The federal government has admitted that it is responsible for knowingly exposing hundreds of thousands of Marines and Sailors, and their families, to contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune, for decades. It settled some claims, but is making survivors with other claims litigate damages. That is an absolute slap in the face to ALL servicemen and women. Settle all claims without litigation, not just a handful of them.
Also, remove all time limitations. If the veterans or their family members contracted a disease due to contaminated drinking water, they should be compensated regardless of how long it took for the disease to manifest. Stop the gamesmanship of time limitations and do the right thing.
Also, law firms that are representing those that are eligible to file a claim ask for permission to file an Administrative Claim on behalf of the veteran/family member, in addition to filing a legal claim/lawsuit. Lawyers are entitled to a 35-40% contingency fee for lawsuits when there is a significant amount of work involved for just one case. The judge handling his litigation has already determined that only a few “sample” cases will go to rial to determine damages for specific categories of injuries.
Also, liability has been conceded by he federal government. The hard part is over. If the government decides to settle more claims without going to trial to determine damages, as it already has done for several categories of injuries, a fee of 35-40% would amount to a windfall for the lawyers.
Pass legislation to prohibit lawyers from collecting more than $100 on administrative claims, or in cases that do not go to trial. There is precedence for this. A veteran cannot be charged more than $10 for help in filing a disability claim.