Long Delays in Camp Lejeune Cases Lead to Wrongful Death Claims:
We like to think that we offer our service members and veterans the best care. After all, they offer their lives to defend our country, so our country should care for them when they get sick, especially if an illness is related to their service, right? Unfortunately, that hasn’t always been the case for many veterans and their families and other base workers that were stationed for 30 days or more at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina between 1953 and 1987.
Contaminated Water at Camp Lejeune
In the early 1980s, the U.S. Government discovered that some of the drinking water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune was contaminated by “volatile organic compounds” or VOCs. From 1953 to 1985, active-duty service members and family members on the base were exposed to the VOCs through drinking water. VOCs can cause chronic health conditions, including cancer.
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act
Until recently, service members harmed by Camp Lejeune’s drinking water couldn’t sue the government because of the Feres Doctrine. But in 2022, President Biden signed the Honoring Our PACT Act (PACT Act), including the Camp Lejeune Justice Act (CLJA). The CJLA finally allows the victims of Camp Lejeune’s contaminated water victims to file claims if they do so within two years. Estimates from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry place the number of people harmed at more than one million.
Wrongful Death Claims
However, people are dying because the government waited 40 years to care for veterans and their families harmed at Camp Lejeune. Even though the process has begun to allow veterans and their families to make claims and receive health care, many people affected are creating a massive backlog of claims. The government isn’t handling them quickly. Moreover, they haven’t taken any action on the more than 20,000 claims filed with the Judge Advocate General’s office since the president signed the legislation into law last year.
You Need an Experienced Attorney
If you or a loved one are dealing with a chronic health condition related to Camp Lejeune’s contaminated water, or if you’ve lost a loved one to a related health condition, we can help. But the deadline to file a claim is August 10, 2024. The experienced attorneys at the Madeksho Law Firm can help you and your family get the compensation you deserve. Call us at 1-888-910-6376 or contact us online. Your first consultation is free, and you never pay a fee unless we recover compensation on your behalf.
