CANDACE CAMPOS AND TRAFFIC SAFETY EXPERT TROOPER STEVE. THIS IS NEWS. 6 AT 09:00AM
GETTING RESULTS.
>> JULIE: FOR MORE THAN 30
YEARS, TOXIC CHEMICALS TAINTED
THE GROUND AT CAMP LEJEUNE IN
NORTH CAROLINA, EXPOSING BOTH
VETERANS AND CIVILIANS TO
CONTAMINATED DRINKING WATER.
THAT EXPOSURE HAS LED TO ALL
KINDS OF ILLNESSES AND
CONDITIONS FOR THOUSANDS FOR
YEARS. THOSE AFFECTED HAVE
COMPLAINED ABOUT THE LACK OF
SUPPORT FROM THE VA, ALTHOUGH
MEDICAL CARE AND DISABILITY
BENEFITS FOR MANY CONDITIONS
ARE SUPPOSED TO BE COVERED.
BUT NOW A NEW LAW WAS SIGNED
INTO EFFECT IN AUGUST. THAT
MAY PROVIDE A WAY FOR IMPACTED
FAMILIES TO GET JUSTICE
TROOPER. STEVE JOINS US NOW
FOR THIS WEEK’S SERVING THOSE
WHO SERVED.
>> THAT’S RIGHT. LADIES, CAMP
LEJEUNE. VETERANS HAVE LONG
FACED SERIOUS ISSUES WHILE
TRYING TO GET THEIR BENEFITS.
WE’VE DONE MULTIPLE STORIES
RIGHT HERE AT NEWS. 6 ABOUT
THEIR USE OF SUBJECT MATTER.
EXPERTS AND THE HIGH DENIAL
RATES THAT COME WITH THEM.
ACCORDING TO DOCUMENTS
OBTAINED BY CBS NEWS, THE
APPROVAL RATE DROPPED FROM 25
TO 5% AFTER THEY BROUGHT IN
THESE THE VA SAYS THE AVERAGE
APPROVAL RATE IS NOW 17%,
THOUGH THEIR OWN DATA SHOWS IT
WENT AS LOW AS JUST ONE
PERCENT. THAT’S WHY THE CAMP
LEJEUNE ACT OF 2022. IS SO
IMPORTANT WHY LOCAL AND U.S.
ARMY RESERVE JAG ATTORNEY
MAJOR ALEXIS CARTER JOINS US
NOW. MAJOR, IT IS A PLEASURE
TO HAVE YOU HERE. THANK YOU
FOR JOINING US. THANKS FOR
HAVING ME. TROOPER STEVEN
MORNING. GOOD MORNING TO YOU.
SO KIND OF EXPLAIN A LITTLE
BIT IF YOU CAN, WHAT
SPECIFICALLY IS THIS SO THIS
ACT IS PART OF A
>> A BROADER RANGE OF LAWS
THAT HAVE ALLOWED
>> FAMILIES, SOLDIERS, EVEN
THEIR STATES TO FILE CLAIMS
FOR THE GOVERNMENT FOR
INJURIES AND ILLNESSES RELATED
TO CONTAMINATED WATER AT CAMP
LEJEUNE. NOT ONLY THAT IF THE
CLAIM IS DENIED, THEY CAN NOW
FILE FOR A LAWSUIT IN FEDERAL
COURT. SO WHAT TYPE OF
ILLNESSES ARE WE SEEING FROM
THIS TYPE OF SITUATION OVER AT
CAMP LEJEUNE? WE’VE WE HAVE
EVEN NUMBERS THAT OVER 100.
>> CANCER FROM MALES COME FROM
THIS LOCATION. EXACTLY. SO AS
RARE AS BRYANSK S PRESS CANCER
ISN’T MALES WERE SEEING
HUNDREDS OF DEVELOPING CANCER.
OTHER ILLNESSES THAT ARE
LISTED AS WELL ARE A KIDNEY
CANCER, BLADDER CANCER NON
HODGKIN’S LYMPHOMA, AND EVEN
PARKINSON’S DISEASE. NOW. I’M
LOOKING AT FOR THE NEXT
QUESTION THE PROMPTER IS NOT
THERE. WE PURPORT OKAY. WHAT
MAKES UP WITH WHO IS ELIGIBLE
FOR STUFF LIKE THAT? SO WE’RE
TALKING ABOUT SERVICE MEMBERS,
FAMILIES, EVEN CONTRACTORS
WORKING AT CAMP BETWEEN AUGUST
OF 1953. AND ON OR ABOUT
DECEMBER OF 1987, YOU HAVE TO
SHOW THAT YOU’VE BEEN LIVING
THERE FOR AT WORKING THERE FOR
AT LEAST 30 CONSECUTIVE DAYS
AND AS WELL AS OBVIOUSLY
ILLNESS CONNECTED TO YOUR
SERVICE. NOW AS A MILITARY
THAT MYSELF STANDING NEXT TO A
JAG EYES, A BIG DEAL SO.
