The Camp Lejeune Justice Act Elective Option pays fixed settlement amounts from $150,000 to $450,000 based on your qualifying injury and length of exposure, plus up to $100,000 for a wrongful-death claim — with an absolute cap of $550,000 per person. This Camp Lejeune settlement calculator applies the government's published 2026 Elective Option (EO) grid, then subtracts the required VA, Medicare, and Medicaid offset and the capped attorney fee to estimate your net payout. As of May 2026 the Department of Justice reported Camp Lejeune settlement offers exceeding $876 million and payouts exceeding $665 million, so the program is actively paying claims. Enter your qualifying-injury tier, exposure length, benefit offset, and fee cap below to see an estimated range.
The 1953–1987 contamination of the drinking water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune is one of the largest toxic-exposure events in U.S. history. Volatile organic compounds including trichloroethylene (TCE), perchloroethylene (PCE), benzene, and vinyl chloride reached the base water supply at levels far above modern safety limits. The Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 created a federal cause of action so that veterans, family members, and civilian workers exposed for at least 30 days can seek compensation. Use the calculator as a starting point, then read the detailed sections on the Elective Option tiers, eligibility, the VA offset, taxation, and timelines below.
The calculator is built directly on the Elective Option (EO) grid that the Department of the Navy and the Department of Justice published to resolve Camp Lejeune Justice Act claims quickly. The EO is a voluntary, tiered settlement framework: instead of litigating each case, the government offers a fixed dollar amount tied to a recognized qualifying injury and the claimant's length of exposure. The formula the calculator follows is:
EO Amount = Base (by injury tier and exposure length) + Wrongful-Death Add-On
Net Payout = (EO Amount, capped at $550,000) − VA/Medicare/Medicaid Offset − Capped Attorney Fee
Tier 1 injuries — the cancers and Parkinson's disease most strongly linked to the contaminated water — carry the highest base amounts. Tier 2 covers serious but differently weighted conditions. Within each tier, one year or more of exposure pays more than 30–364 days. A wrongful-death claim adds up to $100,000. The total is then capped at the EO's $550,000 statutory maximum, reduced by any disability or medical benefits you already received for the same harm (the law forbids double recovery), and reduced again by the capped attorney fee.
The table below summarizes the Elective Option base amounts by tier and exposure length, with the wrongful-death add-on shown separately. These are the figures the calculator uses. They reflect the published EO framework; the exact amounts the government applies to an individual claim are determined by the Navy and DOJ.
| Tier | Example Qualifying Injuries | 30–364 Days | 1 Year or More |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | Kidney cancer, liver cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, leukemia, bladder cancer, Parkinson's disease | $150,000 | $450,000 |
| Tier 2 | Multiple myeloma, kidney disease / end-stage renal disease, systemic sclerosis / scleroderma | $100,000 | $250,000 |
| Wrongful death | Add-on when the exposed person has died | Up to $100,000 added | |
| Per-person maximum | Absolute Elective Option cap | $550,000 | |
Because the maximum any one person can receive under the EO is $550,000, a Tier 1 long-exposure claim with a wrongful-death add-on is capped at that figure even though the components ($450,000 + $100,000) would otherwise total $550,000. Claimants whose damages exceed the grid — for example, a young claimant with catastrophic losses — may choose to reject the EO and pursue full litigation in the Eastern District of North Carolina instead, where outcomes are uncertain but not capped at $550,000.
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 (part of the Honoring our PACT Act) created a federal claim for anyone harmed by the base's contaminated water. To be eligible you generally must show:
Eligible claimants include Marines and sailors stationed at the base, their spouses and children (including children exposed in utero), and civilian employees and contractors who worked there. If the exposed person has died, an eligible surviving family member or estate representative can bring a wrongful-death claim. There is a filing deadline under the Act, so claims must be brought within the statutory window.
Between 1953 and 1987, two of Camp Lejeune's water-treatment plants — Tarawa Terrace and Hadnot Point — were contaminated with industrial solvents. Tarawa Terrace was polluted mainly by perchloroethylene (PCE) from an off-base dry cleaner, while Hadnot Point carried trichloroethylene (TCE), benzene, vinyl chloride, and other volatile organic compounds from leaking storage tanks and industrial activity. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), part of the CDC, reconstructed historical exposure levels and found contaminant concentrations far above today's federal drinking-water limits. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes a set of presumptive conditions for VA disability benefits tied to this exposure, and that scientific record underpins the qualifying-injury list used in settlements.
Suppose a Marine who lived at Camp Lejeune for three years (long exposure) is diagnosed with bladder cancer (a Tier 1 injury). He received $60,000 in VA disability benefits for the same condition, and he files a lawsuit, so the 25% fee cap applies. Using the grid:
The calculator displays a net figure of $292,500 with a likely range of roughly $248,625 to $336,375. If the same Marine had only 30–364 days of exposure, the Tier 1 base would drop to $150,000, and after the same offset and fee the net would fall to about $67,500. This shows how the injury tier and exposure length drive the Camp Lejeune settlement amount.
