Asbestos Claims / Mesothelioma Claims / Social security disability claims
Social Security Disability
Social Security Benefits for Illness Caused by Asbestos Exposure
There are two types of Social Security support for asbestos-related illnesses:
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)
Social Security is a retirement benefits system. SSDI gives people access to their retirement benefits if they have to stop working before reaching the retirement age.
For people born before 1960, the current retirement age is 66 years and 2 months.
For people born after 1960, the current retirement age is 67 years.
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) provides financial support as a monthly income.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) recognizes mesothelioma and certain other asbestos-related illnesses as disabilities that qualify for SSDI benefits. |
In order to qualify for SSDI, an individual must:
- Have worked and paid Social Security taxes for a certain amount of time.
The amount of time an individual must have worked to qualify for SSDI depends on what age the person became disabled. There is more info here.
- Be diagnosed with a disability that prevents the person from working.
In order to qualify for SSDI, a person must demonstrate to the Social Security Administration (SSA) that person cannot work because of a disability.
Under SSA rules, some impairments automatically qualify as a disability that prevents a person from working. A person who has been diagnosed with one of these impairments will be deemed as disabled by the SSA.
One of the impairments that the SSA recognizes is mesothelioma, a type of cancer that is almost always caused by breathing in asbestos.
Proving a disability for an SSDI application requires evidence.
- SSDI applicants must submit documentation of their disability diagnosis.
- Patients with mesothelioma can submit a pathology report identifying a growth as malignant mesothelioma cancer cells.


SSDI compassionate allowance for asbestos-related illnesses.
There is a long waiting period for approving and paying disability benefits.
But the SSA understands malignant illnesses are more urgent.
So under its compassionate allowance program, applications for certain malignant conditions like mesothelioma are prioritized.
Proper applications for SSDI based on malignant conditions are processed, approved and paid more quickly.
It is important to submit a proper application to be expedited as a compassionate allowance.
To avoid getting denied, an asbestos claims attorney can help prepare the application and make sure all the supporting documents and other evidence are provided.
Applying for disability benefits is usually better than applying for retirement benefits.
If you are above the age of 62 and have to stop working because of mesothelioma or an asbestos-related health-problem, you have the option of applying for your retirement benefits early.
But you almost always want to apply for disability payments rather than seeking an early retirement:
- The SSA will generally not pay for both.
- If you retire early, your retirement benefits will be reduced by as much as 25%.
- Disability benefits will not be reduced, even if you haven’t reached retirement age.
Applying for SSDI disability benefits for asbestos-related illnesses.
Apply for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits online at the Social Security Administration (SSA).
An asbestos claims attorney from the Law Offices of Justinian C. Lane, Esq. PLLC can assist you with preparing an application and ensuring it has the necessary documentation to avoid being rejected.
We offer a free consultation without obligation to discuss your options.
Supplemental Security Income for asbestos related illnesses.
Some people with asbestos-related illnesses that prevent them from working have not earned enough credits under the SSA programs to receive retirement benefits. They often also do not have enough credits to qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).
For these people there is another option: Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
SSI provides support to individuals with few assets and a low annual income.
Supplemental Security income amounts for 2021:
Eligible SSI Recipient | 2020 | 2021 | Monthly (Estimate) |
Eligible individual | $9,407.82 | $9,530.12 | $794 |
Eligible couple | 14,110.18 | 14,293.61 | 1,191 |
Essential person | 4,714.70 | 4,775.99 | 397 |
Source: Social Security Administration |
Many people who receive SSI also can receive Medicaid and food stamp benefits.
Benefits are determined by:
- Annual income.
- State of residence.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is different from Social Security disability insurance (SSDI), but both programs are managed by the Social Security Administration (SSA).
If you have a low income and few assets, and you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related illness that keeps you from working, you may qualify for SSI.
An asbestos claims attorney can help you understand that process and apply for benefits.


There are Other Claims for Asbestos-related Illnesses that You May Be Eligible for.
If you have health problems related to your occupational asbestos exposure, there are other sources of compensation you may be entitled to receive. These include:
Asbestos Bankruptcy Trust Claims
Asbestos manufacturers knew since the 1930s that breathing in asbestos caused health problems. But instead of warning their employees that asbestos could cause health problems, the asbestos industry kept it secret from the public.
As the truth started coming out in the 1970s, courts wanted to make sure that the companies would have enough money to pay for all people who might develop asbestos-related health problems.
So the asbestos companies were ordered to place their insurance money into special bank accounts called trusts.
There are approximately $30 billion sitting unclaimed in asbestos trust funds.Under a court order, this money is set aside only for individuals who were injured by asbestos exposure. |
Contact an asbestos claims attorney at the Law Offices of Justinian C. Lane, Esq. – PLLC to see if you qualify. We offer an entirely free consultation with an asbestos claims lawyer, with no obligation. Call, text or email and we can explain your options.


