From the 1950s through the 1980s, people living or working at Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina were potentially exposed to drinking water contaminated with industrial solvents, benzene and other chemicals.
Under the law signed by President Obama on August 6, 2012, the Government recognizes that this water contamination may be responsible for health problems that some military veterans and their families have suffered. Now, veterans and family members who served on active duty and resided at Camp Lejeune for 30 days or more between January 1, 1957 and December 31, 1987 may be eligible for medical care through the VA for 15 specific health conditions. These conditions include:
- Breast cancer;
- Esophageal cancer;
- Kidney cancer;
- Renal toxicity;
- Female infertility;
- Lung cancer;
- Bladder cancer;
- Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and other diseases.
Health benefits are to be provided by the VA health care system, not TRICARE. Veterans already enrolled in the VA health system should contact their local VA health care facility to receive care under the new law. Please note that the Republican controlled House decided NOT appropriate any money to cover family members even through the law requires it. So, affected family members will not be able to receive care or file a claim until the new Congress appropriates funding and the VA publishes regulations. Additionally, family members of veterans must prove they have exhausted all other health care options before putting in a claim with the VA health care system. This includes the use of employer sponsored or individual health insurance.
The new law applies to health care only – not disability compensation. However, veterans may file a claim for disability compensation for health problems they believe are related to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The VA will decide these claims on a case-by-case basis. The Marine Corps has set up a web site for individuals and their families who believe that they may have been affected by the contaminated drinking water during the period covered by the act. A copy of the act can be found here. The Marine Corps site for notification is found here.
I was at camp Lejeune for my boot camp during the sixties. I now have cancer of the lake colen I,m being treated for that right now. I recently had Esophageal cancer. What do I have to do to make a claim.
Thank you for reading. As I understand the new law, you must go through the VA to file for medical care.More info can be found at the USMC link in the above article. I sincerely wish you the best of luck.