Division of Federal Employees' Compensation (DFEC)
On August 6, 2012, the President signed the "Honoring America's Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012" ("Camp Lejeune Act"), which in part provides for medical care for veterans and their families who were exposed to contaminated water while stationed in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Passage of this legislation has stimulated inquiries concerning FECA coverage for employees and former employees employed at Camp Lejeune. A federal employee would be entitled to FECA benefits for a timely claimed medical condition caused by water contamination at Camp Lejeune if he or she was exposed to such water contamination in the performance of their duty (such as by drinking such water while at work) and could provide medical evidence that such exposure caused, contributed to or aggravated that medical condition.
In a case of latent disability or condition such as a cancer due to occupational exposure, the time for filing a claim does not begin to run until the employee has a condition or compensable disability and is aware, or by the exercise of reasonable diligence should have been aware, of the causal relationship between his or her employment and the compensable condition/ disability to his employment. In such a case, the time for giving notice of injury begins to run when the employee is aware, or by the exercise of reasonable diligence should have been aware, that the condition is causally related to his employment.
If you were a civilian federal employee working for the Department of the Navy or another federal employer at Camp Lejeune, and believe that you have an occupational disease illness caused by exposure to contaminated water there, you may contact the FECA Jacksonville District Office at the following address for more information:
U.S. Dept. of Labor, OWCP, DFEC
Charles E. Bennett Federal Building
400 West Bay Street, Room 826
Jacksonville, FL 32202
(904) 366-0100
Fax: (904) 366-0101
All Camp Lejeune cases will be carefully and fully developed by OWCP and every effort will be made to closely coordinate with the employer to verify exposure and assist in FECA claims development.
Other helpful web links can be found at the following addresses:
The US Department of Veterans Affairs web page is located at:
http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/camp-lejeune/index.asp
For additional information, visit the Marine Corps website dedicated to Camp Lejeune at:
https://clnr.hqi.usmc.mil/clwater/home.html
and the Center for Disease Control's Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry website at:
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/lejeune/index.html