The Camp Lejeune water contamination exposed as many as one million Marines, family members, and civilian workers at the North Carolina base to industrial solvents and fuel chemicals in the drinking water between August 1953 and December 1987.1Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Summary of the Water Contamination Situation at Camp Lejeune Two federal laws now govern what affected people can recover: the 2012 Honoring America’s Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act, which opened VA healthcare and benefits, and the 2022 Camp Lejeune Justice Act, which let claimants sue the federal government. The deadline to file a new lawsuit claim passed on August 10, 2024, but VA healthcare remains available, and settlements for claims already filed are being paid out at an accelerating pace.
What Was in the Water
Four chemicals drove the contamination, all classified as toxic and cancer-causing: trichloroethylene (TCE), perchloroethylene (PCE), vinyl chloride, and benzene. The levels detected were not marginal. TCE in the Hadnot Point system hit 1,400 parts per billion in May 1982, against an EPA safety limit of 5 ppb.1Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Summary of the Water Contamination Situation at Camp Lejeune PCE in the Tarawa Terrace family housing system peaked at 215 ppb, more than 40 times the limit.2Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Tarawa Terrace – Camp Lejeune Vinyl chloride reached 67 ppb against a 2 ppb limit, and benzene peaked at 12 ppb against a 5 ppb limit.3Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Chapter A – Summary and Findings: Analyses and Historical Reconstruction of Drinking Water
The exposure window matters because eligibility for both VA benefits and legal claims hinges on it. The Hadnot Point system delivered water above safe levels for at least one of these chemicals continuously from August 1953 through January 1985. Tarawa Terrace delivered PCE above safe levels from November 1957 through February 1987.4Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Camp Lejeune Timeline People drank, cooked with, and bathed in this water for decades.
Illnesses Linked to the Exposure
The VA treats Camp Lejeune illnesses in two tiers, and the distinction controls how hard a claim is to prove.
Eight conditions are “presumptive” for disability benefits, meaning the VA accepts the link to Camp Lejeune without requiring medical proof of causation if you served there at least 30 days during the contamination period:
- Adult leukemia
- Aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes
- Bladder cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Liver cancer
- Multiple myeloma
- Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
- Parkinson’s disease
A broader list of 15 conditions qualifies veterans and family members for VA healthcare with no copay. Beyond the eight above, it adds breast cancer, esophageal cancer, female infertility, hepatic steatosis (fatty liver disease), lung cancer, miscarriage, neurobehavioral effects, renal toxicity, and scleroderma.5Veterans Affairs. Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Health Issues A condition on the healthcare list that isn’t presumptive can still support a disability claim, but you’ll need medical evidence tying it to the contaminated water.
VA Healthcare and Disability Benefits
The 2012 Act directs the VA to provide healthcare to veterans and family members who lived or worked at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987, and later developed one of the covered conditions.6GovInfo. Public Law 112-154 – Honoring Americas Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012 This path remains open. It is separate from the lawsuit process, and the 2024 claims deadline does not affect it. If you meet the service requirement and have a covered condition, you can still apply.
Disability compensation for the eight presumptive conditions runs through the standard VA claims process. Filing a lawsuit under the 2022 Act does not reduce your going-forward VA disability eligibility, though it can affect what you net from a settlement (see below).
The 2022 Lawsuit Path and the Closed Filing Window
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act, signed August 10, 2022, as part of the PACT Act, waived federal sovereign immunity and allowed anyone exposed for at least 30 days during the contamination period, including in utero, to sue the United States for harm from the water.7Congress.gov. Text – Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 The standard of proof was set low: the connection between the water and the injury only needs to be “at least as likely as not.” All suits must be filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
Before filing in court, claimants had to submit an administrative claim to the Department of the Navy through its online portal.8Department of the Navy. Claims Submission Process If the Navy denied the claim or did not act within six months, the claimant could then go to federal court.
The deadline to file an administrative claim was August 10, 2024. It was not extended. New claims can no longer be filed. People who filed before the deadline and are still waiting on a decision or offer remain in the pipeline.
Settlements and Current Status
To move claims faster than full litigation, the Department of Justice set up an Elective Settlement Option that offers fixed payments based on illness severity and length of time on base. The top tier covers bladder cancer, kidney cancer, leukemia, liver cancer, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. A second tier covers kidney disease, multiple myeloma, Parkinson’s disease, and scleroderma.9Department of the Navy. More About the Elective Option Longer time on base raises the payment, and wrongful death claims receive an additional amount.
As of March 2026, the DOJ has approved 2,531 settlement offers totaling roughly $708 million. More than $421 million of that has been paid since January 20, 2025, alone.10Department of Justice. Department of Justice Approves Historic Number of Settlements for Camp Lejeune Victims and Families The pace has picked up sharply, but with hundreds of thousands of claims in the system, most claimants are still waiting.
If you filed before the deadline, the Navy’s Camp Lejeune Claims Unit can be reached at (757) 241-6020 or clclaims@us.navy.mil.8Department of the Navy. Claims Submission Process
Attorney Fee Caps and the Benefits Offset
Federal law limits what lawyers can charge on these claims. For administrative claims resolved before a lawsuit is filed, the cap is 20 percent of the settlement. For claims resolved in court, the cap is 25 percent. An attorney charging more faces a fine of up to $2,000 or up to one year in prison.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 2678 – Attorney Fees Both caps sit well below the typical one-third contingency fee in personal injury cases.
The one surprise that catches many claimants: any settlement or judgment is reduced by VA disability, Medicare, or Medicaid benefits already received for the same condition. The CLJA built this offset in to prevent double recovery for the same injury.7Congress.gov. Text – Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 A veteran who has drawn years of VA payments for a Camp Lejeune-linked cancer will see a smaller net check. The offset applies only to benefits paid for the same illness, not to unrelated VA compensation, and it does not affect your right to continue receiving VA disability going forward.