Proving Asbestos Exposure During Military Service

Veterans suffering from mesothelioma, asbestosis, or any other asbestos-related disease following service-related asbestos are entitled to special benefits and compensation through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), but proving eligibility requires navigating a complex process. Despite extensive historical documentation of the significant use of asbestos by the military, the burden of connecting individual cases to specific military exposures falls on the veterans themselves, so knowing the steps needed to prove eligibility is integral to success.

The Military’s Historic Use of Asbestos

For most of the 20^th century, service members from every branch of the U.S. military were exposed to asbestos. The U.S. armed forces were among the nation’s largest consumers of asbestos-containing materials from the 1930s through the 1970s, requiring its use in fabricating equipment and supplies and using it for construction and upkeep of Navy ships, aircraft, armored vehicles, transport trucks, and various other machinery. 

The U.S. military had good reason for mandating the use of asbestos: Its reliable performance, its resistance to heat, its resistance to flame, and its easy accessibility and affordability made it invaluable, especially in situations where there was an immediate threat of fire. During World War II, the armed forces required asbestos in a wide range of military applications, especially on Navy vessels. Contractors supplying materials to the government followed strict specifications detailing the required asbestos content in products like insulation, gaskets, certain filters, packing materials, and plastics.[1] Though the intent of these requirements was the protection of human and military assets, the result was that countless sailors, soldiers, airmen, and Marines were routinely exposed to the deadly substance without their knowledge. 

Asbestos was most frequently used by the military in the years between the 1930s and 1980, but the risk continues for those who serve today, as many of the structures that they enter in foreign lands were built using the material. It is estimated that more than 1.5 million Americans who served during the Iraq War risked inhalation of asbestos from entering buildings that had been damaged or destroyed.[2]

Service members from all branches have been exposed to asbestos. 

Navy and Shipyard Exposure

The U.S. Navy represents the branch with the most extensive asbestos use, incorporating the material throughout its fleet. A former Navy official cited in a scientific study of asbestos exposure to Navy veterans reported that during World War II, destroyers carried 24 to 30 long tons of thermal insulation per ship, and “USS Iowa class battleships carried nearly 465 long tons of thermal insulation.” Photographs taken onboard these vessels revealed that almost every pipe and many of the ships’ ventilation ducts were covered with asbestos insulation.[1]

• From the 1930s until the mid-1970s, naval vessels contained asbestos in virtually every compartment.
• Engine rooms, boiler rooms, and navigation rooms contained the highest concentrations.
• Pipe coverings, insulation, gaskets, pumps, and valves all commonly contained asbestos
• Shipyard workers and sailors working in poorly ventilated below-deck areas faced particularly intense exposure.
• Naval shipyards like those in Norfolk, Virginia; Bremerton, Washington; and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii became notorious exposure sites.

The confined spaces of both submarines and ships created environments where asbestos fibers became highly concentrated during installation, maintenance, and repair operations. Even personnel who didn’t directly handle asbestos materials were exposed through contamination of the air and fibers carried on their shipmates’ hair, skin, and clothing. 

Other Military Branch Exposure

While less concentrated than Navy exposure, Army, Air Force, Marine, and Coast Guard veterans also encountered significant asbestos hazards:

• Military barracks, mess halls, and administrative buildings constructed before the 1980s typically contained asbestos insulation, flooring, roofing, and ceiling materials
• Military vehicles including tanks, transport vehicles, and aircraft utilized asbestos in brake components, gaskets, and insulation
• Aircraft hangars and maintenance facilities often contained high levels of airborne asbestos from repair operations
• Military construction crews handled and installed asbestos-containing construction materials

Military Occupational Specialties (MOS) with the Highest Risk of Asbestos Exposure

Certain military responsibilities and job titles have been associated with particularly high asbestos exposure risk:

• Boiler technicians, machinist’s mates, and pipe fitters in the Navy
• Shipfitters, hull maintenance technicians, and damage controlmen
• Aviation mechanics and maintenance personnel across all branches
• Construction specialists
• Vehicle and aircraft mechanics in all service branches
• Weapons specialists working with gun installations that used asbestos

The military continued using asbestos well after its hazards had been known by its suppliers, and this has been a source of great pain and frustration for many veterans. Civilian lawsuits against companies linked to military asbestos exposure have revealed and documented the industry’s knowledge of risks dating back to the 1930s, yet military personnel received little to no warning about these hazards until the late 1970s.

