Executive Order 13179: Providing Compensation to America's Nuclear Weapons Workers
President: Bill Clinton
Allocated agency duties for implementing compensation and medical benefits for nuclear-weapons workers with occupational illnesses.
Status: In effect. Is Executive Order 13179 still in effect? Yes. Executive Order 13179 remains in effect. See Executive Order 13699: Establishing the Advisory Board on Toxic Substances and Worker Health, Federal Register record.
What does Executive Order 13179 do?
EO 13179 implemented the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act by assigning claims administration to Labor, exposure and facility information to Energy, and radiation-dose reconstruction and scientific support to Health and Human Services. The program continues to pay eligible workers and survivors, and its rules and coverage have been amended repeatedly by Congress and the agencies.
Claim-level review October 2, 2026: The order allocated implementation responsibilities under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act. It does not itself establish that every claimant is eligible; eligibility and benefits follow the governing statute and regulations.
Before and after
Before the order
Many nuclear-weapons workers struggled to obtain state compensation because of latency, secrecy and incomplete exposure records.
After the order
A federal claims system offered lump-sum compensation, medical benefits and survivor payments for defined categories.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| Labor Department | Adjudicate claims and pay benefits | Continuing |
| Energy Department | Supply employment, exposure and facility information | Continuing |
| HHS and NIOSH | Reconstruct doses and support scientific determinations | Continuing |
What happened next
EO 13179 allocated implementation duties.
The program began accepting claims.
Signed text, official disposition and the cited later implementation records for EO 13179 rechecked.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
EEOICPA and its amendments control eligibility and benefit amounts. Claimants receive administrative review rights, while the order itself creates no entitlement beyond the statute.
Sources by type
If a source is unavailable, first check the cited publisher or another official repository. The cited publisher remains the authority.
Primary and official sources
Orders, laws, court records and official implementation material.
- GovInfo — EO 13179 (opens in a new tab) Order text
- Labor Department — Energy Employees program (opens in a new tab) Official record
- eCFR — EEOICPA claims rules (opens in a new tab) Official record
- National Archives — 2000 disposition table (opens in a new tab) Official record
- GovInfo — EO 13699 (opens in a new tab) Order text
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on October 2, 2026. How we research →