Asbestosis

Asbestosis is a chronic, non-cancerous lung disease that develops when inhaled asbestos fibers settle deep into lung tissue and trigger progressive scarring. Asbestosis is a lung-function disease, one that gradually makes breathing harder. Asbestos Ships helps veterans connect a diagnosis like this back to their time aboard a ship and understand what it could mean for a VA claim.

How the scarring develops

Once asbestos fibers become airborne and are inhaled, they can lodge deep in the lungs and stay there, prompting an ongoing inflammatory response. Over time, that inflammation turns into fibrosis, scar tissue that makes the lungs stiffer and less able to move oxygen into the bloodstream.

This process typically affects the lower portions of the lungs first. Because the fibers remain in the lung tissue long after exposure ends, the disease can continue progressing even decades after a veteran's time in the Navy.

Where Navy veterans encountered asbestos

Older Navy ships relied heavily on asbestos for fire safety and insulation, particularly in engine rooms, boiler rooms, and other spaces below deck. Sailors in the roles below had some of the highest odds of regular contact with these materials.

• Personnel who served on ships with keels laid before 1983
• Sailors who worked below deck before the early 1990s
• Pipefitters, welders, and boiler operators
• Veterans who removed damaged asbestos lagging or re-wrapped pipes with asbestos paste
• Navy shipyard workers active from the 1930s through the 1990s

Disturbing these materials, through repair, removal, or simple wear and tear, was enough to send fibers into the air.

Why symptoms can take decades to appear

Asbestosis doesn't show up right after exposure the way an acute illness might. The VA places the typical delay for asbestos-related symptoms at 20 to 50 years, meaning a veteran exposed during service in the 1970s might not notice breathing problems until well into their later years.

That gap is exactly why documenting a veteran's specific duty stations and job roles matters so much when a diagnosis eventually arrives. Without that history, tying a current diagnosis back to a decades-old exposure becomes much harder.

How the VA rates asbestosis

Asbestosis falls under Diagnostic Code 6833 and is rated based on lung function rather than a flat percentage tied to diagnosis alone. The VA looks primarily at two measurements, forced vital capacity and DLCO, to determine severity.

• 10 percent: FVC of 75 to 80 percent predicted, or DLCO of 66 to 80 percent predicted
• 30 percent: FVC of 65 to 74 percent predicted, or DLCO of 56 to 65 percent predicted
• 60 percent: FVC of 50 to 64 percent predicted, or DLCO of 40 to 55 percent predicted
• 100 percent: FVC below 50 percent predicted, DLCO below 40 percent predicted, or the need for outpatient oxygen therapy

Because the rating tracks lung function rather than the diagnosis itself, two veterans with asbestosis can end up with very different ratings depending on severity. For 2026, that translates to monthly compensation ranging from $180.42 at a 10 percent rating up to $3,938.58 at 100 percent, rising to $4,158.17 with a spouse and no other dependents, and all of it tax-free.

How Asbestos Ships can help

Connecting a lung function diagnosis back to specific shipboard duties from decades ago takes real documentation work. Asbestos Ships helps veterans put that documentation together.

• Referrals to VA-accredited representatives who take on asbestos-related claims without upfront fees
• Plain-language information on the type of service and medical records that support a claim
• Help locating your nearest VA regional office or medical center
• Connections to legal resources for compensation options outside the VA system

A breathing problem that started decades ago aboard ship deserves a claim built on real documentation, not guesswork. Our team can help you figure out what your case actually needs. Reach out to Asbestos Ships today to see what support is available to you.