I’m a Camp LeJeune victim, born there in 1969. I read the article about the Camp LeJeune veteran. Yes, there is a cutoff date in the law for when claims accrue. CLJA Section 804(j)(1). A claim must accrue before the date when the act was enacted, and that date is 8/10/22. The confusion is about what accrue means. Accrual means when the plaintiff suffered an injury. Think of it like planting a tree. The acorn falling to the ground is the accrual because that’s the event that later caused the tree to grow. If the cancer a person has is discovered after the date the law was passed but the cause was prior to the enactment of Camp LeJeune Justice Act, I believe such a claim accrued prior to the enactment.

Otherwise, if accrual meant when the full blossoming of the injury manifested, then all of these people who died after the Act was passed would not be eligible for wrongful death, but that’s just not true. If you served at Camp LeJeune from 8/1/53 to 12/31/87, I strongly suggest contacting legal counsel and claim any condition that you have that you even think may be related. These toxins cause problems all throughout the body and there is no exhaustive list of what is covered. If you are not satisfied with what the lawyers are saying, file your claim yourself and wait for the Navy to respond. You have that right. The form can be found at the U.S. Navy website for Camp LeJeune Justice Act (navy.mil/clja/) I wish all a rapid justice.

Andrew Straw

Garden City, Idaho