Mass Tort
Camp Lejeune Water Claims: What the Justice Act Provides
A factual guide to the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022: who may claim, how the Navy process works, and what the Elective Option settlements provide.
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The Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 created a federal cause of action for people who lived or worked at the Marine Corps base at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, for at least 30 days between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987, and were exposed to water supplied by the government. It is section 804 of the Honoring our PACT Act of 2022, Public Law 117-168, signed on August 10, 2022. A claimant files an administrative claim with the Department of the Navy first; if the Navy denies it, or six months pass without a decision, the claimant may sue in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, the only court the statute allows. The Justice Department reported that as of September 18, 2026, settlement offers under the Act exceed $1.1 billion and settlement payments exceed $879 million, all individual administrative settlements under the Elective Option framework. There is no class settlement, and no per-claim amount appears in the documents reviewed here.
What is established vs. what is alleged
Established by the documents reviewed here: the text of the Act, including the 30-day exposure minimum and the exposure window; the route that sends a claim first to the Navy and then, on denial or delay, to one federal court in North Carolina; the Elective Option framework announced on September 6, 2023; the aggregate settlement offers and payments reported as of September 18, 2026; and the court’s master docket, created by an order of April 24, 2023.
Alleged, or still undecided: whether contaminated water at the base caused any particular person’s illness. The Act places the burden of proof on the party filing the action: the evidence must be sufficient to conclude that a causal relationship exists, or that it is at least as likely as not. The documents reviewed here record no court finding that the water caused any plaintiff’s condition, and no admission of liability by the United States.
Where the claims stand procedurally
There is no multidistrict litigation for Camp Lejeune claims. The statute directs every action to the Eastern District of North Carolina, and the court maintains a master docket, In re: Camp Lejeune Water Litigation, No. 7:23-CV-897, under an order of April 24, 2023 signed by Chief United States District Judge Richard E. Myers II and Judge Terrence W. Boyle. The order directs the clerk to keep the master file and sets out the coordination steps the court anticipated. The court’s public page states that a Plaintiffs’ Leadership Group has been established and that the group is not any litigant’s attorney. The mass tort section covers how coordinated claims are organised, and how mass tort litigation works explains the machinery.
Section 804 sets the framework the court applies. It covers in utero exposure, gives the Eastern District of North Carolina exclusive jurisdiction and venue, preserves the right to a jury trial, and makes the action the exclusive remedy for that harm. Any award must be offset by related veterans, Medicare or Medicaid benefits already provided, and punitive damages are barred. No action may be brought before the claimant complies with the administrative claim requirement in 28 U.S.C. section 2675, and a claim may not be commenced after the later of two years after enactment or 180 days after the claim is denied under that section.
The Navy claim process and the Elective Option
The Justice Department states that an administrative claim should be filed with the Department of the Navy, not with the Justice Department, the Department of Veterans Affairs, or the Marine Corps. The Navy’s Office of the Judge Advocate General operates a CLJA Claims Management Portal for claim intake and processing. The government states that there is no fee to use the portal or to file a claim and that an individual may file without an attorney, and both agencies state that they cannot give legal advice. The Justice Department warns that the Navy will never ask a claimant for personal information by email or telephone.
On September 6, 2023 the two departments announced the Elective Option, a framework for resolving certain claims administratively instead of litigating them. The Justice Department states that claimants with qualifying injuries who resided or worked at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days may be eligible; that the framework compensates one qualifying injury per claimant, at the level that provides the greatest compensation if injuries fall in more than one tier; and that the qualifying injuries are nearly all cancers or other terminal or chronic illnesses. It states that a claimant who accepts an offer can expect payment within 60 days or less on completing the payment documentation, and that those payments are not offset by veterans benefits. The department has also stated that it is not reconsidering Elective Option determinations and is not accepting additional Elective Option documentation.
