Between August 1953 and December 1987, the water supply at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina was contaminated with industrial solvents, benzene, and other chemicals. Service members, their families, and civilian workers who lived or worked on base for at least 30 cumulative days during that period were exposed to water containing levels of toxic chemicals far exceeding safety standards. There are two separate legal pathways available to those affected: VA disability compensation through presumptive service connection, and a tort claim under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act.
For VA disability compensation, eight specific conditions are presumptively linked to Camp Lejeune water contamination. These are adult leukemia, aplastic anemia and myelodysplastic syndromes, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, liver cancer, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and Parkinson disease. If you served at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 cumulative days between August 1953 and December 1987 and you have been diagnosed with one of these eight conditions, the VA presumes the condition is connected to your service. No nexus opinion is needed for these presumptive conditions.
In addition to the eight presumptive conditions for disability compensation, the VA provides healthcare benefits for 15 specified conditions to veterans who served at Camp Lejeune during the contamination period. These 15 conditions are bladder cancer, breast cancer, esophageal cancer, female infertility, hepatic steatosis (fatty liver disease), kidney cancer, leukemia, lung cancer, miscarriage, myelodysplastic syndromes, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, neurobehavioral effects, renal toxicity, and scleroderma. Veterans with these conditions can receive VA healthcare for the condition at no cost, even if the condition is not rated for disability compensation purposes.
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act, which was included in the PACT Act signed in August 2022, created a completely separate legal pathway from VA disability benefits. The Justice Act allows individuals who were exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune to file a federal tort claim against the United States government for personal injury or death. This is a lawsuit for monetary damages, not a VA benefits claim, and the two pathways operate independently.
The scale of the Camp Lejeune Justice Act litigation is enormous. As of early 2026, more than 400,000 claims have been filed with the Department of the Navy. However, the resolution rate has been extremely low, with fewer than 2,500 settlements approved, representing less than one percent of filed claims. Total settlement payments have exceeded 708 million dollars. Twenty-four bellwether trials are scheduled for 2026, which will test the legal standards and evidentiary requirements and likely shape the outcomes of the remaining claims. Active disputes remain over causation standards and whether VA disability payments should offset tort damages.
It is important to understand the distinction between the VA disability claim and the Justice Act tort claim. The VA disability claim provides monthly tax-free compensation based on your rated disability percentage. The Justice Act claim seeks a one-time monetary award for damages. You can pursue both simultaneously, but they are processed through entirely different systems. The VA claim goes through your regional office. The Justice Act claim goes through the federal court system.
To file a VA disability claim for a Camp Lejeune presumptive condition, submit a standard disability claim through VA.gov or with the help of a Veterans Service Organization, along with evidence of your Camp Lejeune service dates and your current diagnosis. For the Justice Act tort claim, you should consult with an attorney experienced in Camp Lejeune litigation, as the process involves federal court procedures and specific evidentiary requirements that differ from the VA claims process.
Note: This article references sections of the VA's M21-1 Adjudication Procedures Manual. The VA periodically reorganizes the M21-1 and section numbers may have changed since this article was written. For the most current section references, visit the VA's public M21-1 Web Automated Reference Material System (WARMS).