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good afternoon this is Robert Chisholm from Chisholm Chisholm and Kilpatrick joining me
today is Sarah Pap Antonio from the law firm of Levin papantonio in this video we're going to be
answering the question can I pursue both the VA disabilities claim and a Camp Lejeune Justice act
claim sorry can you give us sort of an overview of the Camp Lejeune claims sure as as many of
you viewers have seen and heard about the Camp Lejeune water contamination you know this is one
of the largest water contaminations in American history and you are eligible as a plaintiff in
this case if you were at Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987 and suffered a unique type of injury as
a result of being stationed at Camp Lejeune now this does not only apply to you as a veteran it
also applies to family members that were there with you or loved ones who had passed away now
the important thing to remember about these Camp Lejeune claims is that you only have two years to
file right so we only have until August of 2024 to bring these actions against the government
but a lot of questions surround the Camp Lejeune Justice act and that's why I'm so grateful to be
here with you today Robert the biggest question that we get is is is the Camp Lejeune water
contaminant contamination litigation the same as pursuing VA disability benefits and the answer
is no these two things are completely separate so the VA benefits are completely separate than
any claims you make against the government on behalf of the the Camp Lejeune Justice act so
that's the important first thing the next question that comes from that is well you know which which
angle should I take should I go the VA route or should I go the Camp Lejeune claims route and my
answer every time is you should do both right you should pursue your VA disability benefits
and you should also pursue these claims as a victim of the Camp Lejeune Water Crisis
because what we know is that this litigation is is going to take a long time just like pursuing
VA disability benefits takes a long time so it's best to put your eggs in both buckets and pursue
both routes that way we can maximize any potential recovery that you're entitled to in these cases
I think it's really important to emphasize that anyone who's considering filing a claim should
file in both Arenas so to speak so you should file your VA claim for disability benefits
based on Camp Lejeune and you should also file the administrative claim um under the Justice
act and there's nothing wrong legally speaking with filing both at the same time I think that's
really important to emphasize absolutely let me yeah let me just add to that sorry um because I
didn't mention this is if you file a claim with Camp Lejeune under the Camp Lejeune Justice act
it will have no bearing on your VA disability percentage right your percentage disability
so that's an important thing to highlight I'm glad you brought that up Robert thanks so then
the other question that comes up is uh can I file these claims on my own and the shorting is you can
file both of Camp Lejeune Justice acts claim on your own and a VA benefits claim on your own but
we strongly advise against it our firm has Decades of experience handling veterans claim before the
VA the board and the court of appeals for veterans claim Levin papantonio is a leader in the mass
tort's Arena and together we can help you pursue your benefits understand any potential offsets
that arise and ensure your maximum recovery under both Acts again we encourage veterans and their
families to pursue both of these options and determine which is the best for them ultimately
so veterans and families can fill out the form to find out if they are eligible for
more information regarding offsets check out our previous video also stay tuned for future videos
regarding this lawsuit and VA benefits as always we are happy to answer any questions you may have
thanks for watching and Sarah thank you for joining us today thanks for having me [Music]