The three groups RECA covers.
- Downwinders — you lived in a covered area during atmospheric testing and later developed a covered cancer. The 2025 law expanded the covered areas.
- Onsite participants — you were physically present at a U.S. atmospheric nuclear test, including at the Nevada Test Site, and later developed a covered illness.
- Uranium workers — miners, millers, and ore transporters during the covered years. The 2025 law extended that window.
December 31, 2027 is the filing deadline. A valid claim filed on January 1, 2028 is a claim that does not exist. If RECA may apply to you or a family member — including a survivor claim — the time to look is now.
RECA is the money. It is not the care.
RECA pays a one-time amount. It does not pay for home health. But for uranium workers, an accepted RECA claim can open the White Card — lifetime medical care for the covered illness, including skilled home health at no cost to you, plus additional compensation. That is the piece most families never connect.
What the White Card covers and what it can be worth →
How to file.
RECA claims are filed with the U.S. Department of Justice, not with any agency or provider. Current covered areas, covered illnesses, and forms are at justice.gov/civil/reca. Survivors may file when the worker has passed.
Common questions.
Can survivors file a RECA claim?
Yes. If the worker has passed, eligible survivors may file. RECA has its own survivor provisions, separate from EEOICPA’s.
Does filing RECA affect my EEOICPA claim?
They are separate programs filed with separate departments — RECA with Justice, EEOICPA with Labor. For uranium workers they can connect: a RECA award can support the White Card path. A case review can map both for you.
Sources: U.S. Department of Justice, RECA · U.S. Department of Labor, EEOICPA. Amounts and covered areas are set by the Department of Justice and can change; confirm current rules at justice.gov.