Have you started your Camp Lejeune claim yet? The clock is running.
Many servicemembers, their families and civilians were affected by the contaminated water at Marine Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. Some have become sick with a wide range of cancers, reproductive issues and other illnesses.
In 2022, federal lawmakers passed the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, which was included as Section 804 in the broader Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act.
This law expanded VA benefits to the family members of servicemembers who lived at Camp Lejeune for at least a month.
It also made it possible for servicemembers, their families and civilians who have certain illnesses caused by the contaminated water to seek compensation.
The deadline to file a lawsuit seeking compensation is August 10, 2024. However, before filing a lawsuit, you must first file an a claim with the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s office. After filing the claim, you must then wait at least six months before you have the option to file a lawsuit.
To qualify for Camp Lejeune compensation, you or your loved one must be diagnosed with an illness that was caused by the contaminated water or that the contaminated water “is at least as likely as not” to have caused the illness. You must also have:
- Lived or worked at Camp Lejeune or were otherwise exposed to the toxins for at least 30 days between Aug. 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987, or
- Been exposed before birth because your mother was exposed for at least 30 days during that time while she was pregnant
- Despite what you may have seen or heard elsewhere, the law contains no automatically qualifying illnesses. While the causation requirement will be easier to prove for some illnesses than others, each illness must still be linked from a causation standpoint through competent medical proof.
Filing a Camp Lejeune claim will not affect your VA benefits or healthcare
Some people worry that filing a claim against the government will affect their benefits or existing healthcare for the illness they got from Camp Lejeune.
It will not. This compensation is separate and does not affect your VA benefits or healthcare.
However, under certain circumstances the benefits you are already receiving could be offset by new benefits.
Do I need an out-of-state lawyer or television advertiser to file a Camp Lejeune claim?
No. You can even file a Camp Lejeune contamination claim on your own. Some individuals took this route thinking the claim would be resolved without having to file a lawsuit. While that remains theoretically possible, it hasn’t happened yet due to the volume of claims and the limited staffing at the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s office. This law, its requirement for qualifying, and the process involved is much more complicated than initially thought or than suggested by the tv commercials from lawyers who want to make it sound easy. It’s not.
You do not have to go it alone though and you do not have to call some out-of-state attorney or tv advertiser. Call or email us. We will speak with you on the phone or in person (your preference), investigate your potential case, and advise you. If you meet the qualifications and so choose, we will then file a claim and possible lawsuit for you.