VA Claims for Mesothelioma

Asbestos Use in the Military

Asbestos is a mineral that the military used extensively from the 1930s through the 1970s. Asbestos use dates back much earlier than that, but it was during these years that it was used for so many applications throughout the military, from bases, to shipyards, to ships. Asbestos is useful in so many ways because it adds strength to materials, it resists fire and heat, and it is cheap and abundant.

The navy in particular began stockpiling asbestos in the years leading up to World War II. This mineral was especially useful in shipbuilding applications, and the military wanted to have enough to build new ships before the inevitable entry into the war. On ships there was asbestos in the insulation around pipes, in the boiler and engine rooms, in the pumps, valves, and gaskets, in flooring, in fireproof panels and in fireproof protective gear. It wasn’t until the 1970s that the health risks associated with asbestos became well known enough that its use was finally regulated and restricted.

Asbestos and Mesothelioma in Veterans

Breathing in small fibers of asbestos has the potential to cause a number of health issues, most infamously mesothelioma. The fibers lodge in tissues inside the body and damage cells, which may lead to the development of cancer. Those veterans who worked around or directly with asbestos, like Navy veterans working in boiler rooms and those that repaired or built ships in shipyards for instance, are at the greatest risk for developing mesothelioma decades after their service ended.

Mesothelioma occurs after inhaled asbestos fibers cause damage to internal tissues. Not everyone exposed in this way will develop the cancer, but in those who do the symptoms don’t become apparent immediately. The cancer begins most often in the pleural tissue around the lungs and can eventually spread to more distant areas of the body. Mesothelioma is aggressive and most often terminal.

Types of Compensation Available to Veterans

In filing a claim for service-related and asbestos-related illnesses, veterans have several different types of compensation they can seek. For those ill with these terrible conditions, coverage for health care is of primary importance. The VA hospital system has specialists in mesothelioma, especially at the facilities in Boston and Los Angeles.

• Disability Compensation. This is a common benefit for veterans to seek for service-related illnesses. The VA views cancers caused by asbestos to be completely disabling and eligible for full disability compensation. For non-cancerous illnesses like asbestosis and pleural plaques, tests are done to rate the degree of disability and to determine how much a veteran is owed in compensation.
• Special Monthly Compensation. SMC is a type of disability compensation that is typically awarded to veterans who are homebound or bed-ridden. They are disabled to the extent that they cannot take care of themselves and require assistance, either in the home or by living in a facility. Family members who care for these veterans may claim special monthly compensation.
• Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC). Surviving spouses of veterans who died because of a service-related disability like mesothelioma can also file a claim for DIC.  DIC provides a monthly form of compensation. Spouses are eligible for DIC whether or not the veteran had already been receiving disability compensation. If the veteran was not, the spouse must make the case for the veteran dying of a service- and asbestos-related illness.

Amounts of Disability Compensation Awarded

The amount if disability payment a veteran may receive from the VA depends on the level of disability. Asbestos-related cancers are considered 100 percent disabling, so these veterans are eligible for the full amount, around $2,800 per month. For other illnesses, a lung function test may be done to determine the percentage of disability with the lowest being ten percent, and compensation of only a couple hundred dollars each month.