The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA): Compensation Related to Exposure to Radiation from Atomic Weapons Testing, Radioactive Waste, and Uranium Mining

The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act

(RECA): Compensation Related to Exposure to

Radiation from Atomic Weapons Testing,

Radioactive Waste, and Uranium Mining

Updated August 31, 2026

Congressional Research Service

https://crsreports.congress.gov

R43956

The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA)

Summary

The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) provides one-time benefit payments to

persons who may have developed cancer or other specified diseases after being exposed to

radiation from atomic weapons testing or radioactive waste, or from their work in uranium

mining, milling, or transportation. Administered by the Department of Justice (DOJ), RECA has

awarded over $3.3 billion in benefits to just under 52,000 claimants since its inception in 1990.

RECA benefits are available to the following groups:

•

•

•

•

Onsite participants: $100,000 to persons who participated onsite in the

atmospheric test of an atomic weapon and developed one of the types of cancer

specified in the statute, or to their eligible survivors.

Downwinders: $100,000 to persons who were present in one of the specified

areas near the Trinity Test Site in New Mexico or the Nevada Test Site (NTS)

during a period of atmospheric atomic weapons testing and who developed one

of the types of cancer specified in the statute, or to their eligible survivors.

Uranium miners, millers, ore transporters, and core drillers (uranium

workers): $100,000 to persons who worked in mining, milling, or transportation

of uranium, or as a core driller, between 1942 and 1990, and developed one of the

types of diseases specified in the statute, or to their eligible survivors.

Manhattan Project waste claimants: variable compensation of at least $50,000

based on unreimbursed medical expenses for persons who lived in certain zip

codes in Alaska, Kentucky, Missouri, or Tennessee and developed one of the

types of cancer specified in the statute, or $25,000 to the survivors of Manhattan

Project waste claimants.

Subtitle C of Title X of the FY2025 reconciliation law (commonly referred to as the One Big

Beautiful Bill Act; P.L. 119-21) significantly amended RECA to increase benefit levels for onsite

participants and downwinders, expand eligibility to new geographic areas for downwinders, and

expand eligibility for uranium workers for work through 1990; it also created the Manhattan

Project waste eligibility category. Additionally, these amendments extended the RECA sunset

date, which had previously expired in 2024, to December 31, 2027.

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The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA)

Contents

Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1

Atomic Weapons Testing at the Trinity and Nevada Test Sites ....................................................... 1

RECA Benefits ................................................................................................................................ 3

Compensation Payments ........................................................................................................... 3

Survivors’ Benefits .................................................................................................................... 4

RECA Eligibility ............................................................................................................................. 4

Onsite Participants .................................................................................................................... 4

Exposure Requirements ...................................................................................................... 4

Disease Requirements ......................................................................................................... 6

Downwinders ............................................................................................................................ 6

Exposure Requirements ...................................................................................................... 6

Disease Requirements ......................................................................................................... 6

Uranium Workers ...................................................................................................................... 7

Miners ................................................................................................................................. 7

Millers, Ore Transporters, and Core Drillers ...................................................................... 8

Manhattan Project Waste Claimants ................................................................................... 9

Application and Appeals Process .................................................................................................. 10

Application Process ................................................................................................................. 10

Radiation Exposure Screening and Education Program.......................................................... 10

Appeals Process ...................................................................................................................... 10

Attorney’s Fees.........................................................................................................................11

Figures

Figure A-1. RECA Downwinder Eligibility Areas ........................................................................ 13

Figure A-2. RECA Manhattan Project Waste Eligibility Areas ..................................................... 14

Tables

Table 1. United States Atomic Weapons Tests, by Location ........................................................... 2

Table 2. Specified Cancers for Eligibility as Onsite Participants and Downwinders ...................... 6

Table 3. Downwinder Eligibility Areas ........................................................................................... 7

Table 4. Uranium Worker Eligibility States..................................................................................... 8

Table 5. Diseases for Eligibility as Uranium Miners, Millers, Ore Transporters, and Core

Drillers.......................................................................................................................................... 8

Table 6. Manhattan Project Waste Claimant Qualifying Zip Codes ................................................ 9

Table 7. Specified Cancers for Eligibility as Manhattan Project Waste Claimants ......................... 9

Table A-1. RECA Program Data.................................................................................................... 12

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Appendixes

Appendix. RECA Program Data and Eligibility Areas .................................................................. 12

