Radiation Exposure Compensation Act
As of July 2025, Idaho Downwinders who are diagnosed with qualifying cancers may be eligible for compensation under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act or RECA. This federal program is administered by the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Division. More information about the program may be found here: https://www.justice.gov/civil/reca.
Potential claimants should work directly with the Department of Justice to file your claim. The Department of Justice claim form includes a check box on the top of page 10 that will grant permission to the Department of Justice to request your record from CDRI.
Please email CDRI if you have any questions about obtaining your record.
Yes, if you have the appropriate documentation establishing that you are legally entitled to receive this information. Please refer to the Department of Justice claim form for more information on required documentation.
Request the record from CDRI in advance and then you can decide whether to proceed with a claim with Department of Justice.
CDRI’s records cover cancers diagnosed from 1971 forward among those people who were residents of Idaho at the time of their diagnosis.
Yes. If you want to file your claim solely through the Department of Justice, they will make the request to CDRI on your behalf.
In most cases, we will have the record for qualifying cancers that were diagnosed after 1970 for an Idaho resident at the time of diagnosis. Be advised that if the cancer diagnosis was recent, we may not have received the information yet at the time of your request.