Asbestos Government Compensation

Asbestos has been mined and used commercially in North America for more than a hundred years with the use escalating in World War II. It found application in a number of industries including building and construction, shipbuilding, and automotive industry. Asbestos is also a component of ceiling and floor tiles; paints, coatings, and adhesives; and plastics. In the 1970’s, when the deadly effects of asbestos exposure came to light, the use of asbestos was banned by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The US Department of Health and Human Services, the EPA, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer classify asbestos as a human carcinogen.Two government departments function under the aegis of the US Department of Labor (DOL) to oversee health and safety

Asbestos government regulations

regulations related to the maritime, construction, manufacturing, and service industries. These are OSHA or Occupational Safety and Health Administration and MSHA or Mine Safety and Health Administration. It is the professed aim of the DOL to ‘Promote workplaces that are safe, healthful and fair…’ among other strategic goals.

Asbestos government programs

The government offers a number of programs to help individuals with asbestos-related diseases. Among these are:

    1. Medicare coverage for people with asbestos-related illness. Information may be accessed at www.medicare.gov.
    2. State workers’ compensation laws provide financial help, including medical payments, for asbestos victims. Since eligibility requirements may differ from state to state, the state workers’ compensation board should be contacted at http://www.dol.gov/owcp/owcpkeyp.htm.
    3. Federal Employees’ Compensation Program provides for those who were exposed to asbestos during employment with a Federal agency. This is administered by the DOL, Employment Standards Administration’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs.
    4. The Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Program caters to the specified group of persons and other classes of maritime private industry workers who may be affected by the deadly asbestos during the course of employment.
    5. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center looks after the concerns of veterans with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related medical conditions. Information about eligibility and benefits is available from the VA Health Benefits Service Center at 1–877–222–8387 (1–877–222–VETS) or on the VA Web site at www1.va.gov/health/index.asp on the Internet.

Information about eligibility and how to file a compensation claim under these programs is available from:

Organization:

    Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs
    Employment Standards Administration
    U.S. Department of Labor

Address:

    Frances Perkins Building
    200 Constitution Avenue, NW. Washington, DC 20210

Telephone:

    1–866–692–7487 (1–866–OWCPIVR)
    202–693–0040 (Federal Employees’ Compensation Program)
    202–693–0038 (Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Program)

E-mail: OWCP-Public@dol.gov
Internet Web site: http://www.dol.gov/owcp/index.htm