Around 550,000 claimants have been filed under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, passed in 2022. The Department of the Navy (DON) says a significant number of these claims are potentially duplicates.

13Investigates is getting these numbers after airing a report on Camp Lejeune and a local veteran who lost his battles to several cancers. His wife, Michelle Valentine says she has not heard much from the military.

Michelle married Marine veteran, Fred 12 years ago. They moved to East Greenbush a few years ago to be closer to doctors and a hospital after his cancers got more aggressive.

Michelle filed a claim to receive compensation for the several cancers Fred developed well after serving at Camp Lejeune in the 1970s. He served there for 18 months.

The government has taken responsibility for water contamination that lasted for decades at the North Carolina base. It’s why the Camp Lejeune justice act was created. The deadline to apply was on August 10.

Many veterans who file wait months before they hear anything from the military. Like Fred, many pass away before their cases are resolved.

The military says it’s a very lengthy process.

In a statement, it says in part:

“The vast majority of received claims do not contain substantiating documentation establishing a medical diagnosis and evidence the claimant was present on Camp Lejeune for 30 days or more during the statutory time period.  Approximately 480,000 of those claims await final action by law firms before the Camp Lejeune Claims Unit (CLCU) can review and advance those claims toward settlement.”

Of the small subset of claims containing supporting documentation, the DON extended settlement offers to 114 claimants, resulting in 80 settlements, totaling $20,300,000 in value.

In Fred’s case, he did receive a letter from Veterans Affairs stating his cancers were directly tied to his time-serving. That decision came down six days before his death on Sept. 18.