Mesothelioma and Asbestos Trust Funds

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.

Access Trust Funds

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.

A brown gavel rests on a table with golden scales in the background.

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.

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Access Asbestos Trusts
  • Over $30 Billion Available
  • Get Money in 90 Days or Less
  • Financial Security

Access Trust Funds

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.

Notable Asbestos Trust Fund Payouts
$215KOwens Corning
$155KU.S. Gypsum Company
$110KArmstrong World Industries

Asbestos Trust Fund List

Over 60 companies have active mesothelioma trust funds. Explore our trust fund list in the database below.

See which companies have asbestos trust funds.
  • 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
Armstrong World Industries

Initial Funding $2.06 billion

Established in 2006

ASARCO LLC

Initial Funding $830 million

Established in 2009

Babcock & Wilcox Company

Initial Funding $1.84 billion

Established in 2006

Celotex

Initial Funding $1.25 billion

Established in 1997

Combustion Engineering

Initial Funding $1.24 billion

Established in 2006

Congoleum Corporation

Initial Funding $270 million

Established in 2010

DII Industries, LLC

Initial Funding $2.51 billion

Established in 2005

Eagle-Picher Industries

Initial Funding $730 million

Established in 1996

Federal Mogul U.S. T&N Subfund

Initial Funding $635 million

Established in 2007

Federal Mogul U.S., FMP Subfund

Initial Funding $55 million

Established in 2007

Kaiser Aluminum

Initial Funding $1.22 billion

Established in 2006

Johns-Manville

Initial Funding $2.5 billion

Established in 1988

National Gypsum Company (NGC)

Initial Funding $446 million

Established in 1993

Owens Corning

Initial Funding $3.42 billion

Established in 2006

Owens Corning, Fibreboard Subfund

Initial Funding $1.56 billion

Established in 2006

Pittsburgh Corning Corporation

Initial Funding $825 million

Established in 2013

Porter Hayden Company

Initial Funding $40 million

Established in 2006

Quigley Co. Inc.

Initial Funding $569 million

Established in 2013

Raytech Corporation

Initial Funding $52 million

Established in 2000

United States Gypsum

Initial Funding $3.96 billion

Established in 2006

Western Asbestos

Initial Funding $2 billion

Established in 2004

W.R. Grace

Initial Funding $3 billion

Established in 2014

Don't see your company listed?

You or your loved one may qualify for this asbestos trust fund.

File Your Trust Fund Claim

You 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.

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Access Asbestos Trusts
  • Over $30 Billion Available
  • Get Money in 90 Days or Less
  • Financial Security

Access Trust Funds

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:

  1. Learn when, where, and how your asbestos exposure occurred
  2. Find out which companies made the products you were exposed to
  3. See if these companies have trust funds
  4. 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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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 ClaimsMesothelioma Lawsuits
Filed with trusts set up by bankrupt asbestos companies to avoid lawsuitsFiled against asbestos companies that don’t have bankruptcy trust funds
Never go to courtMost cases reach out-of-court settlements but a small percentage are tried in court
Must be filed within deadlines set up by each trustMust be filed within state deadlines (statutes of limitations)
Award $300,000-400,000 total on averageAward $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.

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Access Asbestos Trusts
  • Over $30 Billion Available
  • Get Money in 90 Days or Less
  • Financial Security

Access Trust Funds

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?

An old brown factoryTrust 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.

Veterans Support Team
Brian J. Cooke PhotoReviewed by:Brian J. Cooke

Mesothelioma Lawyer and U.S. Marine Corps Veteran

  • Fact-Checked
  • Legal Editor

Brian J. Cooke is a mesothelioma attorney with Simmons Hanly Conroy and a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. Thanks in part to his military service, Brian is in tune with many of the issues that veterans with mesothelioma face. Brian and his team work tirelessly to secure compensation for those with this rare and deadly cancer.

Christopher Dryfoos PhotoWritten by:

Contributing Author

Christopher Dryfoos is a journalist and member of the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA). As the grandson of the U.S. Navy’s first forensic pathologist, he aims to help veterans with mesothelioma access needed care.

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  2. B&W Asbestos Trust. (n.d.). ER Settlement. Retrieved March 6, 2024, from http://www.bwasbestostrust.com/file-a-claim/dcp/er-settlement/
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  10. RAND Institute for Civil Justice. (n.d.). Asbestos Bankruptcy Trusts. Retrieved March 6, 2024, from https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/technical_reports/2010/RAND_TR872.pdf
  11. United States Gypsum Asbestos Personal Injury Settlement Trust. (n.d.). ER Settlement. Retrieved March 6, 2024, from http://www.usgasbestostrust.com/file-a-claim/dcp/er-settlement/
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