How To Find Out If Your Family Member Was at Camp Lejeune?

Camp Lejeune is a Marine Corps Base Camp located in North Carolina. Between 1953 and 1987, volatile organic compounds contaminated the water, potentially causing various harmful health effects such as infertility, miscarriage, birth defects in offspring, several types of cancer, heart disease, chronic liver disease, renal toxicity, sarcoma, scleroderma, and Parkinson’s disease.

Today, veterans or their surviving family members can file a claim with the Department of Defense seeking compensation for this health-damaging exposure — but you must begin before August 2024.

How do you determine whether your family member’s health problems resulted from staying at Camp Lejeune? How can you find out if your loved one was in Camp Lejeune during the contaminated years? Read on to find out.

Requesting Military Records for Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Family Members

The first and most effective method to determine if your loved one faced risks during their stay at Camp Lejeune is by reviewing their military records. This approach allows you to ascertain whether they served at Camp Lejeune during the qualifying years and the duration of their potential exposure.

To get your relative’s military records, you will need to file a DD Form 214 or an OMPF with the Department of Defense.

• DD Form 214: discharge paperwork that includes a service member’s complete military service record. This encompasses details such as their stationed location, duration, rank, awards, medals, combat services, and the reason for their separation.
• The Official Military Personnel File (OMPF): holds comprehensive records of a military personnel’s service, including their stationed locations and durations, as well as records of training, promotions, qualifications, and some personal information on file.

Where to Get a DD 214 Form?

You can request a copy of your military service records or those of a parent through a few different channels. Veterans can request their DD 214 document through an online service called Mil-Connect and request their service records. You can also mail the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) for a copy.

The family of a veteran can send their request from the National Personnel Records Center or visit the NPRC in person to make your request.

How to Order an OMPF?

Veterans and their next of kin can request an OMPF from the NPRC. OMPFs from veterans discharged over 62 years ago are available to the general public. You can request a copy of the records by submitting a signed and dated physical letter of request to the NPRC. You can send it by fax, standard mail, or submit the request in person. Accompany your letter with an SF-180.

You can also send urgent requests to the “Comments” section of eVectrecs.

What To Do with the Military Records?

Once you have successfully obtained military records, you can examine them to uncover the locations where your loved one served during their time in the military. This is how you will discover if your relative spent any time at Camp Lejeune during the period of contaminated water.

Of course, you don’t have to be an expert at reading military paperwork. Sharing the military records with your legal team can be the most efficient way to find the answers you need.

Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Family Members: Justice Act Eligibility

For your family member to be eligible for compensation from the Department of Defense for Camp Lejeune contaminated water exposure, they must meet a few specific requirements.

• Stationed at Camp Lejeune between the years 1953 and 1987
• Resided at the base for at least 30 days
  • The days do not need to be continuous. Cumulative exposure is equally eligible
• Health problems potentially relating to exposure to trichloroethylene (TCE) and perchloroethylene (PCE)

Health Issues Caused By Camp Lejeune Exposure

• Birth & Reproductive Defects
  • Birth defects
  • Female infertility and miscarriages
• Cancer
  • Bladder, breast, esophageal, kidney, lung, liver, pancreatic, prostate, etc.
  • Non-Hodgkins lymphoma
  • Sarcoma
  • Myelodysplastic Syndromes: cancers affect the maturing health of bone marrow blood cells
• Liver & Kidney Damage
  • Hepatic Steatosis
  • Renal toxicity
• Heart disease
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Scleroderma (hardening of the skin)

Hiring a Lawyer to Help

Filing a legal claim for compensation from the Department of Defense isn’t easy. It’s something many elderly veterans or their surviving loved ones may find intimidating and challenging, even if it’s the right thing to do. This is where the lawyers of Nadrich & Cohen are here to help.

We’ll guide you through the difficult process of getting the right documentation, filing your claim, and becoming part of the larger legal action regarding Camp Lejeune. Our attorneys are dedicated to achieving the compensation your loved one deserves for the medical damage they suffered as a result of exposure to contaminated water in a military base they should have been able to trust.

You and your family members deserve justice, and the Department of Defense is prepared to provide that justice to those who can build a compelling case. let us help you build your case. You are not in this alone.

Legal Help for Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Family Members

If youto believe your loved one was medically damaged by exposure to contaminated water in Camp Lejeune, we can help. Contact Nadrich & Cohen today for a free consultation and help to get the paperwork to prove eligibility. 

Remember, we operate on contingency fees. This means we only get paid a portion of the settlement if you win your claim. Get a free case evaluation today.