DISABILITYVA program

Camp Lejeune Contaminated Water Benefits

Disability compensation and health care for veterans (and some family members) who lived or worked at Camp Lejeune, NC for 30+ days between August 1953 and December 1987. Compensation covers 8 presumptive conditions; VA health care covers 15 conditions with no copay.

Available with 30+ days at Camp Lejeune between 8/1953 and 12/1987

View on VA.gov

Step-by-step guide

What VA looks for in a veteran's compensation claim

30 days or more on the base in the windowOrders or other official service records showing at least 30 days in total at Camp Lejeune or MCAS New River between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987. The days do not have to be in a row.
One of the eight listed conditionsA diagnosis of adult leukemia, aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, liver cancer, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, or Parkinson's disease. The condition must have reached at least 10% disabling at some point after service.

Source: 38 CFR 3.307(a)(7)(iii) (opens in new tab); M21-1 VIII.iii.8.B (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Camp Lejeune water contamination (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 3.309(f) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 3.307(a)(7)(ii) (opens in new tab)

Three VA benefits with different rules

Veteran: disability compensation
VA presumes that veterans, Reservists, and National Guard members who served at Camp Lejeune or MCAS New River for at least 30 days between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987, were exposed to the contaminated water. With one of the eight listed conditions, no medical link to service is needed. The claim goes on VA Form 21-526EZ.
Source: 38 CFR 3.307(a)(7)(iii) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 3.307(a)(7)(ii) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 3.309(f) (opens in new tab); M21-1 VIII.iii.8.A (opens in new tab); M21-1 VIII.iii.8.B (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Camp Lejeune water contamination (opens in new tab); VA Form 21-526EZ (opens in new tab)
Veteran: VA health care
A veteran who served on active duty at Camp Lejeune or MCAS New River for at least 30 days between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987, can enroll in VA health care. Care for any of the 15 covered conditions has no copay; care for other conditions can have one. This is health care, not a monthly payment, and its list is longer than the compensation list.
1. 30 days or more on active duty at the baseRecords showing you were stationed at Camp Lejeune or MCAS New River, or went there for your duties, for at least 30 days in total between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987.
2. One of the 15 covered conditions, for no-copay careBladder cancer, breast cancer, esophageal cancer, female infertility, hepatic steatosis, kidney cancer, leukemia, lung cancer, miscarriage, multiple myeloma, myelodysplastic syndromes, neurobehavioral effects, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, renal toxicity, or scleroderma. VA treats these as coming from your time at Camp Lejeune unless its clinicians find another cause.
Source: 38 CFR 17.400 (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Camp Lejeune water contamination (opens in new tab); VA.gov: how to apply for VA health care (opens in new tab); VA Form 10-10EZ (opens in new tab)
Family member: help with health care costs
VA pays for, or pays back, health care costs for the 15 covered conditions for a spouse or former spouse, a child, or another legal dependent of a veteran who served at least 30 days on active duty at Camp Lejeune. This program is not a monthly payment, and VA does not pay disability compensation to family members for their own conditions.
1. A spouse or former spouse, child, or legal dependent of a Camp Lejeune veteranA marriage license, birth certificate, or adoption papers showing your relationship to a veteran who served at least 30 days on active duty at Camp Lejeune in the window.
2. 30 days or more living on the base in the windowRecords showing you lived at Camp Lejeune or MCAS New River, or were in utero while your mother lived or served there, for at least 30 days in total between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987.
3. Care for one of the 15 covered conditionsMedical records with the date of diagnosis and the dates of treatment for a covered condition. VA's family program page also lists Parkinson's disease.
4. Other health insurance billed firstVA pays after any other health plan. A claim includes the provider's itemized bill and, if you have other insurance, its Explanation of Benefits.
Source: 38 CFR 17.410(b) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 17.410(d) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 17.400 (opens in new tab); M21-1 VIII.iii.8.A (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Camp Lejeune water contamination (opens in new tab); VA Community Care: Camp Lejeune Family Member Program (opens in new tab); VA Form 10-10068 (opens in new tab)

