If you or a U.S. veteran you love has mesothelioma, you may be able to file asbestos trust fund claims to seek money without going to court. Trust funds currently have over $30 billion available. Our team can help you pursue both trust fund payouts and VA benefits at the same time. Get started now with our help.
Ready to file your trust fund claim?
Connect with our veterans advocates to start the process now.
What Are Asbestos Trust Funds?
Asbestos trust funds are sums of money set aside by bankrupt manufacturers of asbestos-based products. The court system forced these manufacturers to put money into trusts to pay people harmed by their products if they wanted to stay in business.
More than $30 billion is available in mesothelioma trusts as of 2024. If you or a veteran you love has mesothelioma, you may be able to get a portion of this money by filing claims with trusts.
The Mesothelioma Veterans Center can help you file asbestos trust fund claims quickly if you’re eligible. You may start to get trust fund payouts in 90 days or less by filing claims with us. Get started right now.
Asbestos Trust Fund Payouts
Mesothelioma patients receive $300,000 to $400,000 on average in total compensation from trust funds. However, patients may get $1 million or more from trust funds and other forms of financial aid by working with our team.
Trust fund payouts vary by case. Each trust has a different amount of money in it, and patients may qualify to file claims with several trusts.
See examples of how much money specific trusts may pay out for mesothelioma below.
Asbestos Trust Fund List
Over 60 companies have active mesothelioma trust funds. Explore our trust fund list in the database below.
- Armstrong World Industries
- ASARCO LLC
- Babcock & Wilcox Company
- Celotex
- Combustion Engineering
- Congoleum Corporation
- DII Industries, LLC
- Eagle-Picher Industries
- Federal Mogul U.S. T&N Subfund
- Federal Mogul U.S., FMP Subfund
- Kaiser Aluminum
- Johns-Manville
- National Gypsum Company (NGC)
- Owens Corning
- Owens Corning, Fibreboard Subfund
- Pittsburgh Corning Corporation
- Porter Hayden Company
- Quigley Co. Inc.
- Raytech Corporation
- United States Gypsum
- Western Asbestos
- W.R. Grace
- Other
Initial Funding $2.06 billion
Established in 2006
Initial Funding $830 million
Established in 2009
Initial Funding $1.84 billion
Established in 2006
Initial Funding $1.25 billion
Established in 1997
Initial Funding $1.24 billion
Established in 2006
Initial Funding $270 million
Established in 2010
Initial Funding $2.51 billion
Established in 2005
Initial Funding $730 million
Established in 1996
Initial Funding $635 million
Established in 2007
Initial Funding $55 million
Established in 2007
Initial Funding $1.22 billion
Established in 2006
Initial Funding $2.5 billion
Established in 1988
Initial Funding $446 million
Established in 1993
Initial Funding $3.42 billion
Established in 2006
Initial Funding $1.56 billion
Established in 2006
Initial Funding $825 million
Established in 2013
Initial Funding $40 million
Established in 2006
Initial Funding $569 million
Established in 2013
Initial Funding $52 million
Established in 2000
Initial Funding $3.96 billion
Established in 2006
Initial Funding $2 billion
Established in 2004
Initial Funding $3 billion
Established in 2014
You or your loved one may qualify for this asbestos trust fund.
File Your Trust Fund ClaimYou may still be able to file a claim even if you don’t see a specific company in the list of trusts above. Work with our partner mesothelioma lawyers to determine which trusts you qualify for.
Who Can File Asbestos Trust Fund Claims?
Here is who may be able to file trust fund claims:
- Mesothelioma patients, including U.S. veterans
- Family members or loved ones
- Anyone who legally represents a victim’s estate
Veterans with mesothelioma are encouraged to file trust claims even if they’re getting monthly payouts from their U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits. These veterans can get trust fund payouts and VA compensation at the same time.
Further, family members may be able to file a trust fund claim even if a veteran has died from mesothelioma.
Those with other asbestos-related diseases like lung cancer or asbestosis could qualify to file claims, too.
When Should I File a Trust Fund Claim?
We recommend filing a trust fund claim as soon as possible.
Each asbestos settlement trust fund has its own time limits on how long you have to file a claim. For most trusts, you only have 2-3 years to file from the date of your mesothelioma diagnosis or from the date of a loved one’s death.
The sooner you file a claim, the sooner you may get financial aid. Get started right now with our help.
How Do I Access Asbestos Trust Funds?
You can easily access trust funds by working with mesothelioma lawyers, who handle every step in the process for you. Learn about the steps to getting asbestos trust fund payouts below.
1. Find an Attorney
It’s in your best interest to work with a mesothelioma lawyer to file trust fund claims. These attorneys will do all of the legwork involved with filing your claims, saving you time and stress.
The Mesothelioma Veterans Center works with a U.S. veteran-founded law firm with skilled asbestos attorneys on staff, including several who are veterans themselves. Connect with a mesothelioma veterans lawyer now.
2. Build a Trust Fund Claim
Once you’ve found a lawyer to work with, they’ll collect information to see which asbestos trust funds you qualify for.
Your mesothelioma attorneys will:
- Learn when, where, and how your asbestos exposure occurred
- Find out which companies made the products you were exposed to
- See if these companies have trust funds
- Collect military/civilian work documents and medical records to strengthen your case
3. File a Mesothelioma Trust Fund Claim
After getting the needed information, your attorneys will file claims with any mesothelioma trust funds that you qualify for. You won’t have to file the claims yourself or spend any time in court.
