The Mesothelioma Center’s Veterans Network

What Is the Veterans Network?

The Veterans Network is The Mesothelioma Center’s program for helping veterans diagnosed with mesothelioma or asbestos-related illness navigate the VA benefits system. We help veterans document military asbestos exposure and connect with medical, legal and financial resources. 

Our support network for veterans with mesothelioma includes VA-accredited claims agents who can file and appeal VA claims on a veteran’s behalf and who maintain working relationships with VA treatment centers specializing in mesothelioma. The Mesothelioma Center also runs a nationwide Veterans Service Officer training program, having trained more than 3,500 VSOs across 24 states. All services are free.

Who Is the Veterans Network For?

Asbestos.com’s Veterans Network is for veterans diagnosed with mesothelioma or asbestos-related illness, their surviving spouses and dependents, and family members navigating a diagnosis on a veteran’s behalf. It covers veterans from every branch of service, including the Navy, Army, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard. 

Many veterans who contact The Mesothelioma Center have previously filed a VA claim that was denied, are unsure whether their service qualifies or don’t know where to start. The Veterans Department can help in all of these situations.

The Veterans Department: The Team Behind the Network

The Veterans Department at The Mesothelioma Center includes VA-accredited claims agents with specialized knowledge of asbestos-related illness. Aaron Munz, a former U.S. Army captain and VA-accredited claims agent, directs our Veterans Department operations. Danielle DiPietro, a board-certified Patient Advocate and VA-accredited claims agent, works with Aaron to help veterans and their families file claims, prepare appeals and navigate the VA benefits process.

VA accreditation requires passing a comprehensive exam on VA benefits, a background check and annual continuing education to maintain current knowledge of VA policy. The advantage of working with The Mesothelioma Center’s Veterans Department is that its claims agents combine that accreditation with extensive expertise in asbestos exposure and mesothelioma, a combination that’s rare among VA claims agents.

What the Veterans Department Can Help You Do

Veterans navigating a mesothelioma diagnosis face two challenges at once: the complexity of the illness and the complexity of the VA benefits system. The Veterans Department handles the VA side of that so veterans and their families can focus on care.

Services for Veterans and Families

• Appealing previously denied VA benefits claims
• Applying for disability compensation
• Gathering and correctly filing VA paperwork
• Preparing detailed asbestos exposure summaries
• Securing survivor benefits and survivors pension
• Submitting a VA benefits claim

Veterans don’t need to know where their asbestos exposure occurred to get started. The Veterans Department can help piece together service history, worksites, ships, job duties and equipment to build an exposure summary that supports a claim.

VA-Accredited Claims Agents: Why It Matters

By law, only a VA-accredited agent can represent a veteran or surviving dependent before the Department of Veterans Affairs. Not every mesothelioma resource that discusses VA benefits employs agents with this credential. The Mesothelioma Center’s Veterans Department does, and its claims agents hold accreditation specifically because of the complexity of asbestos-related VA claims. 

The VA benefits approval process for asbestos-related illness involves identifying where service-related exposure occurred, connecting that exposure to a diagnosis and meeting the VA’s documentation requirements at each stage. The Veterans Department manages that process on behalf of veterans and their families, including any appeals if a claim is initially denied.

Military Asbestos Exposure and Mesothelioma

Veterans account for a significant portion of mesothelioma diagnoses in the United States. Military asbestos exposure occurred across every branch of service, with particularly heavy use in Navy shipbuilding and repair, construction of military bases and facilities, vehicle and aircraft maintenance and a wide range of industrial and mechanical applications.

Naval and shipyard workers faced some of the highest rates of asbestos exposure, with asbestos used extensively in ship construction, insulation, engine rooms and below-deck areas through the 1970s and beyond. Veterans of every branch may have been exposed through barracks, vehicles, equipment or job-specific duties, regardless of their military occupational specialty. Our Veterans Department can help veterans from all branches document their specific exposure history. 

VA Treatment Centers and Medical Resources

The Mesothelioma Center maintains working relationships with VA treatment centers that specialize in mesothelioma treatment. Veterans navigating a diagnosis may have access to VA-covered treatment at specialized centers, in addition to the mesothelioma doctors available through The Mesothelioma Center’s Doctor Match Program.

