Camp Lejeune Veterans Win Justice

On Wednesday, Aug. 10, President Joe Biden signed the comprehensive Honoring Our PACT Act of 2022 into law, allowing military veterans and families harmed by contaminated water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune to file lawsuits against the federal government. The Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022, which focuses on four decades of water contamination, is just one part of the much broader PACT Act, which expands access to health care and disability benefits for veterans harmed by toxic exposures around the world. Biden lauded the bipartisan support for the PACT Act at the signing. “There are a lot of issues we can disagree on, but there are issues we can work together on, and this is one of those issues. We have fought for this for so many years,” he said. “This law is long overdue. We finally got it done together.” Biden spotlighted the critical support this legislation offers survivors and noted that as commander in chief he believes his role “includes always fighting for the care and benefits you more than earned and more than deserve. Got it done and God bless you all.” The legislation specifically says that in any health care or disability lawsuit regarding contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, the U.S. government may not assert any claim to immunity that would typically be available. All legal action against the government must be filed through the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, the jurisdiction...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Veterans Source Type: news