If you served at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune between August 1953 and December 1987, you may have used contaminated drinking water at the camp and may be eligible to file a lawsuit. This is because medical and scientific evidence has linked exposure to contaminated drinking water with the development of some diseases.
Do I qualify for a Camp Lejeune lawsuit?
With the assistance of the experienced North Carolina attorneys at Riddle & Brantley, you can file a lawsuit and get disability benefits if you served or worked at the base for at least thirty days from August 1953 to December 1987, and you were not dishonorably discharged from the military. In addition, you must have been diagnosed with one or more of the following conditions: Bladder cancer, liver cancer, kidney cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, adult leukemia, Parkinson’s disease, and aplastic anemia.
What benefits can I get?
If your claim is successful, you can get monetary compensation or healthcare benefits. However, in order to get these benefits, you must file a claim for disability compensation and show evidence like supporting documents to show you were exposed to the contaminated drinking water. Such evidence includes your military records which show you served at the base for at least thirty days from August 1953 to December 1987 while you were on active duty. In addition, you need to provide medical documents showing you have one or more of the illnesses linked to exposure to contaminated water.
Are veterans and their families covered for healthcare?
Veterans and their family members can get healthcare benefits and they may be compensated for their out-of-pocket medical expenses that were related to the following 15 conditions: breast cancer, kidney cancer, female infertility, bladder cancer, leukemia, miscarriage, renal toxicity, multiple myeloma, esophageal cancer, hepatic steatosis, lung cancer, neurobehavioral effects, scleroderma, myelodysplastic syndromes, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
How to get benefits as family members
In order to get compensation as a family member of a veteran, you first need to file a claim for disability compensation and then provide supporting evidence to show you were exposed to the toxic water at the base during the stipulated period between 1953 to 1987.
You need to provide evidence like; a document proving your relationship to the veteran who worked for at least thirty days at the base. The document can be a birth certificate or a marriage license.
In addition, you must provide a document proving you lived at the base for at least thirty days within the stipulated timeframe when the drinking water was contaminated. Documents like base housing records, utility bills, tax forms, or military orders can prove you resided there and were exposed to toxic drinking water.
Last but not least, you need to provide medical documents showing you have one or more of the fifteen conditions and illnesses listed above.
Conclusion
You may qualify for a lawsuit if you worked, lived, or served at the base for at least 30 cumulative days from August 1953 to December 1987. You must also have evidence proving that you served there and that your health was affected after being exposed to the illness.