Contacts

Author Information........................................................................................................................ 15

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The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA)

Introduction

The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) was enacted in 1990 and provides one-time

cash benefits to certain persons who participated in atomic weapons testing or lived near the

Trinity Test Site in New Mexico or the Nevada Test Site (NTS) during periods of atmospheric

(above-ground) atomic weapons testing.1 Benefits under RECA are also available to certain

uranium miners, mill workers, ore transporters, and core drillers who worked in the uranium

industry between 1942 and 1990. Amendments to RECA in 2025 created a new category of

eligibility for persons who lived near certain radioactive waste sites in Alaska, Kentucky,

Missouri, and Tennessee. To qualify for benefits, RECA claimants must have contracted one of

the medical conditions specified in the statute after possible exposure to ionizing radiation from

the detonation of an atomic weapon, after working in the uranium industry, or while living near a

waste site.

The RECA program is administered by the Civil Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ).2 To

date, DOJ has approved just under 52,000 RECA claims for more than $3.3 billion in benefits.3

Since the enactment of the 2025 RECA amendments in the FY2025 reconciliation law (P.L. 11921) that created the Manhattan Project waste eligibility category, more than 23,000 claims from

this category have been filed. RECA program data are provided in Table A-1 in the Appendix.

Benefits under RECA are paid out of general revenue and are considered mandatory spending.

Authorization for the RECA program ends on December 31, 2027.4

Atomic Weapons Testing at the Trinity and Nevada

Test Sites

On July 16, 1945, the United States detonated the first atomic bomb at the Trinity Test Site near

Alamogordo, NM. This was the only atmospheric atomic weapons test identified at the Trinity

Test Site or in New Mexico.5

The Trinity test—which was followed by the only two offensive uses of atomic weapons at

Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan—ushered in an era of extensive development and testing of

atomic weapons that would last until 1992. During this period, the United States, under the

auspices of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and later the Department of Energy (DOE),

conducted 1,054 atomic weapons tests.6 The majority (928) of these tests were conducted at the

Nevada Test Site (NTS), a 1,375 square-mile federal reservation located approximately 65 miles

north of Las Vegas in Nye County, NV.7 Of the 928 tests conducted at NTS, 828 were

1 Title 42, Section 2210 note, of the U.S. Code; enacted as P.L. 101-426 on October 15, 1990.

2 The RECA program website is at http://www.justice.gov/civil/common/reca. Implementing regulations are at Title 28,

Part 79, of the Code of Federal Regulations.

3 Department of Justice, Radiation Exposure Compensation System, Awards to Date: 08/24/2026, August 24, 2026,

https://www.justice.gov/civil/awards-date-08242026.

4 Prior to the enactment of the 2025 RECA amendments, the RECA program had sunset and had closed to new

claimants on June 10, 2024.

5 In 1961 an underground test (Gnome test) was conducted at Carlsbad, NM, and resulted in a release of radiation. In

1967, another underground test (Gasbuggy test) was conducted at Farmington, NM.

6 Twenty-four of these tests were jointly conducted with the United Kingdom.

7 The Nevada Test Site (NTS) is now referred to as the Nevada National Security Site and is administered by the

Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration. For additional information on the history and

(continued...)

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underground tests and 100 were atmospheric tests in which the atomic weapons exploded at or

above ground level, resulting in radioactive material being released into the atmosphere.8 These

100 atmospheric tests and the initial Trinity test were the only atmospheric atomic weapons tests

conducted in the continental United States and Alaska. Table 1 provides a summary of U.S.

atomic weapons tests by location.

Table 1. United States Atomic Weapons Tests, by Location

Location

Number of Tests

South Atlantic Ocean Area

3

Pacific Ocean Area

106

United States other than Nevada Test Site (NTS)

17

Alamogordo, NM (Trinity Test Site)

1

Amchitka, AK

3

Carlsbad, NM

1

Central NV

1

Fallon, NV

1

Farmington, NM

1

Grand Valley, CO

1

Hattiesburg, MS

2

Nellis Air Force Range, NV

5

Rifle, CO

1

NTS

928

Total

1,054

Source: Department of Energy, United States Nuclear Tests: July 1945 through September 1992, DOE/NV-209-REV

15, December 2000, p. xiii.

Note: Includes 24 joint U.S.-UK tests conducted at NTS.

