Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawyers in Kansas City, Missouri
If you, your spouse, or your parent were stationed, lived, or worked at Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base in North Carolina between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987 (for at least 30 days) and were diagnosed, born with or passed away from certain types of cancer and/or birth defects, you may be entitled to VA healthcare and/or significant compensation from the United States government.
Our team of skilled serious personal injury attorneys has joined forces with the Veterans Law attorneys from Centonzio Law, PLLC, and Marine veteran attorney Javier Centonzio to bring you the best possible resolution for your Camp Lejeune injury claim. Do not trust your Kansas City Camp Lejeune injury claim to a generic personal injury law firm. Veterans’ claims and benefit programs can be hard to navigate. Make sure you have a veteran and VA-accredited attorney on your side.
Injured?
Camp Lejeune Water Contamination – What You Need to Know
Scientists are referring to Camp Lejeune’s drinking water contamination as the worst in US history. Between 1953 and 1987, the water supply for military personnel, civilians, and their families stationed at Camp Lejeune was heavily contaminated with dangerously toxic levels of trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethylene (PCE), and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs). New evidence has shown that the Navy knew of these dangers but did little to ensure the drinking water was safe for human consumption, placing millions of lives at risk.
In 2021, Congress introduced the Camp Lejeune Justice Act (CLJA), which allowed individuals to sue and recover damages for the harm caused by exposure to Camp Lejeune’s contaminated drinking water and prohibited the government from asserting specified immunity. In 2022, the CLJA was consolidated into another bill – the Honoring Our Pact Act (PACT), which provides remedies for veterans who have service-related exposure to toxic chemicals. This bill was signed into law in August of 2022, making it possible for victims to file contaminated water lawsuits against the government to seek compensation for injuries.
You do not have to be a veteran to qualify. Children who lived at Camp Lejeune with a parent in the military can qualify if they lived there between 1953 and 1987 for at least 30 days and have one of the
qualifying medical conditions.
Qualifying Medical Conditions
- Adult Leukemias
- Bladder cancer
- Brain cancer
- Breast cancer
- Cervical cancer
- Esophageal cancer
- Hodgkin’s Disease
- Kidney cancer
- Lung cancer (pending)
- Multiple Myeloma
- Aplastic Anemia
- Birth defects
- Cardiac defects
- Choanal Atresia
- Eye defects
- Female infertility
- Fetal death
- Hepatic Steatosis
- Low birth weight
- Miscarriages
- Impaired immune system function
- Multiple Myeloma
- Myelodysplastic Syndrome
- Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
- Ovarian cancer
- Prostate cancer
- Soft tissue cancer
- Neurobehavioral effect
- Neural tube defects
- Cleft defects
- Kidney disease/toxicity
Who Can File a Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawsuit?
Anyone who lived on Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987, and has:
Lost a family member; or
Has been diagnosed with an illness related to VOC exposure,
may be entitled to significant compensation.
What is My Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Claim Worth?
The value of your claim is dependent on your level of exposure and resulting medical conditions. Important considerations include:
- Related Illness/Disease
- Prognosis
- Past medical expenses
- Estimated future medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Pain and suffering and
- Age
The seriousness of your exposure and resulting medical conditions are directly related to your potential recovery amount.
How Can a Kansas City Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawyer Help Me?
With the enactment of the PACT ACT, you have a limited amount of time to assert your Camp Lejeune contaminated water claim. The process can be complicated, and the government will challenge the validity of your claim. An experienced Kansas City Camp Lejeune water contamination attorney will handle your claim from start to finish, gather the required documentation and ensure you have the best possible shot at maximized recovery.
Camp Lejeune Contaminated Water Veteran and Family Health and Disability Benefits
Under the Honoring America’s Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012, qualifying veterans and veterans’ families are entitled to health care for 15 conditions, and veterans are entitled to disability and health care benefits for eight presumptive conditions associated with contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune. These veterans qualify for Priority Group 6 and access to VA health care. To qualify, veterans and veteran family members must have lived on the base for at least 30 days between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987.
Qualifying conditions include the following:
- Bladder cancer
- Breast cancer
- Esophageal cancer
- Female infertility
- Hepatic steatosis
- Kidney cancer
- Leukemia
- Lung cancer
- Miscarriage
- Multiple Myeloma
- Myelodysplastic Syndrome
- Neurobehavioral effects
- Renal toxicity
- Scleroderma
If you need to apply for VA health care, you can apply at www.va.gov/healthbenefits/apply/ or call 1-877-222-8387.
Veteran dependents and family members of veterans are eligible for reimbursement of out-of-pocket medical expenses related to the above-listed qualifying conditions. Reimbursement can be paid up to two years before the VA benefits application date. These individuals can apply for benefits by visiting www.clfamilymember.fsc.va.gove/ or by calling 1-866-372-1144. With your application, you will need the following:
Documentation of your dependent status as a Camp Lejeune veteran (such as a marriage or birth certificate).
Documentation that you lived at Camp Lejeune during the qualifying period (such as copies of orders or base housing records); and
Documentation of medical expenses paid.
Veteran Disability Compensation
Qualifying Camp Lejeune veterans with one of the following eight conditions qualify for presumptive service-connected disability:
- Adult leukemia
- Aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes
- Bladder cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Liver cancer
- Multiple myeloma
- Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
- Parkinson’s Disease
To qualify for disability benefits, veterans must submit proof of service at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987, on active duty or a reserve or National Guard capacity and medical documentation of a qualifying condition. To locate a VA facility near you, visit https://benefits.va.gov/benefits/offices.asp.
What Will it Cost to Hire a Kansas City Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawyer?
Our Kansas City Camp Lejeune water contamination attorneys operate on a contingency fee basis, meaning you do not owe any money upfront and will only be charged a percentage of your recovery and for the reimbursement of necessary litigation expenses (filing fees, fees for medical records, etc.).
Hire a Skilled Kansas City Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawyer
If you are a victim or if your parent or spouse has died as a result of the government’s negligence at Camp Lejeune, do not trust your claim to a generic personal injury attorney. These claims can be very hard to navigate. Have a veteran on your side. Call us for a free case evaluation at (816) 531-3100 or sign up here.