President Signs Camp Lejeune Bill

JimFausone

Veteran Disability Lawyer

Camp Lejeune is a Marine base in North Carolina.  From 1957 to 1987, Marines and their families were exposed to contaminated ground water.  Health officials believe as many as 1 million people may have been exposed to the tainted groundwater at Camp Lejeune over the thirty years.

Last Monday, President Barack Obama signed into law the Honoring America’s Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act.  The bill passed with bipartisan support.

The new law provides hospital care and medical services to Marines and their families who were stationed at the base for 30 days or more.  The covered illnesses include multiple types of cancer, leukemia, female infertility, miscarriage, and others.  The law provides this care to Marines and their families even if it can’t be shown that they actually resulted from exposure at Camp Lejeune. 

At a signing ceremony in the Oval Office, President Obama said that these men and women “protect our freedom, and it’s our obligation to do right by them.  This bill takes another important step in fulfilling that commitment.” 

Sadly, this law won’t bring back those we’ve already lost, but it will honor their memory by making a real difference for those who are still suffering.