What Do I Need To Complete My Camp Lejeune Claims?

The required paperwork to file your claim with the DON will help when filing a lawsuit. Required information may include:

• Evidence you lived on the base for 30 days or more between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987. This could include copies of base housing records or paperwork ordering you or a loved one to Camp Lejeune.
• Documentation showing that you were in a dependent relationship with a service member who served at the base. This could include a marriage license or birth certificate.
• Medical records dating back as far as possible. This could include abnormal bloodwork, doctors’ notes from appointments where you mentioned symptoms of your disease, etc. Many conditions related to Camp Lejeune’s water can take a long time to develop and present (this is called a latency period). So, a clear record of when your symptoms began and how they led to your diagnosis can help establish a timeline for your lawsuit.
• Medical records related to health care for:
  – Care received on or after August 6, 2012, for a covered condition (if you lived at Camp Lejeune between January 1, 1957, and December 31, 1987)
  – Care received on or after December 16, 2014, for a covered condition (if you lived at Camp Lejeune between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1956)
• Any paperwork linking service members’ or their family members’ diagnosis of an eligible condition to living at the base.

Camp Lejeune lawsuit documentation can make your case strong. The Motley Rice Camp Lejeune team can help you gather the right information, letting you focus on treating or living with your medical condition rather than finding paperwork for a lawsuit.

People who spent time at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune over a period of more than 34 years may have been exposed to toxic water there. Estimates say as many as 1 million people may have been impacted. These individuals included armed forces personnel, civilian workers, dependents and other family members. In 2022, Congress passed the PACT Act, which includes a section called the Camp Lejeune Justice Act. This act is designed to provide legal options specifically for Camp Lejeune victims.

The CLJA required victims to start the process by filing an administrative claim with the DON. It also set eligibility requirements for compensation.

Eligibility requirements for filing a CLJA administrative claim

Filing a claim required plaintiffs to meet particular eligibility requirements. 

Plaintiffs must have:

• Been exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987
• Experienced health issues that were as likely as not caused by the toxic water at Camp Lejeune (this also applies to victims exposed in utero).

Eligibility to file a CLJA lawsuit

To file a Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuit in U.S. District Court, victims must have: 

• Filed an administrative claim form between August 10, 2022, and August 10, 2024
• Had their claim denied by the Department of the Navy or not received a response within 180 days (six months) of filing their claim

The deadline to file a claim having passed, many victims are trying to understand their next steps. People who didn’t file a CLJA claim by the deadline aren’t eligible to file a Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuit.

If the Department of the Navy denies a claim, the claimant has six months to file a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. Victims and their family members who followed the administrative process may be eligible to file a lawsuit.

Health conditions related to contaminated water exposure

In the 1980s, the Marine Corps realized that multiple water sources at Camp Lejeune had been polluted with volatile organic compounds (VOCs). At various times since the 1950s, the Hadnot Point and Tarawa Terrace water treatment plants were contaminated with VOCs such as:

• Benzene
• Tetrachloroethylene/perchloroethylene (PCE)
• Trans-1,2-dichloroethylene (DCE)
• Trichloroethylene (TCE)
• Vinyl chloride

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) identified eight diseases as “presumptive conditions,” which the VA believes are the only conditions with sufficient medical and scientific evidence linked to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.

Here are the eight diseases:

• Adult leukemia
• Aplastic anemia
• Bladder cancer
• Kidney cancer
• Liver cancer
• Multiple myeloma
• Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
• Parkinson’s disease

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) also links the following medical conditions to the VOCs at Camp Lejeune:

• Cardiac birth defects
• Myelodysplastic syndromes
• Other kidney and end stage renal diseases
• Systemic scleroderma
• Systemic sclerosis

Some of these conditions can be fatal. 

How do I know if I qualify for a Camp Lejeune lawsuit?

Filing a lawsuit related to the toxic chemicals in the water supply at Camp Lejeune requires a plaintiff to meet the eligibility requirements. To be eligible, you or a loved one must have:

1. Been exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune for a minimum of 30 days between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987
2. Suffered harm or been diagnosed with a medical condition that was as likely as not caused by exposure to the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune (This also applies to victims exposed in utero.)
3. Filed a Camp Lejeune Justice Act claim form that the federal government denied or didn’t respond to within 180 days (six months) of filing it

How can I file a Camp Lejeune lawsuit?

To file a Camp Lejeune lawsuit in federal court, it can be helpful to contact an attorney and provide as much relevant paperwork as possible. It’s essential to have medical and military records showing you or a family member have a qualifying illness related to the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. 

Additionally, you must have filed a Camp Lejeune Justice Act (CLJA) claim that the Department of the Navy denied or didn’t respond to within 180 days (six months). If you didn’t file a CLJA claim by the August 10, 2024, deadline, you won’t be eligible to file a lawsuit. 

Motley Rice has proudly represented veterans and their families in litigation to provide care and compensation for injuries caused by preventable hazards. We’ve represented veterans and their families in litigation related to:

• 3M earplugs and hearing loss
• EFP roadside bombs allegedly manufactured with the help of certain banks accused of supporting terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan
• Exposure to asbestos and other toxic materials
• Exposure to toxins released from burn pits at military facilities
• Helicopter and plane crashes and incidents

Learn more about our work in support of veterans.