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We are taking steps to continue to modernize and secure our data, applications, and systems. We completed the first phase and restored many of the functions put on pause in May 2021. Now that the first phase is complete, work will resume at a slower pace but will speed up as new systems and applications are brought online. For more information and updates, please visit our Cybersecurity Modernization Initiative web page.
Dose Reconstruction Production
In the early days of the NIOSH Dose Reconstruction Program, it was not unusual for dose reconstructions to take considerable time (sometimes several years) to complete.
The Department of Labor (DOL) began accepting claim applications on July 31, 2001, and sent the first batch of cases to NIOSH for dose reconstruction on October 11, 2001.
However, the responsibilities given to NIOSH for the compensation program were new to the agency at that time. The infrastructure, rules and regulations, technical documents, and other processes and procedures needed for dose reconstruction were not yet in place.
NIOSH’s dose reconstruction program has matured over time through the development of:
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more than 250 technical documents (Site Profiles, Technical Basis Documents, and Technical Information Bulletins)
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efficient methods, tools, and techniques
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standardization of the methods, procedures, and reports used in dose reconstruction
As a result, the average number of days needed to process dose reconstructions for initial referrals has decreased.
In May 2021, we paused some functions to modernize and secure our data, applications, and systems. The length of time cases have been with DCAS significantly increased when the pause started and peaked in October 2021 (see Figure 1). We have since restored many of the functions put on pause. The processes in place now have steadily reduced the age of our cases.