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Content on WikiMesothelioma is reviewed prior to publication by three named attorneys at Danziger & De Llano LLP. Dr. Luciano Mutti, MD, PhD, co-author of the European mesothelioma treatment guidelines, serves as the site's Medical Reviewer. See our editorial standards.

Asbestos Trust Fund Quick Reference

From WikiMesothelioma — Mesothelioma Knowledge Base

Asbestos Trust Fund Quick Reference

Overview

Asbestos trust funds were established by companies that filed for bankruptcy due to asbestos liability, creating court-supervised compensation pools for current and future victims.[1] Mesothelioma claimants typically receive the highest payment levels, known as "scheduled values," because of the strong causal link between asbestos exposure and the disease.[2] An experienced attorney can file claims with multiple trusts simultaneously, often recovering $100,000 to $400,000 or more in combined trust fund compensation.[3]

Key Facts

Category Detail
Total Paid Out (Historical) $20+ billion[4]
Mesothelioma Scheduled Value Range $25,000 - $250,000+ per trust[2]
Average Total Trust Recovery $100,000 - $400,000 (across multiple trusts)[3]
Filing Deadline Varies by trust (typically 2-3 years from diagnosis)[2]
Payment Percentage Varies from under 1% to 58% depending on trust solvency[1]
Claims Per Patient 15-25 trusts typically filed[2]
Processing Time 3-12 months per trust[5]
Attorney Needed? Strongly recommended[3]

Major Asbestos Trust Funds

Trust Name Company Scheduled Mesothelioma Value Payment Percentage
Johns-Manville Trust Johns-Manville Corp. $181,846 5.6%[6]
Owens Corning / Fibreboard Owens Corning $200,000 OC Sub-Account 4.3%; FB Sub-Account 3.5%[7]
USG Asbestos Trust USG Corporation $155,000[8] 10%[9]
W.R. Grace Trust W.R. Grace & Co. $180,000[10] 30.1%[11]
Pittsburgh Corning Trust Pittsburgh Corning Corp. $175,000[12] 19%[13]
Armstrong World Industries Armstrong World Industries $110,000[14] 7.8% (proposed; paid from October 5, 2026 pending TAC/FCR consent)[15]
Celotex Trust Celotex Corporation $200,000 7%[2]
Combustion Engineering Combustion Engineering Inc. $200,000 15.3%[16]
Babcock & Wilcox Babcock & Wilcox Co. $90,000[17] 4.3%[18]
NARCO Trust North American Refractories Co. $238,000 Confirm with trust

What Are the Most Common Questions About Asbestos Trust Funds?

What are asbestos trust funds?

Asbestos trust funds are court-established compensation programs created under Section 524(g) of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.[1] When asbestos manufacturers faced overwhelming litigation, bankruptcy courts required them to set aside funds to pay current and future victims before granting liability protection.[4]

How much can I receive from asbestos trust funds?

Mesothelioma claimants typically recover $100,000 to $400,000 in combined payments across multiple trusts.[3] Individual trust payments depend on the scheduled disease value and the current payment percentage for that trust.[2]

How do I file an asbestos trust fund claim?

Filing requires documenting your asbestos exposure to the specific bankrupt company's products, providing medical records confirming your diagnosis, and submitting trust-specific claim forms.[2] Most claimants use the expedited review process, which handles 97-98% of claims within 90 days.[5]

How many trust funds can I file with?

Most mesothelioma patients file with 15 to 25 different trusts based on their exposure history.[2] Workers in high-exposure trades such as insulation, boilermaking, and pipefitting often qualify for the greatest number of trusts.[19]

Do I need an attorney to file trust fund claims?

While not legally required, attorney representation is strongly recommended. Self-represented claimants recover an estimated 50-70% less than professionally represented victims because they typically file with fewer trusts and miss secondary exposure sources.[3]

How long does it take to receive trust fund payments?

Expedited review claims are typically processed within 3 to 6 months.[5] Individual review, which may yield higher payments for strong claims, can take 6 to 12 months or longer.[2]

Can I file a trust fund claim AND a lawsuit?

Yes. Trust fund claims and lawsuits against solvent defendants are separate legal processes that can be pursued simultaneously.[2] This dual-track strategy typically maximizes total compensation, as trust fund payments provide immediate relief while litigation proceeds.[3]

Quick Statistics

  • Trusts have paid out more than $20 billion to approximately 3.3 million claimants since 1988[4]
  • Mesothelioma is classified as the highest disease level (Level 8) across most trust distribution procedures[2]
  • Payment percentages across trusts range from under 1% to approximately 58%, depending on trust solvency[1]
  • An experienced attorney can identify 15-25 qualifying trusts based on a single patient's work history[3]
  • Expedited review achieves a 97-98% approval rate when filed with proper documentation[5]


Written by Rod De Llano, JD — Founding Partner, Danziger & De Llano LLP · State Bar of Texas No. 00786666
Legally reviewed by Paul Danziger, JD — Co-Founding Partner, Danziger & De Llano LLP · State Bar of Texas No. 00788880
Last reviewed: 2026-05-20 · See Editorial Standards for our editorial process.


