Guide to Filing a RECA Claim

1. Required Documentation

You must gather “certified” or “original” copies of all required documents. Simple photocopies are not accepted.

Personal Identification

• Birth Certificate: Required to prove your identity and date of birth.
• Marriage Certificate or Legal Name Change Documents: Required if your current legal name differs from the name on your birth certificate.

Medical Evidence

• Medical Records: Official medical records documenting your initial diagnosis of a compensable disease.
  • State Registry Backup: If hospital records have been purged, state cancer registries act as a crucial safety net. When filing Form DOJ-CIV-1, you can authorize the DOJ to contact state registries on your behalf. Because these registries (such as the Utah Cancer Registry) typically only respond to official record requests coming directly from the DOJ, this automatic search allows the government to independently verify the diagnosis for you without requiring you to submit the request to the registry yourself.
• Deep Dive Resources:
  • Downwinder Medical & Health Documentation
  • Manhattan Project Waste Claims

Proof of Residency

Residency requirements differ depending on your claimant category:

• Downwinders: You must prove you lived in an “affected area” (which includes the entirety of New Mexico, Idaho, and Utah, as well as specific parts of Arizona and Nevada) for at least one year between January 21, 1951, and November 6, 1962.
• Manhattan Project Claimants: Residency rules differ from Downwinder requirements. You must be able to prove physical presence in specific geographic zones associated with Manhattan Project waste for the designated statutory periods.
• Acceptable Documents: Official records such as property deeds, tax returns, voting records, school records, birth certificates, or period-specific phone books.
• Deep Dive Resources:
  • Downwinder Residency Evidentiary Records
  • Manhattan Project Waste Claims

2. The Application Process

Filing a claim for yourself is straightforward, but requires careful attention to detail to ensure all documentation is complete and verifiable. While you can submit by mail, there are distinct advantages to using the online process.

• Use the RECA Electronic Claim Portal: Claimants will first need to establish an account there. The online RECA portal is located at https://reca.justice.gov/ClaimsPortal/s/.
• Online vs. Mail-In Advantages: A major benefit of the online portal is that you can upload scans of your certified or original supporting documentation. This allows you to keep your physical originals safe at home, rather than risking them in the mail. However, you must still have the original or certified copies available, as the RECA Program may ask you to mail them in later to validate their authenticity.
• Complete Form DOJ-CIV-1: This is the official application for benefits under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA). The digital Form DOJ-CIV-1 found on the online portal is essentially the same as the physical mail-in version. You will use this form to provide your personal identification, document your specific medical diagnosis, and record your physical presence in a designated affected area.
• The Online Signature Process: When filing through the portal, the signature process is handled digitally at the end of your workflow rather than requiring a physical "wet" signature on a printed document:
  • Account Verification: Because you must create an online account tied to a unique email address to access the portal, your logged-in session serves as the initial layer of identity verification.
  • Penalty of Perjury Declaration: Before you can finalize the application, you are required to review a legal declaration. By signing, you are legally attesting under penalty of perjury that the information you have provided is true, correct, and complete to the best of your knowledge.
  • The Final Submission Trigger: Throughout the process of filling out the digital form and uploading your scanned documents, your progress is saved, but the application is held in an "unfiled" status. The digital signature and the actual execution of the claim only occur when you navigate to the end of the process and explicitly click the "Submit My Claim" button.
  • Confirmation: Once submitted and the digital signature is logged, you will receive an immediate online confirmation that provides an initial application number. This will later be followed up by a formal acknowledgement letter sent via standard mail that assigns your official, unique RECA claim number. You will need this official claim number for any correspondence on your case when calling the RECA hotline at 800-729-7327.
• Supplemental Documentation: The online portal allows you to log back in and supplement documentation for an existing claim. You can add new evidence at any point—up to and even after your case hits the review stage—though adding documents may take some time to process in the system.
• Timeline and Current Backlogs: By law, the DOJ has a statutory 12-month window to process and adjudicate claims once they are received. The process will take a while. Based on current claimant feedback, the backlog for online claims (which became available in January) is at least 4 months, with early submissions just now reaching the review stage. Despite this delay, the online process appears to be moving significantly faster than paper applications, as some mail-in claims from 2025 have still not reached the review phase.

3. Distribution of Compensation

If the claim is approved, the DOJ issues a “Letter of Acceptance”. The actual funds usually arrive within 6 to 8 weeks. Compensation amounts vary based on the specifics of the claim:

• Downwinder Claims: Eligible Downwinders receive a total compensation payout of $100,000.
• Manhattan Project Claims: Eligible individuals who are living at the time of filing may receive the greater of $50,000 or the total documented out-of-pocket medical expenses related to the covered illness.

Payout Logistics

• Direct Payments: The Department of the Treasury issues a check or electronic transfer directly to you. To facilitate this, you must provide your Social Security number and current mailing address on the claim form.
• Tax Status: These payments are classified as federal tax-free restitution and do not need to be reported as taxable income.

Frequently Asked Questions