YOU’VE OBVIOUSLY PRACTICE LAW.
YEAH, IN THE MILITARY. YES.
YOU ARE ALSO A CIVILIAN
ATTORNEY, CORRECT WITH THIS
SPECIFICALLY FOR YOU
PERSONALLY. HAVE YOU
EXPERIENCED RED TAPE THROUGH
THIS PROCESS SO FAR? WELL,
IT’S RELATIVELY NEW PROCESS,
RIGHT? SO WE TALK ABOUT THIS
ACT WAS JUST SIGNED INTO LAW
BACK IN AUGUST OF 2022 SO WE
ONLY BEEN ABOUT 5,000 CLAIMS
SUBMITTED SO FAR. SO TO GAUGE,
YOU KNOW, THERE’S BEEN ANY
NECESSARILY RED TAPE. IT’S
REALLY HARD TO SEE AT THIS
POINT. BUT JUST KNOWING THE
AMOUNT OF CLAIMS AND PEOPLE
WHO DON’T HAVE THE CORRECT
KNOWLEDGE OF HOW TO PROCESS
THESE CLAIMS. YOU KNOW, WE’RE
GOING TO DISSIPATE, FOLKS. I’M
NOT SUBMITTING PROPER
DOCUMENTATION, NOT BEING ABLE
TO SHOW BACK IN 1987 WHERE
THEY LIVED. RIGHT. SO IT’S
IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE YOU
HAVE ALL YOUR DOCUMENTS
TOGETHER BEFORE SUBMITTING
THAT CLAIM. SO NOW THAT THIS
LAW HAS BEEN SIGNED, OBVIOUSLY
BEFORE THEN THERE HAVE BEEN
PEOPLE WHO HAVE FILED CLAIMS
THAT HAVE BEEN DENIED.
CORRECT. IS THERE A WAY FOR
THEM TO REFILE OR APPEAL THAT
PREVIOUS DECISION? THERE IS
SOME NOW THAT LAW ALLOWED.
NOW, THE CURRENT LAW ALLOWS
YOU TO ACTUALLY FOLLOW
LAWSUIT. OUR RECOMMEND IF YOU
FEEL THAT YOU’VE BEEN
IMPACTED, IF YOU FILED A CLAIM
FOR CLAIMS BEEN TONIGHT,
DEFINITELY CONTACT THE VA OR A
LOCAL ATTORNEY THAT HANDLES
THE SOURCE. NOW A BIG DEAL
WHEN THERE USED TO BE THAT YOU
HAVE TO HAVE A DOCTOR’S LETTER
SPECIFICALLY STATING THAT THE
ILLNESS WAS AT LEAST AS LIKELY
AS NOT PRETTY DETAILED
INFORMATION AND IT WAS STILL
HAD TO BE APPROVED BY DOCTORS
SPECIFICALLY, RIGHT? YES,
STILL HAPPEN. IT’S KIND OF
WEIRD. YOU KNOW, THE AVERAGE
PERSON TO KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS
RIGHT? SO BASICALLY MEANS 50%
OR MORE CONNECTED. THE GOOD
THING ABOUT THIS NEW ACT IS
THAT THOSE LISTED ILLNESSES,
THERE’S A PRESUMPTION WRITTEN
INTO THE LAW THAT MAKES A
SERVICE CONNECTED. SO YES, YOU
DO HAVE TO HAVE A DOG OR A NO
RECOMMENDATION THAT YOU HAVE
TO HAVE THE ILLNESS. BUT IN
TERMS OF HAVING TO PROVE OR
SHOW THERE’S A PRESUMPTION
THAT ITS SERVICE CONNECTED FOR
CERTAIN ILLNESSES. IF SOMEONE
OUT THERE RIGHT NOW THINKS
THAT THEY THIS COULD BE
SOMETHING THAT THEY SHOULD BE
LOOKING INTO. WHAT SHOULD THEY