Articles · Covered illnesses

Does my illness count? How EEOICPA decides.

There is no single list taped to a wall. Coverage depends on the illness, the worksite, the years, and which part of the program — but the shape of it is knowable in five minutes.

Reviewed by Alara’s Director of Nursing, RN · July 2026

The main coverage paths.

  1. The 22 specified cancers + a Special Exposure Cohort. If your worksite and years fall in an SEC class — as periods at the Nevada Test Site do — specified cancers are presumed work-related. How the SEC works →
  2. Radiation-induced cancer by dose reconstruction. Outside an SEC, NIOSH estimates your exposure and the probability the work caused the cancer.
  3. Chronic beryllium disease and silicosis — listed under Part B with their own criteria.
  4. Toxic-exposure illness under Part E — a broader range: lung, kidney, neurological, and other conditions linked to chemicals and solvents at DOE facilities.

Two mistakes cost families the most: assuming a non-cancer illness cannot qualify (Part E exists), and assuming an old denial still stands (the covered list keeps growing). Why old denials win now →

How to check your diagnosis.

Free and neutral: the DOL’s Las Vegas Resource Center checks your illness, worksite, and years against current rules — (702) 697-0841. Prefer to start from your couch? A case review maps it with a nurse.

Common questions.

Is COPD or kidney disease ever covered?

Possibly under Part E, where the question is whether toxic exposure at a covered facility caused or contributed to the illness. The evidence and the worksite decide it.

Sources: U.S. Department of Labor, DEEOIC · NIOSH.

Want your diagnosis mapped?

A nurse reads the illness, the worksite, and the years together and tells you which paths the evidence supports.

Start a case review Or call (702) 814-9630
Alara helps you understand and reach benefits you may already be entitled to. It does not replace the Department of Labor, your Resource Center, your physician, or any federal agency. Nothing here is legal advice or a coverage or eligibility determination.