Robert F. Farmer
411 Pinewood Dr. NE
Bremerton, WA 98310
(360) 373-5136

January 21, 2003

The Honorable Norm Dicks
2467 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Re: My Workers' Compensation Claim for chronic myelogenous leukemia and chromosomal injury

File Number: A14-282174, March 21, 1993
File Number: A14-320904, October 21, 1996

Dear Representative Norm Dicks,

In my letter to you dated April 1, 2001, I respectfully requested your help with my workers' compensation claim. I was an employee of Puget Sound Naval Shipyard from April 1964 to April 1994. In February 1993, I was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia. In September 1993, I had a successful bone marrow transplant at the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center. 

Your help was significant and I was able to win a reversal of part of my claim - the timeliness issue. However, my claim was denied for causal relationship by Kenneth J. Dowdell Senior Claims Examiner in a letter dated January 23, 2002 in response to a letter from my doctor dated January 22, 2002 (the day before) that was submitted as new information. Please note that OWCP responded in less than 24 hours to Dr. Dabe's letter. Other critical letters I submitted to OWCP to process my claim were ignored. My letters to OWCP were for information I needed to develop my claim, change my legal representative, and a FOIA request for a copy of my records held by OWCP and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. OWCP simply acts in an adversarial fashion to each step of my claim. They have not responded, lost important papers (my time slips) and in the last case responded with hast. They do every thing to discourage me in the processing of my claim. They never answer my phone calls or allow electronic communications via email.

I am submitting a letter submitting new information and requesting reconsideration of my claim. I am concerned that it will be lost or not received in a timely fashion because of the new process of going through the DFEC Central Mailroom in London, Kentucky. I request your help to get this letter to OWCP before the January 23, deadline.

Sincerely, 

Robert F. Farmer 


Attached: Letter to OWCP requesting reconsideration