Hometown News

New Mexico residents diagnosed with certain cancers can claim $100,000 from the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA), regardless if they lived in the Tularosa Basin.

Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández, D-N.M., says not enough people are aware of this opportunity.

The program compensates those diagnosed with specific cancers, including leukemia, multiple myeloma or lymphomas. A complete list of qualifying cancers is available on Leger Fernández’s website.

To qualify for the $100,000 payment, individuals must have lived in New Mexico for at least one year between 1944 and 1973 and have a disease on the list. The compensation is tax-free and can also be paid to survivors.