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West Valley Demonstration Project

On This Page

Special Exposure Cohort
Worker Outreach Activities
Technical Documents
Advisory Board and NIOSH Discussions
Public Comments
Document Archive

(Site Profile/Docket Number 107)

Location: West Valley, New York

Also Known As: Nuclear Fuel Services, West Valley, Western New York Fuel Services Center

Special Exposure Cohort Petition Information

The Special Exposure Cohort (SEC) is a unique category of employees established by the Act (42 CFR Part 83). Claims compensated under the SEC do not have to go through the dose reconstruction process. To qualify for compensation under the SEC, a covered employee must meet specific requirements (e.g., must have at least one of 22 “specified cancers,” and have worked for a specified time period at one of the SEC sites). Classes of employees and work sites can be considered for addition to the SEC through a NIOSH petition process. More information about the Special Exposure Cohort can be found on our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Open/Active SEC Petitions

To date, there are no open/active SEC petitions from West Valley Demonstration Project.

Classes Added to the SEC

All Atomic Weapons Employees who worked at the West Valley Demonstration Project in West Valley, New York, during the period from January 1, 1969, through December 31, 1973, for a number of work days aggregating at least 250 work days, occurring either solely under this employment or in combination with work days within the parameters established for one or more other classes of employees in the Special Exposure Cohort.

Note: This class was established from Petition 252

Petitions Qualified for Evaluation

Below is a list of the petitions that qualified for evaluation. Select a petition on the list to view the table for that particular petition.

Petition 252
Steps in Petition Process:	Petition Details:
Date Received	May 1, 2019
Date Qualified for Evaluation	May 2, 2019
Summary of Information in Petition	Location: West Valley, New York Job Titles and/or Job Duties: All employees of the Department of Energy, its predecessor agencies, and its contractors and subcontractors Period of Employment: January 1, 1966 through December 31, 1973 Note: The information above is what qualified for evaluation. During our evaluation of whether dose reconstructions can adequately be completed for the above job titles and period of employment, information may cause NIOSH to change some the dates or job titles/duties. Therefore, as this petition proceeds through the SEC petition process and if an SEC class is proposed, the proposed class may not exactly match the above information.
Copy of the Petition Received	May 1, 2019 [1.2 MB (2 pages)] (January 1, 1966 through December 31, 1973)
Federal Register Notice Announcing that a West Valley Demonstration Project SEC Petition has met the Minimum Qualifications for Review and Evaluation	May 22, 2019 [64 KB (2 pages)] (January 1, 1966 through December 31, 1973)
SEC Petition Evaluation Report	July 31, 2019 [368 KB (40 pages)] (January 1, 1969 through December 31, 1973)
Evaluation Report Sent to the Advisory Board	July 31, 2019 (January 1, 1969 through December 31, 1973)
Petition Discussed by the Advisory Board	The Advisory Board discussed this petition during its regular meetings on August 21, 2019. Note: Agendas and transcripts for Board meetings will be posted on the Advisory Board and Public Meetings page as soon as they become available.
Advisory Board Recommendation on SEC Petition	September 23, 2019 [107 KB (2 pages)] (January 1, 1969 through December 31, 1973)
HHS Letters to Congress Regarding the SEC Petition	October 25, 2019 [331 KB (12 pages)] (January 1, 1969 through December 31, 1973)
HHS Designation/Determination of Additional Members to the SEC	Designation: October 25, 2019 [148 KB (5 pages)] (January 1, 1969 through December 31, 1973) Note: A “designation” means that HHS is recommending a class be added to the SEC. A “determination” means that HHS is recommending a class not be added to the SEC.
Federal Register Notice: Designation/Determination of a Class of Employees for Addition to the Special Exposure Cohort	November 8, 2019 [89 KB (2 pages)] (January 1, 1969 through December 31, 1973) Note: A “designation” will be published if there is a recommendation to add a class to the SEC. A “determination” will be published if there is a recommendation not to add a class to the SEC.
Effective Date for the SEC Class	November 24, 2019 (January 1, 1969 through December 31, 1973) Note: This only applies if the class is added to the SEC.
Federal Register Notice: Final Effect of Designation of a Class of Employees for Addition to the Special Exposure Cohort	December 12, 2019 [58 KB (1 page)] (January 1, 1969 through December 31, 1973) Note: This only applies if the class is added to the SEC.
Letter to DOL Regarding the Addition of a New Class of Employees to the SEC	November 25, 2019 [78 KB (1 page)] (January 1, 1969 through December 31, 1973) Note: This only applies if the class is added to the SEC.

