Mesothelioma in veterans

On this page you will find information about:

• What mesothelioma is and the causes.
• How to claim a War Pension for diffuse mesothelioma payments.
• The Royal British Legion's campaign to support affected veterans.

Asbestos related cancer and the military

If you are diagnosed with diffuse mesothelioma as a result of your service, you may be eligible to claim a War Pension.

If you are considered eligible, you will have two options under the War Pensions Scheme:

• receive a one-off lump sum payment of up to £140,000, or
• choose to receive weekly or monthly War Pension payments

Find out more about the support available to veterans diagnosed with diffuse mesothelioma, including information about choosing the lump sum payment on GOV.UK.

The Royal British Legion's campaign work

The Royal British Legion works with politicians and officials at all levels to bring the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant to life and further the interests of the Armed Forces community.

One way the Royal British Legion does this is through its campaign work to support veterans and ex-service personnel with service-related mesothelioma.

Our campaign to support veterans with service-related Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a particularly aggressive form of terminal cancer. It affects the lungs and is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos. The cancer can take decades to materialise. But, once diagnosed, most sufferers will live for only one to two years. Sadly, over 2,500 naval veterans are likely to die from Mesothelioma before 2047.

In 2014, the Government set up the Diffuse Mesothelioma Scheme. Its purpose is to pay lump sum compensation to civilians who had contracted Mesothelioma, but were unable to trace their employer or insurance company.

The scheme revealed that, because of short life expectancy, unmarried or widowed veterans stood to get far less compensation than civilians. This was because veterans are unable to sue the Government for injuries or illnesses sustained before 1987. Instead, they could only apply for a War Pension.

Following the Legion's campaign, all veterans diagnosed with Mesothelioma as a result of Service will have a choice. They can either receive a traditional War Pension, or £140,000 in lump sum compensation, regardless of age at diagnosis.

We are grateful to the MOD for taking our campaign seriously. In doing so they have provided a fair result to all those who contracted this terrible terminal cancer in the service of their country. By taking time to contact MPs about this issue, our supporters played an important role in getting the Government to compensate veterans fairly. Thanks to everyone who gave their support. The new changes will make a big difference for the families of thousands of veterans diagnosed with Mesothelioma.

Learn more on about the Royal British Legions campaign here on our website.

Get involved in other Legion campaigns

The Royal British Legion relies on the excellent support of the public in campaigning to meet the welfare needs of the ex-Service community. Your support is critical.