How to file a Camp Lejeune water contamination claim — VA presumptive conditions, the Family Member Program, and the Justice Act
Veterans, Reservists and Guard members who served at least 30 days total at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune or Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987 can receive VA disability compensation on a presumptive basis for eight conditions: adult leukemia, aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, liver cancer, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and Parkinson's disease. The same service qualifies you for VA health care, with no copay for 15 covered conditions. Family members who lived there (or were in utero there) for 30 days can have care for those 15 conditions paid or reimbursed through the Camp Lejeune Family Member Program. The Camp Lejeune Justice Act (PACT Act section 804) created a separate relief process through the Department of the Navy that does not affect VA benefits.
What you'll need
- VA Form 21-526EZ (disability compensation) stating that you are claiming a Camp Lejeune presumptive condition
- Military records showing at least 30 days total at Camp Lejeune or MCAS New River between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987
- Medical records with the diagnosis of a presumptive (veteran) or covered (family member) condition
- For family members: VA Form 10-10068 (application), 10-10068a (claim) and, optionally, 10-10068b (treating physician report); proof of relationship and residence
- A free accredited representative (CVSO or VSO)
Step-by-step
Step 1: Confirm the service and the condition
You must have served at Camp Lejeune or MCAS New River for at least 30 days total between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987 (the days need not be consecutive), must not have a dishonorable discharge, and must have a diagnosis of one of the eight presumptive conditions: adult leukemia; aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes; bladder cancer; kidney cancer; liver cancer; multiple myeloma; non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; Parkinson's disease. Because the conditions are presumptive you do not have to prove the water caused your illness — only the service and the diagnosis.
Step 2: File the disability claim
File VA Form 21-526EZ online, by mail, in person or through a free accredited representative, and state that you are applying for one or more Camp Lejeune presumptive conditions. Attach the military records that show your 30 days there and the medical records that show the diagnosis. If VA denied a Camp Lejeune condition before it became presumptive, file a Supplemental Claim (VA Form 20-0995) so VA reviews it under the current rule.
Reference: https://www.va.gov/disability/file-disability-claim-form-21-526ez/
Step 3: Enroll in VA health care
The same 30-day service makes you eligible to enroll in VA health care (VA Form 10-10EZ). You pay no copay for care of these 15 covered conditions: bladder cancer, breast cancer, esophageal cancer, female infertility, hepatic steatosis, kidney cancer, leukemia, lung cancer, miscarriage, multiple myeloma, myelodysplastic syndromes, neurobehavioral effects, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, renal toxicity and scleroderma. Care for other conditions may carry a copay.
Reference: https://www.va.gov/health-care/apply-for-health-care-form-10-10ez/
Step 4: Family members — the Camp Lejeune Family Member Program
A spouse, birth or adopted child or other legal dependent of a veteran who served at Camp Lejeune or MCAS New River, who lived there (or whose mother lived there while pregnant with them) for at least 30 days total in the 1953–1987 window, can have care for the 15 covered conditions paid or reimbursed. Apply on VA Form 10-10068 by mail to Department of Veterans Affairs, Financial Services Center, PO Box 149200, Austin, TX 78714-9200, or by fax, with proof of relationship (marriage license, birth certificate or adoption papers), proof of residence (utility bills, base housing records, orders or tax forms) and medical records with the diagnosis and treatment dates; a treating physician report on VA Form 10-10068b helps but is not required. Each reimbursement claim goes on VA Form 10-10068a with an itemized bill and, if you have other insurance, its explanation of benefits. Help line: 866-372-1144 (TTY 711), 8:30 a.m.–4:55 p.m. ET.
Step 5: The Camp Lejeune Justice Act
Section 804 of the PACT Act — the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 — let anyone exposed at Camp Lejeune for 30 days between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987 (including in utero) seek relief by filing an administrative claim with the Department of the Navy, then suing in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina if the Navy denied the claim or took more than six months; the Navy also offers an elective settlement option. The two-year window for new claims closed on August 10, 2024, and claims filed by then continue. Filing for relief does not affect VA disability or health care eligibility, but if you already receive VA benefits for the same condition a court award may be reduced.
Critical tips
- Reservists and National Guard members who trained at Camp Lejeune count their days too.
- The 15-condition list for health care and the Family Member Program is broader than the 8-condition presumptive list for compensation; a condition can qualify for one and not the other.
- If you need your service records to prove the 30 days, request them free from the National Archives (see the DD-214 guide).
- A county veterans service officer can file both the compensation claim and the family application for free: warriorsfund.org/find-cvso.
- In crisis: dial 988 then press 1, or text 838255.