In 2012, the United States government finally took responsibility for the decades-long poisoning of service members and their families at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The law now lists nine conditions that make you presumptively eligible for disability compensation–but you can still apply for compensation if you have a different, unlisted condition. The only difference with these non-listed conditions is that you will need to prove that your condition was caused by your military service–here the chemical exposures at Camp LeJeune.
Proving a service connection for your disability is one of the most challenging aspects of the VA compensation process. If the VA has denied your benefits on this basis, Jackson & MacNichol can help you appeal your case. By consulting with medical experts and thoroughly researching your service records, we may be able to pinpoint how your exposure to contaminated water at Camp LeJeune caused your disability. For a free consultation about your case, call us today at 1(888) 492-2941.
The VA’s List of Camp Lejeune Presumptive Conditions Should Be Longer
After years of denying groundwater poisoning, the truth is out. Marine Corps veterans and their families bathed, cooked, and washed their clothes in contaminated water for over three decades at Camp LeJeune. Specifically, the water contained levels of volatile organic compounds between 240 and 3,400 times safe levels. Among the 70 chemicals included were the dry cleaning solvent perchloroethylene (PCE), and trichloroethylene (TCE), a degreaser. There is also evidence of a small radioactive waste dump site on the base.
This environmental contamination had severe health effects on service members and their loved ones living on base. A 2014 Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study found that Camp Lejeune marines had a 10% higher risk of dying of cancer than marines serving out of Camp Pendleton, including:
- 68% higher risk of Multiple Myeloma
- 35% higher risk of kidney cancer
- 42% risk of liver cancer
- 47% higher risk of Hodgkin Lymphoma
The study also revealed that Camp Lejeune veterans have a 100% higher, or double the risk of developing Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
The list of presumptive conditions for Camp Lejeune water exposure does not exactly match the conclusions of the CDC. The presumptive VA conditions include:
- Adult leukemia
- Aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes
- Bladder cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Liver cancer
- Multiple myeloma
- Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- Parkinson’s disease
Despite the evidence of a link between the poisoned water and the development of the conditions, the VA did not include ALS or Hodgkin’s Lymphoma on this list. This means that if you are a Camp Lejeune veteran suffering from ALS, Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, or any other non-listed condition, you will need to go the extra mile and prove that your disease was caused by the contaminated groundwater.
A Veterans Benefits Lawyer Can Help Prove a Service Connection
Many veterans mistakenly believe that they cannot apply for Camp Lejeune disability compensation unless they have one of the listed conditions. With the help of an experienced veterans disability lawyer, however, you may be able to obtain compensation for any number of conditions. If you have been denied your disability compensation, call Jackson & MacNichol today at 1(888) 492-2941 for a free consultation about appealing your case.
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