Between 1953 and 1987, the water supply at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune was contaminated with industrial solvents and other toxins. If you served there for at least 30 cumulative days during that window, the law recognizes specific presumptive conditions.

Presumptive conditions

• Various cancers, including bladder, kidney, and liver
• Parkinson’s disease
• Aplastic anemia and other blood disorders

Two separate paths

VA disability compensation and the Camp Lejeune Justice Act are different remedies with different rules. A veteran may have a VA disability claim and a separate legal claim under the Justice Act. We focus on establishing the VA side, the presumptive service connection and the correct rating, so you are not leaving VA benefits on the table.

The regulatory authority behind toxic-exposure claims lives in M21-1, Part IV, Subpart ii, Chapter 2, Section C (Service Connection for Disabilities Resulting from Exposure to Environmental Hazards). This section governs how raters develop and adjudicate toxic-exposure claims, including burn-pit, Agent Orange, contaminated-water, and radiation claims, and cross-references the PACT Act's conceded-exposure framework under 38 U.S.C. §1168 (TERA). When a C&P examiner renders a negative nexus opinion without addressing the documented exposure pathway, that opinion is inadequate under Barr v. Nicholson, and raters are required to return it for a supplemental opinion. Veterans who receive a denial after a cursory exam should cite the specific M21-1 development procedures the rater failed to follow.