Asbestos Litigation
Negligence and the failure to warn. If a person does not know something is risky, the person will not know to avoid it. That is why the law requires a company or person who creates a danger to warn others who might be injured.
For decades, the asbestos industry and its insurers knew of the dangers caused by their product, but did not add warning labels for employees and consumers.
That is why the law holds them accountable under civil law. Employees and others harmed by asbestos exposure can file a lawsuit and often recover money for injuries including:
- Healthcare costs (hospital bills, ongoing care)
- Missed work (lost wages and opportunities)
- Pain and suffering (physical pain and mental anguish, including fear of developing cancer)
Wrongful death. In addition, children and spouses of people who died as a result of mesothelioma or other asbestos-related illnesses can seek compensation for injuries including their loss of the family member’s support and companionship.
In asbestos claim lawsuits, victims can often also receive punitive damages. These are large money awards designed to punish the asbestos industry for its deception.
In fact, lawsuits against the asbestos industry are often settled out of court, because the asbestos manufacturers know the facts against them are so damning.
Many of our clients have received financial compensation for painful and even fatal asbestos-related health problems from:
- Asbestos mining companies
- Asbestos manufacturers
- Asbestos distributors
- Asbestos company insurers
However, there are laws known as statutes of limitation that limit how much time you have to file a lawsuit after being injured.
Speak to an asbestos claims attorney to help understand your deadlines and how to file a lawsuit for wrongful death by asbestos.
Justinian Means Justice.
Asbestos-related diseases can take a long time to appear, and usually get worse.
Even a small exposure to asbestos can cause a range of health problems decades later. These illnesses can include asbestosis, pleural plaques, mesothelioma and other cancers.
In addition to healthcare bills, asbestos-related illnesses can lead to lost wages, an inability to work, disabilities, a degraded quality of life and even a fatality.
But under state and federal laws, people harmed by asbestos exposure are often entitled to compensation for their injuries.
In many cases, they do not even need to file a lawsuit.
Even regular cigarette smokers who developed lung cancer can often recover money if asbestos exposure made their health problems worse. |
If you or your loved one was exposed to asbestos, speak to a healthcare professional about getting tested for respiratory illnesses associated with asbestos exposure.
And if you have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related illness, you can speak with an asbestos injury attorney at the law offices of Justinian C. Lane, Esq. – PLLC to discuss your options.
We use a comprehensive database of asbestos industry info and cutting edge medical research to gather all the evidence needed to prove your case.
In two decades of representing clients harmed by asbestos, we have built a database of:
- All the railroad worksites and products that contained asbestos.
- All available scientific research into the health effects of asbestos.
We leave no stone unturned to show that how you were exposed to and harmed by asbestos.


Our archival database has virtually all available information on asbestos use and its health effects. We can conduct a search of your workplace or illness. |
Free consultation with a seasoned asbestos claims attorney, with no obligation.
If you or your loved one was exposed to asbestos, speak to a healthcare professional about getting tested for respiratory illnesses associated with asbestos exposure.
And if you have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related illness, you can speak with an asbestos injury attorney at the law offices of Justinian C. Lane, Esq. – PLLC to discuss your options.
We can set up a consultation in person, by phone, or video conference – whatever makes you most comfortable. I will listen to your story and explain all your options, including a reasonable estimate of how much compensation you are likely to receive from the asbestos trusts based on your story. |
We have the resources available to litigate asbestos cases against the largest companies in the world. We have battled bullies and earned millions of dollars in compensation for clients that were injured by asbestos.
Every case is different, but we are driven by a sense of justice, and aim to deliver justice for our clients, whatever that means for them. |
My grandfather was first exposed to asbestos driving naval landing vehicles as a service member during WWII. My own family was affected by the deceptions and carelessness of the asbestos industry. And my team and I are ready to go toe-to-toe with any company that manufactured, sold, installed, or removed asbestos products without providing proper protection to our clients.
We do not accept defeat. Unless we get you money for your injuries, you don’t pay us a dime.
Your Rights Can Be Lost If You Wait
There are laws that limit how much time you have to file a lawsuit after being injured. They are known as statutes of limitation.
Most statutes will begin to run from the date of injury. That means the “ticking clock” starts the day that you were diagnosed with an asbestos-related illness. If you are filing a wrongful death claim, the statute of limitation usually dies on the date that the loved one passed away.
Do not wait to find out when your claim begins. If you believe you are entitled to compensation for your asbestos-related illness, call, text or email the Law Offices of Justinian C. Lane, Esq. – PLLC to understand your rights.
No matter what, there is no fee for a consultation, and no obligation.
Applying for SSDI disability benefits for asbestos-related illnesses.
And it will cost you nothing to file a claim.
At AsbestosClaims.Law, we’ve helped thousands of people who were exposed to asbestos in their job, car or at home. Can we help you? |
1 Asbestos, asbestosis, and cancer, the Helsinki criteria for diagnosis and attribution 2014: recommendations, Wolff H, Vehmas T, Oksa P, Rantanen J, Vainio H, Scandinavian Journal of Work and Environmental Health (2015).