What is RECA?
RECA is a bipartisan program established in 1990 that provides partial restitution for the devastating health impacts of radiation exposure from U.S. nuclear weapons testing and production. The U.S. government bears responsibility for the downwinders, uranium workers, and atomic veterans whose lives and health were sacrificed for our national security.
We know from scientific studies and first-hand accounts that currently, RECA does not go far enough. Highly irradiated places such as Idaho, Montana, and Guam were left out, and victims of the world’s first nuclear test in New Mexico were never eligible for compensation. In addition, many categories of uranium miners have never been eligible.
Photo: Tony Hood, uranium miner from Red Water Pond Road Community, Navajo Nation
What policy change are we advocating for?
Thanks to the tireless work of impacted communities, Senator Crapo (R-ID), Senator Lujan (D-NM), and Senator Hawley (R-MO) have introduced S. 3853, the Radiation Exposure Compensation Reauthorization Act.
Their proposal would strengthen RECA and better cover those harmed by:
Extending RECA by 6 years;
Increasing payments to $100,000 for all claimants;
Adding downwind eligibility for all of Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Guam, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah, which were shown to have received high levels of fallout from nuclear testing (see map below);
Extending the period for uranium worker eligibility from 1971 to 1990, and adding uranium core drillers and remediation workers;
Adding chronic lymphocytic leukemia as a compensable disease for downwinders and atomic veterans, and adding renal (kidney) diseases as compensable diseases for uranium workers; and
Extending coverage to communities exposed to nuclear waste in Missouri, Alaska, Tennessee, and Kentucky.
On March 7, 2024, this bill passed in the Senate with a vote of 69-30.
S. 3853 now awaits a vote in the House.
S. 3853 would finally cover many of the areas in the Western US that have previously been excluded.
The map to the right shows that the current RECA downwind coverage area (shaded) is nowhere close to covering the areas of highest fallout (purple).
About Us
Our movement brings together affected community members, policy advocates, and concerned citizens to speak out about the need to further extend RECA and strengthen coverage to support previously excluded communities and individuals.
RECA expired in June 2024, though the program can still be reauthorized. However, the existing program is still highly flawed, and many communities are still fighting for inclusion in the program.
Photo: Blake McCord, Grand Canyon Trust
How did the United States expose RECA claimants to dangerous radiation?
From 1945 - 1962, the U.S. government conducted over 200 above-ground nuclear tests. Winds carried nuclear fallout hundreds of miles away from the test sites, exposing local communities to unsafe levels of radiation.
Beginning in the late 1940s, uranium workers - many of whom were Indigenous - were unknowingly exposed to dangerous levels of radiation while working to produce materials for America’s nuclear arsenal.
Hundreds of thousands of service members were also exposed to radiation through nuclear weapons testing and the cleanup of radioactive materials.
What resources were available before RECA expired?
Downwinders - those exposed to fallout from nuclear testing - from certain counties in Arizona, Nevada, and Utah were eligible for $50,000 (green and blue areas on the map).
“Onsite participants” of atmospheric nuclear weapons tests — many of whom are also known as atomic veterans — were eligible for $75,000.
Uranium miners, millers, and ore transporters who worked in the uranium industry from 1942 to 1971 (in the yellow states on the map) were eligible for $100,000, as well as additional benefits through the EEOICPA.
No-cost medical screenings for compensable illnesses at select clinics through RESEP.