Patient Advocates can help veterans understand their options for VA-covered care and identify mesothelioma specialists at VA treatment centers. We can also connect veterans with The Mesothelioma Center’s broader network of 500+ mesothelioma specialists at 100+ cancer centers of excellence.

Veterans Service Officer Training and Community Partnerships

The Mesothelioma Center has trained more than 3,500 Veterans Service Officers on asbestos-related VA claims across 24 states. The training program, established through The Mesothelioma Center’s Community Partnership program in 2022, gives VSOs the knowledge to identify asbestos-related illness in veterans they serve and guide them toward appropriate claims and resources.

The Mesothelioma Center also partners with the National Association of County Veterans Service Officers. This extends the reach of asbestos-related VA claims education to VSOs and veterans organizations nationwide.

How the Veterans Network Fits Into the Full Picture

The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com coordinates medical, legal, financial, veterans and support resources through a single Patient Advocate team. The Veterans Network is the piece focused specifically on the VA system, military asbestos exposure and veterans benefits, but it connects directly to the other networks a veteran may need. 

Veterans navigating a mesothelioma diagnosis often have simultaneous questions about treatment, legal compensation and financial assistance. The same team that helps file a VA claim can also connect a veteran with a mesothelioma specialist, a vetted mesothelioma law firm or financial assistance resources. That coordination through one team doesn’t exist anywhere else in the mesothelioma space.

Veterans with Mesothelioma Don’t Have To Navigate This Alone

A mesothelioma diagnosis is hard enough. The VA benefits process on top of it shouldn’t fall entirely on a veteran or their family. The Mesothelioma Center’s Veterans Department exists to carry that part of the process so veterans can focus on their health and their family.

What is the Veterans Network at Asbestos.com?

The Veterans Network is The Mesothelioma Center’s program for helping veterans with mesothelioma or asbestos-related illness navigate VA benefits claims, document military asbestos exposure and connect with VA treatment centers, legal resources and financial assistance. All services are free and don’t require pursuing a legal claim.

Who can use the Veterans Network?

Asbestos.com’s Veterans Network serves veterans diagnosed with mesothelioma or asbestos-related illness, their surviving spouses and dependents and family members helping a veteran navigate a diagnosis. It covers veterans from every branch of service, including those who are unsure whether their service history qualifies or who have had a prior VA claim denied.

What is a VA-accredited claims agent?

By law, only a VA-accredited agent can legally represent a veteran or surviving dependent before the Department of Veterans Affairs. Accreditation requires passing a comprehensive exam on VA benefits, a background check and annual continuing education. The Mesothelioma Center’s Veterans Department includes VA-accredited claims agents who also have specialized knowledge of asbestos exposure and asbestos-related illness.

Can The Mesothelioma Center help if my VA claim was denied?

Yes. The Veterans Department can help veterans appeal previously denied VA benefits claims. The team can review what documentation was submitted, identify gaps in the exposure summary and prepare a stronger appeal on the veteran’s behalf.

Does The Mesothelioma Center help veterans from all military branches?

Yes. The Veterans Network covers veterans from the Navy, Army, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard. Asbestos exposure occurred across all branches in different forms, and the Veterans Department can help document exposure history specific to a veteran’s branch, duty station, ships, job duties and equipment.

How is The Mesothelioma Center’s Veterans Network different from other mesothelioma resources?

The Mesothelioma Center employs VA-accredited claims agents who can file and appeal VA claims on behalf of veterans. VA accreditation requires passing a comprehensive benefits exam, a background check and annual continuing education. Our Veterans Department has also trained more than 3,500 Veterans Service Officers across 24 states and partners with the National Association of County Veterans Service Officers. 

The Mesothelioma Center is an independent organization not tied to a single law firm. This means our Veterans Department can coordinate VA benefits navigation at the same time as medical, legal and financial resources based on what a veteran actually needs.

Can a family member contact the Veterans Network on behalf of a veteran?

Yes. Many spouses, adult children and caregivers contact The Mesothelioma Center while supporting a veteran with mesothelioma. The Veterans Department can work with family members as well as patients.