VA Benefits for Contaminated Water Exposure
April 04, 2022
Veterans who were exposed to contaminated water during active duty may be eligible for service-connected disability benefits.
Some contaminated water exposures have already been recognized by the VA and specific disabilities are presumed to be service-connected. This means the veteran does not have to prove the disease is service-connected if they served in a certain place at a certain time designated by VA law.
Veterans with other conditions may be eligible for service connection on a direct basis, which means that medical evidence established a veteran’s disability was “as likely as not caused by an in-service contaminated water exposure” – about a 50/50 chance.
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina
If a veteran served at Camp Lejeune, NC, or Marine Corps Air Station New River, NC, they may be eligible to receive VA disability benefits for certain diseases presumed to be caused by contaminated water in those locations.
Veterans who served at one of these bases between August 1953 and December 1987 may apply for benefits on a presumptive basis for the following conditions:
- Adult leukemia
- Aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes
- Bladder cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Liver cancer
- Multiple myeloma
- Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- Parkinson’s disease
If a veteran has a condition outside of the list above, but their doctor believes it was caused by the contaminated water exposure, a veteran may still apply for benefits on a direct basis.
Fort Ord, California
In recent news, two California congress members have asked the Federal government to study whether contaminated water at Fort Ord in California may be related to certain cancers and other diseases.
In 1990, Fort Ord was added to the EPA’s list of Most Polluted Places in the United States. The cause of the pollution was improperly disposed of chemicals used at Fort Ord that began leaking into the aquifers used for drinking water.
Although a study in 1996 found that drinking the contaminated water was not likely to cause past, present, or future health risks, this was before studies have shown a relationship between the chemicals that leaked into Fort Ord’s drinking water and cancer.
If a veteran served at Fort Ord and has developed cancer or other diseases that their doctor thinks was caused by this toxic exposure, the veteran can receive service-connected benefits on a direct basis. This means medical evidence – such as a doctor’s opinion – establishes that the veteran’s currently diagnosed condition is “as likely as not caused by the contaminated water exposure while on active duty” – again, about a 50/50 chance.
Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii
Recently, the Department of Defense announced it is shutting down a massive fuel tank facility that leaked petroleum into the tap water at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. The location of the leak is known as the Red Hill Fuel Storage Facility.
The facility was built into the side of a mountain during World War II to protect the fuel from an enemy attack. Over the years, fuel began to leak into the drinking water at Pearl Harbor homes and offices.
As of March 2022, nearly 6,000 people have been sickened and 4,000 military families were forced out of their base housing into hotels. In November 2021, people began reporting symptoms like nausea, headaches, rashes, and other ailments.
If a recently discharged veteran who was stationed at Pearl Harbor is experiencing these symptoms, and continue to experience them post-discharge, they can apply for service-connected disability benefits.
If you are a veteran or know of a veteran, who was exposed to contaminated water while on active duty, please contact Legal Help For Veterans, PLLC at (800) 693-4800 to receive a Free Claim Evaluation.