St. Louis town hall explains expanded RECA coverage and where residents can get help

St. Louis held a virtual town hall to explain the recent expansion of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) and to walk residents through eligibility rules, documentation requirements and local help for filing claims.

Dawn Chapman, co‑founder of community group Just Moms STL, opened the session with a summary of the program’s local relevance and national record of payouts. “RECA is a real program, and it has been around for 35 plus years,” Chapman said, noting that RECA has paid more than $2 billion nationally and that, since the local expansion, more than $12 million has been paid to people in the St. Louis area who completed applications.

Why the program matters: RECA provides either reimbursement for documented out‑of‑pocket medical costs or a one‑time, tax‑free payment. Under the Manhattan Project Waste claim rules described by panelists, living, working or attending school in a covered ZIP code for a total of 24 months or more after Jan. 1, 1949, plus a qualifying primary cancer, is the basic path to eligibility. A qualifying claimant may choose a one‑time tax‑free payment of $50,000 or reimbursement for eligible…