In order to keep to their ongoing commitment to provide continuing care to all Veterans and their families, the Department of Veteran Affairs announced this month that they will begin the process of revising regulations to establish service connections for conditions resulting from exposure to contaminated water at the U.S. Marine Corp Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
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The new review may add an additional condition to the 15 conditions the VA already provides healthcare for to those eligible Veterans who were stationed at Camp Lejeune for 30 days or more between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987. The regulation revision stems from the Honoring America’s Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012. The VA currently also provides reimbursement of healthcare expenses for the 15 conditions currently listed to all eligible family members who resided at Camp Lejeune during the same time frame.
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In a meeting between the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Director of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and Senators Isakson, Burr, and Tillis, the creation of presumptions for potential service connection for disease associates with the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune were discussed in great detail.
The disease currently being reviewed for possible presumptions for service connection are:
- Kidney Cancer
- Angiosarcoma of the Liver
- Acute Myelogenous leukemia
These diseases are known to be related to long term exposure to contamination of the drinking water at Camp Lejeune between the 1950’s and the 1980’s. They stem from the chemicals, Benzene, Vinyl Chloride, Trichloroethylene and Perchloroethylene, which are all volatile organic compounds used in components of fuels and many industrial solvents.
In addition to working with ATSDR, the VA may potentially enlist the National Academy of Sciences in order to utilize their wide breadth of knowledge regarding the exposure to these chemicals and the subsequent development of additional diseases.
Veterans who believe their health conditions may be related to exposure to the water at Camp Lejeune should file a claim for veterans disability compensation. The U.S Marine Corps also encourages all those who lived or worked at Camp Lejeune before 1987 to register for notifications regarding Camp Lejeune Historic Drinking Water here.
If you have questions regarding your possible Camp Lejeune veterans disability or any veterans disability, please contact our experienced veteran disability attorneys, we are here to help.
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