41507 Department of Energy Pacific Area Support Office go$ ° PO. Box 29939 Honolulu, Hawaii 96820 * Addressees TRIP REPORT -— H. U. BROWN, PASO DOE PAYMENTS TO RONGELAP-UTIRIK MEDICAL PATIENTS At the request of the Director, PASO I visited Dr. William Burr, Deputy Director, Division of Biomedical and Environmental Research, on the above matter, during my trip to Washington DC with Roger Ray to attend the DNA Sponsored Enewetak Resolution Meeting, May 3 and 4, 1978. Background On December 2, 1974 the ERDA entered into an agreement with the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands whereby the TTPI would be reimbursed by ERDA (DOE) for travel and per diem costs incurred by patients who came from Rongelap and Utirik to either Majuro or Ebeye for treatment of illnesses. These funds provided annually by DOE were paid to patients in accordance with TTPI PL. No. 5-52 which generally set forth that these patients would receive transportation costs from and back to Rongelap or Utirik, and also receive $9200 per diem throughout their stay on, Majuro or Ebeye. . PASO, in performing various duties in the Marshall Islands was made aware of some problenis associated with this agreement, and thus brought them to the attention of Drs. Burr and Walter Weyzen as discussed below. - Meeting on May 5, 1978, DOE,“'20 Massachusetts Ave., DC Roger Ray and I discussed the assertion that DOE had not provided sufficient funds to pay many of the claims made under the ERDA-TTIPI Agreement No. E(49-7)3159. This amount is $32,400 per the enclosed letter from the Marshall Islands Budget Officer dated May 2, 1978. This letter was developed at my request during a meeting in Majuro in April 1978, attended by Micronesian Legal Services, the District Director of Health Services, and the Marshalls Budget Officer. Apparently these claims have lain dormant in the Marshalls because CF WN sco