Atmospheric atomic weapons tests at NTS were conducted between January 27, 1951, and

October 30, 1958, and again between July 7, 1962, and July 17, 1962. The largest atmospheric

test at NTS in terms of energy yield was the Hood test conducted on July 5, 1957, which had an

energy yield equivalent to 74,000 tons (74 kilotons or kt) of trinitrotoluene (TNT).9

characteristics of the NTS, see Terrance R. Fehner and F.G. Gosling, Origins of the Nevada Test Site, Department of

Energy, DOE/MA-0518, December 2000.

8 During some underground tests, radioactive material escaped from underground through a process known as venting,

thus releasing some radioactive material into the atmosphere.

9 For comparison purposes, the first atomic bomb ever detonated (Trinity test) had a yield of 21 kt; the atomic bombs

dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki had yields of 15 kt and 21 kt, respectively; and the largest atmospheric test

conducted by the United States, the Bravo Test at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands on February 28, 1954, had a yield

of 15 million tons (15 megatons, or Mt).

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RECA Benefits

Compensation Payments

The following benefits are available under the RECA program:

•

•

•

•

Onsite participants: $100,000 to persons who participated onsite in the

atmospheric test of an atomic weapon and developed one of the types of cancer

specified in the statute, or to their eligible survivors.

Downwinders: $100,000 to persons who were present in one of the specified

areas near the Trinity Test Site in New Mexico or the Nevada Test Site (NTS)

during a period of atmospheric atomic weapons testing and who developed one

of the types of cancer specified in the statute, or to their eligible survivors.

Uranium miners, millers, and ore transporters (uranium workers): $100,000

to persons who worked in mining, milling, or transportation of uranium between

1942 and 1990 and developed one of the types of diseases specified in the statute,

or to their eligible survivors.

Manhattan Project waste claimants: variable compensation of at least $50,000

based on unreimbursed medical expenses for persons who lived in certain zip

codes in Alaska, Kentucky, Missouri, or Tennessee and developed one of the

types of cancer specified in the statute, or $25,000 to the survivors of Manhattan

Project waste claimants.

All RECA benefits are one-time, lump-sum payments and are not adjusted to reflect changes in

wages or the cost of living. Benefits are not subject to the federal income tax10 but are offset by

any payments received from any lawsuit or settlement, or by any disability compensation or

Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) payments from the Department of Veterans

Affairs (VA) for any illnesses or injuries due to exposure to radiation from atomic weapons

testing or work in the uranium industry covered by RECA.11 For onsite participants with claims

based on diseases other than leukemia, RECA benefits are offset by the actuarial present value of

prior payments.12 For all other beneficiaries, including onsite participants with claims based on

leukemia with radiation exposure prior to age 21, RECA benefits are offset by the actual value of

prior payments. Veterans who have received RECA benefits prior to the receipt of disability

compensation benefits from the VA under the presumptive eligibility provisions of the RadiationExposed Veterans Compensation Act (REVCA; P.L. 100-321)13 are required to have their VA

benefits reduced by the amount of their RECA benefits.14

10 Section 104(a)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. §104(a)(2)).

11 Section 6(c)(2) of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (42 U.S.C. §2210 note).

12 The actuarial present value of prior payments is calculated in accordance with Title 28, Section 79.75(e), and

Appendix C to Part 79, of the Code of Federal Regulations.

13 Under REVCA, certain conditions related to radiation exposure in veterans who were onsite participants; served

during the American occupation of Hiroshima or Nagasaki, Japan; were interred as prisoners of war in Japan; or served

in a capacity that would make them eligible for membership in the Energy Employees Occupational Illness

Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA) special exposure cohort (through work in the development of atomic

weapons) are presumed to be service-connected for the purposes of eligibility for disability compensation benefits

payable by the VA.

14 Title 38, Section 1112(c)(4), of the U.S. Code.

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No medical or other benefits are provided by the RECA program. However, uranium workers

eligible for RECA are automatically eligible for an additional $50,000 in compensation and for

medical benefits that pay for all medical costs associated with their covered illnesses under Part B

of the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA).15

Survivors’ Benefits

Each onsite participant, downwinder, or uranium worker who qualifies for RECA is entitled to

one benefit payment on his or her behalf. If the claimant is living, the benefit is paid to them

directly. If the claimant is deceased, then the benefit is paid to the following survivors according

to the below order of precedence:

1. spouse, provided the spouse was married to the claimant for at least one year

before the claimant’s death;

2. children, in equal shares;

3. parents, in equal shares;

4. grandchildren, in equal shares; and

5. grandparents, in equal shares.16

If a Manhattan Project waste claimant has died from any cause before submitting a claim, the

following eligible survivors of that claimant are eligible for benefit according to the following

order or precedence:

1. spouse, and

2. children in equal shares.

