People who lived, worked or were exposed for at least 30 days to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina between August 1953 and December 1987, including those exposed in the womb, and their families.
The first Camp Lejeune Justice Act trial ended in October 2026 and a judge has not ruled yet. Global settlement talks are ongoing, but no global settlement has been announced.
Amounts depend on your illness and exposure. Under the government's Elective Option, payments have ranged from $100,000 to $550,000. Cases outside that program can be worth more or less.
A claim had to be presented to the Navy first, and the deadline for new claims passed in August 2024. If you filed on time, you may still be able to settle or sue. A lawyer can check your status.
Most Camp Lejeune lawyers work on contingency, so you pay nothing up front and the fee comes out of any recovery.
From 1953 to 1987, drinking water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune was contaminated with industrial chemicals. In 2022, Congress passed the Camp Lejeune Justice Act as Section 804 of the PACT Act, which lets people harmed by that water sue the federal government. This page explains who qualifies, what payouts look like and when settlements may be paid.
The Department of Justice describes the program and its settlement numbers in its Camp Lejeune settlements announcement. This page is general information and not legal advice.
Important Camp Lejeune update
The first Camp Lejeune Justice Act trial ended in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, in late October 2026, and the judge has not announced a ruling. Courts asked both sides to work toward a global settlement framework by October 30, 2026, but no completed global settlement has been announced. Be careful with calls, texts and emails that promise a payout date or ask for a fee. Our guide to class action settlements with no proof of purchase explains how real claims work.
The Camp Lejeune lawsuit is a set of individual claims against the federal government for harm caused by contaminated base water. Yes, it is part of the PACT Act, and the Camp Lejeune Justice Act has passed and is law. Claims go to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, where the Plaintiffs’ Leadership Group, a team of court appointed lawyers, handles the shared work.
You generally qualify if you spent at least 30 days at Camp Lejeune between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987 and later developed a harm linked to the water. Time on base does not need to be in one stretch. The Act covers Camp Lejeune, so ask the Navy or a lawyer about nearby bases such as Cherry Point, which is a separate air station.
Military service records usually show where and when a person was stationed. You can request them from the National Personnel Records Center. For family members and civilians, housing records, school records, pay stubs, letters and old photos can help show 30 days on base. A lawyer can also help request records.
Two of the base’s eight water systems were contaminated, and a third received contaminated water at times, according to the Department of Justice. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has explained that the pollution came from leaking underground storage tanks, industrial area spills and an off base dry cleaner. Its research on the base is on the ATSDR Camp Lejeune page.
The most contaminated wells were shut down in 1985, and the covered period runs through the end of 1987. Today’s drinking water on base is tested like any other public supply, so the lawsuit is about past exposure, not current water.
The government’s Elective Option program covers nine disease categories with set payment amounts. Plaintiffs’ lawyers have asked the court for a settlement census covering 25 conditions, and say more than 200 conditions have been alleged. These lists are not guarantees of payment. Symptoms vary by illness and can appear years later, so anyone worried about past exposure should talk to a doctor.
There is no single average. The Department of Justice says Elective Option payments to individual claimants have ranged from $100,000 to $550,000. As of its March 2026 announcement, 2,531 settlement offers had been approved since the program began, totaling about $708 million. Reports in fall 2026 put offers above $1.1 billion and payments above $879 million, so yes, some people have been paid. Tax treatment depends on your situation, so ask a tax professional. The table below shows the main paths.
| Path | How it works | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Elective Option | Government offers a set amount based on illness and exposure | Payments range from $100,000 to $550,000 per claimant |
| Litigation | Case is tried in federal court in eastern North Carolina | The first trial has ended with no ruling yet, so results are not known |
| Global settlement | Possible deal covering many plaintiffs | Talks continue and no deal has been announced |
Nobody can promise a date. More than 408,000 administrative claims have been filed, and only about one percent of claimants have accepted offers. Judge Terrence Boyle heard the first of four initial test cases in October 2026, and the next trial is set for November. The government has also asked for a Lone Pine order, which could make each plaintiff show expert evidence of exposure, diagnosis and cause, and the court has not ruled on it.
