There is a limited window for St. Louis area residents to seek federal compensation for serious illnesses tied to historic radiation exposure, and time is not on their side. The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, commonly known as RECA, was reauthorized in July 2025 and the deadline to file a claim is December 31, 2027. For many families in North County and surrounding areas impacted by Manhattan Project waste, this program may finally provide long overdue financial relief.
RECA is a federal law administered by the U.S. Department of Justice Radiation Exposure Compensation Program. It was created as a non adversarial alternative to lawsuits and does not require claimants to prove direct causation. Instead, eligibility is based on showing that a person lived, worked, or attended school in a designated area for a specific period and was later diagnosed with a qualifying illness.
This matters locally because parts of St. Louis County are now specifically included under the Manhattan Project waste provisions of RECA. As detailed in my prior article, The Lingering Impact of the Manhattan Project on North County, radioactive waste from uranium processing at Mallinckrodt Chemical Works contaminated areas near Coldwater Creek, Latty Avenue, and eventually the West Lake Landfill. These areas have since been designated Superfund sites, and cleanup efforts continue today.
Under the updated RECA rules, individuals who lived, worked, or attended school for at least two years after January 1, 1949, in certain Missouri zip codes may qualify. These include many North County communities such as parts of Florissant, Hazelwood, Berkeley, Bridgeton, and surrounding areas. Qualifying illnesses include leukemia, multiple myeloma, lymphomas other than Hodgkin’s disease, and primary cancers of organs such as the thyroid, breast, colon, brain, liver, lung, and kidney, among others.
Compensation for Manhattan Project waste claims varies. Living claimants may receive the greater of $50,000 or documented out of pocket medical expenses related to the illness. If the affected individual is deceased, a surviving spouse may receive $25,000, or surviving children may share that amount equally. Other RECA categories, such as Downwinders, Onsite Participants, and Uranium Workers, may qualify for $100,000 lump sum payments depending on eligibility.
Claims may now be filed electronically using the RECA Claim Portal, which speeds up processing and allows applicants to upload scanned certified documents. Paper applications are still accepted by mail, but evidence should only be submitted with a completed claim form or a cover page showing an active RECA claim number. Because of high application volume, acknowledgement letters may take time to arrive.
Anyone considering filing should gather proof of residence, employment, or school attendance during the qualifying period, along with medical records documenting a compensable disease. Official claim forms and instructions are available directly from the Department of Justice, and the Civil Division cannot accept emailed applications.
From a real estate perspective, this is another reminder of how long term environmental issues continue to affect St. Louis neighborhoods. Awareness of contamination, cleanup efforts, and now potential compensation can influence homeowner decisions, buyer confidence, and property values in impacted areas. Understanding both the history and the current options available to residents is critical.
If you live in or have family ties to North County, and there is a history of serious illness that may be connected to radiation exposure, this is not something to put off. The deadline is firm, and once it passes, the opportunity for compensation will be gone.
At MORE, REALTORS®, we believe informed homeowners make better decisions. Whether you are buying, selling, or simply trying to understand how environmental and legal issues affect property in St. Louis, having accurate local information matters.
Information current as of February 6, 2026.
