On Oct. 27 and 28, victims of the largest, most lethal drinking water contamination in U.S. history will join Brockovich and other advocates with Camp Lejeune Legal in two Jacksonville town halls, according to a news release from the group.
Eligible victims have the same requirements as those seeking disability from the VA. Possible financial compensation includes lost wages, medical costs, pain and suffering, and wrongful death. Those already receiving Camp Lejeune disability benefits can still file a claim under the CLJA, but any awards from these claims will be offset by their current benefits provided by the VA, Medicare/Medicaid, or Social Security.
VA Undersecretary of Health Shereef Elnahal said Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022, that the VA will hold national events in November to rush new hires into their workforce and fill vacant jobs faster as the agency works to hire 50,000 workers yearly to keep up with the demands and trends affecting veterans’ health care. Elnahal took over the VA’s top health executive post in July after the job remained vacant for five years. (Department of Veterans Affairs)
The second report, released Friday, focuses on the reassessment of the registry. It assessed how the VA and the Defense Department collect and maintain the registry's data regarding a veteran's health effects due to toxic exposure and whether the registry has fulfilled or can carry out the purpose.
Back in the United States, the Department of the Navy announced in 2019 that it would not pay any claims to people who were exposed to toxins in the drinking water at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, between 1953 and 1987. That decision came after a federal court had ruled that the Navy was not responsible for damages because the chemicals found in the water were not regulated until 1989.