The First Camp Lejeune Settlements Paid Out This Fall. What’s Next?
When the Senate passed the “Honoring Our PACT Act” on August 2nd last year, we welcomed it. The act signified a substantial step towards achieving crucial benefits for veterans and their families. And this year, at a hearing held on October 30th, an additional milestone was achieved: The government paid its first settlements to individuals injured by contact with contaminated water, honoring its commitment under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act to provide relief to those poisoned.
The Regard Law Group has been following developments related to the Camp Lejeune Justice Act with great interest. We know that there is far more work to do before the dire injustice that veterans and their loved ones experienced is sufficiently redressed. Still, we are confident that the recent settlement payments will continue what we perceive to be a very positive trend: encouragement of those affected to exercise their protected rights and sue for compensation.
Thirty years of exposure to toxic chemicals cannot be remedied overnight, but we must start somewhere. And there’s no better time than the present to inform people of their right to restitution and what the process of attaining it will look like.
With that in mind, this blog will cover the basics: who is eligible to receive compensation, which chemicals and contaminants are relevant to your claim, and how your medical records factor in.
Am I Eligible to File a Camp Lejeune Justice Act Claim?
There are four ways to be eligible:
You served and lived on base at Camp Lejeune for no less than 30 days between August 1953 and December 1987.
Your mother was pregnant with you and living at Camp Lejeune for 30 days between 1953 and 1987.
You are a surviving family member of a veteran who met the minimum requirements themselves.
You are a family member of an individual station at Camp Lejeune for no less than 30 days between 1953 and 1987.
What Contaminants Made Veterans and Families Sick?
Unfortunately, there were several different substances involved. However, the primary ones were Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) and Trichloroethylene (TCE). And the exposure has had disastrous consequences: birth defects, cancer, and chronic illness, to name a few. All of which result in expenses, medical and otherwise.
How Do I Get My Medical Records if I’m Retired from the Marine Corps or the Navy?
To get started, fill out the necessary forms that pertain to Military Records. However, we don’t recommend proceeding too far without adequate legal representation. In the absence of any definitive medical tests that determine exposure level, your best course of action is to contact us right away for a free consultation. Our expert attorneys can help you navigate what is, at times, a complicated claims process, and we’re eager to do so.
Contaminated water at Camp Lejeune might have afflicted up to one million people, but there’s only one group you should call if you’ve been harmed, Regard Law.