Camp Lejeune Water Contamination: What Benefits Are Available

From August 1, 1953, through December 31, 1987, the drinking water at U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station New River in North Carolina was contaminated with industrial solvents and other chemicals. Veterans who served there and family members who lived on base during that period may qualify for VA health care and other benefits tied specifically to that exposure.

Eligibility basics

To qualify, you generally must have lived or served at Camp Lejeune or MCAS New River for at least 30 cumulative days during the contamination period, and veterans must not have received a dishonorable discharge. Family members who resided in base housing during the same timeframe may also qualify for certain health-related benefits, separate from disability compensation.

Benefits for veterans

Eligible veterans can receive VA health care for any condition, even without a presumptive diagnosis, with the exception of dental care in some cases, and this includes cost-free care for covered conditions. Veterans can also receive disability compensation on a presumptive basis if diagnosed with one of eight presumptive conditions: adult leukemia, aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, liver cancer, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, or Parkinson's disease.

Presumptive service connection means the VA presumes the condition is linked to the water contamination once you have the diagnosis and qualifying service, so you do not need to independently prove the connection. Eligible veterans may also gain priority access to VA health care enrollment tied to this exposure history.

Benefits for family members

Family members, including spouses and children who lived on base, are not eligible for disability compensation directly. They may instead qualify for the Camp Lejeune Family Member Program (CLFMP), which reimburses out-of-pocket health care costs for a defined list of specified conditions, including bladder cancer, breast cancer, esophageal cancer, female infertility, hepatic steatosis (fatty liver disease), kidney cancer, leukemias, lung cancer, miscarriage, and neurobehavioral effects, among others added in later program updates.

To receive reimbursement, submit medical records along with proof of residency and your relationship to the veteran. The program covers treatment costs for the qualifying conditions specifically, not general health care.

How to apply

Gather your service or residency records first, such as a DD-214 for veterans or housing records for family members. Obtain medical records documenting any relevant diagnoses. File a claim for disability compensation as a veteran, or apply for health care or reimbursement as a veteran or family member, through VA.gov or with help from a Veterans Service Officer. Family members specifically should contact the VA about the Camp Lejeune Family Member Program rather than the general disability claims process, since it runs through a separate application track.

The VA processes these claims with the presumptions already built in, which tends to speed approval when the basic criteria, qualifying location, qualifying timeframe, and a listed diagnosis, are clearly documented.

Other avenues worth knowing about

Some veterans and family members may also pursue claims under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, a civil legal remedy that runs separately from VA disability benefits and does not affect VA eligibility either way. Survivors of veterans who died from a related condition may qualify for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC). The SBP-DIC offset that once reduced payments for military-retiree survivors receiving both benefits was fully eliminated in January 2023, so eligible survivors can now receive full payments from both programs without a reduction. Check VA.gov for the current published DIC rate, since it adjusts annually with cost-of-living increases.

Next steps with Bill Advantage

All VA tools on Bill Advantage, including the PACT Act Benefits Screener and the VA Benefits Navigator, are permanently free for every tier with no monthly limits. This will never change. Use the PACT Act Benefits Screener to check whether your service history and diagnosis likely qualify, and the VA Benefits Navigator for plain-English guidance on the Camp Lejeune Family Member Program or a related DIC claim.

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Bill Advantage is a document literacy tool. Nothing in this article constitutes legal or medical advice.