Two New Mexico federal representatives are trying to ensure their constituents are aware of possible payouts for those damaged by Cold War-era nuclear weapons testing.

U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján Friday announced that the U.S. Department of Justice has launched a new online portal for Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) claims.

In a news release on the portal, Luján said it reflects updates to the program made last year, including the extension of benefits to all 33 New Mexico counties.

“In New Mexico and across the country, thousands of Americans sacrificed in service to our national security and deserve justice,” he said. “That’s why I’ve pushed the Department of Justice to provide clear guidance for New Mexicans to cut through the red tape and easily apply for and receive compensation. I’ll continue fighting to ensure RECA delivers for our families.”

Earlier in the week, U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández told community members at an engagement in Peña Blanca to consider their eligibility for RECA compensation.

The program calls for one-time payments of $100,000 for individuals affected by radiation from nuclear tests.

She said anybody who happened to live in New Mexico for at least one year between 1944 and 1962 and developed a radiation-related cancer is eligible. The one-year period does not have to be consecutive; cumulative months across the qualifying period count. 

Leger Fernández distributed flyers with details on the program at the local community center.

Covered cancers include leukemia, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, brain or lung cancer, and male or female breast cancer.

“If you had one of those cancers,” Leger Fernández said, “Or your father died from one of those cancers … children can apply as survivors.”

Survivors are considered in the following order: living spouse, children, parents, grandchildren and grandparents. 

One new development in the updated RECA is an alternative to submitting medical records to prove that one had a qualifying cancer. The application form now contains a box that authorizes the Justice Department to contact the New Mexico Tumor Registry on a patient’s behalf. The Tumor Registry can then verify the qualifying disease.

The Tumor Registry has records for New Mexicans diagnosed with cancer after 1973, along with partial records for those diagnosed between 1966 and 1973.

Individuals who have already received the original $50,000 Downwinder payment under RECA are not eligible for additional compensation

“I remain grateful to the bipartisan coalition of lawmakers, survivors, and advocates who helped get RECA across the finish line,” Luján said. “Over the past decade working to advance this issue, I’ve been moved by the stories of families who became ill or lost loved ones, but who never gave up this fight.”

All claims must be filed by Dec. 31, 2027.

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