Marine Reservist Bob Miranda-Boulay has a number of medical conditions he says stemmed from drinking the toxic water at Camp Lejeune 21 years ago.
It’s taken three years of waiting and filing VA claims — and today was the first time he found out that he’d actually get seen for an assessment.
Boulay’s attorney says this isn’t surprising; there are more than 28,000 pending claims at the Bay Pines Service Center alone.
Boulay suffers from kidney, liver, heart and neurological disorders. His private doctors believe the cause of those issues stems from the toxic water at Camp Lejeune, but the VA has denied any connection to his medical conditions.
“The so-called expert in this case was from a medical center in Texas who personally never examined Mr. Boulay,” said his attorney David Cory.
Boulay was at the peak of his health as an amateur boxer those two months he spent as a Marine Reserves recruit aboard Lejeune.
The VA concedes that thousands of Marines and their family members were exposed to the toxic water supply 1953-1987, but the VA says that Boulay doesn’t qualify since he wasn’t called up for active duty.
“Since I was a reservist I was treated like a second class citizen no doubt about it,” Boulay said.
“I feel like a little bit of justice today we’re going to see what the decision is,” said Boulay. “It means my wife and children will have a life they deserve—really, since I’ve been sick I haven’t been there like I should have been.” “He’s unable to work he needs compensation just to support his family that’s what it’s about,” said Cory.
Boulay looks back on his service in the Marine Reserves with mixed feelings. “Semper fi, do or die, always faithful and we were faithful,” Boulay said. “The motto needs to change or they need to honor the motto and be faithful again to us.”
