Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment

Eligibility

If you are unable to make a claim under the 1979 Pneumoconiosis Order (NI), have not received payment in respect of the disease from an employer, a civil claim or elsewhere and are not entitled to compensation from a Ministry of Defence scheme, you can claim a one-off lump sum payment.

The scheme covers people whose exposure to asbestos occurred in the United Kingdom and was not as a result of their work as an employee, for example:

• you came into contact with asbestos from a relative - for example by washing their clothes
• you were exposed to asbestos in the environment - for example, they lived near a factory using asbestos
• your exposure to asbestos was while self-employed
• your exposure cannot be specified but it occurred in the United Kingdom

Rates

The lump sum payment depends on the age you were when the disease was diagnosed. If the date of the diagnosis is not known, it will be based on your age at the date of making a claim.

The rates are as follows:

There are separate rates for dependants where the sufferer has died.

Making a claim

Claims must be received within 12 months of the date of diagnosis. The aim is to pay 95 per cent of claims within six weeks of receiving the claim form.

You will be asked to submit medical evidence with your claim showing that you suffer from diffuse mesothelioma caused by exposure to asbestos. No further medical examination will be required.

If the sufferer has died, their dependants may be able to claim. The claim form must be received within 12 months of the date of death.

Who to contact

For further information or to request a claim form, contact the Industrial Injuries Branch:

• phone: 028 9082 3318
• Mesothelioma and other lung diseases application form