Hispanic Veterans with Mesothelioma: VA Benefits + Civil Compensation

Hispanic military veterans diagnosed with mesothelioma have three sources of compensation simultaneously: VA benefits, civil lawsuits against asbestos manufacturers, and asbestos trust funds. Receiving VA benefits does not preclude filing civil lawsuits. Bilingual representation: 1-800-400-1805.

Hispanic Veterans Are Disproportionately Affected

Hispanic Americans — Puerto Rican, Mexican-American, Cuban-American, and others — have served in U.S. Armed Forces in disproportionately high numbers, especially in the branches with the highest historical asbestos exposure: the Navy, Marines, and Air Force. Asbestos was extensively used in:

• Navy ships built between 1930-1980 — every vessel contained tons of asbestos in pipe insulation, boiler gaskets, fireproofing, valve packing
• Naval shipyards — Pearl Harbor, Norfolk, Bremerton, Charleston, Long Beach, Mare Island, Hunters Point, Boston Charlestown, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Philadelphia, Portsmouth NH/Kittery ME
• Aircraft — brakes, gaskets, fireproofing, exhaust insulation in F-4 Phantoms, B-52s, KC-135s, and modern fleets
• Armored vehicles — M1 Abrams, M60 Patton, Bradley fighting vehicles — brakes and clutches
• Pre-1980 military buildings — barracks, hangars, mess halls, motor pools
• Submarine bases — Groton CT (Electric Boat), Kings Bay, Pearl Harbor, Bangor WA
• ICBM silos — F.E. Warren WY, Minot ND, Malmstrom MT, Vandenberg CA

Three Compensation Sources, All At Once

1. VA Benefits (Department of Veterans Affairs)

• 100% disability rating for mesothelioma (presumptive service connection if exposed during service)
• Free medical care at VA hospitals
• Monthly compensation (currently $3,800+/month for 100% disability)
• Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) for surviving spouses
• Burial and funeral benefits

2. Civil Lawsuits Against Asbestos Manufacturers

Important: VA benefits do NOT preclude civil lawsuits. The federal government enjoys sovereign immunity (you cannot sue the U.S. military), but the manufacturers who sold asbestos products to the military are not protected. Companies like Johns Manville, Owens Corning, Armstrong, Combustion Engineering, Foster Wheeler, Babcock & Wilcox, Crane, Garlock, and many others sold asbestos products to the Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Army knowing they were dangerous.

Typical settlements for Hispanic veterans with mesothelioma: $1 million to $1.4 million.

3. Asbestos Trust Funds

Many of the major asbestos manufacturers declared bankruptcy and established trust funds specifically to pay mesothelioma claims. Over $30 billion is currently available across 60+ trusts. Claims typically resolve in 3-6 months. Most veterans qualify for multiple trusts simultaneously based on the products they encountered during service.

Common Naval Service + Asbestos Exposure

• Engine room, fire room, machinery space sailors — surrounded by asbestos pipe insulation, boiler gaskets, turbine packings
• Shipfitters, hull technicians, machinist's mates — direct handling of asbestos products
• Boiler technicians (BT), water tenders — extreme exposure
• Damage controlmen — asbestos in fireproofing materials
• Radiomen, electronics technicians — asbestos in equipment cabinets and cables
• Cooks (mess management specialists) — asbestos in galleys and refrigeration
• Officers and warrant officers — same exposure as enlisted on smaller ships

How to File Successfully

Successful claims require:

1. Service records (DD-214) showing branch, dates, occupational specialty, ships assigned
2. Medical diagnosis of mesothelioma or asbestos-related disease (pleural plaques, asbestosis, lung cancer)
3. Documentation of exposure — ship duty assignments, specific spaces worked, products encountered
4. Witness statements from fellow shipmates (we help locate them)

Our firm has decades of experience with veteran asbestos cases. We coordinate VA benefits filings simultaneously with civil lawsuits and trust fund claims to maximize total compensation.

Free Consultation in Spanish or English

If you or a loved one is a Hispanic veteran diagnosed with mesothelioma, call 1-800-400-1805. We work on contingency — no fee unless we win. Bilingual representation throughout. We have represented Hispanic veterans from all branches: Navy, Marines, Air Force, Army, Coast Guard.

Para información en español sobre derechos de veteranos hispanos, visite nuestra página de veteranos y veteranos militares hispanos con mesotelioma.