Town Hall Meeting
August 23, 2010
5:00 pm
The town hall meeting was held at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 124, for all former and retired employees of the Bannister Federal Complex. The 3-day notice of the meeting was barely time to let people know it was happening! 
The meeting was arranged by Representative Emanuel Cleaver, but was not formatted as a Town Hall Meeting at all! No one was given the opportunity to speak publicly, instead, everyone was handed a card with a number as they entered the auditorium. We were informed that after the presentations, we would be allowed to talk with the agency representatives in groups of 25.
Denise Brock, Ombudsman to NIOSH, spoke first. While her speech was very moving, it makes one wonder why we would need her help to file a claim? Oh, my mistake, of course we will need her help, we are filing claims with government agencies...
The second presentation provided us an overview of the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA) including who and what is covered, parts of the law, the decision process of claims, etc., etc.
As the presentation ended, the first 25 people quickly got up and made their way to the tables. Mr. Klumm, announced that every 30 minutes, he would announce that the next 25 could step up to the tables. Everyone was able to get to representatives in a timely fashion, hopefully getting answers to their questions.
 The tables along the side of the room, included representatives from the following agencies and groups:
Representative Emanuel Cleaver
EPA
NNSA
GSA
NIOSH
DOL
Federal Employees Compensation Act
The information provided was of value to some, and simply left others scratching their heads wondering if anything was really done to help them fight this battle.
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