Camp Lejeune Military Lawyer
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act opened a legal pathway that veterans and their families had been waiting decades to use. For roughly three decades, the water supply at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina was contaminated with toxic chemicals, including trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene, benzene, and vinyl chloride. Service members, civilian workers, and family members who lived or worked on base during that period were exposed, and many developed serious illnesses, including cancers and other debilitating conditions. If you or a family member served at or resided on Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987, you may have a federal claim that deserves serious legal attention from someone who actually understands military service and the federal systems involved. A Camp Lejeune military lawyer at Citizen Soldier Law can help you understand what you may be entitled to and how to move forward.
What sets these claims apart from typical mass tort litigation is the military context surrounding every case. The claimants are overwhelmingly veterans, reservists, active duty personnel, and their dependents. The defendant is the federal government. The process runs through a specific administrative claims channel before any federal lawsuit can be filed. Getting these steps right, in the right order, with proper documentation, is not something to improvise. A Camp Lejeune attorney who also understands military records, military medical systems, and how the Department of Defense processes information brings a different level of preparation to these cases than a civilian personal injury firm picking up contamination cases from a television ad.
Citizen Soldier Law was built specifically for service members and veterans. The firm’s attorneys include retired JAG lawyers, a retired Army National Guard human resources NCO, and a board-certified physician specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation, Dr. Alice Tzeng, M.D. That combination means your legal team understands not just the law, but the medical realities of toxic exposure injuries and how to read military records accurately. If your Camp Lejeune claim intersects with other military disability or benefits matters, which is common, the firm is already equipped to address the full picture.
What the Camp Lejeune Justice Act Actually Did
Before the Camp Lejeune Justice Act was signed into federal law, veterans and families who had been sickened by the contaminated water faced a nearly impassable legal wall. North Carolina’s statute of repose had long since expired, meaning state law claims were effectively time-barred. Federal sovereign immunity blocked lawsuits directly against the government. For years, the victims had no realistic legal avenue to pursue compensation. The Justice Act changed the framework in a specific and deliberate way.
The law gave eligible individuals the right to bring civil claims against the United States government in the Eastern District of North Carolina. To qualify, a claimant must have been exposed to the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune for at least thirty days during the covered period, which runs from August 1953 through December 1987. The exposure must be connected to one of the qualifying conditions recognized under the statute or related regulations. The government issued regulations identifying a list of conditions linked to the specific chemicals found in the base water supply, including several cancers, kidney disease, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Parkinson’s disease, neurobehavioral effects, and others.
The process has two stages. First, a claimant must submit an administrative claim to the Department of the Navy. If that claim is denied or not resolved within six months, the claimant then has the right to file suit in federal court. Missing deadlines or submitting an administrative claim without adequate documentation can slow or derail the process significantly. A Camp Lejeune attorney familiar with federal administrative claim procedures is not optional in this framework; the initial submission sets the foundation for everything that follows.
Conditions and Situations This Firm Handles in Camp Lejeune Claims
- Qualifying cancer diagnoses: Bladder cancer, kidney cancer, leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and other malignancies have been linked to the specific chemical contaminants in Camp Lejeune’s water supply, and regulatory guidance has established associations that inform how claims are evaluated.
- Parkinson’s disease and neurological conditions: Trichloroethylene exposure has been connected to Parkinson’s disease in research literature, and neurobehavioral effects including memory and cognitive impairment are among the recognized conditions under the applicable regulations.
- Kidney disease and renal conditions: Perchloroethylene and other volatile organic compounds found at Camp Lejeune are associated with renal toxicity, and kidney disease is among the conditions for which the government has acknowledged a presumptive connection.
- Female infertility, miscarriage, and reproductive harms: Family members, including spouses and children who resided on base, are eligible claimants under the Justice Act, and reproductive harms affecting women who were pregnant or of childbearing age during the exposure period are specifically recognized.
- Birth defects and childhood illness in dependents: Children born to parents stationed at Camp Lejeune during the contamination period, and children who lived on base themselves, may have standing to bring claims based on conditions including certain birth defects and childhood cancers.
- Deaths attributable to covered conditions: Family members and estates of veterans or dependents who died from a qualifying condition after the Justice Act’s effective date may bring wrongful death claims. Proper estate and survivor documentation is essential in these cases.
- Intersection with VA disability compensation: Many Camp Lejeune claimants already receive or may be eligible for VA benefits related to their conditions. The Justice Act allows claims that may run parallel to VA compensation, but the interaction between the two channels requires careful attention to avoid unintended offsets.