Only the survivors listed in this section are eligible for RECA benefits, and if there are no such

survivors to a claimant, no benefit is paid on that claim.

RECA Eligibility

Onsite participants, downwinders, uranium workers, and Manhattan Project waste claimants must

meet exposure and disease requirements provided in the RECA statute and regulations to qualify

for RECA benefits for themselves or their survivors.

Onsite Participants

Exposure Requirements

A person may be eligible for RECA benefits if he or she was present onsite and participated in an

atmospheric atomic weapons test conducted by the United States and meets the specific

geographic and participation requirements provided in the RECA regulations.

15 Title 42, Section 7384u, of the U.S. Code. Onsite participants, downwinders, and Manhattan Project waste claimants

are not automatically eligible for the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA)

and can receive EEOICPA Part B benefits only by establishing eligibility through work in the development, not testing,

of atomic weapons.

16 Section 6(c)(4) of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (42 U.S.C. §2210 note).

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Geographic Requirements

A person must have been within or above one of the following geographic areas during a period

of atmospheric atomic weapons testing,17 including for up to six months after the period of testing

ended:

•

•

•

•

•

•

NTS.

The Pacific Test Sites (Bikini Atoll, Enewetak Atoll, Johnston Island, Christmas

Island, the test site for the shot during Operation Wigwam, the test site for Shot

Yucca during Operation Hardtack I, and the test sites for Shot Frigate Bird and

Shot Swordfish during Operation Dominic I) and the official zone around each

site from which non-test-affiliated ships were excluded for security and safety

purposes.

Trinity Test Site.

The South Atlantic Test Site for Operation Argus and the official zone around the

site from which non-test-affiliated ships were excluded for security and safety

purposes.

Any designated location within a naval shipyard, air force base, or other official

government installation where ships, aircraft, or other equipment used in an

atmospheric nuclear detonation were decontaminated.

Any designated location used for the purpose of monitoring fallout from an

atmospheric nuclear test conducted at NTS.18

Participation Requirements

A person must have held one of the following occupations and performed one of the following

activities while onsite during a period of atmospheric atomic weapons testing, including for up to

six months after the period of testing ended:

Required Occupations

•

•

•

•

•

member of the Armed Forces;

civilian employee or contract employee of the Manhattan Engineer District, the

Armed Forces Special Weapons Project, the Defense Atomic Support Agency, the

Defense Nuclear Agency, or the Department of Defense or its components or

agencies or predecessor components or agencies;

employee or contract employee of the AEC, the Energy Research and

Development Administration, or the Department of Energy;

member of the Federal Civil Defense Administration or the Office of Civil and

Defense Mobilization; or

member of the U.S. Public Health Service.19

Required Activities

17 The dates for each period of atmospheric atomic weapons testing are provided at Title 28, Section 79.31(d)(1) of the

Code of Federal Regulations.

18 Title 28, Section 79.11(f), of the Code of Federal Regulations.

19 Title 28, Section 79.11(g)(1), of the Code of Federal Regulations.

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•

•

•

•

•

performed duties within the identified operational area around each atmospheric

detonation of a nuclear device;

participated in the decontamination of any ships, planes, or equipment used

during the atmospheric detonation of a nuclear device;

performed duties as a cloud tracker or cloud sampler;

served as a member of the garrison or maintenance forces on Enewetak Atoll

(currently within the territory of the Republic of the Marshall Islands) between

June 21, 1951, and July 1, 1952; between August 7, 1956, and August 7, 1957; or

between November 1, 1958, and April 30, 1959; or

performed duties as a member of a mobile radiological safety team monitoring

the pattern of fallout from an atmospheric detonation of a nuclear device.20

Disease Requirements

An onsite participant must have contracted one of the types of cancers listed in Table 2 after

exposure to ionizing radiation from his or her participation in an atmospheric atomic weapons

test.

