 | Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers is no longer actively retaining Camp Lejeune claimants. |
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The Department of Justice and the Department of the Navy recently adopted an “elective option” intended to allow claims under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act to be quickly settled. However, the legal team at Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers believes that the amounts offered for qualifying injuries are not large enough to fully compensate victims of the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
Call us today for a free consultation if you or a loved one became ill after being exposed to the water at Camp Lejeune from 1953 to 1987. We can explain to you exactly how much your case may be worth and if the Camp Lejeune elective option will fully compensate you for your injuries or not. We handle Camp Lejeune claims on a contingency fee basis, meaning we will not charge you any fee until and unless we recover compensation on your behalf.
Elective Camp Lejeune Settlement Option Doesn’t Offer Enough Money To Claimants
The purpose of the elective option framework is to allow for claimants to receive Camp Lejeune settlements as quickly as possible. It is intended to allow claimants who fit the eligibility criteria to recover compensation as quickly as possible.
However, our legal team believes the amounts of money offered through the elective option are woefully inadequate for victims of the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
The amounts of money offered to those who file an administrative claim through the elective option are as follows:
- $450,000 to those who suffer a tier 1 qualifying injury and were exposed to the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune for over five years
- $300,000 to those who suffer a tier 1 qualifying injury and were exposed to the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune for one to five years
- $150,000 to those who suffer a tier 1 qualifying injury and were exposed to the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune for 30 to 364 days
- $400,000 to those who suffer a tier 2 qualifying injury and were exposed to the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune for over five years
- $250,000 to those who suffer a tier 2 qualifying injury and were exposed to the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune for one to five years
- $100,000 to those who suffer a tier 2 qualifying injury and were exposed to the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune for 30 to 364 days
Tier 1 qualifying injuries under the elective option are:
- Bladder cancer
- Leukemias
- Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
- Liver cancer
- Kidney cancer
Tier 2 qualifying injuries under the elective option are:
- Systemic scleroderma / systemic sclerosis
- End stage renal disease / kidney disease
- Parkinson’s disease
- Multiple myeloma
Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers is already representing many victims of Camp Lejeune’s contaminated water. Having looked at our clients’ medical bills, we can confidently state that the amounts of money offered under the elective option are much lower than our clients’ cases are actually worth.
Call us today for a free consultation so we can obtain the most financial compensation possible for you under your Camp Lejeune claim. We can let you know whether it’s in your best interest to accept an elective option settlement offer, file a non-elective-option Camp Lejeune Justice Act claim or file a lawsuit in federal court. Our law firm has been filing government claims and helping Americans recover financial compensation for their injuries since 1990 and has recovered over 0,000,000 for clients.
How Do You Qualify For Elective Option Camp Lejeune Claims?
To qualify for a settlement under the elective option, a victim of the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune must:
1. Suffer A Qualifying Injury
Qualifying injuries under the elective option include:
- Bladder cancer
- Leukemias
- Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
- Liver cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Systemic scleroderma / systemic sclerosis
- End stage renal disease / kidney disease
- Parkinson’s disease
- Multiple myeloma
2. Be Exposed To The Contaminated Water For At Least 30 Days
To qualify for a settlement under the elective option, those who file Camp Lejeune Justice Act claims must have worked or resided at Camp Lejeune for a period of at least 30 days between the dates of August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987.
Employment or housing documentation needs to exist which shows the claimant (or the mother of the claimant while the claimant was in the womb) worked or resided at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days during the qualifying time period. Appropriate documentation may include employment contracts, pay stubs, drivers’ licenses, tax returns, military service records or similar documentation.
Those who allege they ended up exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune while they lived at the base with a service member can rely on the employment or housing documentation of that service member if they can demonstrate a relationship with that service member, such as through a birth certificate or marriage certificate. Secondary evidence like declarations, statements or sworn affadavits are not sufficient to demonstrate claimants worked or resided at Camp Lejeune.
Claimants who previously filed claims with Veterans Affairs and received disability or healthcare benefits related to Camp Lejune may rely on said benefits to establish qualifying injuries and/or an exposure duration of 30 to 364 days.
To demonstrate that qualifying injuries resulted in death, claimants must have medical documentation demonstrating that the condition or illness contributed to or caused death. Appropriate documentation may be in the form of “long form” death certificates which include medical reports which detail causes of death, or signed letters from physicians who treated the decedents.
3. Have An Injury First Treated Or Diagnosed Before August 10, 2022
The qualifying injury must have been first treated or diagnosed before the date of August 10, 2022. This applies to all claims filed under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act.
4. Satisfy The Latency Requirement
The earliest date of treatment or diagnosis of a qualifying injury must not be less than two years after the first exposure to the water by the claimant and not more than 35 years after the last exposure the claimant suffered.
5. Properly Present A Claim To The Department Of The Navy
Those seeking a settlement through the elective option must properly present an administrative claim to the Department of the Navy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are The Benefits Of Accepting A Camp Lejeune Elective Option Settlement?
Accepting an elective option settlement is the quickest way for victims of the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune to recover financial compensation for their injuries.
What Are The Drawbacks Of Accepting An Elective Option Settlement?
Those who accept elective option settlements may not receive as much money to compensate them for their injuries as they could through other means, such as through filing a lawsuit in federal court. The amount of money offered through the elective option may not even come close to fully compensating victims for their medical bills, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, pain, suffering, etc., leaving victims with debt and financial difficulties even after accepting the elective option settlement.
Call us today for a free consultation to learn the potential value of your Camp Lejeune claim and if it’s a good idea or not for you to accept a settlement through the elective option.
What If I Decline An Elective Option Settlement?
Those who decline elective option settlements may keep administrative claims with the Department of the Navy. They may also file lawsuits in federal court if their claim was denied by the Navy or six months passed from the initial filing of the claim.
What If I Have Multiple Qualifying Injuries?
Claimants may only recover settlements under the elective option for a single qualifying injury. If a claimant has both a tier 1 and tier 2 qualifying injury, they will be able to recover compensation for the tier 1 injury, since it is worth more.
Call us today for a free consultation if you or a loved one suffered multiple injuries after being exposed to the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. Our lawyers can help you recover compensation for all of your injuries, not just a single injury.
Will Accepting An Elective Option Settlement Affect My VA Benefits?
Accepting elective option settlements will not affect claimants’ VA benefits. VA will not assert liens or offsets over elective option settlements.
Don’t Settle For Less Before Calling Us For A Free Consultation
The Camp Lejeune elective option allows those injured by the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune to recover compensation as quickly as possible for their injuries. However, in many cases, claimants will be able to recover far more financial compensation through alternative means such as a Camp Lejeune Justice Act claim outside of the elective option or a lawsuit in federal court.
We offer free consultations and don’t charge our clients a fee until and unless we recover compensation for them – the only fee we charge is 25 percent of any compensation we recover. There is no risk at all behind calling us today for a free case evaluation. We can tell you what your case may be worth and if you can recover more money for your injuries through alternative means to the elective option.
Calling us today for a free consultation could mean the difference between financial security and a lifetime of debt and financial insecurity. Don’t settle for less money than you deserve by accepting a settlement offer through the elective option before calling us today for a free case evaluation. You have nothing to lose by calling us today – we’ll let you know if accepting a settlement through the elective option is the right decision for you or not based on your individual circumstances.
Call us today for a free consultation, text us from this page or fill out the free case evaluation form on this page. We can help you recover compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, pain, suffering, wrongful death and more. Let us fight for the justice and compensation you deserve – call us now.
