Harmful, cancer-causing compounds were present in water wells at Camp Lejeune from the early 1950s to the late 1980s. If you served or worked on base during this time and have kidney cancer, it could be because of Camp Lejeune contamination. Veterans and their family members may qualify for benefits and compensation.
Presumed Camp Lejeune Illnesses
According to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the military shut down two water wells at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina in 1985. These wells contained trichloroethylene (TCE), a substance the American Cancer Society links to an increased risk of developing kidney cancer. The on-base drinking water also contained benzene, perchloroethylene (PCE), vinyl chloride, and other harmful compounds.
If you have kidney cancer or one of seven other conditions presumed to have resulted from contamination at Camp Lejeune, you automatically qualify for VA disability benefits and health care coverage if:
- You served at Camp Lejeune for 30 cumulative days from August 1953 through December 1987
- You did not receive a dishonorable discharge from military service
In addition to kidney cancer, presumed conditions include:
- Parkinson’s disease
- Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- Aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes
- Multiple myeloma
- Adult leukemia
- Bladder cancer
- Liver cancer
Kidney Cancer Is Severe and Potentially Fatal
According to the Mayo Clinic, early signs of kidney cancer include fever, fatigue, weight loss, and blood in your urine. If you suffered exposure to contaminated water on the base and have these symptoms, see a doctor, also learn more about other symptoms of Camp Lejeune water contamination.
Treatment for kidney cancer usually begins with surgery and may involve various methods, including radiation and drug therapy. Treatments can be invasive and expensive—affecting your quality of life and financial stability.
If you have kidney cancer or another illness resulting from Camp Lejeune contamination, you deserve help with your health care bills and related losses. An attorney with our firm can help you pursue benefits and financial compensation.
We Can Help You Apply for VA Disability Benefits
To apply, you need to prove you served during the specified time, received an honorable discharge, and have kidney cancer or another qualifying disease. You do not need to provide additional evidence that your illness is service-related. We can help prepare and file your disability application.
Additionally, we can help seek disability if you have another illness related to the contamination that is not one of the eight presumed conditions. However, we will need to supply proof showing Camp Lejeune contamination caused your disease. With your permission, we can obtain medical records and other evidence to support your claim. We can also assist with an appeal if the VA denied your initial application.
Monthly disability payments vary based on your disability rating and the dependents you support. To learn more about what your disability claim may be worth, view the VA’s 2022 Veterans disability compensation rates.
Medical Coverage Is Available to Exposed Veterans and Family Members
Veterans and family members who lived at Camp Lejeune for 30 cumulative days during the contamination period qualify for free health care and may receive reimbursement for previously paid medical expenses related to the following 15 conditions:
- Kidney cancer
- Breast cancer
- Leukemia
- Bladder cancer
- Renal toxicity
- Scleroderma
- Miscarriage
- Female infertility
- Esophageal cancer
- Hepatic steatosis
- Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- Neurobehavioral effects
- Lung cancer
- Multiple myeloma
- Myelodysplastic syndromes
Medical coverage is available to eligible Veterans, Reservists, Nation Guardsmen, and family members who suffered contamination exposure. When seeking benefits, family members must provide proof of residency on base and show their relationship to a service member (birth certificate, adoption papers, marriage license). We can help you gather the necessary documents and apply.
You May Qualify for Additional Compensation
Legislation currently proposed in Congress will allow victims of Camp Lejeune contamination to seek compensation in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. Under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022, those exposed to contamination (even in utero) can pursue “appropriate relief for harm that was caused by exposure to the water at Camp Lejeune.”
An attorney with our firm can assist you with taking action under this law, even if the VA denied your initial application for disability or health care coverage. We can help you pursue:
- Past and future medical costs
- Lost earnings, benefits, and income
- Loss of future earning capacity
- Awards for the wrongful death of a loved one
Once the legislation passes, you will have two years to file a case, or 180 days after receiving notice of a claim denial. Our lawyers can help you get started.
Contact Ben Crump Law, PLLC
Ben Crump Law, PLLC can take your Camp Lejeune contamination case at no upfront cost to you. To learn more, call us today for a free consultation.