Downwinders

Exposure Requirements

A downwinder must have been physically present in one of the counties or geographic areas in

Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, or Utah listed in Table 3 for (1) a period of at least one

year between January 21, 1951, and November 6, 1962, or (2) the entire period between June 30,

1962, and July 31, 1962, or in New Mexico for at least one year between September 24, 1944,

and November 6, 1962.21 Figure A-1 in the Appendix provides a map of the downwinder

eligibility areas.

Disease Requirements

A downwinder must have contracted one of the types of cancers listed in Table 2 after exposure

to ionizing radiation from an atmospheric atomic weapons test at NTS or, in the case of

downwinders in New Mexico only, the Trinity Test.

Table 2. Specified Cancers for Eligibility as Onsite Participants and Downwinders

(all cancers must be primary cancers)

Onset of the disease was at least two years after first exposure to fallout

Leukemia (other than chronic lymphocytic leukemia)

Onset of the disease was at least five years after first exposure to fallout

Multiple Myeloma

Lymphomas (other than Hodgkin’s

disease)

Bile Duct Cancer

20 Title 28, Section 79.11(g)(2), of the Code of Federal Regulations.

21 Title 28, Section 79.23, of the Code of Federal Regulations provides that person who resided or was employed full-

time in the downwinder eligibility area is presumed to have been physically present in the area for the duration of his or

her residence or employment.

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Brain Cancer

Breast Cancer (male or female)

Colon Cancer

Esophageal Cancer

Gall Bladder Cancer

Liver Cancer (except if cirrhosis or

hepatitis B is indicated)

Ovarian Cancer

Pancreatic Cancer

Pharynx Cancer

Salivary Gland Cancer

Small Intestine Cancer

Stomach Cancer

Thyroid Cancer

Urinary Bladder Cancer

Lung Cancer

Source: Section 4(b)(2) of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (42 U.S.C. §2210 note).

Table 3. Downwinder Eligibility Areas

Arizona

Idaho

Nevada

New Mexico

Utah

Apache County

Entire state

Eureka County

Entire state

Entire state

Coconino County

Lander County

Gila County

Lincoln County

Navajo County

Nye County

Yavapai County

White Pine County

Mohave County

Clark County

townships 13

through 16 at

ranges 63 through

71

Source: Section 4(b)(1) of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (42 U.S.C. §2210 note).

Uranium Workers

Miners

Exposure Requirements

A uranium miner must have worked in a uranium mine in one of the states listed in Table 4 for at

least one year during the period between January 1, 1942, and December 31, 1990, or must have

been exposed through mining to at least 40 working-level months (WLMs) of radiation during

this period.22

A WLM is defined in the RECA statute as one working level of radiation exposure every work

day for a month, or an equivalent exposure over a greater or lesser period. One working level of

radiation exposure is defined as the concentration of decay products of radon that will release

130,000 megaelectron volts (MeV) of alpha energy per liter of air.23

A miner who worked for less than one qualifying year or who was exposed to less than the

required 40 WLMs of radiation and who also worked as a uranium miller, ore transporter, or core

22 Any state may apply for uranium worker eligibility state status. If determined by DOJ that a uranium mine was

operating in the state at any time during the period from January 1, 1942, to December 31, 1971, that state will be

added to the list. However, no state has ever been added to the list of eligible states.

23 Radiation exposure in mines is largely caused by the inhalation of radon gas and the short-lived solid decay products

of radon. In the RECA statute, these decay products are referred to as “short half-life daughters of radon.”

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driller may qualify for RECA based on a combined work history in qualifying employment of at

least one year or that results in exposure of at least 40 WLMs of radiation.

Table 4. Uranium Worker Eligibility States

Arizona

Colorado

Idaho

New Mexico

North Dakota

Oregon

South Dakota

Texas

Utah

Washington

Wyoming

Source: Section 5(a)(1)(A)(i) of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (42 U.S.C. §2210 note).

Notes: Any additional state may apply for inclusion in this list and will be included if it is determined by DOJ that

a uranium mine was operating in the state at any time during the period from January 1, 1942, to December 31,

1971. No state has ever been added to the list of eligible states through this process.

Disease Requirements

A uranium miner must have developed one of the conditions listed in Table 5 after exposure to

radiation. The RECA statute provides specific types of medical evidence that must be presented

to support a diagnosis of a nonmalignant respiratory disease.

