Radiation Exposure Compensation Act
The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) is a federal law that provides partial restitution to individuals, also known as Downwinders, who developed certain serious illnesses following exposure to radiation from the U.S. nuclear weapons program, or their survivors. All claims under RECA must be filed by December 31, 2027.
Due to a high volume of requests, please allow 2 weeks for us to fill your research request.
The Downwinder must have been physically present in Idaho, New Mexico, Utah, or parts of Arizona or Nevada for one of the following durations:
- In the State of New Mexico for 1 year between September 24, 1944, and November 6, 1962
- In any affected area for 1 year between January 21, 1951, and November 6, 1962
- In any affected area for the entire period from June 30, 1962, to July 31, 1962
Materials to prove that the affected person was physically present in Boise may be available on the 3rd floor of the Downtown Boise Public Library. If you are unable to come to the Library in person, please request help through our Obituaries or Idaho Information request form.
Polk Directories
- The Polk Directories are directories published by R.L. Polk & Co. Publishers. They include a section organized by name, and a section organized by address. Boise Public Library owns Polk Directories for Boise.
- You can access them digitally with your Boise Public Library card at Heritage Quest. Here’s how.
Telephone Directories
- Boise Public Library has some Boise directories published by the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company in the 1950s and 1960s. The Boise directories may also include Caldwell, Emmett, Homedale, Idaho City, Jordan Valley, Kuna, Marsing, Melba, Meridian, Middleton, Nampa, Star, and Wilder.
Newspapers
- The Idaho Statesman is available in the NewsBank Database.
- Use the Library of Congress' Chronicling America to identify the titles of other newspapers. They probably won't include digitized copies from the 1950s and 1960s.
Boise Public Library is not charging for RECA copies. To gather enough evidence for your claim make sure your copies include the following:
- The page with the person’s name.
- A title page or header showing the source and date.
If you are unable to come to the library in person please request help through our Obituaries or Idaho Information request form.
You will need a cover letter to certify copies made at the library. You will need a separate letter for each claim. Ask at the desk for a cover letter to accompany your printouts.
Census Records won’t provide evidence of residence in Idaho for RECA required dates for Downwinders. Here is why:
- 1950 Decennial Census Records were collected on April 1, 1950. This is not part of the qualifying time-period for Downwinder claims.
- 1960 Census Records won’t be released until April 2032.
- CDC guide to Where to Write for Vital RecordsVital records include birth, death, marriage, and divorce records.