RECA claims update: 44,159 pending; what the approval rate means

Published: September 9, 2026

Updated: September 13, 2026

Last fact-checked: September 13, 2026

Current status: Active program; DOJ’s latest linked awards snapshot is dated September 11, 2026.

Deadline status: Open. New claims must be filed by December 31, 2027.

The latest RECA claims update lists 44,159 pending applications under Public Law 119-21, replacing the earlier 43,641 count. The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act program covers qualifying radiation-exposure illnesses and certain survivors. Its 99.5% approval rate excludes pending claims; it is not your personal approval probability. Before filing, check your category and evidence requirements through DOJ’s official application instructions.

RECA claims update: what changed

Compare DOJ’s September 8, 2026 snapshot with its September 11, 2026 awards table. These figures cover the Public Law 119-21 cohort, not the separate table for older claims.

Calculation: Net change equals the later value minus the earlier value. These are differences between cumulative snapshots, not individual processing times. The newer counts do not change eligibility rules.

Why 99.5% is not your approval chance

Fiscal Wire calculated the following proportions from DOJ’s September 11, 2026 totals, rounding to one decimal place.

Most applications in this cohort remain undecided. The published totals do not establish whether pending applicants resemble those already approved. None of these percentages predicts an individual’s outcome.

Who may qualify—and who is not automatically covered

DOJ identifies Downwinder, Onsite Participant, Uranium Worker and Manhattan Project Waste categories. Each has separate requirements. Survivors must satisfy the applicable beneficiary rules; family relationship alone does not establish entitlement.

For example, Manhattan Project Waste claims require at least two years of physical presence after January 1, 1949, in designated ZIP-code areas, followed by a specified disease. Statewide residence alone does not meet that ZIP-code condition. Other statutory requirements still apply.

Downwinders must establish qualifying presence in a designated area: at least one year between January 21, 1951, and November 6, 1962; or the entire period from June 30, 1962, through July 31, 1962. New Mexico also has a one-year route between September 24, 1944, and November 6, 1962. A subsequent compensable diagnosis is required; chronic lymphocytic leukemia is excluded.

Check the exact geography, diseases and other category-specific eligibility criteria. Onsite Participants and Uranium Workers should use their separate requirements, not Downwinder criteria. DOJ determines eligibility; these examples are not approval decisions.

What applicants should do now

1. Use the correct filing route. Follow DOJ’s electronic-portal link or mail the appropriate category form with original or certified supporting records. Email is not an application method. Online applicants may upload scans, but DOJ can request originals or certified records.
2. Preserve your evidence. Keep residence, employment or participation records; diagnosis records; required identification and survivor documents; submission copies; and delivery confirmations. Keep sensitive records out of public posts.
3. Identify an existing claim. Retain your acknowledgement and RECA claim number. DOJ warns that evidence unconnected to an active claim will be destroyed. Send evidence with a completed application or a cover page naming the affected person and claim number.

For help, contact the DOJ RECA Program at 1-800-729-7327. Acknowledgement letters may be delayed by application volume.

Help recovering missing records

The Downwinder claim form lets applicants authorize a state cancer-registry search. Tribal members can provide affiliation and census details and sign the attached tribal-records release. These options help obtain evidence; they do not guarantee approval.

Deadline and limitations

Public Law 119-21, section 100205, sets December 31, 2027, as the claims deadline. The separate December 31, 2028, fund termination is not a later new-claim deadline.

The official source does not specify a separate time-of-day cutoff. DOJ’s application page does not state a mailed-postmark rule. Confirm filing arrangements with the program rather than assuming last-day mailing is sufficient.

The awards table provides no individual queue position, guaranteed processing period or payment date. Do not budget around an unapproved claim or interpret approved dollars as confirmed disbursements.

Bottom line and next update

The pending count increased, but the approval statistic remains a measure of decided claims. A newer DOJ snapshot, revised eligibility or filing instructions, or a deadline change would require this article to be updated.

Update note: This revision replaces September 8, 2026 figures with September 11, 2026 data and recalculates the comparisons.

Related coverage: Fiscal Wire’s Benefits & Taxes reports.

This article provides general information, not individualized legal, medical, tax or financial advice.