Overview
The controversial Camp Lejeune lawsuit is everywhere now. This is because from the year 1953 until 1987, the water at Camp Lejeune was severely contaminated with dangerous chemicals and toxic substances. Over one million people have been directly affected by the water contamination there. Many of the people who have been harmed are filing for Camp Lejeune compensation to get the benefits they deserve. The compensation in question can either be:
- Financial compensation in payments
- Health care benefits
The federal government put aside $6.7 billion for Camp Lejeune compensation payouts. Individual payouts may reach up to $1 million or even more. The settlement amount is based on how serious the case in question is. With that said, who qualifies for Camp Lejeune compensation?
Who Qualifies for Compensation?
There are not that many conditions that need to be met in order to have a valid case. However, the conditions are a bit limiting in that they are slightly hard to meet for some people.
Conditions
The first requirement is that the person has been at Camp Lejeune during the years of water contamination. As mentioned before, those years were 1953–1987. Anyone who lived, worked, or served at Camp Lejeune during those years has already fulfilled the first criterion.
In addition to being there during the specified period, in order to have a valid case, the person will also need to have been at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days. This means that if a person was exposed for even 29 days, their case is no longer valid. There might be a lawyer who will take a chance on a case like this, but most law firms will strictly follow the "minimum 30-day" condition.
The final condition is that the person has proof of some sort of injury or harm. For example, a diagnosis of one of the health issues that was caused by the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The person's case will be a lot stronger if the diagnosis is one of the VA presumptive conditions.
VA 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
Of course, a lot more diseases will qualify, but payouts will be higher for the conditions listed.
Settlement Amounts
People who meet the conditions listed above are eligible to receive a sizable sum of money. Many law firms believe that a lot of cases can be worth up to $1 million dollars. Some think that certain cases are going to be eligible for even more than a million. Even cases that are not so severe are estimated to receive hundreds of thousands in compensation. This is why it is strongly urged that anyone who has been affected file a claim as soon as they can. The window for filing is very limited, and one should not delay this chance.
Settlement amounts are estimated to be no less than $25,000. Most cases will be much higher, though. In 2022, a person who was exposed to the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune got $100,000 in compensation from the VA. Depending on each person’s case, someone could get more or less than that. There are millions at stake, and people who have been affected in any way should act fast.
When to Expect Payouts
Now that we have covered the Camp Lejeune compensation amounts and who qualifies, let us discuss when the settlements will be paid out.
So when will the government pay the Camp Lejeune compensation it promised millions of people? Sadly, it is still too early to tell since the case is still very new. However, there are some good guesses as to when the first settlements will be paid out. The law was signed in August 2022. The most serious cases will most likely be paid out within six months of filing their claims. The less serious a case is, the longer it will take for the settlement amount to be paid out. Therefore, the earliest payouts will most likely be in February 2023.
The people who have been affected by Camp Lejeune's toxic water are starting to file claims in order to receive a sum of money. The lawsuit, therefore, is seeing a lot of action. Naturally, a case this big is going to take some time. If you or someone you know was hurt by the water contamination, file now for Camp Lejeune compensation. There is very little time to take action.