Over 14,000
Over $300 Million
Over 300 Years
1965
Camp Lejeune is a military training facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Established in 1941, Camp Lejeune is still an active Marine Corps Base today. Between 1953 and 1987, however, nearly one million marines (and their families) stationed at Camp Lejeune were subjected to harmful chemicals that were found in the water.
These chemicals were the volatile organic compounds trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser), perchloroethylene (a dry cleaning agent), benzene, and vinyl chloride. The water at Camp Lejeune is believed to have had concentrations of these chemicals from 240 to 3400 times the levels permitted by safety standards.
Exposure to the toxic chemicals in the drinking water at the USMC base Camp Lejeune has been linked to several diseases and disabilities, including many cancers, Parkinson’s Disease, and neurological conditions. Combined, the symptoms of camp lejeune water contamination are too numerous to list.
If you or a loved one lived at the Camp Lejeune military base for at least 30 days from August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987, and are experiencing concerning health symptoms, seek medical attention and let your healthcare provider know that you were exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. Then speak with a knowledgeable Camp Lejeune water contamination lawyer to find out if you qualify for Camp Lejeune Justice Act or VA disability compensation.
Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship.
For more than 50 years, the legal team at Berry Law has helped thousands of Veterans across the country and abroad in their fight for increased disability benefits, including those exposed to contaminated water at Marine Corp Military Base Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station (MACS) New River, North Carolina. With the signing of the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, we are also helping Veterans and others who worked on the base and became ill after being exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune recover compensation through legal claims against the government. But time is limited to file a Camp Lejeune lawsuit. Contact us today to discuss your case.
With a stroke of his pen, President Biden signed the Camp Lejeune Justice Act into law, giving those exposed to Camp Lejeune contaminated water and their surviving family members two years to file civil lawsuits against the U.S. government in federal court to obtain compensation for their injuries.
The law aims to do what the Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012 fell short of doing—allowing qualifying individuals exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune to seek justice through the court system. Compensation from a Camp Lejeune lawsuit is separate from VA disability compensation and other VA health care benefits. To verify your legal options and whether you or your family has a viable claim, consult with a knowledgeable Camp Lejeune water contamination attorney.
Millions of service members, their families, and civilians lived and worked at the Camp Lejeune military training facility through the years and were exposed to dangerous chemicals through contaminated water supplies.
Although there were signs as early as the 1980s that the water contamination at Camp Lejeune was connected with illnesses developed by those who served in the camp, it wasn’t until 2010 that the first Veteran received a 100% disability rating for cancer (Multiple Myeloma) linked to toxic water exposure in Camp Lejeune. This is believed to be the first time the government admitted to the link between the contamination and illnesses.
Since the link between water contamination and illnesses has been established, there have been a number of government initiatives meant to compensate those who have been impacted, including the Camp Lejeune Justice Act and the Janey Ensminger Act. Passed in 2012, the Janey Ensminger Act assigns the VA to provide medical care to those impacted by up to fifteen diseases associated with service at Camp Lejeune. The bill was named after the daughter of an engineer who worked at Camp Lejeune. The girl, Janey, died at age nine from cancer after growing up on the base.
There are several symptoms associated with exposure to the toxic substances found in the drinking water at Camp Lejeune that are indicative of certain diseases. The VA will likely find these diseases to be presumptively connected to service in Camp Lejeune, meaning you can receive a disability rating depending on the extent of your symptoms.
Some of those diseases include:
In addition, for diseases associated with service in Camp Lejeune, you can also be eligible for cost-free healthcare from the VA if you have any of the following qualifying health conditions:
If you served at Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987, and you have conditions not mentioned above, you may still be entitled to service connection through the VA. The VA says on its website: “Presently, these conditions are the only ones for which there is sufficient scientific and medical evidence to support the creation of presumptions; however, VA will continue to review relevant information as it becomes available. Veterans who are experiencing other health conditions that they think may be related to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune are encouraged to contact their primary care provider and to file a claim.”
If you’d like more information on the VA and its policies on Camp Lejeune’s contaminated water, please click here.
The lawyers at Berry Law have dedicated their practice to helping Veterans and their loved ones across the U.S. and abroad fight for the full VA benefits they deserve. We are also helping Veterans, their family members, and civilians who lived and worked at Camp Lejeune military base and became ill after being exposed to contaminated water recover compensation through VA disability benefits and legal claims against the government. There is limited time to take advantage of all these opportunities. Contact us today to discuss your case.
Are you receiving the veterans’ disability compensation you are entitled to receive by law? If you need assistance appealing VA Rating Decisions for mental health conditions or physical disabilities that occurred in service, please contact Berry Law.
Click here to schedule a time to talk to a member of our team to determine if we can help you with your VA appeal.
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