Trust Claim Eligibility
Asbestos bankruptcy trusts were created to compensate people harmed by asbestos products. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with an asbestos-related illness, you may be eligible to file a claim if you meet the following requirements:
Eligibility Based Upon Workplace Exposure
You may qualify if you worked with or around asbestos-containing products—especially in jobs involving:
Construction, shipbuilding, or manufacturing
Oil refineries, chemical plants, or power plants
Auto repair (brakes, clutches, gaskets)
Military service (especially Navy and shipyards)
Even if you didn’t work directly with asbestos, being near others who did can still qualify.
Example: Let’s say two workers spent years at the same refinery. One was a pipefitter, regularly removing and replacing insulation made with asbestos. The other was an instrument technician, working nearby but not touching the insulation himself.
The pipefitter clearly qualifies—he worked directly with asbestos. But so does the instrument technician. Why? Because when the pipefitter disturbed asbestos insulation, fibers were released into the air—and the technician breathed them in.
Exposure isn’t about job title. It’s about who was in the area when asbestos was released.
If you worked near others using asbestos products—even if you never touched them yourself—you may still be eligible for compensation. We can help you prove it.
To meet trust requirements, we must show:
You were exposed to specific asbestos products or job sites covered by the trust
Your exposure occurred during a certain timeframe (usually a period of time before 1982 or 1986 depending on the trust)
You were exposed to asbestos for a long enough timeframe to cause a disease.
For mesothelioma, this could be a day or two of exposure. For other diseases, most trusts require 5 years of exposure to asbestos.
We handle all the research—including job site records, product catalogs, shipping logs, and historical data—to prove it for you.
Eligibility Based Upon Living with an Asbestos Worker
You may also qualify if you lived with someone who worked around asbestos and brought fibers home on their clothing or gear. This kind of exposure is called secondary exposure.
These claims are often filed by:
Spouses who did laundry
Children who hugged or played near a dusty parent
Other household members exposed through shared living space
Just like work exposure, we must show:
You lived with the exposed person during the covered time period
The exposed person worked with asbestos products linked to a trust
You developed an asbestos-related illness
We have the documentation to establish these connections—even decades later.
Real-Life Examples of Household Exposure Eligibility
Scenario | Work History | Marriage Date | Household Exposure Period | Disease | Eligibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Example 1 | Husband began working with asbestos in 1975 and continued until 1985 | Married in 1977 | Wife lived with him from 1977–1985 (8 years of exposure) | Lung cancer | ✅ Eligible — She lived with him during the exposure period and has 5+ years of exposure |
Example 2 | Same husband exposure: 1975–1985 | Married in 1983 | Wife lived with him from 1983–1985 (2 years of exposure) | Lung cancer | ❌ Not eligible — Not enough exposure for most cancers (needs 5 years), |
If you don’t qualify for trust claims, you may still be eligible for lawsuits or other compensation programs. We’ll explore every legal option for you.
What Diseases Qualify for Trust Payments?
Each trust has its own list of eligible conditions. We’ll help determine exactly which trusts you qualify for, but here’s a general guide.
Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is almost always caused by asbestos. Even brief exposure—sometimes just days or weeks—can qualify.
If you or a loved one has mesothelioma and had any level of exposure during a trust’s covered time period, you may be eligible for compensation. That's because studies have consistently shown that even a short, brief exposure can be enough to cause mesothelioma.
Learn more about mesothelioma.
Other Asbestos-Related Cancers
Most trusts compensate asbestos-related cancers if two requirements are met:
Most trusts compensate asbestos-related cancers if two requirements are met:
At least 5 years of exposure (60 months).
This must include at least 2 years of Significant Occupational Exposure (SOE, explained below).
A diagnosis of one of the following:
Lung cancer
Throat (laryngeal or pharyngeal) cancer
Stomach cancer
Colon or rectal cancer
Women who have developed ovarian cancer due to asbestos exposure from contaminated talc are not eligible for trust claims as of May of 2025
Asbestosis and Pleural Plaques
These are non-cancerous but still serious asbestos-related diseases.
Most trusts require at least 5 years of asbestos exposure
Some levels require “Significant Occupational Exposure” (SOE), explained below.
Eligibility depends on the severity of your disease and your medical records
Many trusts rate asbestosis as unimpaired if you have minimal breathing problems, impaired if you have moderate breathing problems, and severely impaired if your x-ray shows serious damage to your lung and your lung functions are below 65%.
We work with board-certified physicians who understand trust requirements and help ensure your records meet them.
What Is “Significant Occupational Exposure” (SOE)?
SOE means that the person was not only employed in a job where asbestos was present but was routinely exposed to airborne asbestos fibers as part of their work.
Short, brief exposures to asbestos are enough to cause mesothelioma, so there's no SOE requirement for this disease.
Why Do Trusts Require SOE?
Medically, the risk of developing asbestos-related cancer increases with the intensity and duration of exposure. Trusts use the SOE standard to filter out low-level exposures that are unlikely to cause cancer according to most scientific studies.
For example, someone who occasionally walked through an area where asbestos was present might not meet the SOE threshold—but someone who worked next to pipefitters removing insulation every day likely would.
Just because a person doesn't have enough exposure to qualify for a trust payment, that doesn't mean they have no options - they often do. Call us at 833-4-ASBESTOS if you have an asbestos-related cancer and we'll go over them with you.
How We Help Prove Your Exposure
We gather:
Detailed job descriptions
Co-worker affidavits
Social Security work history
Union records, site-specific documents, and product catalogs
Then we build a clear picture that shows not just where you worked—but how you were exposed. Trusts don’t make it easy—but we know how to meet their standards.
Our Firm Does the Hard Work for You
Filing an asbestos trust claim can be complex—but you don’t have to do it alone.
Our firm maintains a vast repository of millions of pages of documents, including shipping records, job site manifests, product catalogs, and sworn depositions that help prove which asbestos products were used at which locations. Combined with our dedicated team of records specialists and legal experts, we handle every step of the claims process—from gathering evidence to submitting the claim—so you can focus on your health and your family.
We’ve helped thousands of families secure compensation, and we’re ready to help you too.
Contact us today at 833-4-ASBESTOS for a free, no-obligation consultation. We’ll review your work history or your loved one’s exposure, explain your legal options, and get to work building your claim.