The Department of Veterans Affairs recently announced that veterans who were sickened by contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina may be allowed to receive disability pay. While the VA has previously provided healthcare or medical cost reimbursements for illnesses connected to contaminated water in the past, the agency had yet to grant "presumptive status" to those injured at Camp Lejuene.
Now, the VA is considering service-related compensation for a wide range of diseases for veterans who served at Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987, including: kidney cancer, liver cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, leukemia, multiple myeloma, scleroderma, Parkinson’s disease, aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes.
How many individuals were exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejuene?
This decision has far-reaching implications as more than 750,000 people may have been exposed to chemicals like benzene and vinyl chloride that were found in the Marine Corps base's drinking water. Those exposed are not only veterans, but family members and civilian employees as well. The Marine Corps, moreover, first acknowledged the potential for these health issues back in 1985. At that time, the Corps notified residents in an enlisted housing area of "trace amounts" of contaminants in the drinking water. The pollution was subsequently found to be far more extensive and involved two major water treatment facilities.
The decision by the VA is due in large part to a law passed by Congress in 2012 requiring the agency to provide health care and cover out-of-pocket costs to veterans and their families who were harmed by contaminated drinking water. Now, however, the VA is taking that ruling a step further by making it easier for veterans and their families to obtain health care.
Delays in VA Benefits
Nonetheless, there are still problems plaguing the VA benefits system. One key issue is the long wait times many veterans endure in appealing denial of disability claims. This is largely the result of the backlog of claims making their way through the VA system. If you need help filing for disability benefits or appealing a denial from the Veteran's Administration, you should consult with a qualified attorney to protect your rights.