Department of Defense may pay out North Carolina workers’ compensation benefits for military personnel injured by environmental containments at Camp Lejeune
Military personnel injured by exposure to carcinogenic elements at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina may soon be able to cash in on North Carolina workers’ compensation claims, thanks to a new bill under consideration in the Senate called the “Examination of Exposures to Environmental Hazards during Military Service Act of 2010,” also known as TRICARE. Since January 28th, the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee has held hearings about how to compensate injured military personnel for damages related to exposure to environmental hazards, such as benzene-based solvents like trichloroethylene.
The Senate bill is designed to respond to complaints at 130 military bases around the nation. These are all listed on something called The Environmental Protection Agency Superfund’s National Priority List. Thousands of military personnel may be impacted by the legislation.
At Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, officers and other personnel came into regular contact with trichloroethylene (TCE) during the course of cleaning airplane parts. This harsh solvent seeped into the ground and local water supply, and many personnel thus indirectly drank it, got it on their skin and inhaled the aromatic compound.
Assuming the proposed Senate bill becomes law, the Department of Defense will have 90 days to create a list “Of individuals exposed to environmental hazards at Camp Lejeune, during the period… in which the water at Camp Lejeune was contaminated with volatile organic compounds, including known and probable human carcinogens.”
To collect North Carolina workers’ compensation benefits from the DOD, potential beneficiaries will likely have to jump through many logistical hoops. If you or a family member suffered exposure to chemicals at Camp Lejeune, it may behoove you to speak with a qualified and highly credentialed North Carolina workers’ compensation attorney to protect your interests and to ensure that you get fair payment for injuries, medical costs, wages lost, and other damages.
More Web Resources:
Examination of Exposures to Environmental Hazards during Military Service Act of 2010
