On August 10, 2022, President Joe Biden signed the Camp Lejeune Justice Act as part of the larger Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxins Act of 2022. Otherwise known as the PACT Act, the Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxins Act represents a tremendous step forward for veteran healthcare advocates.
Specifically, the PACT Act dramatically expands US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits for active and former military personnel who have suffered serious health problems after working in and around burn pits and other sources of toxic pollution.
The PACT Act removes the burden of proof from veterans who seek to establish a direct link between toxic exposure during service and their ongoing illnesses. Beyond extending medical treatment to individuals in need, the PACT Act provides funding for further training and research into the toxic burn pit issue.
When President Biden signed the PACT Act in a White House ceremony, the surviving wife and daughter of the legislation’s namesake, Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson, were in attendance. A model soldier twice recognized by the US National Guard, Heath Robinson passed away in 2020 after battling lung cancer for three years. Medical experts have attributed his cancer to toxic smoke exposure while he was deployed in Iraq from 2006 to 2007.
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act is an important component of the PACT Act that specifically addresses the contaminated water supply at Camp Lejeune, a large Marine Corps Base Camp and training facility in Jacksonville, North Carolina. In fact, Camp Lejeune supplied contaminated water to military members and their families for nearly three decades, leading to a broad array of sicknesses and diseases.
Longstanding federal laws have prohibited military personnel and their family members from suing the US government for injuries or harm sustained during service. However, the Camp Lejeune Justice Act adds a key exception to this legal precedent.
Since the Camp Lejeune Justice Act has been signed into law, military members and their families can bring new VA compensation claims for injuries or deaths from exposure to the water at Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987. During this period of time, the Camp Lejeune water supply was contaminated by toxic chemicals with links to numerous diseases and disorders, including:
Cancer.
Neurological disabilities, such as Parkinson's disease or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
Miscarriages.
Congenital disabilities.
Other injuries.
Today, more than a million military service personnel and family members have been exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. Although the US government knew that the water was contaminated, it failed to take sufficient action to remedy the situation.
Based in Boston, Massachusetts, the Toxic Tort attorneys at TE Law Offices are filing claims demanding compensation for injured parties who lived or worked at Camp Lejeune for 30 days or more between 1953 and 1987. If you have been affected by the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, we welcome the opportunity to work with you.
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