Funds for downwinders are short

WASHINGTON — People suffering from cancer and other illnesses as a result of work on Cold War-era atomic weapons projects may have compensation payments delayed by budget shortfalls, a report to Congress said Monday.

Based on figures from the Congressional Budget Office, the Radiation Exposure and Compensation Act, or RECA, program is expected to run a deficit of $101 million for the 2003-2007 budget years, said the General Accounting Office, which conducts investigations for Congress.

The Justice Department projected a smaller shortfall but agreed the money provided is inadequate, the GAO said.

The last time RECA funding ran dry was May 2000 when for more than 18 months the Justice Department sent IOUs to former uranium miners, millers and "downwinders" — people exposed to fallout from nuclear weapons tests in southern Nevada — suffering from cancer and other illnesses as a result of their exposure.

Many died awaiting payments.

In December 2001, Congress agreed to spend an additional $655 million spread through 2011 to cover the thousands of anticipated claims.

Those involved in the issue assumed that solved the problem, said Ed Brickey, former chairman of the Western States RECA Reform Coalition.

"We thought everything was just hunky-dory," said Brickey, whose group disbanded after President Bush signed the RECA funding into law. "I wasn't really expecting something like this."

Scot Houska, an attorney who represents numerous RECA claimants, said he thought the Justice Department had learned from the earlier embarrassment of having to issue IOUs to dying weapons workers.

Since expanding the eligibility for benefits in 2000, there has been a threefold increase in the number of claims filed.

"There were people passing away and it was a hardship on a lot of these guys and they derived a lot of peace of mind knowing that their spouses are going to be cared for. Some of them were robbed of that," Houska said.

After 2007, demands on the program are expected to taper off and a surplus is expected in the final four years. But if all the anticipated claims are to be paid, more money will be needed — $107 million according to the Justice Department and $78 million according to the Congressional Budget Office estimates.