What the VA says about benefits
The Department of Veterans Affairs advises that filing under the Act does not affect eligibility for VA disability or health care benefits, and that an Elective Option settlement does not affect VA benefits or health care. If a court awards relief in a lawsuit, the court must offset the award by any related VA benefit already provided. The VA also states that no lawyer is needed to obtain VA benefits and that it has no connection to the law-firm advertisements about Camp Lejeune benefits.
Key dates
- August 1, 1953 to December 31, 1987: the exposure window in the Act; qualifying exposure must last at least 30 days.
- August 10, 2022: Public Law 117-168 is signed, enacting section 804, the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022.
- April 24, 2023: the Eastern District of North Carolina enters the order creating the master docket, No. 7:23-CV-897.
- September 6, 2023: the Justice Department and the Navy announce the Elective Option.
- October 6, 2023: the date the government uses to separate claims already in litigation from those filed later.
- January 8, 2024: the Justice Department and the Navy issue a fraud alert to claimants.
- September 18, 2026: the Justice Department reports settlement offers exceeding $1.1 billion and settlement payments exceeding $879 million.
What this does not establish
The settlement totals the Justice Department reports are aggregate figures for individual administrative settlements. They are not a class-wide fund, they do not describe what any single claimant received, and they are not a finding that the water at the base caused any person’s illness.
The Act’s proof standard describes what a claimant must show to recover; it is not a court’s conclusion that the standard has been met in any case. The documents reviewed here record no court ruling that contaminated water caused a specific plaintiff’s condition and no admission of liability by the United States.
A claim process does not mean that any particular claim qualifies. Eligibility for the Elective Option depends on a qualifying injury and on the exposure requirement.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a Camp Lejeune settlement?
There is no class settlement. The Act created an individual right of action, and the government resolves certain claims individually through the Elective Option and a related process for claims already in litigation. The aggregate totals reported on September 18, 2026 are not any individual amount.
Where is a Camp Lejeune claim filed?
An administrative claim is filed with the Department of the Navy, through its CLJA Claims Management Portal or by the methods the Navy publishes. The government has said the claim should not be filed with the Justice Department, the VA, or the Marine Corps. A lawsuit may be filed only in the Eastern District of North Carolina, and only after the Navy denies the claim or six months pass without a decision.
Do I need a lawyer to file?
The government states that a claimant may file without an attorney, that there is no fee to use the Navy portal or to file a claim, and that no lawyer is needed to obtain VA benefits. Both agencies state that they cannot advise a claimant whether to retain counsel. According to the Justice Department’s stated position, fees are capped at 20 percent for administrative claims and 25 percent for suits in court.
Does a Camp Lejeune claim affect VA benefits?
The VA states that filing under the Act does not affect eligibility for VA disability or health care benefits, and that an Elective Option settlement does not affect VA benefits or health care. It states that a court award may be offset by related VA benefits already paid.
Can an old claim still be filed?
The Act bars an action commenced after the later of two years after enactment or 180 days after the claim is denied under the administrative claim requirement, and other limitation and repose periods do not apply. The Navy’s claims portal remains available for administrative claims. Whether a specific claim is timely depends on that claimant’s own dates.
Sources
- U.S. Government Publishing Office: “Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022, Public Law 117-168 (August 10, 2022), section 804, the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022” (link, accessed 2026-10-14)
- U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Division: “Camp Lejeune Justice Act Claims” (link, accessed 2026-10-14)
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: “Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Health Issues” (link, accessed 2026-10-14)
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina: “Information Concerning Camp Lejeune Water Litigation” (link, accessed 2026-10-14)
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina: “Order, In re: Camp Lejeune Water Litigation, No. 7:23-CV-897 (E.D.N.C. April 24, 2023)” (link, accessed 2026-10-14)
- U.S. Department of the Navy, Office of the Judge Advocate General: “Camp Lejeune Justice Act (CLJA) Claims Management Portal” (link, accessed 2026-10-14)
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