Former Marine reservist Bob Boulay says those three months he trained at Camp Lejeune cost him his health.
The VA estimates some 120 to 130 thousand reservists trained at Camp Lejeune between the 1950's and 1980's.
But in a 2014 benefits denial letter to Boulay, the VA excluded every one of them: "....you only served in the United States Army Reserve. This will not satisfy the eligibility requirement for VA health care benefits."
Boulay says it was as if his 8 years in reserve duty did not count. He felt betrayed by the government he served.
In early 2015 we exposed the loophole that left out Boulay and countless others sickened by the toxic water at the camp. It caught the attention of Congressman Gus Bilirakis who serves as the vice chair on the Veterans Affairs Committee.
Congressman Bilirakis pushed the VA secretary for expanded benefits for the reservists and others who served at the camp.
Now nearly two years later a $2 billion proposal to pay troops who suffered certain sicknesses is weeks from becoming law.
A fight that is far from over. The Camp Lejeune Health Care Act covered 15 different illnesses related to the toxic water. The new rule covers pay for just 8. Attorney Richard Hurley who represents dozens of sick veterans says it doesn't go far enough.
Click here to see the illnesses covered by health care versus those covered by the new rule that will pay out disability benefits.