- Civilian workers and contractors on base: The exposure period at Camp Lejeune affected not just service members but civilians employed on the base. Non-military claimants who can document their presence and exposure during the qualifying period also have potential claims under the Justice Act.
What to Do Right Now If You Believe You Have a Camp Lejeune Claim
The most important starting point is documentation. Pull together your military service records, deployment orders, and anything that confirms your presence at Camp Lejeune during the 1953 to 1987 window. DD-214s are a starting point, but they are often not sufficient on their own to establish the specific dates and locations of service at the base. Military personnel records, housing records, base assignment orders, and any other documentation that ties your presence to Camp Lejeune specifically will all be relevant. For dependents and civilian workers, base housing records, employment records, and any government correspondence from the period can serve similar purposes.
On the medical side, gather records establishing your diagnosis and any treatment history. If you have received VA care for your condition, those records are particularly useful because they are already part of a federal database and speak to your service-connected medical history. If your condition was diagnosed outside the VA system, gather records from all treating physicians, hospitals, and specialists. Your medical history needs to be complete enough to support the connection between your exposure and your diagnosis. This is where having a physician on your legal team, as Citizen Soldier Law does with Dr. Alice Tzeng, M.D., provides a concrete advantage in reviewing records and identifying what additional documentation may be needed.
All Camp Lejeune Justice Act administrative claims are submitted to the Judge Advocate General of the Department of the Navy. The administrative claim process has specific form requirements and content standards, and the submission triggers the six-month clock before a lawsuit can be filed if the claim is denied or unresolved. Do not attempt this administrative filing without legal representation. A Camp Lejeune military attorney who understands both the administrative claims process and the underlying military documentation systems can significantly strengthen your submission.
If your claim also touches on VA disability benefits, military retirement, or disability board proceedings, those processes run on entirely separate tracks with their own deadlines and documentation requirements. A common mistake is treating these as interchangeable. They are not. Camp Lejeune Justice Act claims and VA disability benefits have different eligibility standards, different processes, and different compensatory structures. Getting legal advice that covers both simultaneously avoids gaps and errors that can cost you benefits on either track.
Why Citizen Soldier Law Is a Fit for Camp Lejeune Cases
Citizen Soldier Law was founded in 2013 with a specific focus on serving service members, veterans, and reserve component personnel across their legal needs. The attorneys and staff collectively bring over one hundred years of combined military service, including veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The founding attorney, Thomas Roughneen, is a retired part-time JAG lawyer and Rutgers and Seton Hall Law graduate who built this firm specifically around military legal representation, not as one practice area among many, but as the core of what the firm does.
That background matters for Camp Lejeune cases in ways that a general personal injury firm cannot replicate. Military records are not intuitive documents. Understanding what a set of orders actually says, how to read a DA-20 or Officer Record Brief, how military medical records are organized, and how the administrative claim process interacts with DoD record-keeping requires firsthand military knowledge. The presence of Dr. Alice Tzeng, M.D., who is board-certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation, means the firm can evaluate your medical records and diagnosis with genuine clinical understanding, not just pass them along to a consultant weeks later.
The firm’s practice also includes Medical Evaluation Boards, Physical Evaluation Boards, and IDES representation across all branches, active duty and reserve. For Camp Lejeune veterans whose toxic exposure conditions also affect their current military or disability status, the ability to address both the Justice Act claim and any pending MEB or PEB proceeding through one firm is a practical advantage. Clients searching for a Camp Lejeune attorney who knows military law from the inside, not from the outside, will find that combination at Citizen Soldier Law.
Questions People Ask About Camp Lejeune Claims
Who is eligible to file a Camp Lejeune Justice Act claim?
Anyone who can demonstrate they were exposed to the contaminated water supply at Camp Lejeune for at least thirty days during the period from August 1953 through December 1987 may have a qualifying claim. This includes active duty service members, reservists, National Guard members who were stationed there, civilian workers employed on base, and family members including spouses and children who resided in base housing during that period.
What medical conditions are covered?
The regulations associated with the Camp Lejeune Justice Act identify a range of conditions linked to the specific contaminants in the base water supply. These include various cancers such as bladder cancer, kidney cancer, leukemia, multiple myeloma, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, as well as Parkinson’s disease, kidney disease, neurobehavioral effects, female infertility, miscarriage, hepatic steatosis, cardiac defects, and others. The list reflects research into the specific chemicals found at Camp Lejeune.
