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Camp Lejeune Settlement Calculator

Estimate a Camp Lejeune settlement in seconds. Enter your numbers below for an instant low-to-high range.

The filing deadline has passed

Administrative claims had to be presented to the Department of the Navy by August 10, 2024. The Navy no longer accepts new claims. This tool is for people whose claim was already filed. If a filed claim was denied, you generally have 180 days from the denial to file suit in federal court.

This is not an estimate. The Elective Option pays a fixed amount published by the Department of Justice and the Department of the Navy, set by your injury tier and how long you were exposed. Open Advanced to check the onset and latency requirements.

The deadline to file has already passed

The Camp Lejeune Justice Act required an administrative claim to be presented to the Department of the Navy by August 10, 2024. The Navy no longer accepts new claims. This page is for people whose claim was already filed. If a filed claim was denied, you generally have 180 days from the date of denial to file suit in federal court.

Unlike almost every settlement calculator, this one does not estimate. The Department of Justice and the Department of the Navy publish a fixed payout schedule, called the Elective Option. Your offer is determined by two things only: which tier your illness falls in, and how long you were at Camp Lejeune. We look up the exact published figure.

The official Camp Lejeune Elective Option payout amounts

These are the amounts published in the DOJ and Navy Public Guidance on the Elective Option, issued September 6, 2023. They are not averages, projections, or our opinion.

30 to 364 days1 year to 5 yearsMore than 5 years
Tier 1 injury$150,000$300,000$450,000
Tier 2 injury$100,000$250,000$400,000

If the qualifying injury resulted in death, an additional $100,000 is offered. The maximum Elective Option offer is $550,000.

Which illnesses qualify, and in which tier

The tiers reflect how strong the ATSDR found the evidence of a causal link to the contaminated water. Tier 1 injuries have "sufficient" evidence. Tier 2 injuries were assessed at "equipoise and above."

Tier 1 (higher payout)Tier 2
Kidney cancerMultiple myeloma
Liver cancerParkinson's disease
Non-Hodgkin lymphomaKidney disease / end stage renal disease
LeukemiasSystemic sclerosis / systemic scleroderma
Bladder cancer

Two clarifications people miss

Kidney disease counts if it reached stage 4 or stage 5 chronic kidney disease, not just end stage renal disease. Lower stages, and renal toxicity on its own, do not qualify. Separately, cardiac birth defects are not included in the Elective Option even though the ATSDR found sufficient evidence of causation, because they are too varied to evaluate on a schedule.

The four eligibility requirements

Every one of these must be met. The calculator checks all four and tells you which one fails.

1

At least 30 days at Camp Lejeune, between 1953 and 1987

You must have resided or worked at the base for at least 30 days between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987. Exposure in utero counts, through your mother's presence.

2

Diagnosed or treated before August 10, 2022

The Act applies only to a claim that accrued before it was enacted, so the illness must have been first diagnosed or treated before that date.

3

The 2 to 35 year latency window

The earliest diagnosis or treatment must be at least 2 years after your first exposure, and no more than 35 years after your last exposure.

4

An administrative claim filed with the Navy by August 10, 2024

This is the gate that now closes most cases. Without a timely filed administrative claim, the Elective Option is not available.

What a lawyer can actually charge you

This is the part most Camp Lejeune websites do not tell you, because it costs them money.

Fees are capped by statute at 20% or 25%

The Department of Justice takes the position that the Federal Tort Claims Act fee cap at 28 U.S.C. 2678 applies to all Camp Lejeune claims. A contingency fee cannot exceed 20% for an administrative claim, or 25% for a suit filed in court. A firm quoting you 33% or 40% on a Camp Lejeune case is quoting above the cap that the government says applies, and the statute carries fines and penalties for violations.

OfferFee at 20% (administrative)You keep
$150,000$30,000$120,000
$300,000$60,000$240,000
$450,000$90,000$360,000
$550,000$110,000$440,000

Your VA benefits are safe under the Elective Option

Accepting an Elective Option offer does not affect your VA benefits, and the settlement is not reduced by a VA offset or lien. Claimants who already receive VA healthcare or disability benefits related to Camp Lejeune can also rely on those benefits to help establish eligibility.

