How the Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawsuit Works

Military members, veterans, civilian contractors and family members affected by contaminated water at Camp Lejuene, North Carolina, can file claims and sue for damages. Here's what you need to know.
Advertising Disclosure.

Advertiser Disclosure: Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone. This article may contain links from our advertisers. For more information, please see our Advertising Policy.

The Military Wallet has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. The Military Wallet and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on The Military Wallet are from advertisers. Compensation may impact how and where card products appear, but does not affect our editors’ opinions or evaluations. The Military Wallet does not include all card companies or all available card offers.

camp lejuene water lawsuit

Military members, veterans, civilian contractors and family members who served at Camp LeJeune between Aug. 1, 1953 and Dec. 31, 1987 can seek compensation for diseases associated with toxic water exposure under the Camp LeJeune Justice Act.

For nearly 35 years, people living and working at Camp LeJeune and nearby Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) New River drank, bathed in and cooked with toxic water supplied by two of Camp Lejeune’s eight water treatment plants.

Under the Pact Act of 2022, these people can sue the federal government if their cumulative exposure to toxic chemicals in Camp Lejeune water was at least 30 days.

Read on to learn how to file a Camp Lejeune water lawsuit and what else you need to know about the new law.

Toxic Water at Camp Lejeune

The Marine Corps first acknowledged evidence of toxic water at Camp Lejeune in 1982, according to the CDC. They found that two out of Camp Lejeune’s water treatment plants distributed water containing the following volatile organic compounds (VOCs):

  • Trichloroethylene (TCE)
  • Tetrachloroethylene (PCE)
  • Vinyl chloride
  • Benzene

These toxic VOCs are associated with a variety of cancerous and non-cancerous illnesses. In some cases, the concentration of VOCs in Camp Lejeune water sampled was more than 300 times the Environmental Protection Agency’s tolerance, according to a CDC report.

The EPA designated Camp Lejeune and an off-post business, ABC Dry Cleaners, as superfund sites in 1989. EPA superfund sites end up on a national priorities list. Right now the list contains fewer than 1200 total sites.

“A superfund site has such a level of carcinogens or level of toxic radiation that the government has to step in and do remedial action to clean the area,” said Matt Dolman, managing partner of Dolman law group.

Cancers Associated With Camp Lejeune Water

The toxic chemicals that were found in Camp Lejeune water are associated with these cancers, according to the CDC:

  • Kidney cancer (TCE)
  • Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (TCE, PCE, benzene)
  • Multiple myeloma (TCE, benzene)
  • Bladder cancer (PCE)
  • Leukemia (benzene)
  • Liver cancer (TCE, vinyl chloride)
  • Breast cancer (TCE, PCE)
  • Brain cancer (vinyl chloride)
  • Cervical cancer (TCE, PCE)
  • Hodgkin’s disease (TCE, PCE)
  • Lung cancer (TCE, PCE, vinyl chloride)
  • Ovarian cancer (TCE, PCE)
  • Prostate cancer (TCE, PCE)
  • Rectal cancer (TCE, PCE)
  • Esophageal cancer (TCE, PCE)
  • Soft tissue cancer (vinyl chloride)

The CDC has posted studies connecting these cancers to VOC exposure on its website.

Other Illnesses Associated With Camp Lejeune Water

In addition to cancers, there are known connections between VOC water contamination and these non-cancerous illnesses, according to the CDC:

  • Cardiac defects (TCE)
  • End-stage renal disease (TCE, PCE)
  • Parkinson’s disease (TCE)
  • Scleroderma (TCE)
  • Chonal atresia (TCE, PCE)
  • Eye defects (TCE, PCE)
  • Low birth weight (TCE, PCE)
  • Fetal conditions, including death, major malformations, and small for gestational age (TCE, PCE)
  • Neural tube defects (TCE, PCE)
  • Oral cleft defects (including cleft lip) (TCE, PCE)
  • Miscarriage (TCE, PCE, benzene)
  • Impaired immune system function (TCE, PCE)
  • Neurological effects, including delayed reactions and problems with short-term memory, visual perception, attention, and color vision (TCE, PCE)
  • Neurobehavioral performance deficits (delayed recall and deficits in visual perception), decreased blink reflex, and mood effects (i.e., confusion, depression and tension) (TCE, PCE)
  • Severe, generalized hypersensitivity skin disorder (an autoimmune-related disease) (TCE, PCE)
  • Aplastic anemia (benzene)
  • Myelodysplastic syndrome (benzene)

If you have had any of these illnesses after living or working at Camp Lejeune for more than 30 days between 1953 and 1987, you may be eligible for compensation and health care from the federal government.

Steps to Filing a Camp Lejeune Water Claim Lawsuit

Passed as part of the Pact Act in August 2022, the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, allows affected military families, contractors and others to sue the federal government for toxic VOC exposure at Camp Lejeune.