What to gather, and what it shows VA

Documents for this benefit: what each is, what it shows VA, and how VA gets it
Document	What it shows	How VA gets it	Have it?
Separation papers (DD214) The record of your service dates, branch, and character of discharge.	Your service dates and discharge	VA will request this for you once you file. You can also get your own copy through eVetRecs, SF180, or milConnect.	Yes
Orders and personnel records Assignment and temporary duty orders, unit records, and performance reports, and for Reserve or Guard members, orders for training at the base.	Your days at Camp Lejeune in the window	VA will request your personnel records for you once you file and counts your days on the base. Include copies of orders you have.	Yes
Service treatment records Medical records from your time in service, including care at Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune.	Days you were treated on the base	VA will request these for you once you file. A treatment visit on the base that these records show counts as a day there, even if you were stationed elsewhere.
Medical records with your diagnosis VA and private records that show the condition and when it was diagnosed.	Your diagnosis	VA will request VA records for you once you file. For private doctors, send copies to VA, or complete VA Form 21-4142 and VA Form 21-4142a so VA can request them.
VA claim exam An exam or medical opinion VA orders for the claim.	Your diagnosis and how severe it is	VA schedules it when it needs more medical evidence to decide the claim.
Marriage, birth, or adoption records A marriage license, birth certificate, or adoption papers.	Your relationship to the veteran	Send a copy to VA with VA Form 10-10068, the family member application.	Yes
Proof you lived on the base Base housing records, utility bills, military orders, or tax forms that show you lived at Camp Lejeune or MCAS New River.	That you lived on the base for 30 days or more in the window	Send copies to VA with VA Form 10-10068.	Yes
Medical records for the covered condition Records that show the covered condition, the date it was diagnosed, and the dates you were treated.	Your diagnosis and treatment dates	Send copies to VA with VA Form 10-10068. VA.gov says the records must include the date of diagnosis and the date of treatment.
Treating physician report VA Form 10-10068b, a report your health care provider completes about the covered condition.	That the care was for a covered condition	VA does not require this form when you apply, but VA.gov says it can help. Before VA pays for care, the treating physician must certify the care was for a covered condition. Your provider completes the form and it goes to VA.
Itemized bills and Explanation of Benefits Your provider's itemized bill for the care, and the Explanation of Benefits from any other health insurance.	What the care cost and what other insurance paid	Send them to VA with VA Form 10-10068a, the family member claim form, for each claim.	Yes

Records and statements go to VA. BeneVets never asks you to upload or type them here.

Steps, in order

Match your situation to a benefit
Veterans claim compensation for the eight listed conditions and can enroll in VA health care. Family members who lived on the base apply to the Family Member Program for help with care costs. The Camp Lejeune Justice Act is separate from all three.
Source: VA.gov: Camp Lejeune water contamination (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 3.309(f) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 17.400 (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 17.410(b) (opens in new tab)
Count your days on the base
Add up the days you served or lived at Camp Lejeune or MCAS New River between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987. The 30 days do not have to be in a row. MCAS Cherry Point does not count.
Source: 38 CFR 3.307(a)(7)(iii) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 17.410(b) (opens in new tab); M21-1 VIII.iii.8.B (opens in new tab)
Compensation: set your start date
Submit an intent to file on VA Form 21-0966, by phone, or by starting the online application. You then have 1 year to file the full claim, and VA treats a complete claim filed in that year as filed on the intent to file date.
Source: 38 CFR 3.155(b) (opens in new tab); VA.gov: your intent to file (opens in new tab); VA Form 21-0966 (opens in new tab)
Get free help from a VSO
Free help: an accredited VSO can file this with you. Find one near you in the BeneVets VSO directory at Find an accredited VSO near you. VA also accredits attorneys and claims agents, who can charge fees only for work done after VA issues its initial decision on the claim.
Source: VA.gov: accredited representatives (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 14.636(c) (opens in new tab)
Compensation: gather service records
VA will request your DD214, service treatment records, and personnel file for you once you file. Include copies of orders that show your days on the base. For your own copies, use eVetRecs or SF180.
Source: 38 CFR 3.159(c)(3) (opens in new tab); M21-1 VIII.iii.8.A (opens in new tab); VA.gov: request your military service records (opens in new tab); Standard Form 180 (SF180) (opens in new tab)
Compensation: handle medical records
VA will request your VA treatment records itself. For each private doctor, send copies to VA, or complete VA Form 21-4142 and VA Form 21-4142a so VA can request them.
Source: 38 CFR 3.159(c)(1) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 3.159(c)(2) (opens in new tab); VA Form 21-4142 (opens in new tab); VA Form 21-4142a (opens in new tab)
Compensation: file your claim
File VA Form 21-526EZ. Its Section IV asks about toxic exposures, including contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, with approximate dates, and VA.gov asks you to state that you are claiming a Camp Lejeune presumptive condition. The BeneVets fill flow can prefill identity, contact, and service fields; the exposure, conditions, and evidence sections are completed on VA's form.
Source: VA Form 21-526EZ (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Camp Lejeune water contamination (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 3.155(b) (opens in new tab)
Compensation: go to any claim exam VA schedules
VA asks for a claim exam only when it needs more information to decide. Missing an exam can delay the claim, and VA may then decide on the evidence it already has. VA says you do not need to bring anything to the exam.
Source: 38 CFR 3.159(c)(4) (opens in new tab); VA.gov: VA claim exam (opens in new tab)
Compensation: read the decision
If you disagree, you can choose a Supplemental Claim (VA Form 20-0995), a Higher-Level Review (VA Form 20-0996), or a Board Appeal (VA Form 10182). A review filed within 1 year of the decision notice keeps the original effective date.
Source: 38 CFR 3.2500(h) (opens in new tab); VA.gov: decision reviews and appeals (opens in new tab); VA Form 20-0995 (opens in new tab); VA Form 20-0996 (opens in new tab); VA Form 10182 (opens in new tab)
Health care: apply for VA health care
Apply on VA Form 10-10EZ online, by phone, by mail, or in person. Care for the 15 covered conditions has no copay.
Source: VA.gov: how to apply for VA health care (opens in new tab); VA Form 10-10EZ (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 17.400 (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Camp Lejeune water contamination (opens in new tab)
Family members: apply to the program
Complete VA Form 10-10068 and send it to VA by mail or fax with your relationship, residence, and medical records. VA.gov lists the mailing address and a help line.
Source: VA.gov: Camp Lejeune water contamination (opens in new tab); VA Form 10-10068 (opens in new tab)
Family members: send claims for care
Send each claim on VA Form 10-10068a with the itemized bill and any Explanation of Benefits from other insurance. For care before you applied, VA covers up to 2 years before it got your application, and the claim is due within 60 days after VA approves the application. For later care, the claim is due within 2 years after the care or a hospital discharge.
Source: VA.gov: Camp Lejeune water contamination (opens in new tab); VA Form 10-10068a (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 17.410(d) (opens in new tab)