VA Requirements for Proving Asbestos-Related Claims

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recognizes numerous conditions as potentially being connected to asbestos exposure during veterans’ service, including:

• Mesothelioma (cancer of the pleural or peritoneal lining)
• Lung cancer
• Asbestosis (a non-cancerous scarring of lung tissue)
• Pleural plaques and pleural effusions
• Bronchial and laryngeal cancers
• Some gastrointestinal cancers

Despite this, having benefits requests approved requires veterans to do more than present their credentials and diagnosis. To be eligible, veterans need to present the VA with documentation of three critical elements:[3]

1. A current diagnosis of an asbestos-related condition
2. Evidence of exposure to asbestos during military service
3. A medical nexus linking the current condition to that military exposure. In military terms, the connection between the asbestos-related illness and the time of service is typically a medical opinion stating that it is “at least as likely as not” that the condition is related to the service-related incident or exposure.

The VA does not assume that all asbestos-related diseases are service-connected, even for veterans who served in occupations or environments known to be high-risk. Because mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases have such long latency periods, this is a particularly challenging task: Veterans need to provide proof of exposure that took place decades before their diagnosis.

Documenting Your Military Asbestos Exposure

Step 1: Assemble Your Complete Service Records

A successful VA asbestos claim begins with collecting all of the documentation of your military service. The steps to follow to accomplish this are:[3]

• Request complete service personnel records using Standard Form 180 or through the National Archives’ eVetRecs system.
• Obtain your DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty)
• Request complete medical records from your time in service
• Document all duty stations, ships served on, or specific work sites
• Obtain records detailing your Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) and job duties

Though this sounds like a lot of work, it’s important. These records establish where and when you served, creating the timeline necessary for connecting your service to a specific asbestos exposure environment or environments. For Navy veterans, ship records are particularly important, as they can be linked to a previously-established presence of asbestos-containing materials on specific vessels during specific periods.

Step 2: Connect Your MOS to Known Asbestos Exposure

The VA knows that certain military jobs carried higher asbestos exposure risk when asbestos was in use. To strengthen your claim, provide as much detail and documentation as possible about your specific duties.

• Provide your official MOS code and description.
• Collect manuals, technical orders, or procedural guides from your position if available.
• List the specific maintenance tasks, repair work, or construction activities you performed.
• Make note of confined spaces in which you worked, especially aboard ships or in engine rooms.
• Describe any demolition, renovation, or construction work you were involved in or near to that involved older structures

Veterans need to be as specific as possible about tasks they performed that likely involved asbestos-containing materials. These include replacing gaskets, working with insulation, repairing brake systems, or conducting maintenance in boiler rooms.

Step 3: Obtain Buddy Statements and Witness Testimonials

Firsthand accounts from those who served alongside you can provide powerful corroborating evidence:

• Collect statements from fellow service members who worked with you or who observed your working conditions
• Have witnesses describe dusty conditions, insulation materials, or specific products you worked with
• Obtain statements from supervisors who can verify your duties and working environments
• Ask witnesses to describe any protective equipment (or lack thereof) provided
• Request statements about training (or lack thereof) regarding asbestos hazards

These statements need to be submitted on VA Form 21-4138 (Statement in Support of Claim) and, if applicable, should specifically mention asbestos exposure.

Step 4: Research Ship, Base, and Building Records

Do as much research as possible about the presence of asbestos where and when you served. There is extensive documentation of the presence of specific asbestos-containing materials on certain ships, bases, and other locations and applications. These may include:

• Ships’ blueprints and maintenance records often detail asbestos-containing components
• Base renovation records may have records of asbestos removal  projects on specific buildings
• Some military construction contracts or orders contained specifications of required asbestos use in certain applications
• Historical documents from shipyards and maintenance facilities often reference asbestos materials.

