The Amount Of The Camp Lejeune Elective Option Increases With The Time Someone Served On The Base

Service members currently receiving benefits may qualify for payment automatically

Tuesday, October 10, 2023 - Now that the Camp Lejeune Elective Option has been officially made available, claimants are asking when they will be contacted and what amount will be paid to them. Military officials say that people don't need to fill out a new claim and that they will process the existing 100,000 or so claims. According to Military.com, the government will reach out to anyone who has already filed a claim who is eligible. Eligibility starts with a sworn statement of an official diagnosis of one or more types of cancer on a short list of those presumed to have been caused by drinking poisonous Camp Lejeune water. " Those diagnosed with kidney cancer, liver cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, leukemia, and bladder cancer could receive settlements of $450,000 if they were exposed for more than five years; $300,000 if they were exposed between one year and five years; or $150,000 if they were exposed between 30 and 364 days. Those suffering from multiple myeloma, Parkinson's disease, kidney disease (end-stage renal disease), or systemic sclerosis/systemic scleroderma would get settlement offers of $400,000 for exposures of more than five years; $250,000 for between one year and five years of exposure; or $100,000 for exposures between 30 and 364 days. Claims involving death would get another $100,000, according to the news release," Military.com reports. More than $21 billion has been set aside to pay these expedited claims. Claimants who qualify under the terms listed above should decide immediately whether or not they accept the offer and can expect to be paid within 60 days if they do. Consulting a Camp Lejeune water attorney can help individuals decide which option is best.

Another interesting aspect of the Elective Option is that obtaining a prior VA benefit will automatically qualify one for the new plan. Fearing that a Camp Lejeune settlement would decrease the benefits one was already receiving potentially kept thousands of veterans from filing a claim in the first place. The Navy has made clear that a person's existing benefits won't be decreased by the amount of Elective Option payments. According to Navy.mil, "The claimant's VA benefits will not be impacted by accepting an EO offer. Additionally, a VA benefit cannot be used to balance an EO settlement through a VA lien or a decrease in the settlement amount for benefits paid. And the Elective Option only gets better from there. "Certain claimants who have previously received healthcare or disability benefits related to Camp Lejeune from the Department of Veterans Affairs ("VA") may rely on those benefits to establish eligibility for an EO offer." The Navy tells Elective Option applicants, "The elective option allows those who have already obtained a disability award, payment or benefit related to Camp Lejeune to retain that award, payment or benefit without the offset that would be statutorily required if the claimant were to proceed to trial and win a judgment."

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.