United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2005-09-28 monographic deposited born digital 13 p. GA 1.13:GAO-05-1002R https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-1002R P0b002ee180395b90 f:d051002r DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-1002R machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-1002R GAO-05-1002R Administrative costs Claims processing Claims processing costs Claims settlement Eligibility criteria Eligibility determinations Health hazards Radiation exposure hazards Program evaluation Financial analysis Funds management Radiation Exposure Compensation Program Correspondence A38558 From 1945 through 1962, the United States conducted a series of above-ground atomic weapons tests as it built up its Cold War nuclear arsenal. Many people who were exposed to radiation resulting from the nuclear weapons development and testing program subsequently developed serious diseases, including various types of cancer. On October 15, 1990, in order to establish a procedure to make partial restitution to these victims for their suffering associated with the radiation exposure, the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) was enacted. RECA provided that the Attorney General be responsible for processing and adjudicating claims under the act. The Department of Justice (DOJ) established the Radiation Exposure Compensation Program (RECP), which is administered by its Civil Division. RECP began processing claims in April 1992. RECA has been amended several times, including on July 10, 2000, when the RECA Amendments of 2000 were enacted. The amendments of 2000 broadened the scope of eligibility for benefits coverage to include new victim categories and modified the criteria for determining eligibility for compensation. The 2000 amendments also included a mandate that we report to the Congress on DOJ's administration of RECA not later than 18 months after the enactment of the amendments and every 18 months thereafter. We have reported twice previously on DOJ's administration of RECA. In our last report, we identified the potential for a funding shortage in the compensation trust fund. We recommended that the Attorney General consult with the congressional committees of jurisdiction to develop a strategy to address the gap between current funding levels and the amount of funding estimated to be needed to pay claims projected to be approved over the 2003 to 2011 period. This report follows up on our previous recommendation and updates information on the status of the RECA program, including the (1) status of funds available to pay claims and pay program administration costs; (2) status of claims approved, denied, and pending; (3) processing times; and (4) the total of compensation awards. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-1002R/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-1002R.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-1002R/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-1002R.pdf GAO-05-1002R https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-1002R Correspondence GAO-05-1002R; Radiation Exposure Compensation Act: Program Status; Administrative costs Claims processing Claims processing costs Claims settlement Eligibility criteria Eligibility determinations Health hazards Radiation exposure hazards Program evaluation Financial analysis Funds management Radiation Exposure Compensation Program Volume 104 Page 920 Volume 104 Page 1835 104 Stat. 920 104 Stat. 1835 Volume 106 Page 3131 106 Stat. 3131 Volume 114 Page 501 Volume 114 Page 1654 114 Stat. 501 114 Stat. 1654 Volume 116 Page 1758 116 Stat. 1758 Volume 117 Page 11 117 Stat. 11 Volume 118 Page 3 Volume 118 Page 1811 Volume 118 Page 2809 118 Stat. 3 118 Stat. 1811 118 Stat. 2809 Public Law 101-510 Public Law 102-486 Public Law 106-398 Public Law 107-273 Conf. Rept. 107-593