“The Justice Department announced today that it has awarded more than $2 billion in compassionate compensation to eligible claimants under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA),” the statement, released on Monday, said.
Nearly 43,000 claims have been filed since 1990 and the Department approved 32,000 claims, according to the statement, of which about $100 million for claims filed in 2011 and 2012.
“This benchmark reflects the department’s efforts to help thousands of US citizens reach closure on a unique chapter of our history,” US Deputy Assistant Attorney General Kali Bracey said in the statement.
The RECA was established in 1990 to assist individuals that have contracted certain illnesses, following exposure to radiation as a result of the United States’ atmospheric nuclear testing program and uranium ore processing operations during the Cold War.
It did not, however, assist individuals in US states located geographically far from the original Nevada nuclear test site, according to the Act.
The RECA will expire on July 9, 2022, and claims received after that date will be barred, according to the statement.
In February, a bipartisan group of US Senators led by Mike Crapo of Idaho, reintroduced legislation that seeks to expand RECA eligibility to affected individuals in Idaho, Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah.
The United States conducted nearly 200 atmospheric nuclear weapons development tests between 1945 and 1962. Tens of thousands of workers who were involved in uranium mining and processing filed class action lawsuits alleging exposure to known radiation hazards, according to the US Justice Department.
