CFR

79.56—Proof of primary renal cancer.

(a) In determining whether a claimant developed primary renal cancer following pertinent employment as a miller, the Assistant Director shall resolve all reasonable doubt in favor of the claimant. A conclusion that a claimant developed primary renal cancer must be supported by medical documentation. In all cases, the Program will review submitted medical documentation, and will, in addition and where appropriate, review any pertinent records discovered within the sources referred to in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section.

(b) Where appropriate, the Radiation Exposure Compensation Program will search the records of the PHS (including NIOSH), created or gathered during the course of any health study of uranium workers conducted or being conducted by these agencies, to determine whether those records contain proof of the claimant's medical condition. (In cases where the claimant is deceased, the Program will accept as proof of medical condition the verification of the PHS or NIOSH that it possesses medical records or abstracts of medical records of the claimant that contain a verified diagnosis of primary renal cancer.)

(c) If a claimant was diagnosed as having primary renal cancer in the State of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, or Wyoming, and the claimant or eligible surviving beneficiary submits with the claim an Authorization To Release Medical or Other Information, valid in the state of diagnosis, that authorizes the Radiation Exposure Compensation Program to contact the appropriate state cancer or tumor registry, the Program will, where appropriate, request the relevant information from that registry and will review records that it obtains from the registry. (In cases where the claimant is deceased, the Program will accept as proof of medical condition verification from the state cancer or tumor registry that it possesses medical records or abstracts of medical records of the claimant that contain a verified diagnosis of primary renal cancer.)

(d) If medical records regarding the claimant were gathered during the course of any federally supported, health-related study of uranium workers, and the claimant or eligible surviving beneficiary submits with the claim an Authorization To Release Medical or Other Information that authorizes the Program to contact the custodian of the records of the study to determine if proof of the claimant's medical condition is contained in the records of the study, the Program will, where appropriate, request such records from that custodian and will review records that it obtains from the custodian. (In cases where the claimant is deceased, the Program will accept as proof of the claimant's medical condition such medical records or abstracts of medical records containing a verified diagnosis of primary renal cancer.)

(e) A claimant or beneficiary may submit any of the following forms of medical documentation in support of a claim that the claimant contracted primary renal cancer. Such documentation will be most useful where it contains an explicit statement of diagnosis or such other information or data from which the appropriate authorities at the National Cancer Institute can make a diagnosis to a reasonable degree of medical certainty:

(1) Pathology report of tissue biopsy or resection;

(2) Autopsy report;

(3) One of the following summary medical reports:

(i) Physician summary report;

(ii) Hospital discharge summary report;

(iii) Operative report;

(iv) Radiotherapy summary report; or

(v) Medical oncology summary or consultation report;

(4) Report of one of the following radiology examinations:

(i) Computerized tomography (CT) scan; or

(ii) Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); or

(5) Death certificate, provided that it is signed by a physician at the time of death.

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