting the recent claim for increased impairment benefits from the Energy Workers program.
Randy MooreRandy Moore
14:48 07 Mar 24
I was a machinist at Honeywell F.M.&T.and developed bilateral tinnitus and bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. They helped me file a claim with EEOICPA in 2017. Stephen’s & Stephen’s was very good to work with, they take care of all the paperwork and help with any paperwork I receive from the Department of Labor. They stay on top of things helping with scheduling impairment reviews etc.I feel that without their help this would have been a very overwhelming process.I plan on still using them if any other illnesses occur due to my employment with Honeywell.
Mike DauzatMike Dauzat
15:54 02 Mar 24
I highly recommend Stevens and Stevens. Hugh Stevens and his staff are very professional and very friendly. They're extremely good at making sure you get the full amount of money you deserve. If you need a DOL lawyer, I highly recommend this team. I can't be more happy that I picked Stevens and Stevens.
Mary YbarraMary Ybarra
01:33 27 Feb 24
Stephen’s and Stephen’s has kept fight for my dad. Now they are fight for my mom. They are on top of things and I would recommend them to anyone who needs help and guidance with the Uranium mines.
Dianne HarperDianne Harper
01:02 17 Feb 24
Robert and I are very pleased with Mr. Hugh Stephens and all that he has done for us. From the first moment we spoke, we sensed that though Mr. Stephens exhibits sharp business acumen, he cares deeply about his clients and he has a huge heart.
Diane pontonDiane ponton
17:38 07 Feb 24
I tried to get others to help me with this claim, and it wasn"t until I hired Mr. Stephens that things started happening. I would recommend any one to get in touch with him . I would go to him again, if i ever needed to.
Judy LeonardJudy Leonard
22:26 06 Feb 24
I very much appreciate the successful litigation concerning my husband's Hanford work related illness. Stephens & Stephens LLP were thorough, caring, considerate, and fair during this difficult time.
Kenneth GKenneth G
18:23 03 Feb 24
Mr. Stephens was able to simplify an otherwise complicated lengthy process (DEEOIC) to file an initial claim as well as a claim for impairment benefits.
dave DONAIDdave DONAID
18:08 03 Feb 24
Frankie KnucFrankie Knuc
19:24 08 Jan 24
I had other attorneys hired in Cortez, Colorado and Grand Jct., Colorado to assist me with receiving my uranium claim, but they were not successful. I was advised by an employee of CNS of Stephens & Stephens, LLP good work. I contacted them & they took my case It was settled very quickly. I have been very pleased with this group & would advise others of their prompt service. I would recommend them to others. Respectfully, Frankie Knuckles
Rebecca ConsolRebecca Consol
19:57 22 Dec 23
My family used Stephen’s and Stephen’s for a settlement case. We were extremely pleased with all they did. They were very professional, easy to get a hold of, and invaluable when it came to answering questions and handling complicated Department of Labor issues and forms. They also did everything in a very timely manner. I have already recommended them to other people.
Thomas CliffordThomas Clifford
15:29 21 Dec 23
I have been represented by Hugh Stevens for several years now, He and his staff has made everything so easy for me. I had lung cancer from working in the uranium processing industry, they have opened so many doors for me and made dealing with DOL so much easier. They always answer my questions in a very timely manner. I have referred several other people to him and he has been able to get them through this process also. There are benefits that I was not aware of that he has brought to my attention and been able to lead me through the process of obtaining them. I would most highly recommend him to lead anyone through this process.
Lonnie killingHawkLonnie killingHawk
02:35 14 Dec 23
When I first contacted Stephens & Stephens I was at the end of my rope with DOL. Hough and his staff got me on track and handled everything with DOL and just made this process so easy. Do not know where I'd be with out them. They are able to communicate at a layman's level and understand the client. Would strongly recommend this firm.
Ruthy LyonRuthy Lyon
21:00 28 Sep 23
Our initial conversation with Mr. Stephens was productive & reassuring. His previous experience with similar cases was obvious and very helpful, in both asking us specific questions for clarification & also addressing our own questions. Breanna is also a great asset to their team.
James O'DayJames O'Day
15:07 13 Sep 23
I have referred several friends to Hugh Stephens and they were more satisfied than they ever expected. I would refer him with confidence to anyone in need. I trust when he speaks for me, for example, in court. He is a good communicator and a deep thinker. He is well respected in his profession. He handles environmental law, injury law, and medical malpractice. He is tactful and direct and knows what he is doing. He knows the legal briar patches well.
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EEOICPA Covered Facilities: Salmon Nuclear Explosion Site

The EEOICPA was passed in 2000. It provides compensation to workers who became ill as a result of their employment manufacturing nuclear weapons in the USA, as well as their spouses, children, and grandchildren. Salmon Nuclear Explosion Site EEOICPA coverage is available for qualified former Workers and their families.

