From August 1, 1953 through December 31, 1987, drinking water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and the adjacent Marine Corps Air Station New River in eastern North Carolina was contaminated with volatile organic compounds — primarily trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethylene (PCE), benzene, and vinyl chloride. Hundreds of thousands of Marines, sailors, civilian employees, and family members who lived in base housing were exposed through the tap water they drank, cooked with, and bathed in. The federal response came in two waves: the Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012 (Public Law 112-154) opened VA healthcare to those affected, and the Honoring our PACT Act of 2022 (Public Law 117-168) both codified a disability presumption and — through the Camp Lejeune Justice Act (CLJA) inside that same law — opened a civil-lawsuit pathway in federal court[src].
Who is eligible
Eligibility is driven by two questions: were you there, and for how long? The rules differ for veterans filing disability claims and family members seeking healthcare reimbursement.
Veterans and active-duty service members
You may qualify for the Camp Lejeune presumption if you served on active duty, reserve, or National Guard at Camp Lejeune or MCAS New River for at least 30 days (cumulative, not consecutive) between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987[src]. Short TDY trips can add together toward the 30-day threshold.
Family members
A spouse, child, or other dependent who resided at Camp Lejeune for 30 or more days during the covered period may be eligible for VA healthcare reimbursement for the 15 covered conditions listed below — but not for VA disability compensation, which is limited to veterans[src]. Family members apply separately through the Camp Lejeune Family Member Program.
Presumptive conditions (38 CFR § 3.309(f))
Under [src] and [src], the following diseases are presumptive condition when a qualifying veteran is currently diagnosed with them:
- Adult leukemia
- Aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes
- Bladder cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Liver cancer
- Multiple myeloma
- Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- Parkinson’s disease
This is the statutory list fixed by 38 CFR § 3.309(f); VA may add conditions by future regulation. Before assuming a condition is off-list, verify against the current VA Camp Lejeune page.
Non-presumptive claims
If your condition isn’t on the presumptive list, the door is not closed. A claim can still be filed and granted the traditional way — current diagnosis, documented in-service exposure (qualifying service at Camp Lejeune supplies this), and a medical nexusconnecting your condition to the water contamination. A private independent medical opinion or a treating specialist’s statement can supply that nexus. The exposure science tying Camp Lejeune water to cancers, neurological illness, and reproductive harms is well-documented, which is often useful when building a non-presumptive claim.
Healthcare coverage (Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012)
The Camp Lejeune Families Act provides VA healthcare for 15 specific illnesses tied to the contamination — even without a service-connected rating — for veterans and family members who meet the residency threshold. The covered conditions per [src] are:
- Esophageal cancer
- Breast cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Multiple myeloma
- Renal toxicity
- Female infertility
- Scleroderma
- Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- Lung cancer
- Bladder cancer
- Leukemia
- Miscarriage
- Hepatic steatosis (fatty liver disease)
- Myelodysplastic syndromes
- Neurobehavioral effects
For veterans, this coverage is accessed through normal VA enrollment at a VA medical facility. Family members apply separately through the Camp Lejeune Family Member Program, which reimburses out-of-pocket costs for care received from non-VA providers for the covered conditions, after other insurance has paid. See our VA healthcare overview for enrollment mechanics.
Camp Lejeune Justice Act (CLJA) — the lawsuit path
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act was enacted as part of the 2022 PACT Act. It allows affected individuals — veterans, family members, civilian workers, and in utero-exposed children — to file civil suits against the United States for money damages attributable to the contamination. All cases are filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
Three things to understand clearly:
- The CLJA is separate from VA benefits. A CLJA lawsuit is a tort claim for damages against the government; a VA disability claim is an administrative benefit. The legal standard, evidence, and forum are different.
- A CLJA lawsuit does not replace your VA claim. Filing or settling a CLJA case does not automatically grant or deny any VA benefit, and it does not extinguish your right to file a disability claim. You can pursue both pathways.
- VA may offset disability compensation against a CLJA award for the same injury, under general federal anti-duplication rules. Your CVSO or a VA-accredited attorney can explain how that offset would apply in your specific situation.
A practical caution: advertising around Camp Lejeune lawsuits is heavy, and CLJA representation is typically offered on a contingency fee. VBN does not recommend or rank specific firms. If a CLJA suit interests you, compare fee agreements carefully. Whatever you decide about a lawsuit, file your VA disability claim through a CVSO regardless — the two pathways are independent, and a VA claim costs nothing to file.
How to file a VA claim
A Camp Lejeune VA claim uses the same form and process as any other disability claim. Our how-to-file guide covers the four filing paths and the Intent to File that protects your effective date. The documents that specifically help a Camp Lejeune claim are:
- DD Form 214 and duty-station records showing service at Camp Lejeune or MCAS New River during the covered period (orders, unit diaries, performance evaluations)
- Current medical evidence of the diagnosis (pathology, imaging, specialist notes)
- For family members: proof of residence on base during the covered period (dependent ID records, base housing records, school enrollment records, birth certificates showing base hospital)
- VA Form 21-526EZ citing the Camp Lejeune presumption under 38 CFR § 3.309(f) when the condition is on the presumptive list
If your claim was denied before 2022
Many Camp Lejeune claims were denied before the PACT Act codified the presumption in August 2022. A prior denial is not the end of the road: the PACT Act is new and relevant law, which is a valid basis for a Supplemental Claimon VA Form 20-0995. A successful supplemental can, in many cases, reach back to the original claim’s effective date. Our denied-claim walkthrough and appeal path selector explain how to choose between a Supplemental Claim, a Higher-Level Review, and a Board appeal.
Where to start
Call your County Veterans Service Officer (CVSO). CVSOs in Marine Corps communities — particularly around Jacksonville, NC, and in states with large Marine populations — often have deep Camp Lejeune experience and can read your DD-214, match service to the presumption, and file at no cost[src]. Do not sign a contingency-fee contract with an unaccredited filer to prepare a VA claim — charging for initial VA claim preparation outside of VA accreditation is illegal. See our accreditation explainer for what to look for. Related VBN guides for exposure claims include the PACT Act presumptive decoder and the burn pits page.
A conservative note
Camp Lejeune rules continue to evolve — through PACT Act implementation, VA regulatory additions to the presumptive list, and ongoing CLJA litigation in the Eastern District of North Carolina. Treat this page as a starting point, verify the current presumptive list on VA.gov before filing, and consult a CVSO or a VA-accredited representative for your specific situation.