(a) The claims process under this part is informal, and OWCP acts as an impartial evaluator of the evidence. A claimant need not be represented to file a claim or receive a payment. Nevertheless, a claimant may appoint one individual to represent his or her interests, but the appointment must be in writing.

(b) There can be only one representative at any one time, so after one representative has been properly appointed, OWCP will not recognize another individual as a representative until the claimant withdraws the authorization of the first individual. In addition, OWCP will recognize only certain types of individuals (see § 30.601). For the purposes of paragraph (b) of this section, a “representative” does not include a person who only has a power of attorney to act on behalf of a claimant.

(c) A properly appointed representative who is recognized by OWCP may make a request or give direction to OWCP regarding the claims process, including a hearing. This authority includes presenting or eliciting evidence, making arguments on facts or the law, and obtaining information from the case file, to the same extent as the claimant.

(1) Any notice requirement contained in this part or EEOICPA is fully satisfied if served on the representative, and has the same force and effect as if sent to the claimant.

(2) A representative does not have authority to sign the Form EE-1 (described in § 30.100(a)) or the Form EE-2 (described in § 30.101(a)) for his or her client. A representative also does not have authority to sign the Form EN-20 (described in § 30.505(c)) for his or her client

A claimant may authorize any individual to represent him or her in regard to a claim under EEOICPA, unless that individual's service as a representative would violate any applicable provision of law (such as 18 U.S.C. 205 and 208) or the standards regarding conflicts of interest adopted by OWCP. Under those standards, authorized representatives are prohibited from having private, non-representational financial interests with respect to their client's EEOICPA claims. This does not include their fee for serving as a representative. A Federal employee may act as a representative only:

(a) On behalf of immediate family members, defined as a spouse, children, parents, and siblings of the representative, provided no fee or gratuity is charged; or

(b) While acting as a union representative, defined as any officially sanctioned union official, and no fee or gratuity is charged.

A representative may charge the claimant a fee for services and for costs associated with the representation before OWCP. The claimant is solely responsible for paying the fee and other costs. OWCP will not reimburse the claimant, nor is it in any way liable for the amount of the fee and costs.

(a) Notwithstanding any contract, the representative may not receive, for services rendered in connection with a claim pending before OWCP, more than the percentages of the lump-sum payment made to the claimant set out in paragraph (b) of this section, exclusive of costs and expenses.

(b) The percentages referred to in paragraph (a) of this section are:

(1) 2 percent for the filing of an initial claim with OWCP, provided that the representative was retained prior to the filing of the initial claim; plus

(2) 10 percent of the difference between the lump-sum payment made to the claimant and the amount proposed in the recommended decision with respect to objections to a recommended decision.

(c)(1) Any representative who violates this section shall be fined not more than $5,000.

(2) The authority to prosecute violations of this limitation lies with the Department of Justice.

(d) The fee limitations described in this section shall not apply with respect to representative services that are rendered in connection with a petition filed with a U.S. District Court seeking review of an OWCP decision that is final pursuant to § 30.316(d), or with respect to any subsequent appeal in such a proceeding.

If an occupational illness or covered illness for which compensation is payable under EEOICPA is caused, wholly or partially, by someone other than a federal employee acting within the scope of his or her employment, a DOE contractor or subcontractor, a beryllium vendor, an atomic weapons employer or a RECA section 5 mine or mill, the United States is subrogated for the full amount of any payment of compensation under EEOICPA to any right or claim that the individual to whom the payment was made may have against any person or entity on account of such occupational illness or covered illness.

Any person who has filed an EEOICPA claim that has been accepted by OWCP (whether or not compensation has been paid), or who has received EEOICPA benefits in connection with a claim filed by another, is required to notify OWCP of the receipt of money or other property as a result of a settlement or judgment in connection with the circumstances of that claim.

In this situation, the recovery to be reported is the present value of the right to receive all of the payments included in the structured settlement, allocated in the case of multiple recipients in the same manner as single payment recoveries.

The subrogated amount of a specific claim consists of the total money paid by OWCP from the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Fund with respect to that claim to or on behalf of a covered Part B employee, a covered Part E employee or an eligible surviving beneficiary, less charges for any medical file review (i.e., the physician did not examine the employee) done at the request of OWCP. Charges for medical examinations also may be subtracted if the covered Part B employee, covered Part E employee or an eligible surviving beneficiary establishes that the examinations were required to be made available to the covered Part B employee or covered Part E employee under a statute other than EEOICPA.

Since an injury caused by medical malpractice in treating an occupational illness or covered illness compensable under EEOICPA is also covered under EEOICPA, any recovery in a suit alleging such an injury is treated as a recovery that must be reported to OWCP.

