Body system: Respiratory SystemRegulation: 38 CFR § 4.97
Asbestosis is a lung disease caused by breathing in asbestos fibers, which creates scar tissue in your lungs and makes breathing difficult. The VA rates asbestosis from 10% to 100% based on how well your lungs function through breathing tests and exercise capacity. Higher ratings reflect more severe breathing problems, with 100% reserved for veterans who need oxygen therapy or have serious heart complications from their lung disease.
Rating levels
- 100% — You qualify if any of these apply: your lungs can only hold less than half the air they should be able to hold, your lungs transfer less than 40% of the oxygen they should into your blood, you can't exercise much at all without getting severely short of breath, your lung disease has caused your heart to enlarge or develop high blood pressure in the lung arteries, or you need to use oxygen tanks at home. These criteria show that your lung scarring has become so severe that it significantly limits your breathing and daily activities.
- 60% — Your lungs can only hold 50-64% of the air they should be able to hold for someone your age and size, or your lungs can only transfer 40-55% of the oxygen they should be able to move from your lungs into your blood. Alternatively, when you exercise at maximum effort, your body can only use 15-20 ml of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute, and your heart or lungs are the limiting factor preventing you from doing more.
- 30% — Your lung function tests show moderate breathing problems where your lungs can only hold 65-74% of the air volume they should be able to hold (FVC test), or your lungs can only transfer 56-65% of the oxygen they should be able to move from your lungs into your bloodstream (DLCO test). This level of lung damage would cause noticeable shortness of breath during daily activities and exercise.
- 10% — You qualify for this rating if lung function tests show your lungs can only hold 75-80% of the air volume expected for someone your age and size (called FVC), or if your lungs can only transfer 66-80% of the expected amount of oxygen into your bloodstream (called DLCO). These percentages indicate mild but measurable lung damage from your previous tuberculosis infection, even though the disease is no longer active.