Benefits & resources
Asbestos Exposure and Mesothelioma
If you came into contact with asbestos while you served, an illness can show up decades later. Here is what VA says, what it offers, what it means for survivors, and where to get free help with a claim.
VETEFITS isn’t the VA and doesn’t decide eligibility. VA decides every claim. This page is general information, not medical or legal advice.
Who may have been exposed
VA says veterans who served in these jobs or places may have had contact with asbestos, a toxic fiber once used in many buildings and products.
- Shipyard work, insulation work and demolition of old buildings
- Mining and milling
- Carpentry and construction
- Making or installing products such as flooring, roofing, cement sheet, pipes, insulation, brake linings and clutch facings
- Service in Iraq and other countries in that region, where damage to older buildings could release asbestos into the air
If any of this sounds like your service, tell your doctor, even if it was a long time ago.
Symptoms can appear decades later
VA says symptoms such as shortness of breath, coughing and chest pain often don’t appear until 20 to 50 years after the exposure.
The illnesses VA links to breathing asbestos are:
- Asbestosis: scarring of the lung tissue that causes breathing problems.
- Pleural plaques: scarring around the lungs that can cause breathing problems.
- Lung cancer.
- Mesothelioma: a rare cancer of the thin lining around the lungs or the abdomen, usually caused by asbestos.
See a doctor. If you’re worried about your health, VA says to talk to your health care provider. You can also ask your local VA Environmental Health Coordinator to help you get more information. More from VA: Asbestos and your health (VA Public Health).
What VA offers
These are government pages. They are the ones that stay current.
Disability compensation for asbestos exposure
Who may be eligible, the evidence VA asks for, and how to file.
How to file a VA disability claim
The official step-by-step, including what an Intent to File does.
VA health care
Eligibility and how to apply. Separate from a disability claim.
Disability compensation. VA says you may be eligible if both of these are true: you have a health condition caused by asbestos, and you had contact with asbestos while serving in the military. Compensation is a tax-free monthly payment, and VA decides each claim case by case.
VA asks for these with an asbestos claim:
- Medical records that state your health condition
- Service records that list your job or specialty
- A doctor’s statement that there’s a connection between your contact with asbestos in service and the condition
VA health care. VA says that if you get a disability rating, you may also be eligible for VA health care and other benefits. You can apply for VA health care separately from a claim.
For families: what DIC is, and what it is not
Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) is a survivor benefit. It is a tax-free monthly payment that VA may pay to an eligible surviving spouse, child or parent. It generally depends on the veteran’s death: for example, a veteran who died from a service-connected illness, which can include an asbestos-related illness VA has connected to service. VA also pays it in some cases where the veteran had a total disability rating for a set number of years before death.
DIC is not compensation for a family member’s own illness. VA disability compensation is for a veteran’s own service-connected condition. If a spouse or child became ill from asbestos, for example from fibers carried home on work clothes, neither DIC nor VA disability compensation pays for that illness. Any claim for it would be outside the VA, and is separate from VA benefits.
VA decides who qualifies for DIC. Read the rules on VA’s DIC page.
Free help with a VA claim
You don’t have to do this alone, and you don’t have to pay for help to file.
An accredited representative is trained and accredited by the VA to help with claims. Nobody can charge you to prepare and file a first claim, and a county or veterans-organization service officer is free at every stage.
- Find your Colorado county veterans service office
- Search VA’s list of accredited representatives
- How accredited help works (VA)
Or bring your questions to VETEFITS on Saturday, November 14. We are arranging for service officers from county veterans offices and veterans organizations to be there.
Free educational guides from The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com
- Mesothelioma and veterans (opens in a new tab): A guide to VA benefits, treatment and claims for veterans with asbestos-related illnesses.
- Mesothelioma symptoms (opens in a new tab): Common symptoms and early signs, and how they are managed.
The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com is an independent organization, not the VA and not part of VETEFITS. It says its team offers free help with VA claims related to asbestos. VETEFITS can’t promise any result from it. Its site also covers lawsuits and settlements, which are separate from VA benefits. For what VA pays and who qualifies, the VA pages above are the ones to rely on.
Last checked October 27, 2026. Every statement about VA on this page was read on the VA page it links to that day. Check the official page before you act on it.
In crisis, or worried about a veteran?
The Veterans Crisis Line is free, confidential and available 24/7. You do not have to be enrolled in VA benefits or health care to use it.
- Call 988 then press 1 (Veterans Crisis Line)
- Text 838255 (Veterans Crisis Line)
- Chat online (Veterans Crisis Line)
For TTY, call 711 then 988. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
The Veterans Crisis Line is run by the VA. VETEFITS is not the VA and does not answer these calls, texts or chats. More ways to reach them, including from a computer, are on the Veterans Crisis Line website.