Veterans have long dealt with a benefit offset when pursing medical malpractice claims against the Department of Veterans Affairs. You cannot collect twice for the same injury under Federal Tort Claims Act and 38 USC § 1151 for benefits. Camp Lejeune veterans and many civilians need to be aware of possible offset issues that may arise if their lawsuit is successful under the new law.

Pasini, 73, enlisted in March of 1968. He was discharged in 1970 after serving in Vietnam and Okinawa, his health slowly deteriorating soon after.

“I’d been in Camp Lejeune… and in Vietnam areas that could’ve been sprayed with Agent Orange, so I developed primary progressive multiple sclerosis,” he said.

So I started digging into the regulations and reports. It was all online. There was the Army Regulation saying “no burn pits.” It was pretty easy to map out the story. You’re not allowed to burn a fire in your backyard in the United States, right? This is 240 tons and an open pit. So it really wasn’t that hard of a story to report out. But no one else had done it.