Asbestosis

Asbestosis is a scarring (interstitial) lung disease caused by breathing in asbestos fibers, often years before symptoms appear. Many veterans were around asbestos in service — for example aboard ships and in engine and boiler rooms, or doing insulation, construction, demolition, or pipe and shipyard work, where asbestos was used in older buildings and equipment.

There is no automatic, or "presumptive," rule that says a veteran was exposed just because of where they served, including shipboard service. Instead, the VA looks at your records — such as your military job and where you were stationed — to decide how likely it is that you were exposed during service, then weighs whether your asbestosis is connected to that exposure (the VA's M21-1 manual guides this case-by-case review). To be service-connected you generally need a current diagnosis, evidence of in-service exposure, and a link between the two; exposure by itself is not a ratable condition.

Once asbestosis is service-connected, the VA rates it under 38 CFR § 4.97, Diagnostic Code 6833, using the General Rating Formula for Interstitial Lung Disease. That formula sets ratings of 10, 30, 60, or 100 percent based mainly on breathing-test (pulmonary function test) results — your FVC and DLCO percentages — or your maximum exercise capacity, with a 100 percent rating also possible if you have cor pulmonale or pulmonary hypertension, or need outpatient oxygen therapy.

This is general educational information about how the VA's rules work — not legal advice, not a VA decision, and not a prediction about any individual claim. Outcomes depend on your own facts and evidence; a denial can be appealed.