Since payments received by a covered Part B employee, a covered Part E employee or an eligible surviving beneficiary pursuant to an insurance policy purchased by someone other than a liable third party are not payments in satisfaction of liability for causing an occupational illness or covered illness compensable under the Act, they are not considered a recovery that must be reported to OWCP.

(a) All medical conditions accepted by OWCP in connection with a single claim are treated as the same illness for the purpose of computing the amount which the United States is entitled to offset in connection with the receipt of a recovery from a third party, except that an injury caused by medical malpractice in treating an illness covered under EEOICPA will be treated as a separate injury.

(b) If an illness covered under EEOICPA is caused under circumstances creating a legal liability in more than one person, other than the United States, a DOE contractor or subcontractor, a beryllium vendor or an atomic weapons employer, to pay damages, OWCP will determine whether recoveries received from one or more third parties should be attributed to separate conditions for which compensation is payable in connection with a single EEOICPA claim. If such an attribution is both practicable and equitable, as determined by OWCP, in its discretion, the conditions will be treated as separate injuries for purposes of calculating the amount to which the United States is subrogated.

(a) A tort suit (other than an administrative or judicial proceeding for workers' compensation) that includes a claim arising out of a covered Part B employee's employment-related exposure to beryllium or radiation, filed against a beryllium vendor or an atomic weapons employer, by a covered Part B employee or an eligible surviving beneficiary or beneficiaries of a deceased covered Part B employee, will disqualify that otherwise eligible individual or individuals from receiving benefits under Part B of EEOICPA unless such claim is terminated in accordance with the requirements of §§ 30.616 through 30.619 of these regulations.

(b) The term “claim arising out of a covered Part B employee's employment-related exposure to beryllium or radiation” used in paragraph (a) of this section includes a claim that is derivative of a covered Part B employee's employment-related exposure to beryllium or radiation, such as a claim for loss of consortium raised by a covered Part B employee's spouse.

(c) If all claims arising out of a covered Part B employee's employment-related exposure to beryllium or radiation are terminated in accordance with the requirements of §§ 30.616 through 30.619 of these regulations, proceeding with the remaining portion of the tort suit filed against a beryllium vendor or an atomic weapons employer will not disqualify an otherwise eligible individual or individuals from receiving benefits under Part B of EEOICPA.

(a) If a tort suit described in § 30.615 was filed prior to October 30, 2000, the claimant or claimants will not be disqualified from receiving any EEOICPA benefits to which they may be found entitled if the tort suit was terminated in any manner prior to December 28, 2001.

(b) If a tort suit described in § 30.615 was filed prior to October 30, 2000 and was pending as of December 28, 2001, the claimant or claimants will be disqualified from receiving any benefits under Part B of EEOICPA unless they dismissed all claims arising out of a covered Part B employee's employment-related exposure to beryllium or radiation that were included in the tort suit prior to December 31, 2003.

(a) If a tort suit described in § 30.615 was filed during the period from October 30, 2000 through December 28, 2001, the claimant or claimants will be disqualified from receiving any benefits under Part B of EEOICPA unless they dismiss all claims arising out of a covered Part B employee's employment-related exposure to beryllium or radiation that are included in the tort suit on or before the last permissible date described in paragraph (b) of this section.

(b) The last permissible date is the later of:

(1) April 30, 2003; or

(2) The date that is 30 months after the date the claimant or claimants first became aware that an illness of the covered Part B employee may be connected to his or her exposure to beryllium or radiation covered by EEOICPA. For purposes of determining when this 30-month period begins, “the date the claimant or claimants first became aware” will be deemed to be the date they received either a reconstructed dose from NIOSH, or a diagnosis of a covered beryllium illness, as applicable.

(a) If a tort suit described in § 30.615 was filed after December 28, 2001, the claimant or claimants will be disqualified from receiving any benefits under Part B of EEOICPA if a judgment is entered against them.

(b) If a tort suit described in § 30.615 was filed after December 28, 2001 and a judgment has not yet been entered against the claimant or claimants, they will also be disqualified from receiving any benefits under Part B of EEOICPA unless, prior to entry of any judgment, they dismiss all claims arising out of a covered Part B employee's employment-related exposure to beryllium or radiation that are included in the tort suit on or before the last permissible date described in paragraph (c) of this section.

(c) The last permissible date is the later of:

(1) April 30, 2003; or

(2) The date that is 30 months after the date the claimant or claimants first became aware that an illness of the covered Part B employee may be connected to his or her exposure to beryllium or radiation covered by EEOICPA. For purposes of determining when this 30-month period begins, “the date the claimant or claimants first became aware” will be deemed to be the date they received either a reconstructed dose from NIOSH, or a diagnosis of a covered beryllium illness, as applicable.