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act bars double recovery. If you already received VA disability compensation, Medicare, or Medicaid benefits for the same illness, your Camp Lejeune award is reduced by that amount. The purpose is to prevent the government from paying twice for the identical harm. This is why the calculator includes an offset field: a veteran who has collected substantial VA disability for a recognized condition will see a smaller net Camp Lejeune payout than the headline grid amount. Notably, accepting a Camp Lejeune settlement does not eliminate your future VA health care or disability eligibility — the offset applies to the litigation recovery, not to your ongoing VA status. Coordinating the VA claim and the Camp Lejeune claim correctly is one of the most important parts of the process.
Unlike a typical personal-injury case where contingency fees commonly run 33%–40%, the Camp Lejeune Justice Act caps attorney fees. The fee may not exceed 20% of an administrative settlement reached with the Navy before any lawsuit, or 25% of a settlement or judgment obtained after a lawsuit is filed in federal court. These statutory caps protect claimants and mean a larger share of the recovery reaches the victim or family. The calculator lets you apply either cap, or set the fee to 0% to view the gross amount.
Under IRS Publication 4345, compensatory damages received on account of a personal physical injury or physical sickness are generally excluded from taxable income. Because the Camp Lejeune Elective Option compensates for physical illnesses — cancers and other diseases caused by the contaminated water — the compensatory portion is generally not taxable. Any interest paid on a delayed award is taxable, and any portion not tied to physical sickness could be treated differently. Tax treatment of a wrongful-death recovery can also vary. Confirm the treatment of your specific Camp Lejeune payment with a qualified tax professional and review the IRS guidance linked below.
The timeline depends on which path you take. The administrative process requires filing a claim with the Navy and waiting at least six months before suing. The Elective Option was created specifically to speed resolution for claimants with strong, well-documented qualifying injuries, and the government has steadily increased offers and payouts — exceeding $876 million in offers and $665 million in payments by May 2026. Claims that proceed to full litigation in the Eastern District of North Carolina take longer because of the volume of cases and the discovery involved. Submitting complete medical and exposure documentation early is the single biggest factor in moving a claim faster.
There is no single average yet because most cases are still resolving, but the Department of the Navy and Department of Justice published an Elective Option (EO) settlement grid that pays fixed amounts of $150,000 to $450,000 based on the qualifying injury and length of exposure, plus up to $100,000 more for a wrongful-death claim. The absolute maximum for any individual Elective Option settlement is $550,000. As of May 2026 the government reported Camp Lejeune settlement offers exceeding $876 million and payouts exceeding $665 million. Claimants who reject the EO and litigate may recover more or less depending on proof.
The calculator uses the published Elective Option grid. It looks up the base amount for your qualifying injury tier (Tier 1 cancers and Parkinson's pay the most, Tier 2 conditions pay less), applies the exposure-length band (30 to 364 days versus 1 year or more), adds a wrongful-death amount if applicable, and then subtracts the VA and Medicare/Medicaid offset that the law requires. The result is an estimated net Elective Option payout, presented as a range. It is an educational estimate only, not a government offer.
Under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022, you may qualify if you lived, worked, or were otherwise exposed for at least 30 cumulative days at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987, and later developed a qualifying illness linked to the contaminated drinking water. Veterans, family members, civilian workers, and in-utero exposed children can all file. A surviving family member can file a wrongful-death claim if the exposed person has died.
The Elective Option groups qualifying injuries into Tier 1 and Tier 2. Tier 1 includes kidney cancer, liver cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, leukemia, bladder cancer, and Parkinson's disease, which carry the highest base amounts. Tier 2 includes multiple myeloma, kidney disease/end-stage renal disease, and systemic sclerosis/scleroderma, which carry lower base amounts. Each tier pays more for one year or more of exposure than for 30 to 364 days.
Under IRS Publication 4345, compensatory damages received on account of a personal physical injury or physical sickness are generally not taxable. Because Camp Lejeune Elective Option payments compensate for physical illnesses caused by water contamination, the compensatory portion is generally excluded from income, while any interest is taxable. Confirm the treatment of your specific payment with a tax professional.
Yes. The Camp Lejeune Justice Act requires any award or settlement to be offset by the amount of disability or related benefits you already received from the VA, Medicare, or Medicaid for the same harm. This prevents double recovery. The calculator includes an offset field so you can see the estimated net payout after that reduction.
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act caps attorney contingency fees. Fees are limited to 20% of an administrative settlement (resolved with the Navy before a lawsuit) and 25% of a settlement or judgment obtained after a lawsuit is filed in federal court. These caps are lower than typical personal-injury contingency fees, and the calculator lets you apply either cap to estimate your net recovery.