VA benefits for Camp Lejeune water contamination

From the 1950s through the 1980s, people living or working at the U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, N.C., were potentially exposed to drinking water contaminated with industrial solvents, benzene and other chemicals. Veterans who served on active duty or family members who resided at Camp Lejeune for 30 days or more between Aug. 1, 1953, and Dec. 31, 1987, may be eligible for VA health benefits through the Camp Lejeune Family Member Program for 15 conditions: esophageal cancer, breast cancer, kidney cancer, multiple myeloma, renal toxicity, female infertility, scleroderma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, lung cancer, bladder cancer, leukemia, myelodysplastic syndromes, hepatic steatosis, miscarriage and neurobehavioral effects.

VA is reimbursing family members for eligible out-of-pocket medical expenses related to the 15 covered conditions. VA will only pay for treatment after you have received payment from all other health plans.

To apply for reimbursement you must show:

• Your relationship to a veteran who served at Camp Lejeune with a marriage license or birth certificate;
• You lived on the base for 30 days or more between Aug. 1, 1953, and Dec. 31, 1987, with copies of orders or base housing; and
• You paid health care expenses for a covered condition on or after March 26, 2013 (the date Congress began to cover the Camp Lejeune Family Member Program), such as receipts.

This program only covers the 15 health conditions listed above; it doesn’t meet the minimum standard for health coverage under the Affordable Care Act. If you meet the qualifications, apply online at www.clfamilymembers.fsc.va.gov/.

To find an accredited service officer to assist in the filing of a claim for compensation, please visit www.legion.org/serviceofficers.