what are people actually getting for meso settlements

Numbers all over the place is putting it mildly. I'm Stage II like you, diagnosed October after a cough that wouldn't quit, had surgery in December. Still waiting on my VA claim from November so I can't speak to that side yet but the civil stuff is where things get weird.

What I'm hearing from guys I've talked to on here and in real life is that military exposure cases tend to land different than civilian ones. The Oriskany is solid documentation, that ship's well-known for asbestos. But honestly the range really is huge depending on whether you settle pre-litigation or go to trial, what state you're in, how aggressive your legal team is. I've seen guys mention anywhere from low six figures to way more but that's not me saying that's what you should expect.

The VA bureaucracy is its own nightmare by the way. I filed in November and I'm still in the void. Don't let that slow down your civil claim though. Those are separate tracks.

Best thing I did was actually get on the phone with the attorneys and ask them straight up what similar military cases from your era and branch have settled for. They'll give you a realistic range based on actual comps, not internet rumors. They've got the data. Ask about stage of diagnosis, recovery status, whether there's like documented exposure at a specific base or ship. That matters.

Camp Lejeune cases from my time there hit different than shipboard exposure sometimes. Get specific with them.