Rick L. Johnson, Rowan County Veteran Service Officer
♦ Since 1990, the Department of Justice has operated a compensation program for eligible veterans who took part as service members in any above-ground atomic testing from 1945 to 1962.
Under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) program, on-site participants in the testing can receive a one-time payment of $75,000.
Veterans are eligible for RECA benefits if they were exposed to radiation and subsequently contracted illnesses covered by the program, including lymphomas (other than Hodgkin’s Disease) and several varieties of cancer. If an eligible veteran is deceased, the spouse, parents, children and/or grandchildren may be eligible for benefits.
If you lived near or worked with nuclear weapons testing between 1945 and 1962 you may have been exposed to radiation and should be screened for radiation-related cancers and other health conditions.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is the best place to start if you believe you have a military service-related radiation injury. You can contact your local VA office or for assistance please go to either of these sources:
http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/radiation/sources/
http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/radiation/sources/occupational.asp
If you believe you were exposed to radiation during atomic testing in Nevada or the South Pacific, contact the Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s Nuclear Test Personnel Review Program—How to File a Claim:
http://www.dtra.mil/SpecialFocus/NTPR/NTPRHome.aspx
Or via postal mail to this address:
Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA)
RD-NTSN/NTPR
8725 John J. Kingman Rd., MSC 6201
Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-6201
If you have been diagnosed with a radiogenic cancer and would like to know more about the Radiation Exposure Compensation Program (U.S. Department of Justice), please phone 1-800-729-7327 .
See your Rowan County Service Officer for more details. Phone: 704-216-8138
Rick Johnson
USAF RETIRED
Rowan County Veteran Services Officer
1120 S. Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave., Salisbury, NC 28144 Link Opens to New Site
Phone: 704-216-8138 Fax: 704-638-3059
