HANFORD — Some ill nuclear workers and their survivors continue to struggle with the claims process for compensation from the federal government, according to the annual report from the ombudsman for the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program.

The report was issued a week before town hall meetings are planned in Kennewick by the U.S. Department of Labor to help ill Hanford or Pacific Northwest National Laboratory workers and their survivors.

The program pays $150,000 to workers with cancer because of radiation exposure at Hanford or other Department of Energy nuclear sites and up to $250,000 for lost wages or impairment due to illnesses caused by hazardous chemical exposure. Medical costs also are covered.

Ill workers can find it overwhelming to gather the information needed for their claims, the annual report said.

One unnamed worker highlighted in the report had described to the ombudsman's office the ordeal of having to locate former colleagues to prove she had been employed at a DOE nuclear site and going from doctor to doctor to gather medical reports, all while undergoing chemotherapy.

It also can be difficult for families of terminally ill workers to "push papers" in front of their loved ones for information or signatures needed for the claim, the report said. The amount of compensation may be reduced if claims are not filed until after a worker's death.

Others complained that because of the program's complexity, some people filing claims "feel that they are continuously competing against a stable of lawyers, doctors and scientists," the report said.

"Even though they try, many claimants find it impossible to develop a firm understanding of all of the rules and exceptions," the report said.

During World War II and the Cold War at Hanford, workers were ordered not to discuss their work with anyone, including their families. That's made it difficult for some survivors to know enough about their family members' work to show they were employed at a DOE site, the report said.

In addition, the ombudsman's office has had instances of workers who deliberately choose not to reveal everything about their employment, even if it would help their claims, the report said.

They may remain unwilling even years after retirement to discuss details with anyone who does not have the same security clearance or they may not want to discuss spills or accidents out of loyalty to colleagues, the report said.

Workers who are filing for lost wages or impairment also are having trouble identifying all of the toxins they were exposed to, the report said.

"Claimants repeatedly remind us that these facilities operated on a 'need to know' basis and thus while they may know the names of some of the toxins to which they were exposed, no one told them, and they never dared to ask, the names of many of the other toxins to which they came into contact," the report said.

In some cases, showing that the exposure caused an illness can be difficult.

"Many claimants who suffer from prostate or breast cancer find it extremely difficult to establish a causal link to any work-related toxin, even where the worker has many years of exposure to toxins," the report said.

The Department of Labor has scheduled meetings at 7 p.m. March 16 and 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. March 17 at the Red Lion Hotel, N. 1101 Columbia Center Blvd., Kennewick.

The meetings will explain new rules that should make it easier for some workers to win compensation for cancer caused by radiation at Hanford and will provide an overview of the entire compensation program for cancer and other illnesses.

In addition, the Hanford Resource Center staff will be available from 5 to 9 p.m. March 16 and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 17 to help individuals with claims.