Camp Lejeune Lawsuit (2026): CLJA Claims & Closed Deadline

The Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 (CLJA) let people exposed to contaminated drinking water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune sue the federal government, but its two-year filing window closed on August 10, 2024. As of June 2026, new claims are generally time-barred while previously filed claims continue to be resolved. This page explains the law neutrally.

This page is part of our Mass Tort & Product Liability overview.

What the Camp Lejeune Justice Act is

The Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 (CLJA) is a federal law that allows people exposed to contaminated drinking water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina to bring claims against the United States. It was enacted as Section 804 of the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act, the Honoring our PACT Act, Public Law 117-168, which President Biden signed on August 10, 2022. The CLJA covers anyone who lived, worked, or was otherwise exposed at the base for at least 30 days between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987, including service members, family members, and civilian workers. It is important to understand that this is not a typical product-liability multidistrict litigation; it is a special statutory program against the federal government, with its own rules and its own deadline.

Note: The CLJA filing window has closed. The information below describes how the law works and the status of claims that were already filed; it is not an invitation to file a new CLJA claim, which is now generally time-barred.

The contaminated-water history and the health link

According to the ATSDR, part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drinking water serving parts of Camp Lejeune was contaminated from the early 1950s until the most contaminated wells were shut down in the mid-1980s, a period commonly described as 1953 to 1987. Sources included nearby dry-cleaning operations, leaking underground storage tanks, and waste disposal. The chemicals identified included trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethylene (PCE), benzene, and vinyl chloride. ATSDR has stated there is sufficient evidence linking TCE to kidney cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, PCE to bladder cancer, benzene to leukemias and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and vinyl chloride to liver cancer, among other associations the agency rates as more or less supported. These are scientific findings about the chemicals and the exposed population; they do not establish that the water caused any particular individual's illness.

How CLJA claims work and the closed deadline

The CLJA set up a two-step process. A person had to first file an administrative claim with the Department of the Navy, handled by the Judge Advocate General (JAG). If the Navy denied the claim, or did not resolve it within six months, the claimant could then file suit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, the only court authorized to hear these cases. The law used an "as likely as not" standard for tying an illness to the exposure and waived the government's sovereign immunity and certain state time limits for this narrow purpose. Critically, the CLJA allowed claims to be filed only within two years of enactment. That window closed on August 10, 2024. The Navy has confirmed it is no longer accepting new CLJA claims, so a person who did not file an administrative claim by that date is now generally barred from doing so.

Note: Deadlines like this are strict and the CLJA deadline has already passed. Anyone uncertain whether a claim was timely filed should consult a licensed attorney rather than assume; this page does not and cannot determine any individual's deadline or rights.

The status of filed claims (as of June 2026)

The volume of CLJA filings was large. Public reporting and government statements indicate that roughly 400,000 administrative claims were submitted to the Navy before the deadline, and more than 3,700 lawsuits were filed in the Eastern District of North Carolina. To move cases more quickly, the Justice Department and the Department of the Navy announced a voluntary Elective Option on September 6, 2023. It offers tiered settlement amounts for claimants who meet exposure and diagnosis criteria: Tier 1 conditions, for which ATSDR found stronger causation evidence (such as kidney cancer, liver cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, leukemia, and bladder cancer), carry offers reported at $150,000 to $450,000 depending on length of exposure, and Tier 2 conditions carry lower tiers, with an additional amount in death cases. The Elective Option is voluntary, and claimants can instead pursue litigation. In a March 10, 2026 announcement, the Justice Department reported that 2,531 Elective Option settlement offers had been approved since the option was announced in 2023, totaling approximately $708 million, a small fraction of total filings, and the litigation in the Eastern District of North Carolina remained active. On June 30, 2026, the four district judges presiding over the consolidated litigation entered an order reappointing the plaintiffs' leadership group through October 30, 2026 and stating that the court expects that group and the Justice Department to use their best efforts to achieve a global settlement by that date. A further order of September 29, 2026 kept that October 30, 2026 best-efforts expectation in place while reappointing the same leadership group for a full further year, to October 30, 2027, and making the weekly settlement-master meetings open-ended. In that order the court found that "progress toward a global settlement is being made" and that additional work is needed to complete the settlement discussions and implement any global settlement achieved, so as of early October 2026 no global settlement has been reached. The same order requires appropriate counsel for the leadership group and the Justice Department to meet weekly with the court-appointed settlement masters, in person or by videoconference, with no exception for any week unless the settlement masters approve one in writing. A date the court sets as a goal is not a guarantee that a global settlement will be reached, it does not fix what any individual claim is worth, and it does not reopen the filing window that closed in 2024. Status changes frequently, so the current posture should be confirmed before relying on any figure.

