Servicemembers, their family members, and civilians who lived or worked at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune or Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) New River in North Carolina for at least 30 days from 1953 to 1987 were exposed to toxic chemicals in drinking water due to water contamination. As a result, many have developed cancer and other diseases.
Some Camp Lejeune cancers include:
If you or a loved one were stationed or worked at Camp Lejeune and became ill, you may be eligible to recover compensation from Veterans Affairs (VA) as well as through a separate civil action through the U.S. government.
Camp Lejeune and neighboring MACS New River are active Marine Corps bases located in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Camp Lejeune is one of the busiest and largest Marine Corps bases in the country.
Over the course of nearly 35 years, beginning in 1953, dangerous chemicals called volatile organic compounds (VOCs) leached into the ground and ultimately into the water that supplied enlisted family housing, barracks for unmarried service personnel, base administrative offices, schools, base hospitals, and recreational areas on the base.
Many VOCs are carcinogenic, meaning they can cause cancer. Some of the dangerous chemicals found in the drinking water at Camp Lejeune include trichloroethylene (TCE) and perchloroethylene (PCE) from dry cleaning waste and benzene from leaking underground fuel storage tanks.
Nearly one million Marines and their family members on the base were exposed to these harmful chemicals in the water they drank, cooked, and bathed in. It is estimated that the drinking water had 240 to 3,400 times the amount of toxic chemicals permitted by safety standards.
Concerns were raised in the 1980s about the dangerous chemicals in the water at Camp Lejeune, including by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), which found levels of TCE on base at 1,400 parts per billion — 280 times the maximum level now recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency.
In 1985, under pressure from Veterans, family members, and advocacy groups, the military shuttered the contaminated wells. Four years later, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) listed Camp Lejeune as a Superfund site to address and clean up the hazardous material in the area.
In 2014, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) issued a “Position on the Water Contamination at Camp Lejeune,” linking the contaminants in the drinking water on the base to an increased risk of cancers (kidney cancer, multiple myeloma, leukemias, and more), adverse birth outcomes, and other adverse health effects in people, including infants and children, exposed to the toxic water.
With the signing of the Honoring America’s Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012, also known as the Camp Lejeune Act of 2012, the VA finally began providing cost-free health care for Veterans with certain conditions who served at least 30 days of active duty at Camp Lejeune from August 1, 1953, to December 31, 1987.
Qualifying health conditions include:
Family members of Veterans who lived on the base during the qualifying period are also eligible for reimbursement for out-of-pocket medical expenses related to the 16 covered health conditions mentioned above.
In 2017, the VA made it easier for Veterans to qualify for benefits when it established a presumptive service connection for Veterans, Reservists, and National Guard members exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune from August 1, 1953, to December 31, 1987, who later developed one of the following diseases:
Typically, for a Veteran to get a VA disability rating, they must connect their disability with their military service and prove that their time in service caused their condition. However, the presumptive service connection means that the VA automatically assumes that a Veteran’s service caused their condition. A Veteran only needs to meet the service requirements for the presumption.
This rule, however, does not apply to any family members who may have lived on the base during the years of water contamination.
The Camp Lejeune Families Act provides cost-free healthcare for Veterans and their families exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. But it did not account for other damages they experienced, such as lost income or pain and suffering.
On August 10, 2022, President Biden signed the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022, part of the broader Honoring Our Pact Act legislation, which cleared the way for Veterans, family members, and civilian workers who were exposed to the contaminated water on the base and became ill to file a civil Camp Lejeune lawsuit in federal court against the U.S. government to recover additional compensation for the harm they endured.
Veterans, family members, and civilians who meet certain criteria can file a Camp Lejeune lawsuit against the U.S. government seeking compensation for damages such as:
To qualify for compensation under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, Veterans, family members, and civilians (including those exposed in utero) must meet all of the following criteria:
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 is a federal remedy for impacted Veterans and their families that is separate and distinct from Veterans Affairs benefits. To receive compensation, Veterans, family members, and civilians injured by the toxic water at Camp Lejeune must act before August 10, 2024, to receive these benefits.
In September 2023, the Department of the Navy and the Department of Justice created an expedited settlement program called the Elective Option to quickly resolve certain Camp Lejeune claims involving a small subset of injuries without fighting the government in court.
The payouts range from $150,000 to $450,000, based on the illness and how long the plaintiff was exposed to the contaminated water, with an additional $100,000 if the claimant died from exposure.
If you are considering filing a Camp Lejeune lawsuit or taking the Elective Option, consider consulting a VA disability lawyer from Berry Law to discuss your legal options. You may qualify for more compensation than the Elective Option offers, depending on your condition. But if you accept a settlement offer from the U.S. government, you forfeit your right to sue the government in a private Camp Lejeune lawsuit.
Yes. Veterans who are currently receiving VA disability benefits for a disability related to Camp Lejeune contaminated water can file a Camp Lejeune lawsuit seeking compensation for the harm they experienced. If your lawsuit is successful, it will not affect the amount you receive in monthly VA disability benefits. However, your lawsuit settlement may be offset by any VA payments you have already received for the same disability.
Dealing with Camp Lejeune claims can be confusing with so many options. The important thing is that you and your family are compensated for the harm you have experienced from the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The VA disability lawyers from Berry Law are available to speak with you during a free and confidential consultation.
If you or a family member have a connection with Camp Lejeune during this time period and currently have or have had cancer (including, but not limited to, leukemia, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, liver cancer, breast cancer, multiple myeloma or non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma), you may be eligible for compensation through a Camp Lejeune Lawsuit. Berry Law works with Veterans and their families nationwide to connect them with the disability benefits they deserve. Contact us today to discuss your case.
Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship.
If you or a family member have a connection with Camp Lejeune during this time period and currently have or have had cancer (including, but not limited to, leukemia, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, liver cancer, breast cancer, multiple myeloma or Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma), please sign up for updates on the legislation.
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