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Can veterans with “low exposure” Navy jobs still qualify for VA benefits?
Posted by Veteran with Mesothelioma | Jan 22, 2026
I worked in the Navy for a number of years, but my specialty is considered low asbestos exposure. After the Navy, I went into civilian roles where there is a chance that I could have been exposed to asbestos in those roles as well. Is it possible to show that my time in the Navy impacted my exposure levels, even if my specialty doesn't categorize that?
Aaron Munz - Director of Veterans Department at The Mesothelioma Center | Jan 22, 2026
One of the Navy veterans that I helped in the past couple of years was a boiler tender. The Navy recognizes that every veteran had asbestos exposure, but they categorize the amount of likely exposure based on the job specialty.
So this particular veteran wasn't sure that his VA benefits were going to get approved. We reviewed every exposure that he experienced, including time spent in the Boston Navy Yard, where he worked with asbestos materials, which he inhaled and ingested during that period. We were able to write an exposure summary that accurately summarized all of his asbestos exposure. We were able to show that twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week of exposure in the Navy produced more exposure than the twenty years he had of civilian exposure. And he was granted disability benefits before he passed away, and his wife continues to get surviving spouse benefits from the VA today.
So this particular veteran wasn't sure that his VA benefits were going to get approved. We reviewed every exposure that he experienced, including time spent in the Boston Navy Yard, where he worked with asbestos materials, which he inhaled and ingested during that period. We were able to write an exposure summary that accurately summarized all of his asbestos exposure. We were able to show that twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week of exposure in the Navy produced more exposure than the twenty years he had of civilian exposure. And he was granted disability benefits before he passed away, and his wife continues to get surviving spouse benefits from the VA today.