Who was affected

The people covered by the CLJA generally include those who lived, worked, or were otherwise present at Camp Lejeune or Marine Corps Air Station New River for at least 30 days between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987, and later developed an illness associated with the contaminants. That can include Marines and other service members, their spouses and children who lived on base, people who were in utero during a parent's residence there, and civilian employees. Separately and independently of the CLJA, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs offers disability and health-care benefits for certain Camp Lejeune presumptive conditions; those VA benefits are a different program with their own rules and are not subject to the CLJA's closed litigation window.

How to evaluate your options

Because the CLJA filing window has closed, the practical questions now mostly concern claims that were already filed: their status, the choice between the Elective Option and continued litigation, and related matters such as benefit offsets. If you filed a CLJA administrative claim or lawsuit, or you are unsure whether one was filed on your behalf, the appropriate step is to speak with a licensed attorney who handles these cases. An attorney can review the file, explain where a claim stands, and advise on options; this page cannot do that. It can help to gather any records you have, including proof of residence or service at the base during the covered years, the administrative claim or court filing, and medical records confirming a diagnosis. Most attorneys in this area offer a free, confidential consultation and work on a contingency basis, meaning a fee is generally owed only if there is a recovery. A consultation creates no obligation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Camp Lejeune lawsuit about?

It involves claims that people exposed to contaminated drinking water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987 developed cancers and other illnesses. The Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022, enacted as part of the PACT Act, created a special federal claim against the United States for that harm. It is a statutory program against the government, not a product-liability MDL.

Can I still file a Camp Lejeune claim?

Generally no. The Camp Lejeune Justice Act gave a two-year window to file, and that window closed on August 10, 2024. The Department of the Navy is no longer accepting new claims, so new CLJA claims are generally time-barred. Anyone unsure whether a claim was filed in time should consult a licensed attorney rather than assume.

What was the filing deadline?

The deadline to file a Camp Lejeune Justice Act claim was August 10, 2024, two years after the PACT Act was signed on August 10, 2022. That date has passed, and the filing window is closed.

Is there a settlement?

There is a voluntary settlement framework. In September 2023 the Justice Department and the Navy announced the Elective Option, which offers tiered amounts for certain qualifying diagnoses and exposure lengths. It is voluntary, claimants can instead litigate in the Eastern District of North Carolina, and as of June 2026 only a fraction of filed claims had been resolved. There is no global settlement of the litigation. A June 30, 2026 order told the plaintiffs' leadership group and the Justice Department to use best efforts to reach one by October 30, 2026 and required weekly meetings with the settlement masters, and a September 29, 2026 order kept that date while finding that progress toward a global settlement is being made and that more work is needed. A target date is not a settlement. On a separate track, the court set the first CLJA bench trials in September 2026 and reset them on September 16, 2026: Mousser v. United States, a kidney cancer case, is now set for October 26, 2026 and Fancher for November 9, 2026. There is no single universal payout, and amounts are not guaranteed.

How much are Camp Lejeune claims worth?

There is no guaranteed amount. The government's Elective Option lists tiered figures for qualifying claims based on the diagnosis and the length of exposure, but eligibility depends on the specific facts, many claims are still unresolved, and accepting an offer is a choice. Past figures do not promise any outcome for any individual.

How are CLJA claims different from VA benefits?

They are separate. The Camp Lejeune Justice Act allows a one-time lawsuit-type claim against the United States and had a deadline that has now passed. VA disability and health-care benefits for Camp Lejeune presumptive conditions are a different, ongoing program with their own eligibility rules and are not governed by the CLJA's closed window.

What is the Elective Option?

It is a voluntary settlement track the Justice Department and the Navy announced on September 6, 2023, to resolve qualifying Camp Lejeune claims faster than full litigation. It offers tiered payments for claimants who meet exposure and diagnosis criteria, with Tier 1 covering diseases for which ATSDR found stronger causation evidence. Claimants are not required to accept it.

Do I have to pay upfront?

Most attorneys handling Camp Lejeune matters offer a free, confidential consultation and work on a contingency basis, meaning a fee is generally owed only if there is a recovery. Federal law caps attorney fees in Federal Tort Claims Act cases, but the Camp Lejeune Justice Act itself contains no attorney-fee provision, and whether the FTCA cap reaches CLJA claims is not settled by the statute. A Senate bill introduced in March 2025 would add a 20 to 25 percent cap, but it has not been enacted. Confirm the specific terms with any attorney you consult.