However, the Camp Lejeune Justice Act stipulates certain criteria for filing these lawsuits. First, you must have been exposed to the toxic water for a cumulative total of at least 30 days between Aug. 1, 1953 and Dec. 31, 1987. However, these days do not have to be consecutive.

How to Get Compensation for Camp Lejuene Water Contamination

Dolman said, you must follow these steps to file a lawsuit:

  • Start by filing a claim with this Navy Judge Advocate General (JAG) office.
  • If the Navy denies your claim, you can file a lawsuit in the Eastern District of North Carolina federal court. If the Navy approves your claim, you can still proceed with a lawsuit if you believe your compensation is insufficient. You can only file for damages in North Carolina’s Eastern District federal court.

The Pact Act denies juries the ability to award punitive damages in toxic Camp Lejeune water cases. Juries may only award compensatory damages, known as actual damages. These can include expenses associated with your health care plan for the rest of your life, Dolman said.

Steps to Filing a VA Claim for Camp Lejeune Water Exposure

In addition to filing a claim with the Navy and a lawsuit in federal court, you can file for VA disability compensation and health care coverage based on illnesses you suffered from Camp Lejeune water exposure.

The VA will pay you disability compensation and health care reimbursement for previous expenses if you suffered any of these 15 illnesses, according to the VA’s website:

  • Bladder cancer
  • Breast cancer
  • Esophageal cancer
  • Female infertility
  • Hepatic steatosis
  • Kidney cancer
  • Leukemia
  • Lung cancer
  • Miscarriage
  • Multiple myeloma
  • Myelodysplastic syndromes
  • Neurobehavioral effects
  • Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Renal toxicity
  • Scleroderma

While suing the federal government for Camp Lejeune water contamination won’t disrupt any VA benefits you receive, your compensatory damages will be reduced by the amount, if any, the VA has already compensated you through its disability pension process, according to the Pact Act.

You can read more about filing a VA disability claim here.

Compensation For Family Members

Family members living with the illnesses listed in the section above can also apply for compensation directly from the VA. It’s part of the VA’s Camp Lejeune Family Member Program (CLFMP). The agency created the program to help cover health care costs of family members of service members stationed during the time years of contamination exposure.

In November of 2023, the VA expanded its compensation by announcing it would cover out-of-pocket health care costs related to Parkinson’s disease affecting family members of service members stationed at Camp Lejeune during the time of contaminated water.

While the VA offers financial assistance on family member costs, family members are not eligible for disability pensions.


About Post Author

Get Instant Access
FREE Weekly Updates! Enter your information to join our mailing list.

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Leave A Comment:

    Comments:

    About the comments on this site:

    These responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

  1. William Brown says

    how about water problems at Wurtsmith AFB, Michigan? I was stationed there 1975 thru 1983 and had cancer in my left kidney in which I lost.

    • Brittany Crocker says

      Hi William, have you applied for VA disability for this condition yet? If not, I’d definitely encourage you to. I looked into this issue and found a 2006 VA disability claim appeal in which the VA granted a claim for another veteran diagnosed with cancer after drinking the water at Wurtsmith. (The case file is online here.) Additionally, I recommend writing to your congressional representative as soon as possible.

      Britt

The Military Wallet is a property of Three Creeks Media. Neither The Military Wallet nor Three Creeks Media are associated with or endorsed by the U.S. Departments of Defense or Veterans Affairs. The content on The Military Wallet is produced by Three Creeks Media, its partners, affiliates and contractors, any opinions or statements on The Military Wallet should not be attributed to the Dept. of Veterans Affairs, the Dept. of Defense or any governmental entity. If you have questions about Veteran programs offered through or by the Dept. of Veterans Affairs, please visit their website at va.gov. The content offered on The Military Wallet is for general informational purposes only and may not be relevant to any consumer’s specific situation, this content should not be construed as legal or financial advice. If you have questions of a specific nature consider consulting a financial professional, accountant or attorney to discuss. References to third-party products, rates and offers may change without notice.

Advertising Notice: The Military Wallet and Three Creeks Media, its parent and affiliate companies, may receive compensation through advertising placements on The Military Wallet; For any rankings or lists on this site, The Military Wallet may receive compensation from the companies being ranked and this compensation may affect how, where and in what order products and companies appear in the rankings and lists. If a ranking or list has a company noted to be a “partner” the indicated company is a corporate affiliate of The Military Wallet. No tables, rankings or lists are fully comprehensive and do not include all companies or available products.

Editorial Disclosure: Editorial content on The Military Wallet may include opinions. Any opinions are those of the author alone, and not those of an advertiser to the site nor of  The Military Wallet.