Worker Outreach Activities

Based on a recommendation from the Advisory Board to provide workers and site experts with opportunities to participate in developing the technical documents used in dose reconstruction, NIOSH established a Worker Outreach Program.

At Worker Outreach Meetings, current and former DOE and AWE employees have opportunities to obtain information about Site Profiles, Technical Basis Documents, and Technical Information Bulletins, and to provide information for consideration and possible use in dose reconstruction. This process is valuable to ensure that the technical documents used in dose reconstruction contain correct and useful information.

Worker Outreach Activities for the West Valley Demonstration Project:

August 23, 2007
Meeting with International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) Local 2401, Springville, New York
Final Minutes [52 KB (10 pages)]
August 8, 2006
Meeting with International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Local Lodge 2401, West Valley, New York
Final Minutes [83 KB (14 pages)]

Technical Documents

If the energy employee’s personal radiation information is incomplete, NIOSH will use other sources to estimate the radiation dose. This may involve using technical documents called Site Profiles, Technical Basis Documents, and Technical Information Bulletins.

Site Profile

Site Profile for the West Valley Demonstration Project [1.5 MB (152 pages)]
Page Change Revision August 17, 2007

Advisory Board and NIOSH Discussions on West Valley Demonstration Project

The West Valley Demonstration Project discussion papers listed below are working documents prepared by NIOSH or its contractor for use in discussions with the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health or its Working Groups or Subcommittees. Draft, preliminary, interim, and white paper documents are not final NIOSH or Advisory Board (or their technical support and review contractors) positions unless specifically marked as such. These documents represent preliminary positions taken on technical issues prepared by NIOSH or its contractor.

The discussion papers have been reviewed to identify and redact any information that is protected by the Privacy Act 5 USC §552a and have been cleared for distribution.

SC&A Draft: SC&A’s Evaluation of ORAUT-OTIB-0049, Revision 02, “Estimating Doses for Plutonium Strongly Retained in the Lung” [1.3 MB (39 pages)]
Contract No. 75D30119C04183
Document No. SCA-TR-2021-PR049, Revision 0
October 7, 2021
SC&A Draft: SC&A’S Evaluation Of ORAUT-OTIB-0088, Revision 01, “External Dose Reconstruction” [296 KB (9 pages)]
Contract No. 75D30119C04183
Document No. SCA-TR-2021-PR088, Revision 0
September 3, 2021
NIOSH/DCAS: SEC-00252 West Valley Demonstration Project [407 KB (21 pages)]
Presentation at the August 21, 2019, Meeting of the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health

Public Comments on West Valley Demonstration Project Documents

How to Submit Comments

Comments on West Valley Demonstration Project documents can be submitted to the NIOSH Docket Officer electronically by e-mail at nioshdocket@cdc.gov or printed comments can be mailed to:

NIOSH Docket Office
Robert A. Taft Laboratories, MS-C34
1090 Tusculum Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45226
Please include the Site Profile/Docket Number (107) on all comments.

Comments Received

At this time, no comments have been submitted on West Valley Demonstration Project Documents.

Document Archive for West Valley Demonstration Project Documents

Site Profile for the West Valley Demonstration Project [1 MB (152 pages)]
Approved June 22, 2007