The federal government paid out more than $63 million to more than 1,300 people in Missouri and parts of Kentucky and Tennessee as part of its expansion of compensation for people affected by radioactive materials.
Advocates say the progress is encouraging, but time is running out for people to begin the complicated application process. They face a deadline at the end of 2027.
Dawn Chapman, co-founder of the advocacy group Just Moms STL, said some people who applied for aid are still waiting.
"They're getting a 'We need you to provide more residency,' or 'We need you to provide better medical records,' that sort of thing. But there will eventually be denials, and we're waiting to see what those denials will look like," she said.
Organizations including the St. Louis County Library are helping people get the documents they need to file for compensation.
"We're actually helping people put money in their pockets, and also holding the government accountable," said Brent Trout, who manages the library's history and genealogy department. "They're coming to us because we have expertise, and we have sources like city directories. We have access to different records throughout the St Louis area in time."
On this episode of "St. Louis on the Air," Trout and Chapman discuss the challenges of applying under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, why records like yearbooks can be critical evidence, the spread of misinformation and why advocates are encouraging people to apply as soon as possible.
Related Event
What: RECA Informational Session
When: 10 a.m. March 28
Where: Daniel Boone Branch, Meeting Room 1 (300 Clarkson Road, Ellisville, MO 63011)
To hear the full conversation with Dawn Chapman and Brent Trout, listen to "St. Louis on the Air" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube, or click the play button below.
"St. Louis on the Air" brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Layla Halilbasic is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
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