The type of tort suits described in § 30.615 may be filed by more than one individual, each with a different cause of action. For example, a tort suit may be filed against a beryllium vendor by both a covered Part B employee and his or her spouse, with the covered Part B employee claiming for chronic beryllium disease and the spouse claiming for loss of consortium due to the covered Part B employee's exposure to beryllium. However, since the spouse of a living covered Part B employee could not be an eligible surviving beneficiary under Part B of EEOICPA, the spouse would not have to comply with the termination requirements of §§ 30.616 through 30.618. A similar result would occur if a tort suit were filed by both the spouse of a deceased covered Part B employee and other family members (such as children of the deceased covered part B employee). In this case, the spouse would be the only eligible surviving beneficiary of the deceased covered Part B employee under Part B of the EEOICPA because the other family members could not be eligible for benefits while he or she was alive. As a result, the spouse would be the only party to the tort suit who would have to comply with the termination requirements of §§ 30.616 through 30.618.

Prior to authorizing payment on a claim under Part B of EEOICPA, OWCP will require each claimant to execute and provide an affidavit stating if he or she filed a tort suit (other than an administrative or judicial proceeding for workers' compensation) against either a beryllium vendor or an atomic weapons employer that included a claim arising out of a covered Part B employee's employment-related exposure to beryllium or radiation, and if so, the current status of such tort suit. OWCP may also require the submission of any supporting evidence necessary to confirm the particulars of any affidavit provided under this section.

In general, “coordination of benefits” under Part E of the Act occurs when compensation to be received under Part E is reduced by OWCP, pursuant to section 7385s-11 of EEOICPA, to reflect certain benefits the beneficiary receives under a state workers' compensation program for the same covered illness.

(a) OWCP will reduce the compensation payable under Part E by the amount of benefits the claimant receives from a state workers' compensation program by reason of the same covered illness, after deducting the reasonable costs to the claimant of obtaining those benefits.

(b) To determine the amount of any reduction of EEOICPA compensation, OWCP shall require the covered Part E employee or each eligible surviving beneficiary filing a claim under Part E to execute and provide affidavits reporting the amount of any benefit received pursuant to a claim filed in a state workers' compensation program for the same covered illness.

(c) If a covered Part E employee or a survivor of such employee receives benefits through a state workers' compensation program pursuant to a claim for the same covered illness, OWCP shall reduce a portion of the dollar amount of such state workers' benefit from the compensation payable under Part E. OWCP will calculate the net amount of the state workers' compensation benefit amount to be subtracted from the compensation payment under Part E in the following manner:

(1) OWCP will first determine the dollar value of the benefits received by that individual from a state workers' compensation program by including all benefits, other than medical and vocational rehabilitation benefits, received for the same covered illness or injury sustained as a consequence of a covered illness.

(2) OWCP will then make certain deductions from the above dollar benefit received under a state workers' compensation program to arrive at the dollar amount that will be subtracted from any compensation payable under Part E of EEOICPA.

(i) Allowable deductions consist of reasonable costs in obtaining state workers' compensation benefits incurred by that individual, including but not limited to attorney's fees OWCP deems reasonable and itemized costs of suit (out-of-pocket expenditures not part of the normal overhead of a law firm's operation like filing, travel expenses, witness fees, and court reporter costs for transcripts), provided that adequate supporting documentation is submitted to OWCP for its consideration.

(ii) The EEOICPA benefits that will be reduced will consist of any unpaid monetary payments payable in the future and medical benefits payable in the future. In those cases where it has not yet paid EEOICPA benefits under Part E, OWCP will reduce such benefits on a dollar-for-dollar basis, beginning with the current monetary payments first. If the amount to be subtracted exceeds the monetary payments currently payable, OWCP will reduce ongoing EEOICPA medical benefits payable in the future by the amount of any remaining surplus. This means that OWCP will apply the amount it would otherwise pay to reimburse the covered Part E employee for any ongoing EEOICPA medical treatment to the remaining surplus until it is absorbed (or until further monetary benefits become payable that are sufficient to absorb the surplus).

(3) The above coordination of benefits will not occur if the beneficiary under a state workers' compensation program receives state workers' compensation benefits for both a covered and a non-covered illness arising out of and in the course of the same work-related incident.

A waiver to the requirement to coordinate Part E benefits with benefits paid under a state workers' compensation program may be granted if OWCP determines that the administrative costs and burdens of coordinating benefits in a particular case or class of cases justifies the waiver. This decision is exclusively within the discretion of OWCP.