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RECA and EEOICPA

Do you qualify for federal benefits?

Uranium and DOE workers, and often their families, may be eligible for compensation and in-home care benefits. We help you find out.

Two programs, often confused

RECA and EEOICPA are not the same thing

If you or a loved one worked in the uranium industry or at a Department of Energy site, two separate federal programs may apply. They get mixed up all the time, and the difference matters, because only one of them pays for care at home.

RECA

Radiation Exposure Compensation Act

A one-time federal compensation payment for people who developed certain illnesses after radiation exposure from uranium mining, milling, ore transporting, or atmospheric nuclear weapons testing.

  • Uranium miners, mill workers, and ore transporters, 1942 to 1990
  • Core drillers and remediation workers, added in 2025
  • Downwinders: people who lived near nuclear test sites, and today that includes the entire state of New Mexico

RECA is compensation only. It does not include medical coverage or in-home care.

EEOICPA

Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act

An ongoing benefits program run by the U.S. Department of Labor for workers who became ill after covered employment, and for certain uranium workers who qualify under RECA.

  • Department of Energy employees, contractors, and subcontractors
  • Workers at designated Atomic Weapons Employer facilities
  • Uranium miners, millers, and ore transporters who qualify under RECA Section 5

EEOICPA is the program that pays for medical care, including care at home. This is where we come in.

The card that changes everything

The Medical Benefits Identification Card

Around here most folks call it the white card. When your EEOICPA claim is approved, the Department of Labor issues a Medical Benefits Identification Card for your accepted conditions. For that care, there is no co-pay and no deductible.

  • In-home nursing and aide care, ordered by your physician
  • Care authorizations now run 12 months at a time
  • A family member who trains as a care attendant can be approved to care for you
Call (505) 287-9211
Sample DOL Medical Benefits Identification Card showing no co-pay and no deductible
The part most people miss

Some uranium workers can receive both

Uranium miners, mill workers, and ore transporters who qualify under RECA can also receive EEOICPA medical benefits, including a supplemental payment and the white card that pays for care at home. That bridge between the two programs is the single most valuable thing many mining families never hear about.

It works the other way too. Downwinders receive the RECA payment only, without the ongoing care benefit, so it is important to know which category fits your history before anyone makes you promises. We will always tell you straight which benefits your situation may support.

RECA was renewed in 2025, and the current filing deadline is December 31, 2027. If you have been putting it off, there is real time, but not unlimited time.

How it works

From first call to care at home

  1. 01

    Call us or stop by

    Tell us your story: where you or your loved one worked, roughly when, and what is going on with your health. That is all we need to get started.

  2. 02

    We look at the work history together

    Mine, mill, ore hauling, or a Department of Energy site. The program that applies depends on where the work happened, and we have heard just about every version of it.

  3. 03

    We connect you with an authorized representative

    Filing the claim right matters. We connect you with an authorized representative who helps set up the claim and the paperwork, start to finish.

  4. 04

    Your doctor orders the care you need

    Once benefits are approved, in-home care runs on your physician’s written order. We coordinate with the doctor so the care plan fits your life.

  5. 05

    Care starts at home

    Our local caregivers come to you. For covered conditions, approved care is billed straight to the Department of Labor: no co-pay, no deductible.

Call (505) 287-9211Ask us a question

Southwest Home Care LLC is a home care provider, not a law firm or a claims examiner, and we cannot serve as an authorized representative. Eligibility for RECA and EEOICPA benefits is decided by the federal government, and the U.S. Department of Labor does not endorse or certify any provider. For claim questions you can also reach the Department of Labor directly at 1-866-888-3322.