A global settlement would still need agreement on scope and proof, and then payments would take time to process. If you already have an Elective Option offer, that route is faster than waiting for trials.
Check your claim today.
Find your claim number and ask the Navy or your lawyer for its status. If you filed and never heard back, act now, because lawsuit deadlines can be tied to when your claim was denied.
Payment speed depends on the path. People who accept an Elective Option offer are usually paid sooner than people waiting on a trial or a global deal. The Department of Justice reported more than $421 million paid through that option between January 20, 2025 and March 2026, yet thousands of claims remain unpaid, so there is no fixed payout date for everyone. Payments may begin sooner for individual offers, while any global settlement would need court and claimant steps first.
Gathering records now will save time later, whatever path your claim takes.
The lawsuit is real and is backed by federal law, but scams exist around it. Many calls and emails are lawyer advertising. You can unsubscribe, block the sender or ignore them. Never pay a fee to file or share bank details with someone who contacts you first. No single firm handles the whole lawsuit, so check any law firm’s license with your state bar and read its fee terms before you sign.
Our guide on how to sue a company explains the basic steps, and our class action settlement guide shows how group payouts usually work. Camp Lejeune cases are not a class action, because each person’s claim is handled on its own.
Yes. The Act sets the deadline as the later of two years after it became law on August 10, 2022, or 180 days after a claim is denied. The Department of Justice takes the position that claims had to be presented to the Navy by August 9, 2024, and the court has not ruled on that question. Lawsuits go to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. You can present an administrative claim yourself without a lawyer, but a lawyer is usually needed for a lawsuit.
Law: Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 (Section 804 of the PACT Act)
Agency: U.S. Department of the Navy and Department of Justice
Court: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina
Official information: Court information FAQ
Yes. The Camp Lejeune Justice Act is a real federal law, signed on August 10, 2022 as part of the PACT Act. Real claims go through the Navy and the federal court, and the Department of Justice has approved billions of dollars in offers. Be wary of anyone who asks for money up front to file.
There is no firm date. The first trial has ended with no ruling, talks on a global settlement continue, and more than 408,000 claims are still being worked through. Individual Elective Option offers are the fastest route.
It depends on the path. Elective Option offers are paid after you accept and the paperwork clears. Trial and global settlement payments have no set date yet.
Yes. The Department of Justice reported 2,531 approved settlement offers worth about $708 million by March 2026, and later reports put payments above $879 million. That is still a small share of the claims filed.
There is no official average. Elective Option payments have ranged from $100,000 to $550,000 per claimant, and each amount depends on the illness and length of exposure.
Contact the Navy's Camp Lejeune claims office with your claim number, or ask your lawyer. Keep every letter and email you receive about your claim.
You can present an administrative claim to the Navy yourself, but the deadline for new claims passed in 2024. A lawyer is usually needed for a lawsuit, and many work on contingency. If you already filed, ask the Navy for your claim status before hiring anyone.
It is a payment option run by the Department of Justice and the Navy that offers set amounts for certain illnesses so claimants can avoid a trial. Payments have ranged from $100,000 to $550,000, and you can still decline an offer and continue in court.
No. Camp Lejeune cases are individual claims handled under a special law, not a class action. A group of plaintiffs' lawyers leads the shared work, but it cannot settle your claim for you.
The contaminated water was used from 1953 to 1987, and the covered period for the lawsuit is August 1, 1953 to December 31, 1987. The most contaminated wells were shut down in 1985.
Testing found trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene, benzene and vinyl chloride. They came from leaking fuel tanks, industrial spills and an off base dry cleaner.
Illness depends on the chemical, the dose and the person. Reported conditions include cancers, Parkinson's disease, birth defects and neurobehavioral effects. If you were exposed and have symptoms, see a doctor, since symptoms can appear years later.
Cherry Point is a separate air station. The Act covers Camp Lejeune, so ask the Navy or a lawyer whether time at another base could count.
Many are lawyer advertisements. You can unsubscribe, block the sender or ignore them. Do not pay a fee or send bank details to someone who contacts you first.
Tax treatment depends on the type of damages and your situation. Ask a tax professional before you file your return.