Are you eligible for compensation? If you or a family member worked at this or another DOE facility and became ill, you may be entitled to compensation of up to $400K plus medical benefits. Call EEOICPA Counsel Hugh Stephens at 1-855-548-4494 or fill out our free claim evaluation, We can help even if you’ve already filed, even if your claim was denied!

Here, we have compiled publicly available information and documentation about the facilities covered by the Act to clarify how their activities relate to the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act.

Salmon Nuclear Explosion Site

 
Also Known As: Tatum Dome Test Site
State: Mississippi
Location: Hattiesburg
Time Period: 1964-1972
Facility Type: Department of Energy

Facility Description: The Salmon Test Site was the location for two nuclear and two methane-oxygen gas explosion tests conducted deep underground in the Tatum Salt Dome. The tests were part of a program designed to detect, identify, and locate underground nuclear explosions.

Drilling for the “Salmon” event began in April 1963. The Salmon test shot was fired on October 22, 1964. Post-shot activities were completed by June 30, 1965.

After the Salmon post-shot activities were completed, the Sterling shot was detonated in the Salmon cavity on December 3, 1966. In March 1968, Sterling cavity reentry drilling, surveying, and coring was begun. The facilities were shut down and the site was placed on standby status on April 12, 1968.

In November 1968, the cavity was prepared for the non-nuclear experiment called “Diode Tube.” The shot was fired on February 1, 1969; post-shot activities were completed and the operation ended in June 1969.

Another non-nuclear event, called “Humid Water” took place in 1970. The cavity was prepared in February 1970 and the shot was fired on April 19, 1970. The site was decommissioned on June 29, 1972.

Listing:
Salmon Nuclear Explosion Site is listed as a Department of Energy (DOE) site under the EEOICPA.

Compensation:
As of 05/17/2015, the total compensation paid under Parts B and E of the EEOICPA, including medical compensation, for workers suffering from the effects of having worked at the Salmon Nuclear Explosion Site is $5,407,989.

*Site Description and History:
The Salmon, Mississippi, Site, also called the Tatum Dome Test Site, is a 1,470-acre tract of land in Lamar County, Mississippi, 21 miles southwest of Hattiesburg. The nearest town is Purvis, about 10 miles east of the site.

The site is in a forested region known as the long-leaf pine belt of the Gulf Coastal Plain. Elevations in the area range from about 240 to 350 feet above sea level. The site overlies a salt formation called the Tatum Salt Dome. Land around the Salmon site has residential, industrial, and commercial use, although no one lives within the boundary of the site itself.

The U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), a predecessor agency of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and the U.S. Department of Defense conducted two underground nuclear tests at the site under the designation of Project Dribble, part of a larger program known as the Vela Uniform program. Two gas explosive tests, designated Project Miracle Play, were also conducted at the site.

The Vela Uniform program was part of a Department of Defense research and development program intended to improve the capability of detecting, monitoring, and identifying underground nuclear detonations. As part of the Vela Uniform program, nuclear tests were conducted near Fallon, Nevada (Project Shoal), on Amchitka Island, Alaska (Project Long Shot), and near Hattiesburg, Mississippi (Projects Salmon and Sterling).

Projects Salmon and Sterling were designed to evaluate seismic signals from detonations in a salt medium (the Tatum Salt Dome). The Salmon and Sterling tests were the second and fourth nuclear tests in the program. The Salmon test took place on October 22, 1964, at a depth of 2,700 feet below ground surface, which is approximately 1,200 feet below the top of the salt dome. This 5.3-kiloton-yield test created an underground test cavity approximately 110 feet in diameter at the depth of the detonation. The second, smaller test, Sterling, conducted on December 3, 1966, consisted of a 380-ton-yield nuclear device suspended in the cavity created by the Salmon test.

