I. Candidate Professor Lent C. Carr, II's Veterans Issue Platform & Statement: “Justice. Accountability. Action.”

Chancellor and Professor Lent C. Carr, II, In Concentrated Research Mode at ECEI University

Preamble (Lent Carr’s Declaration):

“I am Lent Carr. I have walked alongside veterans in the halls of advocacy and in the trenches of their unmet needs—as one of several founding members, and director of Senior Veterans of America, and former director of the Iraqi Homeless Veterans Foundation. I know what it means to be betrayed by systems that promised service and delivered silence. I pledge: no more waiting. No more red tape. No more profiteering off their pain. Once elected, I will lead with urgency to repair the breach between promise and delivery. Our veterans and exposed civilians will not be left to die in obscurity while bureaucrats pass the buck. The Emergency Compensation Act will cut through every obstacle, compensate every eligible victim retroactively by January 1, 2028, and build a legal and administrative machine that serves them—not the other way around.”

II. Diagnosis: What Has Failed—and Why the Emergency is Real

A. Camp Lejeune Water Contamination

• From 1953 to 1987, drinking water at Camp Lejeune was contaminated with volatile organic compounds (including trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene, benzene) linked to cancers, neurological disorders, birth defects, and other serious illnesses. Veterans Affairs

• The Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022, folded into the PACT Act framework, authorized new claims, yet administrative backlogs remain enormous: as of early 2025 there were over 408,000 pending administrative claims and nearly 3,000 federal lawsuits filed, with only a tiny fraction resolved. Lawsuit Information CenterLawsuit Legal News

• The process remains mired in delay: discovery disputes, slow trial scheduling, and procedural friction have kept actual compensation from reaching those dying of related illnesses. Reporters and advocates document veterans and family members waiting years—some dying before receiving a dime. ReutersThe Washington Post

• Human cost: Former Marine reservist Gunnery Sergeant Richard Corley died in June 2025 from esophageal cancer while still awaiting compensation; he had filed a claim 16 months earlier, exemplifying the lethal consequences of delay. New York Post

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Composite image: Richard Corley in a Green Marine's Shirt and a Red Hat; Inset, an Older Photo of Corley as a Young Sergeant on Duty Manning the Phone at Camp Lejeune

B. Agent Orange & Toxic Exposure (Including Broader PACT Act Issues)

• The PACT Act (2022) significantly expanded presumptive conditions tied to Agent Orange and other toxic exposures, including adding hypertension and dozens of cancers, delivering benefits to millions; yet implementation has been uneven, and veterans still face bureaucratic friction and delays in obtaining well-earned disability compensation. DAVVeterans Affairs Senate CommitteeVA Claims Insider

• VA internal reviews have flagged delays in benefits claims processing, even for presumptive conditions, where veterans still endure uncertainty while their ailments worsen. VAOIG

• Families, surviving dependents, and veterans with delayed access to care or compensation face cascading financial hardship, mental health strain, and loss of trust in institutions that were supposed to protect them. Veterans Affairs Senate Committee

C. Systemic Political & Administrative Failure

• Despite numerous public commitments from elected officials to “support veterans,” the scale and persistence of these backlogs reflect a failure of execution, oversight, and accountability at the congressional and administrative level. Congressman Richard HudsonCongressman Richard Hudson

• Veterans have repeatedly voiced frustration that “promises” are not matched by outcomes; the gap between rhetoric and tangible relief has eroded confidence. The Washington Post

III. The Emergency Compensation Act for Toxic Exposure Veterans and Civilians

Short Title: Emergency Compensation Act

Purpose: To immediately expedite, guarantee, and finalize just compensation for all veterans and civilian victims of toxic exposure—specifically including Camp Lejeune water contamination and Agent Orange/dioxin exposure—by removing procedural bottlenecks, capping exploitative fees, creating legal support infrastructure, and mandating delivery of all eligible compensation retroactively no later than January 1, 2028.

§1. Findings

Congress finds that:

• Veterans and civilians exposed to toxic substances through no fault of their own (Camp Lejeune water contamination and Agent Orange) have suffered long-term health harms and premature death. Veterans AffairsVeterans Affairs

• Existing processes have resulted in severe delays, administrative backlogs, and avoidable human suffering. Lawsuit Information CenterReuters

• Current legal and claims procedures, including the requirement for sequential administrative claims and slow litigation, are causing additional harm, including death before resolution. New York Post

• Attorney fee structures in some cases have led to diminished net recovery for victims; streamlined, publicly-backed legal representation is essential to ensure access and fairness.

§2. Definitions

• “Eligible claimant” means any veteran, family member, or civilian who meets exposure criteria under Camp Lejeune Justice Act or Agent Orange-related presumptions as codified in existing VA regulations. Veterans AffairsVeterans Affairs

• “Rapid Response Legal Counsel Team” means a federally funded, non-profit legal network designated to represent claimants without excessive contingency extraction.

• “Emergency Compensation Office (ECO)” means the special office created by this Act within the Department of Veterans Affairs (in coordination with the Department of the Navy for Camp Lejeune) to administer and guarantee timelines.

§3. Establishment of Emergency Compensation Office (ECO)

• ECO shall have independent authority to:

  • Immediately audit and prioritize all existing eligible claims.

  • Provide interim automatic payments within 30 days to claimants with documented serious illness pending final adjudication, based on presumptive exposure.

  • Waive duplicative procedural hurdles (e.g., redundant documentation) for claimants with medical and service evidence.

  • Assign and coordinate with the Rapid Response Legal Counsel Team for representation when needed.

§4. Expedited Adjudication and Mandatory Deadline

• All remaining eligible claimants shall receive a definitive compensation determination and, if approved, full award retroactively no later than January 1, 2028.

