If you or a family member were a victim of Camp Lejeune water contamination, there are certain legal steps that you can take to get compensated for your damages. You must understand where you stand in this case. Successful claims can get you disability compensation and health care coverage, among other entitlements. Having all the details can help build a strong case. Therefore, you must understand the legal processes available, and how to go about filing a claim.
Camp Lejeune Families Act
The Camp Lejeune Families Act passed in 2012 makes treatment and financial benefits available to veterans and family members suffering from supposed possible exposure to contaminated water while at the military base. This is to help give back to veterans who have spent their whole lives helping us. Being able to pay back for the gross negligence that was committed is a big feat. Before filing a claim, you must meet at least one of the criteria listed below:
Active Duty: To be eligible for VA health care benefits associated with Camp Lejeune’s toxic water, you must have served or been stationed at the affected camps between August 1, 1953 – and – December 31, 1987. For veterans, it is a requirement to have been honorably discharged from service. While these may be specific it’s to ensure that you were at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Family Members: You must have a direct family relationship with the veteran or any other employee who served at least 30 days during the affected timeframe. It is also necessary that you lived on the base or were conceived by a parent who was stationed at Camp Lejeune. Additionally, you must also have one of the 15 listed diseases. Some of the most common ones include Adult Leukemia, Anemia and other Myelodysplasia Syndromes, Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL), Parkinson’s disease, miscarriages, infertility, and multiple types of cancers related to the bladder, kidney, and liver.
Generally, the VA offers qualifying Veterans (who were stationed at the camp for at least 30 days) full healthcare coverage (excluding dental care), regardless of whether their medical condition was caused by exposure. For any other illnesses, they will get a co-pay depending on one’s income and level of health eligibility as categorized in disability rating priority levels.
Filing a Claim
It’s estimated that more than 1 million individuals were exposed to highly contaminated drinking water during their time living or working at Camp Lejeune. Although it may initially prove to be difficult, filing a claim is the most efficient way to receive any type of compensation for your medical bills and suffering. To hasten your claim, any attorney will advise that you gather all relevant evidence showing a connection to the affected military bases. This includes –
Proving Relationship: To demonstrate your co-dependent relationship with a Veteran who served at the affected military bases, you will have to provide relevant supporting documents such as marriage and birth certificates. These details can be tedious to keep up with, but they are to ensure that you get exactly what you deserve financially. Following these steps can enhance that.
Time of Living: To prove that you lived at the military base for 30 days or more during the specified time, you will need to submit copies of orders or base housing records. Once those are submitted, they will be able to go through all of your living situations. It’s best to make sure that the time you stayed there is within the required dates above.
Health Care Expenses: Additionally, to get compensation for health care expenses, you will have to provide evidence showing an illness suffered as a result of suspected Camp Lejeune contamination. That can be with medical records indicating how your chronic illness started and what are the major factors. While age can play a major role, water contamination is no joke. It can affect your health for a long time.
Conclusion
Remember, it wasn’t your fault that you were exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. You were doing your civic duty and it’s only fair that you get compensated for it. Especially if it caused you irreversible health problems. Therefore, you must take the necessary legal steps, including engaging an attorney. With the right evidence and support, filing a claim can open options for health care coverage and disability compensation that will help cope with your suffering. what major toxic substances led to the camp LeJeune water contamination incident