Two methane-oxygen explosions were conducted in the Salmon cavity–one (called the Diode Tube) on February 2, 1969, and the other (called the Humid Water) on April 19, 1970. Each test had a yield of approximately 315 tons.

salmon_cross_section

The salt dome fully contained all of the tests, and no radionuclides were released to the surface. Radioactive fission products and other materials generated during the tests are contained in the test cavity and in the salt near the cavity. Following each of the tests, reentry holes were drilled into the test cavity to collect scientific data and to emplace devices. These drilling operations generated waste, which included contaminated drill cuttings and drilling fluids. In addition, support operations generated other contaminated materials. Test site support activities required fuel, electricity, sanitation, waste storage, waste disposal, and the use of hazardous materials.

Site Conditions:
The site cleanup and decommissioning activities began in 1971. Contaminated buildings and equipment were shipped to the Nevada National Security Site (formerly Nevada Test Site) for disposal; contaminated soils, slurried with fresh water, and other liquid materials were disposed of in the underground test cavity. Liquid wastes from the Salmon reentry operations were injected into a deep brine aquifer (known as Aquifer 5) for disposal. Liquid wastes from the Sterling reentry operations were solidified and shipped to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, for burial. Miscellaneous sanitary wastes were buried onsite in shallow pits excavated for soils to replace contaminated soils. These pits were subsequently covered with clean soil and graded. A high water table elevation prevented complete excavation and removal of contamination at ground zero, and the shallow mud pit less than 100 meters away. The mud pit excavation was backfilled with clean soil and reseeded.

Cleanup and decommissioning activities officially ended June 30, 1972, the same day the AEC site lease with the original landowner expired. A new 10-year lease agreement gave DOE exclusive rights to regulate and control subsurface penetration and allowed continued site access to conduct monitoring activities. The lease was later renewed for a second 10-year period. During the 1972 to 1992 lease period, the site was used as a private timber plantation.

Radioactivity remains in the test cavity that is deep within the salt structure. The salt is nearly impermeable and has little or no capacity to transmit water. Therefore, the salt structure provides sufficient geologic isolation to prevent the radioactivity from migrating.

Shortly after the creation of DOE’s Environmental Management program in 1989, concerned citizens, the State of Mississippi, and congressional leaders raised questions about the site. When DOE acquired the site in 1992, the agency initiated a series of studies to verify site conditions and investigate whether residual contamination remained that had not been detected in previous investigations. The studies were completed and issued in the Salmon Site Remedial Investigation Report (DOE/NV-494-Vol.1/Rev. 1, 1999).

Results confirmed that decommissioning of the surface resulted in conditions protective of human health and the environment, that neither the test cavity nor the deep aquifer was leaking, and that wastes disposed of there were adequately contained. The human health risk assessment indicated that the only unacceptable risks would be through using the site in a residential scenario. Recreational visitors and workers in the area (e.g., park rangers) would not be subject to unacceptable risks. At least 95 percent of the risk is due to naturally occurring radioactive material. The residential scenario risk was higher due to the added pathway of ingestion of produce grown in site soil, particularly produce grown within 100 meters of ground zero.

In 2010, DOE transferred surface ownership of the Salmon site to the State of Mississippi so that the site could be used as a wildlife refuge and working demonstration forest. DOE retains the rights to the subsurface of the Salmon site property and will continue the monitoring of surface water and groundwater to ensure protection of public health and the environment.

Institutional Controls :
Institutional controls are in place to ensure protection of the public and the environment. DOE has placed a deed restriction on the land parcel, which prohibits excavation, drilling, or removal of material without prior approval from DOE. Angle drilling from outside the property boundary to within the property boundary is also prohibited.

Long-Term Hydrologic Monitoring Program :
Since 1972, surface water and groundwater have been monitored annually at the Salmon site as part of a long- term hydrologic monitoring program. In 2014, the sampling interval was changed to every 18 months, to capture possible seasonal variations. Water samples are collected for analysis of signature radionuclides from the nuclear detonations. Monitoring wells near areas of buried drilling fluids are also sampled for organic compounds and metals that may remain entrained in pockets of the buried material. The State of Mississippi participates in the DOE sampling program and is onsite during sampling events.

salmon_map

*Source

Salmon Nuclear Explosion Site Workers:
If you or your parent worked at this or any other DOE or AWE facility and became ill, you may be entitled to compensation of up to $400K plus medical benefits from the US Department of Labor. Call EEOICPA Counsel Hugh Stephens at 1-855-EEOICPA (336-4272) or fill out the form to the right, whether or not you have already filed a claim and even if your claim has been accepted or denied.

We can help with all OWCP (Federal Workers Compensation) claims, impairments, wage loss and health care. 2495 Main Street, Suite 442, Buffalo, NY 14214.