Camp Lejeune claims are for people — service members, families and civilian workers — who lived or worked at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days between August 1953 and December 1987 and later developed an illness associated with the contaminated water supply.
Reviewed by Omar A. Cooper, Esq. · Last updated September 3, 2026
What the litigation is about
Two water treatment plants serving the base were contaminated with volatile organic compounds including trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene, benzene and vinyl chloride. The Department of Veterans Affairs publishes the exposure period and the conditions it recognises.
This claim is distinct from every other litigation on this site: it runs against the United States and follows its own statutory route, which means the procedural requirements and deadlines are not the ones that apply elsewhere.
Who may qualify
Eligibility in this litigation generally turns on:
- at least 30 cumulative days at Camp Lejeune between 1 August 1953 and 31 December 1987;
- a diagnosis of a condition associated with the exposure — the VA publishes the list;
- proof of presence: service records, base housing records, employment records, school records;
- family members and in-utero exposure are included, not only service members.
What we will ask you for
A review moves quickly when you have these to hand — and none of them are required to call:
- DD-214 or other service records showing the dates of station;
- base housing or dependent records for family members;
- civilian employment records for contractors and staff;
- the medical record establishing the diagnosis and its date;
- any prior VA claim or decision relating to the exposure.
Status, and what it means for you
Camp Lejeune claims proceed under their own federal statutory route rather than the ordinary MDL path, with a mandatory administrative step before suit. The deadlines are statutory and unforgiving — this is the claim on this site where waiting is most costly.
No outcome can be promised in any mass tort, and eligibility is not the same as recovery. What an eligibility review gives you is a straight answer about whether a claim exists and whether it is worth pursuing.
Sources: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs — Camp Lejeune water contamination · U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation — pending MDL statistics
Common questions
I was a child living on base with my parent.
Family members are included, and so is in-utero exposure. Proving presence usually comes from dependent housing, school or medical records rather than service records.
I already receive VA benefits for this.
Receiving VA disability benefits does not by itself bar a claim, though it can affect what is recoverable. Bring the decision letters to the review.
Talk to Omar about this claim.
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