VA Disability Compensation

VA disability compensation is a tax-free monthly payment from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to veterans with an illness or injury connected to their military service. Veterans with mesothelioma, asbestosis or other asbestos disease may qualify if they were exposed to asbestos in service.

Origin

The federal government has paid disability benefits to veterans since the Revolutionary War era, and the modern system is run by the VA under federal statute and regulation. The VA has no single asbestos regulation; it handles asbestos claims under general service-connection rules and internal guidance that lists military jobs with likely asbestos exposure, such as many Navy shipboard ratings.

Significance in Asbestos Context

For many veterans, especially Navy veterans, VA compensation is an important source of support that is separate from any lawsuit or trust claim. A claim generally needs three things: a current diagnosis, evidence of asbestos exposure during service, and a medical opinion linking the two. The VA assigns a disability rating from 0 to 100 percent, which sets the monthly amount; active malignant cancers such as mesothelioma are usually rated at 100 percent while being treated, with re-examination later. Disability compensation is not based on income, and recovering money from asbestos product makers or trusts does not normally reduce it. Veterans cannot sue the military itself for in-service exposure, so the VA claim and claims against manufacturers serve different purposes. Accredited representatives from veterans service organizations, and accredited attorneys and agents, can help with the claim. If the veteran dies from a service-connected condition, survivors may be eligible for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation.

Example Sentence

Her father's VA disability compensation claim cited his years as a boiler technician aboard a destroyer and a pulmonologist's letter linking his mesothelioma to that exposure.

Related Terms

Navy Veterans, Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), Feres Doctrine, Impairment Rating, Boiler Technician, Machinist's Mate, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)

Notes

• Request your full service record and medical records; job titles, ships and dates are key evidence.
• Ask your doctor for a written opinion on whether your disease is at least as likely as not related to asbestos in service.
• Free help is available from accredited veterans service organization representatives.