LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — People that were exposed to radiation during nuclear weapons development in the United States, including right here in Nevada, will soon be able to once again apply for federal aid.
You may remember the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, or RECA, which was enacted in 1990. It provides financial compensation to people who developed certain illnesses, like cancer, due to radiation exposure. Since the program began, more than $3.5 billion has been issued to more than 39,000 people across the Southwest.
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That program originally expired in June 2024. While the U.S. Senate passed a bill to extend RECA for another six years, it stalled in the House of Representatives.
Now, RECA is being revived as part of President Donald Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill". The bill states the program has been expanded through December 2028. It also expands the list of illnesses that are eligible for compensation, which is up to $100,000.
The original RECA program did not include most residents in Clark County. While the new RECA extension does expand what areas are eligible in Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Idaho, and Missouri, it doesn't include new areas in Nevada.
You can read the full section on the Radiation Exposure Compensation portion of the Big, Beautiful Bill below.
If you're looking to file a claim, the Department of Justice is asking you to wait.
A statement on the Civil Division's website says: "The Department is reviewing the amendments to RECA and will provide additional guidance as it becomes available. Claimants are encouraged to wait until additional guidance is published before filing a claim."
Senators Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto proposed a bill this week, called the FORGOTTEN Veterans Act, that would allow servicemembers and veterans who served at classified locations within the Nevada Test and Training Range to receive PACT Act benefits, if they were exposed to radiation and toxins.
"Currently, due to issues with the classified nature of their location while serving, veterans who served at the NTTR are unable to prove their service there to the VA and, therefore, are unable to receive care and benefits connected with exposure to radiation and toxins from burn pits," a statement from Rosen's office reads in part.
This bill would:
- Classify the Nevada Test and Training Range as contaminated
- Require the Department of Defense to documents all exposures into a servicemember's record so it can be seen by the VA when they transition to civilian life
- Require the Secretary of the Air Force to identify all those who served at the NTTR since Jan. 27, 1951
- Establish a process for servicemembers and veterans to prove their assignments at NTTR
Another piece of legislation being discussed is the PROTECT Act, which was reintroduced on Capitol Hill by Rep. Mark Amodei and Rep. Susie Lee.
Like the FORGOTTEN Veterans Act, the PROTECT Act would also establish "a presumption of exposure to radiation and toxins at NTTR between the years of 1972 and 2005."
Rep. Dina Titus has also introduced the Providing Radiation Exposed Servicemembers Undisputed Medical Eligibility, or PRESUME Act, to prohibit the VA from requiring evidence of a certain dose of radiation to determine if a veteran is considered radiation-exposed for the purposes of "presumptive benefits."
Right now, in order to receive care for presumptive diseases due to radiation exposure, a veteran must provide proof of on-site participation as well as radiation dose estimates from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.
"Radiation dose estimates have historically been unreliable, leaving many exposed veterans unable to obtain the compensation they have earned," a statement from Titus' office reads in part. "Our atomic veterans should be treated the same way as civilians exposed to atomic radiation. They have been wrongfully subjected to a double standard and have not received the care they deserve for treatment of cancer and pulmonary diseases."
