Military Veterans Suffer from Service Related Asbestos Illnesses

The use of asbestos in industrial applications can be traced back to the Greeks, who used the mineral because of its heat and flame resistant qualities. Derived from the Greek word, meaning inextinguishable, asbestos popularity reached its climax in the 20th century among industries and manufacturers.

The United States government and asbestos manufactures have been heavily criticized for concealing and not acting enough to inform the public of the dangers associated with asbestos exposure. Asbestos exposure has affected various industries including the military, real estate, power generation and shipyards.

It’s fire resistant, versatile and durable qualities paved the way for its uses as insulation in aircraft, vehicles and buildings. Asbestos appeared on most vessels used by the Navy and in shipyards. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs stated that out of the 25 million military veterans living today in the country, hundreds of thousands were exposed to asbestos while on service. As many as four million service men and women worked in shipyards repairing and building giant vessels. Thousands of tons of asbestos were used as piping and boiler insulation aboard navigation rooms, sleeping quarters and mess halls in ships.

Frequent exposure to airborne asbestos fibers can increase the chances of developing asbestos-related illness such as malignant mesothelioma, a fatal lung ailment. Mesothelioma survival rate varies from patient to patient for many reasons. These include age of diagnosis, latency period and cigarette smoking.

Miscellaneous Exposure Settings

The potential remains for another generation of veteran and civilian asbestos exposure. Military personnel and citizens should be aware of the hazards involved with this obsolete substance and take the proper initiatives to avoid exposure.

The World Trade Center attacks of September 11th, 2001 set about 2,000 tons of asbestos in the air and resulted in 62 percent of those caught in the dust cloud coping with respiratory problems. Natural disasters are also potential exposure settings. Hurricane Katrina damaged thousands of older asbestos containing homes. Almost three years after the storm, states of the Gulf coast region are still struggling to restore buildings and prevent asbestos exposure.

United States combat troops have been stationed in Iraq and face many extreme dangers on a daily basis. Aside from performing military operations, there is the potential threat of asbestos exposure. Over $194,000 worth of asbestos was imported into Iraq in 2003, documents reveal.

This presents a significant hazard for all soldiers stationed in the country because intense winds and desert sands can carry asbestos dust for long distances.

Military veterans and civilians who have developed an asbestos-related disease find themselves in a tough situation when attempting to receive assistance and benefits for their wrongful illness. Currently, mesothelioma is not readily recognized as a service-related medical ailment. However, veterans can apply for Veteran Affairs (VA) benefits for asbestos-related illness and must provide proof that their exposure occurred at the time of their military service.

This post is dedicated to all military veterans out there.  It is unfortunate how many U.S. Military Verterans are unaware of the potential benefits they may be entitled to for their services as a military professional.

One such benefit is called R.E.A.P.  The Reserve Educational Assistance Program.  What is REAP?  REAP is a new Department of Defense education benefit to veterans who served on active duty in response to war or national emergency.  Most recently, would be the war in response to the attacks of September 11th. 

If you served at least 90 days of active duty service during Operation Iraqi Freedom II, then you may be eligible for education benefits.  Be sure to visit the REAP section on the the V.A. website for all of the details to this program.

Back in 2004 I served around 8 months of active duty time during OIF II.

I recently decided I was going to go after my MBA so I enrolled in this program a few weeks ago.  This morning I got up and checked the mail and received a package from the V.A.  I was delighted to when I read the first line of the document inside.  It read as follows:

“Dear Mr. Moreno, This certifies that you are entitled to benefits for an approved program of education or training under the Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP).  You have 12 months and 0 days of full time benefits remaining.  You have until October 6, 2014, to use your benefits under this program.”

Trust me, I don’t need until 2014 to use this money.  I was already planning on starting in March of 2009.  Based on the payout breakdown from the V.A. I should receive about $220 a month from this program to go toward my stiff $2100 dollar tuition per class at Keller Graduate School of Management.

I was also delighted to learn that I also qualify for another program called the Veteran Appreciation Grant. This is an exclusive program that Keller offers.  I think it is an additional $250 off the tuition charges.  So, if I do decide to go to Keller, I could have up to about $910 off the tuition fees per class!

This certainly makes me feel much better about the time I served on active duty.  All other veterans should feel this way as well.  This is why I encourage all other veterans to take advantage of the programs that they qualify for.  First off you deserve it, simply because you have made true sacrifices for our country.  Second, you pay taxes even in the military, so you are helping pay for these programs anyway!

So don’t waste time, get online or head over to your local V.A. office and enroll for what is rightfully yours. 

If you are a veteran and are reading this article I suggest you subscribe to my blog.  I am always researching and will post any other information I discover in the future.  Thank you for taking the time to read my blog.  Godspeed!