Asbestos attorneys and veterans’ advocacy organizations have extensive databases of ships, bases, and military buildings with documented asbestos use. They can help you connect your service record to known exposure environments.

Step 5: Get a Strong Medical Nexus Opinion

A medical opinion that connects your military service to your diagnosis is a critical component of a VA claim. Obtaining a clear statement from a physician linking your current condition to military asbestos exposure is one of the key elements to a successful benefits application. To make sure that the medical nexus you get meets the military’s requirements, follow these steps:[3]

• Get evaluated by a physician with specific expertise in asbestos-related diseases.
• Ask your doctor to review your complete military exposure history
• Request a detailed written opinion addressing the connection between your condition and service exposure
• Ensure the opinion addresses the latency period between exposure and the development of your disease 
• Ask the physician to include any potential non-military exposures in the opinion, and why military exposure is at least as likely as not the cause of your illness.

The medical nexus letter should specifically use the VA’s standard of “at least as likely as not” (50% or greater probability) that the condition resulted from military service exposure.

VA-Specific Challenges to Seeking Compensation for Asbestos-related Illnesses

The Latency Period Challenge

Asbestos-related diseases typically develop 20-50 years after exposure. This creates unique challenges in the VA claims process. To address this issue:

• Provide scientific evidence regarding typical latency periods for your condition
• Include information about how your condition’s expected development timeline matches up with your military exposure dates.
• Make sure your medical nexus document explains why symptoms didn’t appear during or immediately after service.
• Provide medical literature supporting the connection between exposure and delayed disease onset.

Mesothelioma and other long-latency illnesses are often met with denials of their initial claim. If this happens to you, the denial must be appealed, providing strong medical evidence about your asbestos-related disease’s typical and expected development patterns.

Establishing a Service Connection When There are also Non-military Exposures 

After their service, many veterans went on to jobs as shipyard workers, boiler technicians, mechanics, and other civilian careers that exposed them to asbestos. To address the challenge of multiple sources of asbestos exposure:

• Document the amount of asbestos you were exposed to and for how long of your military vs. civilian occupational exposures
• Provide evidence of any protective measures you may have used in your civilian work that hadn’t been available when you served
• Get medical opinions from a healthcare professional that specifically addresses the relative contribution of your different exposures.
• Remember that VA regulations only require that your military service be a contributing factor, not the sole cause, and include that in your documentation.[3]

VA regulations apply a “benefit of the doubt” doctrine that should help veterans get approved for compensation when the evidence of asbestos exposure is equally balanced between the time of service and civilian life.

Options for Military Compensation 

There are several types of benefits for which veterans with asbestos-related diseases may be eligible. These include:[3]

1. Disability Compensation: Tax-free monthly payments based on disability rating
2. Healthcare Benefits: Specialized treatment for service-connected conditions
3. Dependency and Indemnity Compensation: For surviving spouses if the veteran’s death was service-related
4. Special Monthly Compensation: Additional benefits for severe disabilities requiring aid and attendance

Unlike asbestos claims against asbestos manufacturers and other companies, VA benefits don’t require you to identify any specific asbestos products that caused your illness. You only need to prove that your exposure occurred when you served.

Help for Veterans with Mesothelioma 

Veterans battling mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases face significant challenges in securing VA benefits. The process takes time and requires a lot of research and persistence. The key differentiator between successful and unsuccessful claims is typically the quality and completeness of your documentation and medical nexus evidence, but collecting the needed information may be too much for someone who is also working to manage treatment for a serious disease. A mesothelioma attorney can help.

Though asbestos attorneys are most commonly associated with filing personal injury claims against companies, they also have extensive experience in methodically assembling service records, obtaining strong medical opinions, and collecting all of the documentation the VA requires. They can also help you with the appeals process if your application is denied and inform you of other options, including pursuing compensation from the manufacturers and suppliers responsible for the asbestos-contaminated equipment and materials you were exposed to, as well as the many asbestos bankruptcy trust funds you may be eligible to apply to for compensation.