Many veterans of America’s military suffered exposure to asbestos during their service and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, lung cancer, and other asbestos-related diseases. The Veterans Health Administration has several specialized treatment centers that offer comprehensive, state-of-the-art medical treatment for patients with these challenging diseases.
VAs Provide World-Class Health Care to Veterans
The men and women who have served our nation in the military are deserving of pride and respect. Veterans have made significant sacrifices, working to safeguard national security and promoting the values and principles of our nation and often doing so at great personal risk.
In exchange for their contributions and willingness to put the nation’s needs above their own, veterans are entitled to benefits that support their health, education, employment, and overall well-being. Veterans’ benefits include:
- Healthcare
- Disability compensation
- Education and training
- Home loans
- Pensions
- Life insurance
- Employment and training services
- Burial and memorial benefits
- Survival benefits
- Healthcare for family members
The VA healthcare system is the country’s largest integrated healthcare system. There are more than 1,200 sites of care that provide care to nearly six million American veterans. This represents roughly one-quarter of all veterans, and many more are eligible to receive care.[1]
The Veterans Health Administration is consistently ranked among the nation’s top healthcare providers. It offers enrolled veterans preventive, primary, and specialty care, prescriptions, mental health care, home health care, geriatrics and extended care, medical equipment and prosthetics, and more. Health care can be accessed in person or through digital tools like the My HealtheVet portal, mobile apps, and telehealth services.
Who is Eligible for VA Health Care?
VA Health Care has military service requirements. To be eligible, veterans must have served in the active military, naval, or air service and separated under any condition other than dishonorable. Those who enlisted after September 7, 1980, or who entered active duty after October 16, 1981, must have served 24 continuous months or the full period for which they were called to active duty. This includes current and former members of the Reserve or National Guard called to active duty by a federal order.[1]
To apply for personalized, proactive, patient-driven VA Health Care, veterans simply need to apply form to the agency. The VA will respond with written notification of enrollment status.
Veterans Exposed to Asbestos
When America’s veterans enlisted or were drafted, they knew that they faced risks, but life-threatening exposure to a toxic carcinogen was not a threat they anticipated. However, countless veterans were exposed to asbestos during their years of service, and that exposure has claimed their health and, in many cases, their lives.
Asbestos is a mineral that was used extensively by the military, particularly between the 1930s and the 1970s. Before asbestos was identified as carcinogenic, it was held in high regard for its characteristic resistance to heat and fire, and for its strength. Asbestos was also accessible and inexpensive, so the military explicitly ordered its use in the construction of barracks, mess halls, hospitals, administrative buildings, and other structures, as well as to insulate numerous parts of vehicles, aircraft, and ships. It is a tragic irony that the material that was chosen for its protective abilities ended up causing so much sickness and death due to asbestos-related diseases.
Because asbestos was used so extensively in the military, an estimated 30% of mesothelioma victims are veterans, more than most other demographic groups. Though Navy veterans were affected more than any other branch because of the heavy use of asbestos in ships, Army veterans were exposed to asbestos fibers on military bases; Air Force veterans were exposed to asbestos in aircraft, machinery, and on bases; Marines faced exposure on ships, from vehicles, and on bases; and Coast Guard vets were also exposed to asbestos aboard their vessels.
Though asbestos has not been used by the military for over 50 years and there were extensive efforts to remove legacy asbestos from buildings and other applications, the long latency that is typical of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases means that veterans continue being diagnosed today. Those who are most at risk worked in certain jobs or with certain products.
The VA suggests that veterans who worked in the following areas or with any of the products listed below get regularly screened for asbestos-related diseases:[2]
Work areas
- Mining
- Milling
- Shipyards
- Construction
- Carpentry
- Demolition
Products
- Flooring
- Roofing
- Cement sheet
- Pipes
- Insulation
- Friction products including clutch facings and brake linings
VA Health Care for Veterans Exposed to Asbestos
In addition to offering disability compensation for veterans with proven asbestos exposure, the Veterans Administration has invested in high-quality, specialized health care for veterans diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases including asbestosis, pleural plaques, and cancers like malignant mesothelioma and asbestos-related lung cancer.
There are several VA locations where renowned mesothelioma specialists care for patients, extending their life expectancy and improving patient outcomes at no charge, and where physicians collaborate with VA physicians throughout the country through inter-facility consultations. Veterans also have the option of having their VA doctor refer them to a civilian doctor outside of the VA system.[3]
For Veterans with mesothelioma who prefer to receive care at one of the VA’s specialized treatment centers, the VA pays the expense of traveling there and back home after treatment, and provides a place to stay, even paying for taxi rides to and from the center and taking care of logistics.[4] And for those who find accessing these centers difficult, the VA offers TeleHealth programs that allow them to see patients virtually.
Several VA treatment centers offer high-quality care for veterans diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases, but centers that have dedicated treatment centers for mesothelioma include those located in Los Angeles, Boston, and Houston.
VA West Los Angeles Medical Center, Los Angeles, California
Comprised of 11 different locations in the five-county Southern California area, the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center is considered one of the leading healthcare systems serving veterans in the VA Desert Pacific Network. It provides high-level patient care and conducts groundbreaking research. It is also a teaching hospital and is affiliated with the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine and the USC School of Medicine. It serves more than 84,000 veterans. Mesothelioma care is provided by a thoracic cancer team led by Dr. Robert Cameron, considered one of the top five surgeons for malignant pleural mesothelioma in the country.
VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts
The VA Boston Healthcare System is recognized as a Comprehensive Cancer Treatment Center, treating roughly 300 cancer patients each month, many of whom suffer asbestos-related cancers including mesothelioma and lung cancer. The system has three main campuses and several satellite facilities, is actively involved in mesothelioma research, and is affiliated with some of the country’s most noted medical institutions and physicians, including Chief of Thoracic Surgery Dr. Daniel Wiener of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, Texas
The Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center is one of the top cancer treatment centers in the country for military veterans diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma. Affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine and the Mesothelioma Treatment Center at the Baylor Medicine Lung Institute, Debakey’s mesothelioma program is led by Section Head of General Thoracic Surgery Dr. Lorraine D. Cornwell and staffed by a stellar team of medical, thoracic, and radiation oncologists. The center also offers treatment for peritoneal mesothelioma under the supervision of Dr. Eugene Choi, an expert in the use of HIPEC with cytoreductive surgery.
Help for Veterans with Mesothelioma
If you or a loved one is a veteran diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease, you may be eligible for help beyond that offered by the Veterans Administration. An attorney with experience working with veterans can help you identify where you were exposed to asbestos, assist in filing veterans’ claims, and help you determine whether you are eligible for compensation from an asbestos trust fund or by filing a lawsuit against the asbestos companies responsible for your exposure.
