VA Compensation for Camp Lejeune Water Contamination

In 2015, VA recognized some of the harms caused by the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, and identified a number of disabilities that VA will automatically grant disability benefits for to Veterans who served at Lejeune from August 1953 through December 1987. And now, as of June 2022, Congress is making significant progress on a law that would add additional remedies for those harmed by Camp Lejeune water.

If you were stationed at Camp Lejeune in 1953-1987, you might be entitled to VA disability compensation. And in the near future you may even be able to sue the government for additional money.

Service Connection for Conditions Caused by Camp Lejeune Water 

VA regulations allow for automatic service connection and disability compensation for certain conditions for Veterans who served for at least 30 days in Camp Lejeune between August 1953 and December 1987:

• Kidney Cancer
• Liver Cancer
• Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
• Adult Leukemia
• Multiple Myeloma
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Aplastic Anemia and Other Myelodysplastic Syndromes, and
• Bladder Cancer

If a Veteran has one of the conditions above and served at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days between August 1953 and December 1987, then they can get service connection and disability compensation for the condition.

In addition, compounds like those that were in Camp Lejeune water could cause other health issues such as:

• Eye, nose and throat irritation
• Headaches, loss of coordination and nausea
• Damage to liver, kidney and central nervous system
• Conjunctival irritation
• Dyspnea (trouble breathing)
• Declines in serum cholinesterase levels
• Nausea
• Emesis (vomiting)
• Dpistaxis (nose bleeds)
• Fatigue
• Dizziness
• Visual disorders 
• Memory impairment

If you have a condition that you think was caused by the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, you can still get service connection, but you have to prove that the contaminated water “at least as likely as not” caused your condition. If you have one of the presumed conditions, however, all you need to do is show you served at Camp Lejeune during the relevant time period, and that you have the presumptive disease.

Possible New Opportunity for Compensation

In addition to VA benefits, the U.S. Congress is currently working on legislation that would allow Veterans and their family members to sue the government for damages caused by the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. If the bill passes and is signed by the President, there will be a time limit to sue for Camp Lejeune exposure, and winning damages could affect your VA disability compensation or other benefits—so it’s important to speak with a knowledgeable attorney about the possibility of getting more money to compensate you for your exposures at Camp Lejeune.