Camp Lejeune’s Contaminated Water and Veteran’s Disability Benefits:
If you’re a veteran once stationed at Camp Lejeune, you’ve no doubt heard about the discovery of contaminated drinking water at the Marine Corps base in North Carolina in the 1980s. The U.S. Department of Defense has known about the exposure of up to a million people to water containing Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) that can cause cancer and other chronic health conditions for forty years.Until recently, service members were prevented by law from filing suit for injuries they sustained on active duty, including harm caused by exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. Now that the Honoring our PACT Act provides benefits for veterans harmed by Camp Lejeune’s contaminated water, how will this affect your disability benefits?
VA Disability Benefits
The Honoring Our PACT Act specifically expands disability benefits to those veterans exposed to Camp Lejeune’s contaminated water. Moreover, another statute known as the Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012 extends health care benefits to veterans and family members affected by contaminated water.If you’re suffering from one of the eight conditions the VA has presumptively linked to the Camp Lejeune water exposure, you may be able to file for a VA disability claim. A VA disability rating gives you a monthly payment based on your disability rating. The illnesses presumptively linked to the toxic water exposure include:
- Parkinson’s disease
- Liver cancer
- Bladder cancer
- Adult leukemia
- Aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes
- Multiple myeloma
- Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
If you’re already receiving VA disability benefits, you may be able to increase your VA disability rating based on your Camp Lejeune-related illness
.
Remember that you may also be able to file a toxic exposure lawsuit against the Department of Defense in addition to filing for a VA disability claim.
You should consult an experienced attorney to discuss all your options.
You Need an Experienced Attorney
If you’re a veteran harmed by exposure to the toxic water at Camp Lejeune, you may be entitled to VA health care, disability benefits, and able to file a toxic exposure lawsuit. But you’ll need a skilled attorney to explore all your options and ensure you get the compensation you deserve. The VA often denies initial disability claims or tries to lowball the disability rating.We can help, but you must file your claim before August 10, 2024. Call the Madeksho Law Firm at 1-888-910-6376 or contact us online. Your initial consultation is free, and there's never a fee unless we recover compensation on your behalf.
