Help available for nuclear-related illnesses
A federal program will help people from Anderson, Morgan and Roane counties who’ve had cancer or other illnesses from nuclear radiation to get compensation. (photo:Ben Pounds )
James Brooks, Anderson County law director, spoke about the federal program, called the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, or RECA, at the March 9 ounty Operations Committee meeting.
He said RECA recently expanded to include eligible people who’ve lived, worked or attended school in specific zip codes within Anderson, Morgan and Roane counties.
The eligible zip codes for RECA in Tennessee are 37716, 37840, 37719, 37748, 37763, 37828, 37769, 37710, 37845, 37887, 37829, 37854, 37830 and 37831.
Compensation under the fund is available for up to $50,000 for eligible individuals.
If a qualifying individual is deceased, surviving spouses can get $25,000. If there is no living spouse, the surviving children may split the $25,000.
Brooks said radiation exposure is linked to conditions such as leukemia, thyroid cancer and lung cancer, among others.
“Of course, no payment can restore lost health or lost loved ones,” he said. “But it does something very important. It acknowledges that these communities mattered and that their suffering was real.”
People wanting compensation can visit justice.gov/civil/reca or call toll free 800-729-7327.
Dail Cantrell of the Cantrell Law firm, however,. told The Courier-News that people may go to his office in order to pick up a packet meant to help streamline the process. His office is at 362 S. Charles G. Sievers Blvd., and is open 8:30-5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays.
He said his office will collect 2% of what applicants who use the packet collect.
People also may pick up and drop off the packet at a special Oak Ridge location dedicated to RECA. It’s open Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. and Tuesday and Saturday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. at 1159 Oak Ridge Turnpike.
As Cantrell explained, in order to prove they qualify, people may need to find documents such as death certificates, deeds, tax records and medical records. He said information packets his office gives explain how to manage what each applicant needs to find.
“The packet kind of guides you to where you need to go,” he said of his office’s service. “It saves you a lot of time.
“This money is already there waiting for them,” he said. “They just need to come by and get the packet and we’ll help them get it.”
Cantrell said he was unsure about the deadline, due to the government shutdown, but that it would likely be some time in 2027.
“We’re trying to get everyone to get an application filed before the first of the year,” he said.
Brooks said the program has been around for decades and has recognized illness due to uranium mines and nuclear tests. However, it had not included radiation exposure of other types, like being near nuclear waste from enrichment operations in Oak Ridge for example.
“Communities affected by the Manhattan project were largely left out,” he said.
Anderson County Commissioner Ebony Capshaw, who represents part of Oak Ridge, asked at the March 9 Operations Committee meeting whether people who qualified for the program could still sue.
Brooks said he did not know, but that the requirements to qualify for RECA might be easier than suing.
“It’s sort of throwing the gates wide open where you wouldn’t necessarily need to meet that standard, you’d need to sue under the Sick Worker Act, I think,” he said. “So, it’s less money, more wide open.”
Cantrell told The Courier News he also believes the process of applying for a RECA check is easier than suing, especially with assistance.
“It’s nothing to be scared of,” he said. “There’s no court.
“We just walk you through the paperwork to help you get your check.”
