Jan 13 2017

Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs published a regulation announcing compensation payments to Marines suffering from health problems caused by tainted water at Camp Lejeune. Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) has long fought for medical coverage and compensation for Lejeune veterans suffering from medical conditions including multiple kinds of cancer and Parkinson’s disease.
 
“It’s about time, these veterans put their lives on the line for our nation and they were negligently poisoned by the government,” said Senator Richard Burr. “We know that toxic water at Lejeune caused a host of debilitating medical conditions that service members are suffering and dying from. These men and women deserve this help.”
 
“I applaud today’s announcement that the Department of Veterans Affairs has finalized the agency rule to grant disability benefits to servicemembers who were exposed to contaminated drinking water while stationed at Camp Lejeune,” said Senator Thom Tillis. “These veterans have waited far too long, and I want to thank Senator Burr, Jerry Ensminger, and the entire Camp Lejeune Community Assistance Panel for their tireless efforts to bring justice to these veterans and to make them whole once again. I look forward to those affected receiving the compensation they deserve, and I encourage any veteran who experiences difficulty receiving their disability payment to contact my office immediately.”
 
The rule will provide compensation for veterans that served at Camp Lejeune for 30 days or more from 1953 to 1987. Service members suffering from the following eight diseases automatically qualify for compensation:
 
  • Kidney cancer
  • Liver cancer
  • Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
  • Adult leukemia
  • Multiple myeloma
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes
  • Bladder cancer
 
The VA estimates that more than 900,000 service members could have been exposed to toxic water.
 
Senator Burr has worked tirelessly to secure the medical care and compensation for veterans affected by toxic water at Camp Lejeune.
 
In 2015, the VA granted disability status to victims of Camp Lejeune’s poisoned water.
 
The federal rule is available online here.
 
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