Sponsors (4)
The bill provides formal recognition and a path to compensation for civilian workers and contractors exposed during nuclear activities, but procedural documentation requirements, funding uncertainty, and offsets for prior payments may delay, reduce, or block actual financial relief while imposing modest taxpayer costs.
Current and former civilian and contractor workers who cleaned up radioactive detonations can receive financial compensation if diagnosed with listed cancers.
Creates formal application processes so eligible workers, contractors, and families have a clear pathway to request the medal and apply for compensation.
Eligible civilian employees and former contractors can receive formal recognition via a medal, and next-of-kin of deceased eligible individuals can obtain the medal, giving families an official commemoration of service.
Payments for eligible cleanup workers are subject to the availability of appropriations, so qualifying individuals may face delays or may not receive compensation if funds are not provided.
Requiring supporting documentation to obtain the medal or compensation may delay or deny recognition and payments for elderly claimants, informal contractors, or families of deceased workers who lack records.
Offsetting awards by prior RECA payments could leave some eligible individuals with little or no additional compensation despite qualifying under this program.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Establishes a commemorative medal for civilian atomic program workers and a compensation program for cleanup workers with specified cancers, subject to appropriations and RECA offsets.
Introduced December 18, 2025 by Jill Tokuda · Last progress December 18, 2025
Creates a commemorative service medal for civilian employees and contractors who worked on U.S. atomic and nuclear weapons programs and establishes a compensation program for civilian cleanup workers who later develop specified cancers, subject to available appropriations. The Department of Defense must design, produce, and issue the medal on request and must set up an application-based compensation program that offsets awards by amounts already paid under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act.