Government expanded the law for downwinders. Are you one?

ST. GEORGE — When people think of downwinders — people who later became ill as a result of radiation exposure during nuclear weapons tests decades ago — a lot of folks think the damage stopped in southern Utah.

The federal government disagrees and in the Big Beautiful Bill, the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act was expanded to include the entire states of Utah, Idaho and New Mexico, as well as several counties in other states.

Intermountain Healthcare's Radiation Exposure Screening and Education Program, sometimes called the Downwinders Clinic, is hosting free public meetings across the Beehive State to provide information about the recently expanded law and help individuals determine if they or a loved one could qualify for compensation.

As Deseret News recently reported, those who qualify based on diagnosis and whether they lived in a covered area during the period recognized in the act could qualify for $100,000 compensation. But there's a deadline, and the application can take some time.

Intermountain Health's free public meetings will explain changes in the program for those affected by fallout from Cold War-era nuclear testing and uranium industry activities.

Besides explaining the changes to RECA, those attending can receive applications and educational materials, learn about the online application portal and ask questions about eligibility and the claims process.

People who have finished the application can schedule a one-on-one review to make sure that the documents are complete before submission.

The meeting schedule

St. George: Thursday, 4-5 p.m. Intermountain St. George Regional Hospital Cancer Center, 600 S. Medical Center Drive, Building 7, Classrooms A, B and C.

Provo/Orem: Tuesday, 2-3 p.m. Utah Valley Hospital Sorenson Tower, 395 Cougar Blvd., Building 4 Second Floor, Classrooms 1, 2 and 3.

Salt Lake City: Tuesday, 6-7 p.m. Intermountain Medical Center Doty Family Education Center, 5121 S. Cottonwood St., Building 6 West Auditorium.

Logan: Wednesday, Aug. 5, 1-2 p.m. Logan Public Library, 285 N. Main St.

Ogden: Friday, Aug. 7, noon-1 p.m. McKay-Dee Hospital Thomas Dee Auditorium, 4401 Harrison Blvd.

Application Review Appointments (appointments are required):

Friday, St. George Regional Hospital Cancer Center Downwinders Clinic office, 1-5 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 6, Intermountain Medical Center Transformation Center, Room 103, Salt Lake, 5026 S. State St. 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 7, McKay-Dee Hospital Thomas Dee Auditorium, Ogden, 4401 Harrison Blvd., 2-6 p.m.

To schedule an application review appointment or for additional information, call the Radiation Exposure Screening and Education Program (Downwinders Clinic) at 435-251-4760.

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