Monetary Awards Under The Camp Lejeune Justice Act Can Add To a Service Members Current Benefits

Veterans may be able to increase their current income with a Camp Lejeune Justice Act claim if their injuries differ

Sunday, March 5, 2023 - Possibly the most interesting question being asked by Marines and Camp Lejeune civilian employees with cancer is will the income I am already receiving from the VA be stopped or reduced by any settlement granted under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act. The answer is relatively straightforward. Claimants cannot receive disability benefits for the same injury from two different sources. If the injuries differ, however, one can be receiving full disability benefits from one injury, say hearing loss, and full Camp Lejeune Justice Act claim income from a second injury like kidney cancer. US marines and civilian employees that are on VA disability income should check to see the specific injuries they are being compensated for. If one has also developed cancer that was previously not assumed to be service related, but under The Act now is, a Camp Lejeune Justice Act claim for lump-sum monetary compensation should be filed. If rejected, the CLJA allows individuals to file a Camp Lejeune water lawsuit seeking to hold the military accountable. Under no circumstances is one's original VA income affected by the act of filing a CLJA claim. According to DisabledVeterans.com "The offset serves to prevent what is called "double dipping," which is essentially receiving compensation for the same injury from two sources. Under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) or 38 USC 1151, a veteran can receive an award of monies or benefits but not both to avoid double-dipping." If a qualifying person (US marine, immediate family member, or civilian employee or immediate family member) has developed an illness presumed to have been caused by drinking contaminated Camp Lejeune water they should file a Camp Lejeune Justice Act claim. Illnesses presumed to have been caused by the water includes various health conditions such as bladder cancer, breast cancer, esophageal cancer, female infertility, hepatic steatosis, kidney cancer, leukemia, lung cancer, miscarriage, multiple myeloma, myelodysplastic syndromes, neurobehavioral effects, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, renal toxicity, and scleroderma. The VA tells the applicants, "Presently, these conditions are the only ones for which there is sufficient scientific and medical evidence to support the creation of presumptions; however, VA will continue to review relevant information as it becomes available."

Beginning in 1953, members of the United States Marine Corps, their families, civilian workers, and other personnel at Camp Lejeune, were unknowingly exposed to contaminated water. Marines drank contaminated water to stay hydrated after physical training without giving thought to whether or not it could contain cancer-causing chemicals. It was not until the late 1990s that the government admitted the drinking water being supplied to thousands of people at Camp Lejeune was contaminated with high levels of cancer-causing toxins. The government did not inform the public for years. Between 1953 and 1987, Camp Lejeune's water was contaminated, putting hundreds of thousands of people at risk of cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. Thousands of US marines, civilian employees, and their family members have died from cancer without knowing the source of the disease. Many are sickened to find out that Hadna Point and Tarawa Terrace, two major water distribution systems, supplied contaminated water to Camp Lejeune's main base, barracks, family housing, and temporary housing areas, and also to children day care centers on the base, the base hospitals, and schools.

Information provided by CampLejeuneJusticeActClaim.com, a website devoted to providing news about Camp Lejeune Justice Act Claim, including a free no-cost, no-obligation Camp Lejeune Justice Act Claim.