Checklist for Veteran Claimants

Start with the DD-214, which confirms your service dates, branch and type of discharge. Add the complete personnel file, which shows assignments, units, ships and job specialties over time. For shipboard service, include deck logs or muster rolls for the most important periods, such as shipyard overhauls. Unit histories, orders and awards can add useful context. If any records are missing or incomplete, write down what you requested, from whom and when, so your representative can pursue alternative sources without duplicating requests that are already in progress.

Include the pathology report that confirms malignant mesothelioma, along with imaging reports, oncology notes and treatment records. Keep a current list of your doctors and treatment facilities with phone numbers and addresses, since the VA and attorneys may need to request records directly. A nexus letter from a qualified physician connecting the illness to military asbestos exposure is often one of the most important documents in the file. If you have had other asbestos-related conditions, such as pleural plaques or asbestosis, include those records too, because they help show the history of exposure.

Write a detailed exposure statement describing your duties, the spaces you worked in and any materials or brand names you remember seeing or handling. Collect written statements from people who served with you and saw the same conditions. Include your civilian work history as well if you had other jobs that may have involved asbestos, since that matters for trust claims. For survivors, add death certificates and marriage or birth records. Keep copies of everything you submit, along with a simple log of what was sent, to whom and the confirmation date.

1. 1

   Place your DD-214 and full personnel file at the front of one claim folder.

2. 2

   Add the pathology report, treatment records and a physician's nexus letter.

3. 3

   Write your exposure statement and collect statements from people who served with you.

4. 4

   File with an accredited service officer and keep copies of everything submitted.