I have to take issue with the Camp Lejeune Justice Act. While I believe it is well-intentioned, there is a glaring issue that disqualifies otherwise qualified Marines.
I am a 77-year-old retired Marine. I am currently dealing with five Agent Orange-related illnesses.
In 2023, I was diagnosed with two more illnesses also listed in the Camp Lejeune Justice Act. I meet all eligibility requirements to file a claim. However, my lawyers will not file my claim because of the way the act is written.
The act specifically states that eligibility for compensation ‘shall apply only to a claim accruing before the date of enactment of this Act.’
This one sentence eliminates me from filing a claim under the act. The Camp Lejeune Justice Act was signed into law on Aug.
10, 2022. This is the key date to remember.
In April of 2023, I was diagnosed with leukemia.
In June of 2023, I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Both are Camp Lejeune-related illnesses.
However, because I was diagnosed after Aug. 10, 2022, my claim would not be accepted. The basic unfairness of this is glaring. Assume that a person met all qualifications to file a claim. If that person were diagnosed with a qualifying illness on or before Aug. 9, 2022, he or she could file a claim. If that person were diagnosed with a qualifying illness on or after Aug. 10, 2022, he or she could not file a claim.
I seriously doubt that I am the only person affected by this. All it would take to correct it would be to eliminate that sentence.
The other kicker in this is that qualified individuals cannot file after the deadline, which is two years from the passing of the act.
I have contacted Sens. Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski, as well as Rep. Mary Peltola. Sullivan’s office is trying to help. I have never even received an acknowledgment from Murkowski or Peltola.
Will anyone do anything to fix this? I have my doubts. Sullivan’s office is trying, and I appreciate their efforts more than they know, but in the busyness of politics, I feel it’s probably a low priority — c’est la vie.
— Martin P. Delfino
Anchorage
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