Camp Lejeune Water Contamination

What the Camp Lejeune claims are about

From the 1950s through the 1980s, drinking water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina was contaminated with industrial solvents including TCE, PCE, benzene, and vinyl chloride. Federal health agencies later linked that exposure to cancers and other serious illnesses.

The Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 created a federal cause of action allowing anyone exposed for at least 30 days between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987 — veterans, family members, and civilian workers — to seek compensation from the United States. Claims are processed through a Navy administrative system and, if not resolved, litigated exclusively in the Eastern District of North Carolina.

Camp Lejeune Update: June 2026

As of mid-2026, roughly 3,744 lawsuits are pending in the Eastern District of North Carolina and approximately 407,000 administrative claims were filed with the Navy before the deadline. Settlement activity has accelerated: per DOJ figures dated May 15, 2026, more than $876 million in settlements had been offered and approximately $665 million paid through the Elective Option and case-specific resolutions, with offers continuing weekly.

The first Track 1 bellwether trials are proceeding in 2026, and court-appointed settlement masters have met repeatedly to negotiate a global resolution matrix that could resolve large blocks of pending claims.

Filing deadline status: closed

The CLJA filing window closed on August 10, 2024. New claims are generally barred regardless of where a person lives now. This page exists primarily for the hundreds of thousands of people whose claims were filed in time and are still being processed.

If you filed an administrative claim before the deadline, you do not need to refile — your claim remains in the system even if you have heard nothing for months. If you are unsure whether a claim was filed for you (for example, by a law firm you signed with), confirming that filing status is the single most important step.

Elective Option settlement payouts

The DOJ and Navy's Elective Option offers fixed, tiered payments as an alternative to litigation:

• Tier 1 conditions (kidney cancer, liver cancer, bladder cancer, leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma): $150,000 to $450,000 depending on exposure duration.
• Tier 2 conditions (multiple myeloma, Parkinson's disease, kidney disease/end-stage renal disease, systemic sclerosis): $100,000 to $400,000 depending on exposure duration.
• Wrongful death: an additional $100,000 for qualifying claims, up to $550,000 combined.

Accepting an Elective Option offer resolves the claim; declining preserves the right to pursue a potentially larger — but slower and uncertain — litigated outcome. That tradeoff is exactly what a claimant's lawyer evaluates. Per DOJ guidance, Elective Option payments are not reduced by VA benefit offsets; recoveries outside the program may be subject to the CLJA's offset provisions for certain VA, Medicare, or Medicaid payments made for the same harm.

Case snapshot

Camp Lejeune claims are not an MDL. The CLJA gives exclusive jurisdiction to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, where cases are distributed among the district's judges with coordinated discovery and a Track system grouping illnesses for bellwether trials. The administrative claim process runs through the Navy JAG's Tort Claims Unit.

Litigation updates

• 2026: Track 1 trials proceed; settlement masters negotiate a global matrix; settlements pass $876 million offered with ~$665 million paid (DOJ, May 15, 2026).
• 2025: Elective Option acceptance accelerated; the court resolved disputes over trial structure and jury rights under the CLJA.
• August 10, 2024: CLJA filing window closed with roughly 407,000 administrative claims on file.
• September 2023: DOJ/Navy launched the Elective Option early-settlement program.
• August 10, 2022: Camp Lejeune Justice Act signed into law.

Current status

Active claims are moving through three channels at once: Navy administrative review, the Elective Option settlement program, and litigation in the Eastern District of North Carolina, where Track 1 bellwether trials are underway. The open question for most claimants is not whether the process is moving, but how fast their diagnosis tier and documentation move within it.

Who qualified under the CLJA

Filing rights extended to anyone — veterans, family members living in base housing, civilian employees, and those exposed in utero — who was at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 cumulative days between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987, developed a condition linked to the water contamination, and filed an administrative claim by August 10, 2024.

Who may be affected now

With the window closed, the population that matters is people with pending claims: those waiting on Navy review, weighing an Elective Option offer, or proceeding in litigation. Survivors of claimants who died during processing may also need to substitute estates into pending claims — a procedural step with its own deadlines.

Covered conditions

The strongest-documented conditions mirror the Elective Option tiers: kidney cancer, liver cancer, bladder cancer, leukemia, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (Tier 1); multiple myeloma, Parkinson's disease, kidney disease, and systemic sclerosis (Tier 2). ATSDR health studies also discuss associations with other cancers and conditions, which claimants have pursued through the litigation channel where the science supports causation.

What pending claimants can do

• Confirm your administrative claim was filed and is on record with the Navy Tort Claims Unit.
• Keep medical records current — updated diagnosis and treatment records affect tier placement and offer values.
• Respond promptly to document requests; incomplete files are the most common processing delay.
• Before accepting or declining an Elective Option offer, have counsel compare it to realistic litigated values for the same diagnosis tier.

Sources and notes

Program details and settlement figures come from DOJ Camp Lejeune Justice Act claims information, the Navy CLJA site and claims portal, Eastern District of North Carolina filings, and ATSDR health studies. Figures reflect public reporting as of June 2026 and change as settlements are approved. This page is informational only; it does not provide legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Injuries involved

• Kidney cancer
• Bladder cancer
• Liver cancer
• Leukemia
• Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
• Multiple myeloma
• Parkinson's disease
• Kidney disease and other conditions

Evidence usually needed

• Military service or base housing records
• Employment records showing time at Camp Lejeune
• Medical diagnosis records
• Treatment and oncology records
• Claim filing confirmation (Navy administrative claim)
• Death certificate and estate records for wrongful-death claims

Timeline

Settlement status

Settlements are actively being paid. The DOJ/Navy Elective Option program offers tiered payments of roughly $100,000 to $450,000 depending on diagnosis and exposure duration, plus $100,000 for qualifying wrongful-death claims. Per DOJ figures dated May 15, 2026, more than $876 million in settlements had been offered and approximately $665 million paid, while settlement masters negotiate a broader global resolution framework and the first Track 1 trials proceed in the Eastern District of North Carolina. Individual results vary, participation in the Elective Option is voluntary, and no amount is guaranteed for any claim.

Deadline overview

Deadlines vary by state and may depend on diagnosis date, discovery date, exposure history, wrongful death issues, and other facts. A lawyer can evaluate how the relevant deadline rules may apply.

State-by-state guide links