Good to know

Eight conditions for compensation, 15 for health care

The two lists do different jobs. The eight compensation conditions can lead to monthly disability payments for a veteran. The 15 health care conditions mean no-copay VA care for a veteran, and help with care costs for family members. Some, such as bladder cancer and kidney cancer, are on both lists. The 15 are bladder cancer, breast cancer, esophageal cancer, female infertility, hepatic steatosis, kidney cancer, leukemia, lung cancer, miscarriage, multiple myeloma, myelodysplastic syndromes, neurobehavioral effects, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, renal toxicity, and scleroderma.

Source: 38 CFR 3.309(f) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 17.400 (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Camp Lejeune water contamination (opens in new tab)

The Camp Lejeune Justice Act is not a VA benefit

The Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022, Section 804 of the PACT Act, is separate from VA benefits. It set up a claim with the Department of the Navy, then a lawsuit in federal court in the Eastern District of North Carolina, for harm from the water. A claim under it does not change your VA benefits, but a court award in a lawsuit is reduced by related VA benefits; a Navy elective option settlement is not. For filing questions, VA.gov points to the Navy's website; for other questions, to the Department of Justice.

Source: VA.gov: Camp Lejeune water contamination (opens in new tab)

VA has no tie to Camp Lejeune lawyer ads

VA has no connection to commercials or law firms that say they can help you get Camp Lejeune benefits. You do not need a lawyer or a lawsuit to get VA benefits, and an accredited VSO helps with VA claims for free. VA.gov lists a phone line and email for reporting suspected fraud.

Source: VA.gov: Camp Lejeune water contamination (opens in new tab); VA.gov: accredited representatives (opens in new tab)

What counts as Camp Lejeune

The base includes MCAS New River, Camp Geiger, Camp Johnson, Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune, Tarawa Terrace, Camp Knox, Montford Point, Stone Bay and the Rifle Range, Holcomb Boulevard, and Hadnot Point. MCAS Cherry Point does not count. For compensation, a day you were treated on the base counts as a day there, even if you were stationed elsewhere.

Source: M21-1 VIII.iii.8.B (opens in new tab); M21-1 VIII.iii.8.A (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 3.307(a)(7)(iii) (opens in new tab)

A condition not on the list

A veteran with a different condition can still claim it. VA then looks for evidence of exposure on active duty and a medical link backed by a scientific explanation. This route is not open when the only time at Camp Lejeune was Reserve or Guard training.

Source: M21-1 VIII.iii.8.B (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 3.303(d) (opens in new tab)

BeneVets is informational and is not an accredited representative. Free help: an accredited VSO can work through VA benefits with you at no cost. Find an accredited VSO near you