That is a real advantage over going to trial. If you decline the Elective Option and proceed in court, a statutory offset for VA benefits already paid would apply to any recovery you win.

Should you accept the Elective Option?

Guaranteed and fast, versus uncertain and slow

The Elective Option trades size for certainty. An accepted offer is guaranteed payment. Litigation might produce more, or considerably less, and the first bellwether trials have taken years to reach. As of June 15, 2026, the DOJ reported that Camp Lejeune settlement offers exceeded $907 million and payouts exceeded $723 million, against more than 400,000 administrative claims filed. Most claims are still unresolved.

Worked examples

Each is a direct lookup from the published grid, not an estimate.

Bladder cancer, 3 years at Camp Lejeune

Tier 1

Tier 1 injury, 1 to 5 years of exposure. Elective Option offer: $300,000. After the 20% administrative fee cap, you keep $240,000.

Parkinson's disease, 8 months at Camp Lejeune

Tier 2

Tier 2 injury, 30 to 364 days of exposure. Elective Option offer: $100,000. After the 20% cap, you keep $80,000.

Kidney cancer, 7 years, resulted in death

Maximum offer

Tier 1, more than 5 years, plus the $100,000 death benefit: $450,000 + $100,000 = $550,000, the published maximum. After the 20% cap, the family keeps $440,000.

Where these numbers come from

Everything on this page is taken from primary government sources, not from law firm marketing pages:

  • The payout grid, the tier lists, the death benefit, the $550,000 maximum, and the eligibility gates come from the DOJ and Navy Public Guidance on the Elective Option for Camp Lejeune Justice Act Claims (issued September 6, 2023, updated September 15, 2023), and its FAQ (updated January 21, 2025).
  • The attorney fee caps come from the DOJ's published notice to Camp Lejeune attorneys, applying 28 U.S.C. 2678.
  • The settlement totals come from the DOJ Civil Division's Camp Lejeune Justice Act Claims page.

Rules and figures can change. Confirm your situation with a lawyer who handles CLJA claims, and do not rely on this page as legal advice.

Frequently asked questions

Can I still file a Camp Lejeune claim?

No. The Camp Lejeune Justice Act required an administrative claim to be presented to the Department of the Navy by August 10, 2024, and the Navy no longer accepts new claims. If your claim was filed on time and later denied, you generally have 180 days from the date of that denial to file suit in federal court. Any website suggesting you can still start a new claim is out of date.

How much is the Camp Lejeune Elective Option worth?

It is a fixed published amount, not an estimate. For a Tier 1 injury it is $150,000 for 30 to 364 days of exposure, $300,000 for 1 to 5 years, and $450,000 for more than 5 years. For a Tier 2 injury it is $100,000, $250,000, and $400,000 for those same periods. If the qualifying injury caused death, an additional $100,000 is offered, making the maximum Elective Option offer $550,000.

Which illnesses qualify, and what is the difference between Tier 1 and Tier 2?

Tier 1 covers kidney cancer, liver cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, leukemias, and bladder cancer, where the ATSDR found sufficient evidence of a causal link. Tier 2 covers multiple myeloma, Parkinson’s disease, kidney disease or end stage renal disease, and systemic sclerosis or scleroderma, where the evidence was found to be at equipoise and above. Kidney disease includes stage 4 and stage 5 chronic kidney disease. Cardiac birth defects are not included in the Elective Option.

What are the eligibility requirements?

You must have resided or worked at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987, including exposure in utero. The injury must have been first diagnosed or treated before August 10, 2022. The earliest diagnosis or treatment must be at least 2 years after your first exposure and no more than 35 years after your last exposure. And an administrative claim must have been properly presented to the Navy.

How much can a lawyer charge for a Camp Lejeune case?

Less than most people expect. The Department of Justice takes the position that the Federal Tort Claims Act fee cap applies, so a contingency fee cannot exceed 20% on an administrative claim or 25% on a suit filed in court. Those are statutory ceilings. A firm charging 33% or 40% on a Camp Lejeune case is charging more than the government says is permitted.

Will accepting the Elective Option affect my VA benefits?

No. Per the official guidance, accepting an Elective Option offer does not affect your VA benefits, and the settlement is not reduced by a VA offset or lien. That is a meaningful advantage over going to trial, where a statutory offset for VA benefits paid would apply to any recovery.