Introduced January 24, 2025 by Joshua David Hawley · Last progress January 24, 2025
The bill expands and clarifies compensation, survivor support, research, and monitoring for people harmed by radiation exposures — increasing access and benefit amounts for many — while raising federal costs and leaving some exposed individuals behind due to narrow geographic limits and strict documentation or administrative hurdles.
Residents (or their heirs) who lived in the specified ZIP codes and developed covered cancers will receive a guaranteed minimum cash award (at least $50,000), providing direct financial relief for medical and other costs.
People with leukemia and other newly covered radiation-related diseases gain clearer, larger compensation options — including a fixed $100,000 payment for certain leukemia claims — improving predictability and value of awards for affected patients (including veterans).
Eligibility and procedural access are meaningfully expanded: more diseases/dates are covered, claimants can resubmit denied claims (up to three times) or request additional compensation, and filing/statute-of-limitations windows and fund authorization are extended, giving more people time and opportunity to obtain awards.
Taxpayers and the federal budget will face increased costs from expanded compensation authority, extended fund authorization, and new appropriations (including $3M/year grants), potentially increasing deficits or requiring offsets.
Strict documentation requirements (contemporaneous residence/employer records) plus third‑party affidavit and perjury penalties can bar legitimate claimants lacking records or witnesses — disproportionately affecting elderly, low‑income, rural, and tribal residents.
Narrow geographic and definitional eligibility (specific ZIP codes or limits to particular States/territories) excludes nearby exposed residents, producing inequities and leaving some affected people without relief.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Expands RECA to add compensation for Manhattan Project waste exposures in specific ZIP codes, amends test- and uranium-related claim rules, and extends the fund authorization period.
Creates a new, statutory entitlement under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) for people (or their authorized agents) who lived in specifically enumerated ZIP codes affected by Manhattan Project waste and later developed listed radiation-related diseases, and expands and updates RECA rules for claims tied to atomic testing and uranium-related exposures. It sets eligibility rules, payment amounts for living and deceased claimants, documentary standards, and extends the authorization period for the RECA compensation fund, while requiring Attorney General certification of claims. Also revises eligibility timelines and fixed payment amounts for leukemia and other specified-disease claims tied to Trinity, Nevada, and Pacific atmospheric tests, shortens some required residence periods, adds new continuous-presence windows, and lengthens an existing fund authorization from two to six years. The text contains at least one apparent drafting error related to a dollar-amount insertion that would need correction for unambiguous implementation.