By Matt Scherer

For military members and their families who served at either Camp LeJeune or Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., an important deadline to take part in a class-action lawsuit is quickly approaching. 

According to published reports, the federal government has set over $21 billion to pay victims from the Camp LeJeune contaminated water exposure.  According to some published reports, more  than 227,000 have filed lawsuits for illnesses such as leukemia, aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes.   The deadline to submit a legal claim ends Aug. 4, according to Courtney Steffen, a former South Dakota American Legion department commander. 

At MilTRAC, we are hearing some confusion over the lawsuit to claim the money set aside for illness lawsuits for veterans with bladder, kidney and liver cancer.  Research has also shown that Marines and their families who lived near Camp LeJuene may have experienced multiple myeloma non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and Parkinson’s disease. 

To us, here’s the perception problem.   Should you find an attorney willing to add your case to the others you should be aware of the fees paid for legal representation. We published a story that shared how some veterans would have to give up to 60-percent of their awards to law firms.  Many of these law firms paid significant amount of money to advertise their capability to file a claim.  

Veterans organizations like the American Legion advocate for a 28-percent set aside to the law firms that represent a veteran.  They advise veterans to question any law firms that wants more than 28 to 30-percent as their litigation fee.

Once the lawsuit deadline ends, veterans who served at Camp LeJuene can still file a claim  with the VA for a veteran’s disability. 

Retired Army Command Sergeant Major E.G. Mais, the San Antonio VFW Post 8541 services officer, said Marines, sailors and other military professionals who spent at least 30 days between  Aug.1, 1953 and Dec. 31, 1987 at either base can file a presumptive claim with the VA. Listed below are what he would term as presumptive conditions.

Veterans who served there should reach out to an accredited veteran’s service officer like Mais to get help with their claim.