Asbestos Trust Funds for Missouri Workers

Missouri workers were exposed to asbestos products manufactured by dozens of companies across the manufacturing, railroad, chemical, and construction industries. Many of those companies are now bankrupt, and in bankruptcy, they established trust funds specifically to compensate people with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.

These trusts still hold more than $30 billion. They accept new claims and pay qualifying claimants on a rolling basis. For Missouri workers who were exposed at the state’s 273 documented exposure sites, the trusts represent a significant source of compensation that operates independently of lawsuits.

How Trust Funds Work

When asbestos manufacturers filed for bankruptcy, courts required them to establish trusts funded by company assets to compensate current and future claimants. Each trust has its own set of:

• Payment percentages, the share of the scheduled value that the trust currently pays (to preserve funds for future claimants)
• Disease categories, mesothelioma typically qualifies for the highest payment tier
• Exposure criteria, documentation of when and where the claimant was exposed to the company’s products
• Filing procedures, forms, medical records, and supporting documentation

Because most Missouri workers were exposed to products from multiple manufacturers, a single person with mesothelioma often qualifies for claims with five to 15 different trusts.

Trusts Most Relevant to Missouri Workers

This is not a complete list. More than 60 trusts are currently active, and an experienced mesothelioma attorney can identify every trust that applies to a specific worker’s exposure history.

The Automotive Connection

The Dana/Garlock trust and related automotive trusts are particularly relevant for Missouri workers. Missouri has produced significant verdicts against Ford Motor Company for asbestos brake products, and the companies that supplied those products, including Dana, Garlock, and Bendix, have established trust funds.

Auto mechanics who serviced brakes and clutches at dealerships and repair shops across St. Louis, Kansas City, and Springfield were exposed to asbestos fibers during every brake job. Brake mechanics rank among the highest-risk occupations for mesothelioma nationwide. The trusts established by brake product manufacturers accept claims from mechanics who can document their work history and the products they handled.

Industrial and Railroad Trusts

Missouri’s manufacturing and railroad workers were exposed to asbestos products from many of the largest industrial suppliers of the 20th century. Johns-Manville pipe insulation wrapped the steam systems at St. Louis manufacturing plants. Owens Corning insulation covered commercial and industrial buildings. Combustion Engineering and Babcock and Wilcox supplied equipment to Missouri power plants. The same trusts are heavily filed by industrial workers in neighboring Illinois and across the Midwest in Ohio and Indiana, where the same manufacturers supplied identical products.

Railroad workers face a unique situation. In addition to trust fund claims, railroad employees can pursue compensation under the Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA), which provides a separate legal pathway. Trust fund claims, FELA claims, and VA benefits (for veterans) all proceed independently and do not affect each other.

Filing Process

Trust fund claims follow a standard process, though each trust has its own requirements:

1. Diagnosis documentation, pathology reports confirming mesothelioma
2. Exposure evidence, work history placing the claimant at a site where the trust’s products were used
3. Claim submission, forms filed with each applicable trust
4. Review and payment, trusts review claims and issue payments, typically within three to 12 months

Trust Claims and Other Compensation

Trust fund claims are independent of other compensation sources. Filing a trust claim does not reduce, offset, or affect:

• Lawsuit settlements or verdicts, St. Louis juries have delivered awards of $20 million in recent mesothelioma cases
• VA disability benefits, veterans exposed to asbestos during military service can receive both trust fund compensation and VA benefits
• Workers’ compensation, state workers’ comp claims proceed separately
• FELA claims, railroad workers can pursue trust fund claims alongside FELA claims

Most families pursue all applicable sources simultaneously, with an attorney coordinating the filings to maximize total recovery.

Why an Attorney Matters

Trust fund claims are administrative, not judicial, but they still require:

• Product identification, connecting the worker’s jobsites to specific products made by each trust’s predecessor company
• Documentation, compiling employment records, union records, co-worker statements, and medical records
• Filing strategy, knowing which trusts to file with, in what order, and how to present the strongest claim

Attorneys who handle mesothelioma cases maintain databases of asbestos products, manufacturers, and the jobsites where those products were used. This knowledge is particularly important for Missouri cases, where exposure often occurred at large industrial facilities that used products from dozens of different manufacturers. Workers who moved between jobs in St. Louis and Chicago-area plants may qualify for trusts connected to exposure in both states.

Missouri’s five-year statute of limitations for personal injury claims is one of the longest in the country, but each trust has its own filing deadlines. An attorney can ensure that no applicable trust is missed and that claims are filed within each trust’s specific timeframe.