How long does the process take?
After an administrative claim is submitted to the Department of the Navy, the government has six months to act on it. If the claim is denied or the six months pass without resolution, you may then file suit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. Given the volume of claims filed and the complexities of federal litigation, these cases are not resolved quickly. Planning for a multi-year process is realistic.
Can I file a Camp Lejeune claim and also receive VA disability benefits for the same condition?
You may be eligible for both, but the relationship between the two is not straightforward. Congress built offset provisions into the Justice Act, which means compensation received under the act may affect the amount you can recover through other channels. This is one of the most important reasons to have legal counsel who understands both systems working through the interaction before you settle or accept anything.
My family member died from cancer that may have been linked to Camp Lejeune. Can I still file a claim?
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act permits claims on behalf of deceased individuals under certain circumstances. Eligible survivors or estate representatives may bring claims, but there are specific requirements about who has standing and what documentation is required. The date of death relative to the Justice Act’s enactment is a relevant factor. An attorney can review the specifics of your situation to determine what options are available.
I served at Camp Lejeune but my condition is not on the official list. Can I still file?
The regulatory list identifies conditions where the government has acknowledged a connection, but the Justice Act does not strictly limit claims only to listed conditions. Claims involving conditions outside the recognized list face a harder evidentiary burden because the presumptive connection does not apply, meaning you would need to establish causation through other means, typically including expert medical evidence. These cases are more challenging but not necessarily impossible.
Does the firm handle Camp Lejeune claims for National Guard and Reserve members?
Yes. Citizen Soldier Law was founded by National Guard veterans and has deep experience representing guard and reserve members across a wide range of military legal matters. Reserve component personnel who were ordered to active duty and stationed at Camp Lejeune during the covered period are eligible claimants under the Justice Act in the same way active duty service members are, provided they can document their presence and exposure.
I was a child living in base housing at Camp Lejeune. Am I eligible?
Children who resided in base housing during the exposure period are eligible claimants. If you were a child on base at the time and have since developed a qualifying condition, you may file in your own right as an adult. If the condition affected you during childhood and your parents were the service members, the specific facts of your situation determine how the claim is structured. Either way, this is exactly the kind of situation where speaking with a Camp Lejeune attorney is necessary to map out the right approach.
Will filing a Camp Lejeune claim affect my military retirement or pension?
Military retirement pay and Camp Lejeune Justice Act claims operate under different legal frameworks, and the act does not directly target retirement pay. However, the offset provisions in the Justice Act do require attention to how compensation interacts with other federal benefits. This is a nuanced area and the answer depends on your individual benefit structure. Getting advice from counsel who understands military compensation is the right step before making any decisions.
My spouse was stationed at Camp Lejeune but I was the one living in base housing as a dependent. Can I file my own claim?
Yes. Dependents who resided at Camp Lejeune during the covered period are independently eligible to file their own claims under the Justice Act. Your claim is separate from your spouse’s claim and stands on its own documentation of your presence on base and your qualifying medical condition. You do not need to file jointly or through your spouse’s claim.
Camp Lejeune Claim Representation Across the Country
Because Camp Lejeune Justice Act claims run through federal administrative and court processes, this representation is not limited to any single state. Citizen Soldier Law serves clients across the country who have ties to Camp Lejeune, from veterans living in New Jersey throughout the Northeast, including New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Delaware, to service members and families in the South and Southeast where many Marines separated and settled, including North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida. The firm also represents clients in the Midwest, including Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana, as well as veterans in Texas, California, Colorado, and Arizona who served at Lejeune decades ago and have since relocated. Whether you are in a major metro area or a rural community far from any military installation, if your service took you to Camp Lejeune during the contamination window, geography is not a barrier to getting help. The firm’s military and disability practice has always been national in scope, and Camp Lejeune claims are no different.
Speak with a Camp Lejeune Military Attorney at Citizen Soldier Law
The window to file Camp Lejeune Justice Act claims is not permanent. Administrative deadlines, evidentiary requirements, and the multi-stage federal process all require early preparation and careful execution. If you believe you have a claim, the right time to speak with a Camp Lejeune military attorney is now, not after more time passes and records become harder to locate. Citizen Soldier Law brings together retired JAG lawyers, military veterans with over a century of combined service, and a board-certified physician under one roof. That combination was built for exactly this kind of case, where the law is federal, the records are military, the medical issues are complex, and the clients are the people who served this country. Call the firm today to speak with a member of the legal team about your situation.
