Veterans carry a heavy share of the mesothelioma burden. The military relied on asbestos for decades in ships, aircraft, vehicles, and base buildings, and the men and women who served around it are often diagnosed 40 or more years later. If you served and later developed mesothelioma, you may be able to receive monthly benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Throneberry Law Group was founded by attorney Michael Throneberry, whose own father-in-law died of mesothelioma, and our Arizona mesothelioma lawyers help veterans and their families pursue every source of recovery they are owed. VA benefits are one piece. A claim against the companies that made the asbestos products is another, and the two do not cancel each other out.
How Veterans Were Exposed to Asbestos
Asbestos was valued for resisting heat and fire, which made it standard in Navy ships, aircraft brakes and gaskets, boiler rooms, vehicle parts, and base housing. Arizona has a deep military footprint, including Luke Air Force Base, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Fort Huachuca, and the Yuma installations, and many residents also served on ships and at bases elsewhere before settling here. Our work with Navy veterans and cases like asbestos exposure at George Air Force Base shows how often that exposure traces back to ordinary, daily duty.
VA Disability Compensation for Mesothelioma
The VA recognizes mesothelioma as a condition that can be tied to military asbestos exposure. To qualify for disability compensation, the VA looks for two things, a health condition caused by asbestos and contact with asbestos during service, backed by a doctor's statement connecting the two. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, you can file an asbestos-related disability claim online or with help. Mesothelioma is commonly rated as totally disabling, which places it at the top of the VA's tax-free monthly payment scale.
Benefits for Surviving Spouses and Families
If a veteran dies from service-connected mesothelioma, the surviving spouse, and in some cases children or parents, may be eligible for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, a separate tax-free monthly payment. Families sometimes assume a death closes the door on benefits. It often does the opposite, opening this avenue when it is needed most.
What Veterans and Families May Be Able to Pursue
A veteran's situation usually allows for more than one form of recovery, and these can run alongside each other rather than competing. The main options include:
- VA disability compensation: tax-free monthly payments for a veteran with service-connected mesothelioma
- Dependency and Indemnity Compensation: monthly payments for a surviving spouse, child, or parent after a service-connected death
- A claim against asbestos manufacturers: compensation from the private companies that made the products, separate from anything VA related
- Asbestos trust fund claims: recovery from funds set up by companies that went through bankruptcy
We have spent years helping veterans line up these options, including asbestos trust fund claims, and we can tell you which ones fit your service and your diagnosis.
Arizona Mesothelioma Lawyers at Throneberry Law Group
You earned your benefits through service, and you should not have to fight the paperwork alone while managing treatment. If you are an Arizona veteran with mesothelioma, or you lost a veteran in your family to it, we can sort out the VA side and the legal side together.
We work from our Phoenix office and from locations in Kansas City and Chicago, we serve clients nationwide, and we can help Spanish-speaking families. Every case stays with attorneys who handle it personally. A review of your service history and your options is free, and you can start it through our contact form.
