This bill makes updates to the Camp Lejeune Justice Act to make it clearer and fairer for people harmed by the base’s contaminated water. It explains what proof is needed, allows jury trials, speeds up cases, and sets limits on attorney fees. It also says when benefits like VA, Medicare, or Medicaid may reduce a payout, and when they won’t. The changes apply as if they started on August 10, 2022, and do not change the filing deadline rules already in place .

Key points:

• Who is affected: People who spent at least 30 days at Camp Lejeune and suffered harm linked to the water, including harm that appears later or could appear in the future .
• What proof is needed: You must show a relationship between the type of contaminant and your type of harm, with evidence strong enough to conclude a causal link exists or is at least as likely as not .
• How cases are handled: A jury trial is available on request. Courts must move these cases forward quickly. Pretrial matters are coordinated in the Eastern District of North Carolina, but a case can be transferred to any federal court in the Fourth Circuit for pretrial and trial .
• Payments and offsets: If you settle before filing a lawsuit, your award won’t be reduced by VA, Medicare, or Medicaid benefits. If you settle or win after filing, your award may be reduced by related disability payments allowed by law .
• Attorney fees: Capped at 20% for pre-suit settlements and 25% for judgments or settlements after filing; fee splits must match the work each lawyer did, and clients can agree to pay less than these caps .
• Timing: Applies retroactively to August 10, 2022, and covers pending and future claims. It does not change the existing statute of limitations rules for these cases .