Home / War and Conflict / Radiation Cleanup Vets Seek $150K Payment
Radiation Cleanup Vets Seek $150K Payment
16 Jul
Summary
- Legislation proposes up to $150,000 for veterans of nuclear cleanup.
- Bill expands compensation to cleanup sites in Spain, Greenland, and the Marshall Islands.
- Existing payments could double, and eligibility for illnesses expands.
A proposed Radiation Exposure Reauthorization Act of 2026, expected to be introduced soon, could provide up to $150,000 in federal payments to veterans of Cold War-era nuclear cleanup operations. This legislation seeks to expand eligibility under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) to include service members who participated in cleanup missions at Enewetak Atoll, Palomares, Spain, and Thule, Greenland.
The bill would notably double the maximum RECA payment from $75,000 to $150,000. It also aims to broaden the range of cancers and illnesses that qualify for compensation, addressing decades of health battles faced by these veterans. Previously, veterans from these specific cleanup sites were excluded from RECA benefits, despite presumptive radiation exposure recognition under the PACT Act for VA disability claims.
Fewer than 6,000 veterans are estimated to have participated in these three cleanup operations, with only a few hundred believed to be alive today. The proposed legislation also extends the compensation filing deadline to December 31, 2042. Sponsors are actively seeking bipartisan support for the bill, which builds upon the original RECA enacted in 1990.
