Occasionally we receive questions about obtaining copies of their medical records, life-time exposure (radiation) records, or seeking employment and job specific information. Below is information on how to submit a request directly to the Department of Energy for a worker’s records, and what to expect. This is a quite easy thing to do if you know where to ask/request.
A few things to note:
- If your purpose is to have in your possession all available records just in case there is ever a need to review, then by all means, initiate the process.
- If your purpose is to provide medical evidence in support of a claim under EEOICPA, our experience is that records from workplace physicals are limited in use for currently claimed medical condition. Don’t allow this to delay your EEOICPA claim – contact us today for help understanding what you need (and what you don’t) to get your claim approved.
- Medical records from a work site can help support claims if you are seeking proof of 1) breathing difficulties or Asthma related conditions (occupational/workplace induced asthma), or 2) evidence of Beryllium tests (borderline test results can now support claims for Chronic Beryllium Disease).
- Workplace accidents which led to visits to the Medical Unit or Infirmary can be useful to substantiate certain significant exposures to chemicals. However, Incident reports often do NOT find their way into your personnel file.
- If there were challenges in a past claim “proving” you were on site, dosimetry and/or medical records can be used as proof of onsite presence.
- When a claim is filed, a District Office Claims Examiner initiates a request for information as to your work dates and job titles/functions. These requests are handled by a DOE field office, DOE Legacy Management, and more often than not, responses provide basic minimum information, and miss critical evidence which could be useful to prove onsite presence within a Special Exposure Cohort time frame.
The link below provides written instructions and contact information as to where to request. There are a couple of steps, and it can take 2 to 6 months in my experience. You do have to follow up with the office and press a bit, and not assume they will follow through. Some patience is necessary. What they will send, eventually, is a Password protected CD. The level of completeness/detail varies by worker/ contractor they worked for.
Submitting a Privacy Act Request | Department of Energy
You may send a request via mail, fax, or email to initiate the process.
Ways to Submit a Privacy Act request:
- By Mail: The Privacy Act Office, United States Department of Energy,
19901 Germantown Road, Room G- 302, Germantown, Maryland 20874; or - By Fax: 301-903-7738 Attn: Privacy Act Request.
- By email as a password protected document: [email protected]
Brenda Canterbury – [email protected]
Privacy Management and Compliance Division
Office of the Chief Information Officer
U.S. Department of Energy