U.S. Mineral Products Co. Asbestos Trust Fund Claims

U.S. Mineral Products Asbestos Trust Facts

Trust History and Administration

The Trust Distribution Procedures state that the Trust was established under the United States Mineral Products Company Plan of Reorganization and Trust Agreement to resolve asbestos-related personal-injury claims caused by exposure to asbestos-containing products for which USM has legal responsibility.

The TDP is structured around Section 524(g) of the Bankruptcy Code and directs the Trust to process present and future claims as equitably as possible. Trust claims are generally ordered and paid using first-in-first-out processing and payment queues, subject to the applicable Payment Percentage and annual payment limitations.

The official Trust website records a transition in claims administration from CRMC to Verus beginning in 2020. Verus remains the Trust’s current claims-processing facility and maintains the Trust’s filing system.

Who May Qualify for a U.S. Mineral Products Claim?

The TDP recognizes three Disease Levels: Mesothelioma, Lung Cancer and Other Asbestos Disease. Each level has its own presumptive medical and exposure requirements.

Mesothelioma requires a qualifying malignant mesothelioma diagnosis and credible evidence of USM Exposure. Lung Cancer requires a primary lung-cancer diagnosis, underlying bilateral asbestos-related nonmalignant disease, at least four months of USM Exposure before the Exposure Deadline, Significant Occupational Exposure and supporting medical evidence linking asbestos exposure as a contributing factor.

Other Asbestos Disease can include certain cancers, asbestosis and bilateral asbestos-related nonmalignant disease, subject to the TDP’s medical and exposure requirements.

Disease Levels and Scheduled Values

The TDP also identifies fixed distributions for certain pre-bankruptcy Settled Asbestos Claims: $3,750 for Disease Level III, $2,200 for Disease Level II and $100 for Disease Level I. Those fixed distributions are a distinct historical claim category and should not be confused with the Scheduled Values above.

Scheduled Values are not guaranteed cash payments. For Standard Review claims, the TDP states that the Scheduled Value is multiplied by the applicable Payment Percentage, subject to the Trust’s other payment limitations.

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Current U.S. Mineral Products Payment Percentage

The Trustees issued an official notice dated March 29, 2024 announcing an increase in the Trust’s Payment Percentage from 15% to 32%, effective March 5, 2024. The notice states that the increase followed reconsideration of current and future claim estimates, available Trust assets, anticipated expenses and other factors affecting the Trust’s ability to pay claimants comparably.

The same notice states that qualifying claimants who previously received payments based on a lower percentage may receive supplemental payments, except when the supplemental amount would be less than $100.

Mathematical illustration only — not a guaranteed payment.

• Mesothelioma Scheduled Value: $10,000 × 32% = $3,200.
• Lung Cancer Scheduled Value: $4,000 × 32% = $1,280.
• Other Asbestos Disease Scheduled Value: $500 × 32% = $160.

Actual payment depends on claim approval, applicable amendments, claim category, payment timing and other Trust rules.

Claim Filing and Review Procedures

The Trust’s Standard Review Process is designed for claims that satisfy the presumptive Medical/Exposure Criteria for a Disease Level. Claimants may file electronically or by paper. When a qualifying claim reaches review, the Trust assigns the applicable Disease Level and Scheduled Value and places the approved claim into the FIFO Payment Queue.

The TDP also provides an Alternate Review Process for claims that do not satisfy the presumptive Medical/Exposure Criteria. Under Alternate Review, the Trust may deny the claim or may offer an amount up to the Scheduled Value if it concludes the claim would be cognizable and valid in the tort system.

Unresolved medical or exposure disputes may proceed through the TDP’s alternative dispute resolution procedures. The Trust’s official website also publishes a current claim form, law-firm registration materials, electronic-filer documents and an approved site list.

Medical and Exposure Requirements

The TDP generally requires a 10-year latency period between first asbestos exposure and diagnosis. The required medical proof depends on the Disease Level and can include physical examinations, pathology and radiographic evidence.

The official TDP defines the Exposure Deadline as December 31, 1982. Lung Cancer and Other Asbestos Disease claims generally require at least four months of USM Exposure before that deadline plus Significant Occupational Exposure. Mesothelioma requires credible evidence of USM Exposure but does not use the same four-month presumptive requirement in the Disease Level table.

Exposure evidence may include claimant or family affidavits, employment records, invoices, construction records, sworn work histories, depositions and other credible evidence. The Trust also maintains an official approved-site list.

Financial and Claims Accuracy

The Trust’s current Payment Percentage is primary-source confirmed at 32%, but this page does not publish a 2026 asset balance, cumulative claims-paid count or lifetime dollars-paid figure because a sufficiently current audited annual financial report establishing those figures was not located in the public Trust materials reviewed.

Historical Trust notices describe periods of financial pressure, including a reduction from 30% to 15% in 2021. Those older percentages are not presented as current because the March 2024 official notice supersedes them with the current 32% rate.

Historical asset or claim figures from earlier reports are not treated as current assets or current cumulative payment statistics.

Confirmed Primary Sources for Trust Facts

No law-firm or lead-generation website was used as factual authority for this page. Primary Trust materials reviewed include:

• Official United States Mineral Products Company Asbestos Personal Injury Settlement Trust website.
• Official Trust resources and claim-document library.
• Official Trust notices page.
• First Amended and Restated Trust Distribution Procedures.
• Official March 29, 2024 Notice of Payment Percentage Increase.

Current financial totals and lifetime claims-payment statistics were omitted where current official confirmation was not established.

Get Help Reviewing a U.S. Mineral Products Asbestos Claim

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Submit Your Case

Prior asbestos exposure does not automatically establish eligibility for a U.S. Mineral Products trust claim or asbestos lawsuit. Eligibility depends on medical and exposure evidence, current Trust procedures, filing requirements and individual circumstances. Compensation is not guaranteed.