Table 5. Diseases for Eligibility as Uranium Miners, Millers, Ore Transporters, and

Core Drillers

Lung Cancer (including in

situ cancer)

Renal Cancer

Chronic Renal Disease,

such as

Nonmalignant Respiratory

Disease, specifically

•

nephritis

•

fibrosis of the lung

•

kidney tubal tissue

injury

•

pulmonary fibrosis

•

corpulmonale related

to fibrosis of the lung

•

silicosis

•

pneumoconiosis

Source: Section 5(a)(1)(A) of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (42 U.S.C. §2210 note).

Millers, Ore Transporters, and Core Drillers

Exposure Requirements

A uranium miller, ore transporter, or core driller must have been employed in the milling or

transportation of uranium ore or uranium-vanadium ore, the drilling for rock samples of uranium

or vanadium for the purposes of uranium or vanadium mining, or the remediation efforts at a

uranium mine or mill in one of the states listed in Table 4 for at least one year during the period

from January 1, 1942, to December 31, 1990.

A uranium miller, ore transporter, or core driller who was employed for less than one qualifying

year in any of these occupations may qualify for RECA based on a combined work history in all

qualifying uranium work of at least one year.

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Disease Requirements

A uranium miller, ore transporter, or core driller must have developed one of the conditions listed

in Table 5 after exposure to radiation. The RECA statute lists specific types of medical evidence

that must be presented to support a diagnosis of a nonmalignant respiratory disease.

Manhattan Project Waste Claimants

Exposure Requirements

To be eligible for RECA, a Manhattan Project waste claimant must have been physically present

for a period of two years after January 1, 1949, in of the zip codes listed in Table 6. These zip

codes generally correspond to areas in the vicinity of the Amchitka Island site in Alaska, the

Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant site in Kentucky, the Mallinckrodt (St. Louis Downtown Site)

and St. Louis Airport Site (SLAPS) in Missouri, and the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant site

in Tennessee. Figure A-2 in the Appendix provides maps of the Manhattan Project waste

qualifying zip codes.

Table 6. Manhattan Project Waste Claimant Qualifying Zip Codes

Alaska

99546, 99547

Kentucky

42001, 42003, 42086

Missouri

63031, 63033, 63034,

63042, 63045, 63074,

63114, 63135, 63138,

63044, 63121, 63140,

63145, 63147, 63102,

63304, 63134, 63043,

63341, 63368, 63367

Tennessee

37716, 37840, 37719,

37748, 37763, 37828,

37769, 37710, 37845,

37887, 37829, 37854,

37830, 37831

Source: Section 5a(d) of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (42 U.S.C §2201 note).

Disease Requirements

A Manhattan Project waste claimant must have one of the cancers listed in Table 7 to qualify for

RECA. This list of qualifying cancers includes all cancers that are qualifying for downwinders

and onsite participants in addition to bone cancer and renal cancer.

Table 7. Specified Cancers for Eligibility as Manhattan Project Waste Claimants

Initial exposure occurred after 20 years of age and onset of disease was at least two years after

initial exposure

Leukemia

Onset of the disease was at least two years after initial exposure

Multiple Myeloma

Lymphomas (other than Hodgkin’s

Bile Duct Cancer

disease)

Brain Cancer

Breast Cancer (male or female)

Colon Cancer

Esophageal Cancer

Gall Bladder Cancer

Liver Cancer (except if cirrhosis or

hepatitis B is indicated)

Ovarian Cancer

Pancreatic Cancer

Pharynx Cancer

Salivary Gland Cancer

Small Intestine Cancer

Stomach Cancer

Thyroid Cancer

Urinary Bladder Cancer

Lung Cancer

Bone Cancer

Renal Cancer

Source: Section 5A(e) of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (42 U.S.C. §2210 note).

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Application and Appeals Process

Application Process

The DOJ Civil Division administers the RECA program and makes eligibility decisions on

claims. Benefit claims must be submitted in writing and on standard application forms provided

by DOJ.

The RECA statute requires that claimants submit “written documentation” of their illnesses to

qualify for benefits, and the RECA regulations provide detailed requirements on the types of

documents that must be submitted. Section 6(d)(5) of the RECA statute requires that in cases

submitted by Native Americans, the application and payment procedures established by DOJ

must “take into consideration and incorporate, to the fullest extent feasible, Native American law,

tradition, and custom.”

