WERE YOU OR A LOVED ONE AT CAMP LEJEUNE ANY TIME FROM 1953-1987?
You Have Rights!
Were You or a Loved One at Camp Lejeune
Before 1988?
Two out of the eight water supplies at Camp Lejeune were contaminated with highly toxic chemicals for over 30 years. Cleaning solvents, fuel pollutants made their way to Camp Lejeune wells and water supplies, along with pollution from leaking underground storage tanks.
The concentration levels were 280 times the amount accepted by safety standards, causing civilians, military, and families to potentially get sick, and even die.
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act will be placed within the larger PACT Act of 2021 and will allow veterans and their families to file reimbursement claims in federal court.
The Honoring our PACT Act of 2021 has passed the House and addresses health care issues and other matters related to veterans who were exposed to toxic substances during military service.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS
File a claim for disability compensation and provide:
1. Your military records showing you served at Camp Lejeune or MCAS New River for at least 30 days from August 1953 through December 1987 while on active duty, in the National Guard or Reserves, and
2. Medical records stating that you have 1 or more of the 8 illnesses on the presumptive conditions list:
The VA may pay you and/or any dependent family members back for out of pocket health care costs that relate to any of these 15 conditions caused by the water contamination at Camp Lejeune:
Bladder Cancer
You’ll need to file a claim for disability compensation and provide all of this evidence:
Document proving your relationship to the Veteran who served on active duty for at least 30 days at Camp Lejeune (like a marriage license, birth certificate, or adoption papers), and
Document proving that you lived at Camp Lejeune or MCAS New River for at least 30 days from August 1953 through December 1987 (like utility bills, base housing records, military orders, or tax forms), and
Medical records that show you have one of the 15 conditions listed above (as well as the date the illness was diagnosed and that you’re being treated or have been treated in the past for this illness)
And you’ll need to provide evidence that you paid health care expenses for your claimed condition during one of the time periods listed below.
Between January 1, 1957, and December 31, 1987 (if you lived on Camp Lejeune during this time period, we’ll reimburse you for care received on or after August 6, 2012, and up to 2 years before the date of your application), or
Between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1956 (if you lived on Camp Lejeune during this time period, we’ll reimburse you for care received on or after December 16, 2014, and up to 2 years before the date you apply for benefits)
Yes, they have complained of the following heart conditions:
- Congenital heart defect
- Congestive heart failure
- Faulty or leaky heart valve
- Heart palpitations
- Tachycardia (dangerously fast heart rate)
- Trichloroethylene (metal cleaner)
- Tetrachloroethylene (dry cleaning agent)
- Benzene (chemical found in gasoline)
- Methylene Chloride (chemical solvent)
- Vinyl Chloride (colorless gas)
1. Claim received – The VA will let you know when its received your disability claim.
If you file your claim online, you’ll get an on-screen message from the VA after you submit the form.
If you mail your application, the VA will send you a letter to let you know the claim has been received. You should get this letter about one week, plus mailing time, after the VA receives your claim.
2. Initial review – The VA will review your claim. It’ll move to step 3 if they don’t need any more evidence to support it.
3. Evidence gathering, review, and decision – during this step, the VA does 3 things:
-Ask for evidence from you, health care providers, governmental agencies, or others
-Review the evidence
-Make a decision
4. Preparation for notification – the VA gets your entire claim decision packet ready to be mailed
5. Claim complete – the VA will send you a packet by U.S. mail that includes details of the decision on your claim. Please allow 7 to 10 business days for your packet to arrive before contacting a VA call center
1. The type of claim you filed
2. How many injuries or disabilities you claimed and how complex they are
3. How long it takes the VA to collect the evidence needed to decide your claim
The 2022 Honoring our PACT Act, which includes the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, has support from the House and Senate, and is publicly supported by President Biden.
This Act will allow Veterans, family members, and any other person who lived or worked at the base between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987 and who was harmed by the contaminated water that supplied the base for decades, to pursue compensation through administrative claims and lawsuits.
