Veterans and Mesothelioma

US Navy Veterans Face Highest Risk for Asbestos Disease

U.S. Navy veterans were exposed to higher levels of asbestos than servicemen in other branches of the military because the Navy packed its vessels with asbestos materials from bow to stern. As a result, Navy veterans are diagnosed with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illnesses at higher rates that other servicemen.

The Navy began adding asbestos fireproofing materials to its ships in 1938. The following year, the Surgeon General of the U.S. Navy issued a warning about the dangers of asbestos exposure in the New York Navy Yard and the risk for asbestosis.

However, the Navy ignored the warning and increased production of asbestos-laden ships in preparation for World War II. Navy personnel faced exposure risks from the late 1930s to the early 1990s.

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Veterans with Asbestos-Related Diseases

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Help with VA Claims and Other Benefits for Veterans

Army Capt. Aaron Munz served nine years in combat and strategic training before leaving active duty in 2006.

Every veteran discharged “under conditions other than dishonorable” has a right to VA benefits, including health care, monthly compensation and survivor benefits for their loved ones.

The Veterans Department at The Mesothelioma Center specializes in getting veterans' VA claims approved for benefits. U.S. Army Capt. Aaron Munz, director of the Veterans Department, is well versed in helping people navigate the complicated VA claims process. He has the knowledge and resources to guide you each step along the way.

The VA recognizes mesothelioma as a service-connected medical condition. We can help you gather evidence to prove your disease is asbestos-related and show the majority of your exposures to asbestos occurred during your military service. We also can help you explore other potential avenues of compensation.

Types of VA benefits

Common VA Claims Myths

After years of providing help for veterans with mesothelioma, we’ve found some veterans and their loved ones have misconceptions about VA benefits that prevent them from filing a claim — even when they qualify.

Unfortunately, veterans who mistakenly think they are ineligible miss out on quality health care and vital financial assistance.

One common myth is veterans can’t file a VA claim because they developed an asbestos-related condition after their military discharge. Diseases related to asbestos exposure can take decades to develop, so if veterans can prove their asbestos exposure was service connected, they qualify for VA benefits.

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Another misconception is only veterans of the five main branches of military are eligible for benefits. VA benefits are extended to commissioned officers of the U.S. Public Health Service, the U.S. Environmental Services Administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and its precursor, the Coast and Geodetic Survey.

Asbestos Exposure: Navy Ships & Shipyards

Every ship built by the Navy before the mid-1970s was fitted with asbestos-containing materials. Records show Navy ships housed more than 300 asbestos-containing products, and shipyards were filled with these materials.

Navy personnel who worked below deck prior to the early 1990s were commonly exposed to asbestos. Seamen frequently removed damaged asbestos lagging from engine rooms and re-wrapped the pipes with asbestos paste — usually with no respiratory protection or other safety equipment required for such a dangerous task.

Ventilation below deck was often poor, so asbestos released from damaged materials or maintenance work that disturbed them would linger where personnel lived and worked. Even veterans who never worked with asbestos directly may have been exposed from asbestos work happening nearby.

Virtually no portion of a naval ship was asbestos-free between the '30s and mid-'70s, putting Navy veterans and shipyard workers at the highest risk for developing asbestos-related diseases. Asbestos-containing materials were used extensively in engine and boiler rooms and other areas below deck for fire safety purposes. The toxic mineral was used in navigation rooms, sleeping quarters and mess halls.

Health Care for Veterans with Mesothelioma

Many veterans with mesothelioma disability status don’t realize they can seek treatment anywhere in the VA system, giving them access to some of the best specialists in the country. In most cases, the VA can assist with travel arrangements and cover the cost of airfare and housing.

Surgeons such as Dr. Abraham Lebenthal at the Boston VA Healthcare System and Dr. Robert Cameron at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System are lauded for their work as mesothelioma specialists, offering their services to veterans everywhere.

Lebenthal is a proponent of extrapleural pneumonectomy surgery, which removes the entire affected lung and other nearby structures in the chest. Cameron prefers a less aggressive approach, using a lung-sparing procedure called pleurectomy/decortication.

In 2015, Lebenthal performed the first heated chemotherapy procedure in the VA health care system on a veteran with pleural mesothelioma. The innovative technique, similar to the Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy procedure for peritoneal mesothelioma, combines aggressive surgery with high doses of chemotherapy. Lebenthal heats the chemotherapy solution to improve its effectiveness, a technique that has given some patients a survival advantage of five years or more.

Abraham "Avi" Lebenthal, M.D.

Boston VA
Healthcare System

Brigham and Women's Hospital

E-consultation available

Contact Dr. Lebenthal

Robert B. Cameron, M.D.

VA Greater Los Angeles
Healthcare System

UCLA Medical Center

E-consultation available

Contact Dr. Cameron

Clinical Trials for Veterans

Veterans also can participate in clinical trials, where the latest experimental treatments are being tested and refined. There is no cure for mesothelioma, but researchers are making significant advancements in treatment through clinical trials.

The National Cancer Institute has an ongoing clinical trial involving immunotherapy drug SS1P, which has produced impressive results in reducing tumor size with late-stage mesothelioma patients. There are dozens of mesothelioma trials at various sites throughout the country.

The VA health care system occasionally participates in mesothelioma clinical trials. It also hosts trials for lung cancer and sometimes ovarian cancer, which also can be caused by asbestos exposure. Currently, the Baltimore VA Medical Center is participating in a mesothelioma clinical trial comparing the effectiveness of ongoing pemetrexed chemotherapy versus observation alone in patients whose disease didn’t progress after first-line chemotherapy.

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