Camp Lejeune water claims: what to check in California

Jurisdiction — All Claims Filed in E.D. North Carolina: Every Camp Lejeune Justice Act (CLJA) lawsuit, regardless of where the plaintiff currently lives, must be filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Wilmington Division. California state courts have no jurisdiction over CLJA civil claims. Judge Louise Flanagan is presiding over the consolidated MDL-style docket. Plaintiffs' counsel in California can handle your case but will litigate in E.D.N.C.

Filing Deadline — Window Has Closed, Discovery Rule May Still Apply: The CLJA imposed a two-year administrative claim window running from August 10, 2022 (enactment of the PACT Act) through August 10, 2024. That window is now closed. Some claimants who did not discover their diagnosis or its connection to Camp Lejeune contamination before the deadline may still have arguments under the discovery rule, but these arguments are contested and require legal evaluation.

VA Disability Claims Are Separate and Remain Open: A VA disability claim for a Camp Lejeune presumptive condition (non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, leukemia, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, breast cancer, esophageal cancer, Parkinson's disease, and others) is entirely separate from a CLJA civil lawsuit. VA claims are processed through California's regional VA offices — Los Angeles, San Diego, Oakland, and San Francisco — and are not subject to the CLJA two-year deadline. You can pursue VA benefits regardless of your civil claim status.

California Veteran Population and Exposure History: California has over 1.5 million veterans — the largest veteran population of any U.S. state. Strong Marine Corps presence at Camp Pendleton and MCAS Miramar generated frequent TAD and PCS assignments to Camp Lejeune. California claimants represent one of the largest geographic cohorts in the E.D.N.C. docket. Contaminated water at Camp Lejeune — TCE, PCE, benzene, and vinyl chloride — was present from 1953 to 1987. Marines, Navy personnel, civilian employees, and dependent family members who lived or worked on base during that period are potentially eligible.