References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 U.S. Government Accountability Office, "Asbestos Injury Compensation: The Role and Administration of Asbestos Trusts," GAO-11-819, September 2011. https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-11-819
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 Danziger & De Llano, LLP. Asbestos Trust Fund Resources. https://dandell.com/asbestos-trust-funds/
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Mesothelioma Lawyers Near Me. Trust Fund Filing Guide. https://mesotheliomalawyersnearme.com/
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 RAND Institute for Civil Justice, "Asbestos Litigation Costs and Compensation: An Interim Report," 2005. https://www.rand.org/pubs/documented_briefings/DB397.html
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 RAND Institute for Civil Justice, "Asbestos Bankruptcy Trusts: An Overview of Trust Structure, Claims Filing, and Compensation," 2010. https://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR872.html
  6. ↑ "Manville: Increase in the pro rata payment percentage", Claims Resolution Management Corporation, posted September 3, 2026: the Trustees "have approved effective immediately, an increase in the pro rata payment percentage from 5.1% to 5.6%." Effective September 2, 2026.
  7. ↑ OC Subfund Payment Percentage Notice and FB Subfund Payment Percentage Notice, Owens Corning/Fibreboard Asbestos Personal Injury Trust (June 30, 2026) — the Owens Corning Sub-Account payment percentage was reduced from 4.7% to 4.3%, and the Fibreboard Sub-Account from 3.7% to 3.5%. The superseded rates still apply to claims fully documented on or before 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on June 30, 2026, including non-electronic submissions postmarked by that time.
  8. ↑ United States Gypsum Asbestos Personal Injury Settlement Trust Distribution Procedures, revised December 2, 2015, Section 5.3(b)(3) "Scheduled, Average and Maximum Values" — Mesothelioma (Level VIII) Scheduled Value $155,000 (Average Value $225,000; Maximum Value $450,000).
  9. ↑ USG Asbestos Personal Injury Settlement Trust — "The current payment percentage for USG is 10% of the scheduled value for Expedited Review and 10% of the gross settlement value for Individual Review."
  10. ↑ WRG Asbestos PI Trust Distribution Procedures, Section 5.3(b)(3) — Mesothelioma (Level VIII) Scheduled Value $180,000 (Average Value $225,000; Maximum Value $450,000); the same figure appears in the Section 5.3(a)(3) Disease Level table. Cited to the Internet Archive capture because the trust's own copy of this PDF currently returns HTTP 404; the only amendment posted by the trust since is the November 14, 2025 resolution amending Section 5.5 (Secondary Exposure Claims), which does not reach Section 5.3.
  11. ↑ WRG Asbestos PI Trust — "The current payment percentage for WRG is 30.1% of scheduled value for Expedited Review and 30.1% of the gross settlement value for Individual Review."
  12. ↑ Pittsburgh Corning Corporation Asbestos PI Trust Distribution Procedures, Section 5.3(c) — Mesothelioma (Level VIII) Scheduled Value $175,000 (Average Value $200,000; Maximum Value $500,000).
  13. ↑ Pittsburgh Corning Corporation Asbestos PI Trust — "The current payment percentage for PCC is 19% of the scheduled value for Expedited Review and 19% of the gross settlement value for Individual Review." The Trust Distribution Procedures do not set the current payment percentage; the Trust's notice does.
  14. ↑ Armstrong World Industries, Inc. Asbestos Personal Injury Settlement Trust, Second Amended and Restated Trust Distribution Procedures, conformed copy as of March 28, 2024, disease-level table: Mesothelioma (Level VIII), scheduled value $110,000. Retrieved October 11, 2026.
  15. ↑ Notice re Payment Percentage Reduction, Armstrong World Industries, Inc. Asbestos Personal Injury Settlement Trust, October 5, 2026: "the Trustees have determined that the payment percentage should be decreased to 7.8%. The Trustees have requested that the TAC and FCR consent to this adjustment." In the meantime "the Trust will begin to pay claims at the proposed 7.8%"; claimants who returned releases before that date are paid at "the current 10.8% payment percentage."
  16. ↑ Combustion Engineering 524(g) Asbestos PI Trust payment percentage notice (cetrust.org, reduced from 20% to 15.3% effective April 1, 2026).
  17. ↑ Amended Trust Distribution Procedures, The Babcock & Wilcox Company Asbestos PI Trust (revised December 2, 2015), §5.3(b)(3) — Mesothelioma (Disease Level VIII): Scheduled Value $90,000, Average Value $120,000, Maximum Value $400,000.
  18. ↑ Notice of BW Payment Percentage, The Babcock & Wilcox Company Asbestos PI Trust (June 30, 2026) — payment percentage reduced from 4.7% to 4.3%. The 4.7% rate still applies to claims for which the Trust received all required documentation by electronic transmission on or before 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on June 30, 2026, or, if received by non-electronic means after that deadline, postmarked or bearing other reliable evidence of transmission on or before that time. The 4.3% rate applies during the pendency of Trust Advisory Committee and Future Claimants’ Representative consent; if a higher percentage is ultimately adopted, claims already paid at 4.3% receive an additional payment for the difference.
  19. ↑ Mesothelioma.net. Asbestos Trust Funds for Mesothelioma Patients. https://mesothelioma.net/mesothelioma-asbestos-trust-funds/

This quick reference page is maintained by WikiMesothelioma.com and updated as trust fund payment percentages change. Last reviewed: February 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

How were asbestos trust funds created?

Asbestos trust funds were established by companies that filed for bankruptcy due to asbestos liability, creating court-supervised compensation pools for current and future victims.

How much can mesothelioma victims receive from asbestos trust funds?

Individual trust payments depend on the scheduled disease value and the current payment percentage for that trust.

How do I file an asbestos trust fund claim?

Filing a trust fund claim requires identifying which companies exposed you to asbestos, gathering medical documentation (pathology report, exposure history), and submitting claims to each relevant trust. An experienced mesothelioma attorney can file multiple claims simultaneously — often recovering $100,000–$400,000 or more in combined compensation. Trust fund claims are separate from lawsuit settlements and do not prevent you from pursuing other legal remedies.

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