Former Lejeune Marine receiving partial disability due to water contamination

A former Camp Lejeune Marine who received partial disability benefits because of exposure to contaminated water on base believes other veterans should go to their doctors to get their claims substantiated.

John Hartung of Waukesha, Wis., was awarded a 30-percent disability from the Veterans Benefits Administration last month after his doctor drafted and signed a “nexus letter” verifying his medical belief that Hartung’s ailments were more likely than not caused by exposure to toxic water.

Hartung was stationed at Lejeune for six months in 1977 and said he “got sick right away” after exposure to base water, which contained significant amounts of leaked solvents including TCE and PCE between the 1950s and the 1980s. Hartung said he developed large cysts on the back of his neck as well as chronic fatigue and was discharged from the Marine Corps in 1978 because of continuing medical problems.

Hartung said he learned about the possibility of writing a nexus letter from Terry Dyer, a Wilmington resident who lived on Camp Lejeune as a civilian and now runs a Web site, watersurvivors.com, that reaches out to other former Lejeune residents who believe their medical problems can be linked to the water.

Dyer said she links to information about drafting a letter on the Web site links page and in the newsletters she sends out.

“It’s a welcome, exciting time for us,” she said of Hartung’s success in securing benefits.

“My doctors believe me 100 percent and are behind me 100 percent,” Hartung said. He said that he is not stopping with 30 percent of his benefits, but will continue to work with his doctor on letters specific to the various other ailments he has identified, including bone spurs and degenerative joint disease, to get full coverage.

Jerry Ensminger, a Richlands resident and former Marine who works full-time to lobby for legislation that will grant VA healthcare to all who were affected by contact with Lejeune water, said he believes the number of veterans who have been granted benefits because of ties to the base is small.

“Every case is different,” he said. “You’re not going to find a doctor who’s going to sign a letter for everybody for every type of ailment they have.”

Ensminger said the process of trying to prove a case for healthcare individually is prohibitive for most veterans.

“What we’re trying to do with this legislation is to try to take these hoops and hurdles away from the people so they don’t have to deal with this stuff,” he said. “The only hurdle these people will have to clear is to prove they were at Camp Lejeune during the years of contamination.”

Two pieces of legislation concerning Camp Lejeune veterans and toxic water are now in the U.S. Legislature. An amendment that would prevent the military from adjudicating water cases until water testing is complete has passed the Senate and is now in conference committee, with action expected near the end of this week. And a bill, the Caring for Camp Lejeune Veterans Act, which would grant VA healthcare to all with links to the contaminated water, is in the Senate Veteran’s Affairs Committee.

North Carolina Congressman Brad Miller is expected to introduce a companion bill in the House in coming weeks.

Meanwhile, the number of former Lejeune residents who have the rare condition of male breast cancer that they’ve been able to locate has increased to 51, Ensminger said.

Contact Hope Hodge at 910-219-9453 or at hhodge@freedomenc.com.