Camp Lejeune Family Member Program
Approximately two thousand lawsuits were filed against the federal government related to decades of contaminated drinking water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune.
Camp Lejeune Family Member Program (CLFMP)
The first Camp Lejeune contaminated drinking water lawsuit was launched in 2009, and at the time of this writing, there are more than 15 medical issues presumed to be associated with living at the installation during the affected dates. Because of these issues, a federal law was created that mandated the VA begin the Camp Lejeune Family Member Program, which we examine below.
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What happened with the drinking water at Camp Lejeune?
Between 1953 and 1987, water distribution systems at U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune were contaminated. One water system at the Marine base was polluted with perchloroethylene, and another was contaminated with trichloroethylene (TCE), PCE, benzene from leaking fuel tanks, and other chemicals.
The levels of these toxic chemicals in the drinking water were significantly higher than current safety standards.
Why was the Camp Lejeune Family Member Program (CLFMP) created?
Former residents of Camp Lejeune who served between 1953 and 1987 began developing rare cancers and other serious illnesses. In response, Congress passed the Honoring America’s Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012.
This law mandated the creation of the Camp Lejeune Family Member Program (CLFMP) to address the health care needs of the affected spouses and children. The program’s purpose: to reimburse eligible family members for out-of-pocket medical costs for treating specific health conditions linked to the water contamination.
It is a health care benefit program, not a disability compensation program, and acts as a “payer of last resort,” covering costs after other health insurance plans have paid.
Who is eligible to enroll in the CLFMP?
To qualify for the program, you must meet three specific criteria. The applicant must be the spouse, biological child (including those in utero on base), stepchild, or legal dependent of a veteran who served on active duty at Camp Lejeune during the contamination period.
The applicant must have lived on Camp Lejeune or Marine Corps Air Station New River for a total of at least 30 days between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987. The applicant must have a diagnosis of one of the following conditions:
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- Bladder cancer
- Breast cancer
- Esophageal cancer
- Female infertility
- Hepatic steatosis (fatty liver disease)
- Kidney cancer
- Leukemia
- Lung cancer
- Miscarriage
- Multiple myeloma
- Myelodysplastic syndromes
- Neurobehavioral effects
- Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- Renal toxicity (kidney damage)
- Scleroderma
- Parkinson’s
How does an eligible family member apply for the program?
Applicants must collect documents proving their relationship to the veteran (marriage or birth certificate), their residency on the base (housing records, utility bills), and their medical diagnosis of a qualifying condition, such as via official medical records. Submit these records along with a completed VA Form 10-10068, Application for Camp Lejeune Family Member Program.
The completed form and all supporting documents can be submitted in one of three ways:
- Online
- Mail: Department of Veterans Affairs, Financial Services Center, P.O. Box 149200, Austin, TX 78714-9200
- Fax: 512-460-5536
What to Know Before Applying
According to the DoD, applicants “are strongly urged not to alter or cancel your current health insurance as VA can only pay for hospital care and medical services for enrolled CLFMP family members for the medical conditions listed above and any secondary medical condition resulting from one of the conditions.”
This is because the Camp Lejeune Family Member Program is not a “comprehensive hospital care and medical services plan.” CLFMP covers services “necessary for the treatment of the covered medical conditions listed in the Honoring America’s Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012.”
All insurance coverage and alternate payments “must be exhausted prior to submitting a claim for coverage under this program.” There is an exception. For those with no other health insurance, the VA is the primary payer, but only for the covered conditions (see above.)
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About the author
Editor-in-Chief Joe Wallace is a 13-year veteran of the United States Air Force and a former reporter/editor for Air Force Television News and the Pentagon Channel. His freelance work includes contract work for Motorola, VALoans.com, and Credit Karma. He is co-founder of Dim Art House in Springfield, Illinois, and spends his non-writing time as an abstract painter, independent publisher, and occasional filmmaker.