Application decisions for RECA benefits are made by an assistant director within the

Constitutional and Specialized Torts Section, Torts Branch, of the DOJ Civil Division. Decisions

must be made within 12 months of receipt of a completed application and all supporting

materials. If no decision is made within 12 months, the application is automatically approved for

benefits.24

Radiation Exposure Screening and Education Program

Section 4 of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Amendments of 2000 (P.L. 106-245)

authorized the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide grants to federal,

state, and local health centers and nonprofit organizations to (1) conduct cancer screenings of

persons who may be eligible for RECA and (2) provide assistance with securing the medical

documentation needed to file RECA claims. These grants are administered by the HHS Health

Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) as the Radiation Exposure Screening and

Education Program (RESEP). There are currently eight RESEP clinics operating in Arizona,

Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah, with one clinic providing services exclusively to

Native Americans.25 Applicants for RECA benefits are not required to be screened for cancer at

RESEP clinics.

Appeals Process

An applicant who is denied RECA benefits may file an appeal with the DOJ; this appeal is ruled

on by an appeals officer appointed by the Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Division of the

DOJ. Appeals must be made in writing within 60 days of the initial decision, and the appeals

officer must decide to affirm or reverse the initial decision or remand the case back to the

assistant director for further action. An applicant dissatisfied with the outcome of his or her

appeal may seek judicial review in U.S. District Court.

24 Section 6(d)(1) of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (42 U.S.C. §2210 note).

25 Additional information on the Radiation Exposure Screening and Education Program (RESEP) is available on the

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) website at http://www.hrsa.gov/gethealthcare/conditions/

radiationexposure/index.html.

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The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA)

Attorney’s Fees

Applicants for RECA benefits and applicants filing appeals of benefit denials may be represented

in all matters related to the program by licensed attorneys. In addition, Native American claimants

may be represented by nonattorney representatives of tribal organizations. These are the only

nonattorneys authorized to represent RECA claimants. Nonattorney representatives may not

charge fees for their representation. The RECA statute provides the following limitations on fees

that may be collected by licensed attorneys who represent RECA claimants:

•

•

•

for initial claims in which the attorney entered into a contract with the claimant

on or after July 10, 2000, 2% of the benefits awarded;

for initial claims in which the attorney entered into a contract with the claimant

before July 10, 2000, 10% of the benefits awarded; and

for the resubmission of previously denied claims, 10% of the benefits awarded.

In the case of an unsuccessful claim, an attorney may recover his or her costs associated with

representing the claimant. Pursuant to a 2007 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals and

subsequent regulations, an attorney representing a successful claimant may recover his or her

expenses associated with the claim in addition to the 2% or 10% fee.26

26 Hackwell v. United States, 491 F.3d 1229 (10th Cir. 2007); and Title 28, Section79.74(b), of the Code of Federal

Regulations.

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The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA)

Appendix. RECA Program Data and Eligibility

Areas

Table A-1. RECA Program Data

(as of August 24, 2026)

Claim Type

Pending

Approved

Denied

Total

Benefits

Approved

Downwinder

21,891

31,175

5,329

58,395

$1,753,020,000

Onsite

Participant

112

5,837

4,027

9,976

$428,702,535

Manhattan

Project Waste

Claimant

17,946

5,170

1

23,117

$234,575,000

Uranium

Worker

1,203

9,812

5,165

16,180

$980,474,560

Total

41,152

51,994

14,522

107,668

$3,396,772,095

Source: Department of Justice, Radiation Exposure Compensation System, Awards to Date: 08/24/2026, August

24, 2026, https://www.justice.gov/civil/awards-date-08242026.

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The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA)

Figure A-1. RECA Downwinder Eligibility Areas

Source: Congressional Research Service.

Note: Only townships 13 through 16 at ranges 63 through 71 of Clark County, NV, are included in the

downwinder eligibility area.

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The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA)

Figure A-2. RECA Manhattan Project Waste Eligibility Areas

Source: Congressional Research Service.

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The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA)

Author Information

Scott D. Szymendera

Specialist in Disability Policy

Disclaimer

This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan

shared staff to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and

under the direction of Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other

than public understanding of information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in

connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the United States Government, are not

subject to copyright protection in the United States. Any CRS Report may be reproduced and distributed in

its entirety without permission from CRS. However, as a CRS Report may include copyrighted images or

material from a third party, you may need to obtain the permission of the copyright holder if you wish to

copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.

Congressional Research Service

R43956 · VERSION 17 · UPDATED

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