• For claimants denied, a fast-track appeal panel will be available with a decision required within 60 days of appeal filing.

§5. Legal Representation Reform

• Creation of a Rapid Response Legal Counsel Network:

  • Federally funded legal clinics and appointed counsel, prioritized to underserved/vulnerable claimants.

  • Cap on contingency attorney fees for private representation in these exposure claims to a reasonable percentage (e.g., maximum 15%), with transparency and pre-approval, unless the claimant voluntarily chooses otherwise after clear disclosure.

  • Encourage pro bono partnerships; provide bonuses/incentives to public interest law firms that take cases under fixed, fair-fee structures.

§6. Oversight, Transparency, and Accountability

• ECO must publish a weekly public dashboard tracking: number of claims pending, interim payments made, final adjudications, denials, appeals, and the status of meeting the January 1, 2028, deadline.

• An independent Veteran Oversight Board, composed of exposed veterans, medical experts, and legal advocates, will have access to audit, recommend, and publicly report discrepancies or derailments.

§7. Funding

• Immediate emergency appropriation to cover interim payments, full award backlogs, staffing for ECO, and the legal network.

• Reallocation authority to draw from inefficiencies in overlapping toxic exposure administrative programs to avoid delays in funding flow.

§8. Enforcement

• Failure of ECO to meet deadlines triggers mandatory report and intervention by a bicameral congressional committee with expedited authority to correct procedural bottlenecks.

• Whistleblower protections for staff and veterans who expose obstructive practices.

IV. The Rapid Response Legal Counsel Team (RR-LCT)

Mission: Eliminate attorney predation, provide immediate counsel, and get veterans and civilians through the claim-to-compensation pipeline without delay.

Key components:

• Regional Legal Response Hubs in affected states (starting with North Carolina) staffed by a blend of federal-funded attorneys, trained veteran peer advocates, and medical claim navigators.

• Mobile Legal Outreach for rural, disabled, or homebound claimants.

• Legal “Clearinghouse” Hotline that triages exposure claims, confirms eligibility, and instantly connects claimants to representation and interim relief.

• Attorney Accountability Unit to ensure fairness, transparency in fees, and performance evaluations of private law firms participating.

V. Accountability Contrast (Fact-Based)

Lent Carr will hold elected officials accountable to the people they claim to serve. While many representatives—including those who publicly affirm “support for veterans”—have seen these systemic failures persist, the issue is not merely rhetoric versus policy; it is action versus delay. The massive backlog in Camp Lejeune and Agent Orange claims, and reports of veterans dying before resolution, demonstrate that existing political leadership has not yet delivered the timely justice the victims were promised. ReutersThe Washington PostNew York PostCongressman Richard HudsonCongressman Richard Hudson

Lent Carr’s promise is to replace delay with deadline, promises with delivery, and bureaucracy with a people-first execution engine.

VI. Implementation Milestones

1. First 30 days after swearing in:

   • Issue executive directive launching ECO.

   • Begin interim payments to terminal and seriously ill claimants.

   • Deploy the first regional Rapid Response Legal Counsel Hubs in North Carolina and other heavily impacted states.

2. 60–180 days:

   • Full audit of all pending claims.

   • Public dashboard operational.

   • Fast-track appeals panel created.

3. By Jan 1, 2028:

   • All eligible claimants compensated retroactively or provided clear, appealable determinations.

   • Legal network transition to sustained-support model for future toxic exposures.

VII. Messaging Pillars (for public-facing materials, adaptable)

• “Justice Delayed is Justice Denied.” Veterans and families have waited decades; Lent Carr will make the government deliver by a concrete date.

• “No More Profit on Their Pain.” Capping excessive legal fees while building a publicly supported legal advocacy system ensures veterans keep what they earned.

• “Science, Service, and Speed.” Exposures have caused real disease. We will act with the urgency of a health crisis, using evidence-based presumptions and rapid administration. Veterans AffairsVeterans Affairs

• “Accountability Built In.” Weekly transparency, independent oversight, and enforceable deadlines mean this time, nobody gets left behind.

VIII. Why Lent Carr Is the Champion

• Track record: Founder/Director of Senior Veterans of America and former Director of the Iraqi Homeless Veterans Foundation—he’s not coming to talk about veterans; he’s spent his life in their fight.

• Moral authority: Carr’s leadership is grounded in lived advocacy, not opportunistic use of veterans’ issues as campaign props.

• Operational plan: A ready bill on day one, a legal network to go with it, targeted deadlines, and public scoreboard—this is policy with teeth.

IX. Call to Action

“Veterans don’t need another promise. They need a plan, a deadline, and a champion who will force the machine to work. I will be that champion. The Emergency Compensation Act will be introduced in the first session, the legal teams will be standing by, and we will deliver compensation to every eligible veteran and civilian exposed—no more stalling, no more excuses. On Day One, the fight begins. By January 1, 2028, we will have made it right.”

Selected Load-Bearing Sources

• Camp Lejeune backlog, delays, and human impact (including veteran deaths waiting for claims). Lawsuit Information CenterLawsuit Legal NewsThe Washington PostNew York Post

• Structural procedural challenges and need for expedited resolution. Reuters

• VA toxic exposure benefit expansions and residual implementation delays (Agent Orange, PACT Act). DAVVeterans Affairs Senate CommitteeVA Claims InsiderVAOIG

• Official VA eligibility and exposure documentation for Camp Lejeune and Agent Orange. Veterans AffairsVeterans Affairs

• Public statements/veteran advocacy on gaps between rhetoric and results. The Washington PostCongressman Richard HudsonCongressman Richard Hudson