4. Go Through the Review Process
After filing your claim, you and your legal team must choose to have it reviewed in one of two ways by the trust. Your attorney can determine which type of review will be best for your trust fund claim.
The trust fund review options include:
- Expedited Review: The trust processes your claim based on pre-set guidelines, such as what type of asbestos disease you have and how severe it is. If your claim meets the guidelines, you’ll get a fixed amount of money.
- Individual Review: The trust takes a more detailed look at your claim to see how much money you may receive. This review process takes longer and may award more or less money than an expedited review.
5. Receive Payment
Once your claim has been reviewed, the asbestos trust fund will liquidate it (determine how much you will get paid). You can then accept the compensation offered by the trust.
You may start to get your first trust fund payments in fewer than 90 days.
Asbestos Trust Funds vs. Mesothelioma Lawsuits
Though both award compensation, trust funds and mesothelioma lawsuits are not one and the same. Trust funds allow you to get mesothelioma compensation without filing a lawsuit.
Asbestos Trust Fund Claims | Mesothelioma Lawsuits |
---|---|
Filed with trusts set up by bankrupt asbestos companies to avoid lawsuits | Filed against asbestos companies that don’t have bankruptcy trust funds |
Never go to court | Most cases reach out-of-court settlements but a small percentage are tried in court |
Must be filed within deadlines set up by each trust | Must be filed within state deadlines (statutes of limitations) |
Award $300,000-400,000 total on average | Award $1 million or more on average |
You may be able to file mesothelioma trust fund claims, asbestos lawsuits, and VA benefit claims all at the same time. Doing so allows you to get the most amount of money possible.
Get help filing right now.
How a Mesothelioma Lawyer Helps With Asbestos Trust Fund Claims
Working with a mesothelioma lawyer makes filing trust fund claims much easier.
Not only do they walk you through each step in the process, but they can also help you avoid issues with certain laws and rules that could otherwise affect how much money you get.
These include:
- Compensation disclosure laws: When filing a lawsuit or a new trust fund claim, some states may require you to disclose any amount of compensation you received from earlier trust fund claims.
- Payment percentages: These allow the trusts to pay only a fraction of a claim’s full value so there’ll be money left over for future claimants.
- Setoffs: Some states allow setoffs, which reduce the amount of money you get from a lawsuit if you already received trust fund compensation.
Call (877) 450-8973 to see how a lawyer can help you file your trust fund claims and avoid problems with these factors.
How Were Mesothelioma Trust Funds Created?
Trust funds were created to hold asbestos product manufacturers accountable for the harm they caused. These companies used asbestos, a cancer-causing mineral, to make products for decades despite knowing the deadly risks.
When the public became aware of the dangers in the late 1970s and early 1980s, victims flooded these companies with lawsuits. In turn, many companies filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Doing so meant they couldn’t be sued and were allowed to stay in business.
However, the courts forced bankrupt asbestos companies to create trusts so mesothelioma victims could still get financial assistance.
Get Help Filing an Asbestos Trust Fund Claim
Trust funds allow U.S. veterans with mesothelioma to get financial aid for medical treatment costs and to safeguard their family’s future. The Mesothelioma Veterans Center can help you file an asbestos trust fund claim now if you’re eligible.
Here are top takeaways about asbestos bankruptcy trusts:
- Asbestos trust funds typically award a total of $300,000-400,000 per person
- Our lawyers handle all the legal work so there’s no extra stress
- Trust fund claims don’t impact your eligibility for VA benefits
- You may start to get trust fund payouts in as few as 90 days
Call (877) 450-8973 to file a trust fund claim with help from our veteran-founded team Our veterans advocates (including some who are also veterans) are standing by to assist you.
Asbestos Trust Fund FAQs
How much money is left in the mesothelioma trust fund?
Over $30 billion is currently available across all active asbestos trust funds. By filing a trust fund claim, you or your loved ones may be able to access some of this money.
What is the average payout for mesothelioma victims from trusts?
Asbestos trust funds pay out roughly $300,00-$400,000 on average. This value accounts for the total amount the average person gets in total from the trusts they qualify for.
When you work with the Mesothelioma Veterans Center, you could possibly get over $1 million total from trust fund settlements and other legal options.
How do asbestos trust funds work?
Each asbestos trust fund typically has millions or billions of dollars set aside by a parent company that made asbestos-containing products.
If you worked with or around the company’s products and now have mesothelioma or another asbestos-related illness, you may qualify to file a claim with their trust.
You might be eligible to file multiple trust fund claims, depending on how many products you were exposed to while you worked or served in the U.S. military.
How long do I have to file an asbestos trust fund claim?
You’ll typically have 2-3 years to file a mesothelioma trust fund claim.
Time starts counting down from the date you were diagnosed with mesothelioma or from when a loved one died from an asbestos-related disease.
Don’t wait: File an asbestos trust fund claim now with our help.
What percentage does the Owens Corning asbestos trust pay?
The Owens Corning trust fund currently has a 5.9% payment percentage rate. Mesothelioma patients will get roughly $8,000 to $12,600 per claim.
A skilled mesothelioma attorney can help determine how much money you could receive and help you file claims on time.
Does filing an asbestos trust fund claim prevent me from getting VA benefits?
No. You can file for benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in addition to filing trust fund claims.
Pursuing asbestos trust claims also won’t prevent you from filing for or collecting VA benefits.
Are mesothelioma trust fund payments taxable?
Payments from trust funds are not usually subject to taxes. An asbestos lawyer can help determine if any financial compensation you get for your cancer will be taxed.