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VA claim timeline - how long did yours actually take to get approved

Veteran · · 55 views
Filed my claim back in November after getting diagnosed in October. Still sitting in limbo waiting for them to schedule the C&P exam. Talked to another vet at my oncology clinic yesterday and he said his took almost a year from filing to first payment.

I'm Stage II pleural, got surgery done in December at UCSD. I've got solid documentation from my time at Camp Lejeune 1978 to 1982, barracks were full of asbestos insulation in the walls and ceilings, and I was also on the USS Iwo Jima for two years so that's double exposure right there. Plus my old medical records show the cough started showing up in my records from way back, so the timeline lines up.

Anyone else dealing with the VA on a meso claim right now? What's the actual wait time looking like in 2025. I'm not trying to complain just trying to figure out if I should be expecting this to take months or what. Need to know what I'm dealing with financially while I'm going through treatment.

11 Replies

Veteran
Filed mine June 2025, got the diagnosis after a routine VA screening. Surgery was August at Norfolk Naval Medical Center so I'm a couple months ahead of you maybe. Still waiting on the C&P exam myself, they said sometime this month but the VA runs on their own clock you know.

The Oriskany had asbestos all over that ship. Hull work meant I was around it constantly, 1971 to 1991. So I've got that plus whatever else was floating around back then. My paperwork from the ship's medical logs actually helps because there's documentation of respiratory stuff going back decades.

Here's what I'd say: don't assume you're behind. Your timeline sounds normal for what I'm hearing from other guys at the VA hospital. The C&P exam is where things actually start moving. Once they get that scheduled you're closer than you think. The waiting part is the worst part because you're just sitting there thinking about it. After my surgery I was too busy recovering to worry about the claim as much, but yeah, financially you need to know what's coming.

Two exposures like you've got, Camp Lejeune and the ship, that's solid. Documentation is everything with them. You've already got that so you're in better shape than some guys who don't have anything but symptoms.
Veteran
Yeah the ship exposure is brutal, man. I was only on the Iwo Jima for two years but even that felt like constant exposure once you know what you're looking for. Hull work though, that's a different beast. You were right in it.

June to now and still waiting on the C&P exam sounds about right from what I'm hearing. Mine's been sitting since November so you're actually ahead of me which is frustrating as hell to say. The VA saying "sometime this month" is their version of a promise though, so I'd follow up if they don't call by mid-month. They'll forget about you if you let them.

What medical logs did the ship have? I'm wondering if I should be digging harder into my own records from the Iwo Jima.
Veteran
Filed same month, still waiting on my C&P too so you're not alone there. Year timeline sounds about right based on what I'm hearing, the VA's backlog on these is ridiculous.
Patient
Man I feel for ya. Mine's been moving pretty quick actually but I think that's just luck of the draw honestly. Filed mine back in January after my diagnosis in December, got the C&P scheduled for early April so we'll see how that shakes out. The VA lady I talked to said they're backed up like crazy right now with all the new Camp Lejeune stuff coming through, so if you filed in November you might still be waiting a bit.

Your documentation sounds solid tho. I had to dig through like 40 year old mechanic records to prove my brake dust exposure and it was a pain in the ass. You got military records and medical history backing it up so that should help your case move faster once they actually get to you. Double exposure at Camp Lejeune and the ship is pretty cut and dry from what I understand.

The financial part is real tho. I had my EPP surgery in February and even with good insurance the out of pocket stuff added up before I knew what was happening. Some of the meso lawyers I talked to said they can sometimes help push things along with the VA but I haven't gone that route yet. Just depends on what you're comfortable with.

Honestly I'd call the VA regional office every couple weeks and ask where you're at in the queue. Not to be annoying but they move faster when they know someone's actually paying attention. Squeaky wheel situation. That's what my buddy at the clinic told me and it seemed to help him get his C&P scheduled sooner.

Hang tough out there. The waiting part sucks worse than the actual diagnosis sometimes.
Veteran
Yeah that Camp Lejeune backlog is real, VA lady told me the same thing. April's actually not bad if that's when your C&P is scheduled. I'm still waiting to even hear when mine is happening which is the frustrating part, feels like I'm just sitting in a void. Your documentation from way back sounds like it'll help though, same as mine. Keep me posted on how the C&P goes if you don't mind, might give me some idea what to expect when they finally call.
Medical ✓ Expert Response
Not a vet myself but I've worked with a lot of mesothelioma patients at the VA interface over the years and I can share what I've seen clinically.

The one-year timeline your clinic friend mentioned is unfortunately pretty realistic for standard processing. But here's something that changes the math for you specifically. The PACT Act, which passed in August 2022, added mesothelioma to the presumptive conditions list for veterans with documented asbestos exposure. Camp Lejeune service between 1975 and 1987 also now carries its own presumptive status under a separate provision. You've got both. That should mean the VA isn't fighting you on causation, which is usually where claims get stuck the longest.

The C&P exam scheduling backlog is the real bottleneck right now. From what I've seen with patients at our clinic, once that exam happens, decisions have been coming in anywhere from 60 to 120 days after. The wait to get the exam scheduled is the unpredictable part.

Stage II pleural with surgical intervention in December, that's a lot going on medically and financially all at once. Your oncologist can submit a nexus letter (a formal medical opinion linking your diagnosis to service exposure) and that sometimes accelerates the rating decision. Ask your treatment team about that specifically.

Also talk to your oncologist about whether your current functional status qualifies you for a 100% scheduler rating while active treatment is ongoing. That's a different path than the permanent rating and can sometimes move faster.

Please loop in your VA patient advocate and your own treatment team on all of this, not just the claim side.
3 found this helpful
Veteran
Yeah, I've heard about the PACT Act stuff but honestly the VA hasn't mentioned it on my end yet. That's part of why I'm frustrated, you know? I've got the Camp Lejeune documentation locked down tight but nobody's walking me through what that actually means for my timeline or rating. Did you see vets get faster approvals once that act went through, or is it still the same bureaucratic crawl? Trying to figure out if I should be pushing harder on my VSO or just accepting we're gonna be waiting.
Veteran
Filed mine in June after diagnosis, got the C&P scheduled for October so you're probably looking at another month or two out. The wait sucks but once they schedule that exam things move faster.
Veteran
Yeah, October for the C&P sounds about right with where I'm at. Good to hear things pick up after that exam though. You hearing anything back yet on approval or are you still waiting on the decision after your October exam?
Veteran
Filed mine in June after diagnosis, got my C&P scheduled for October so you're probably looking at another month or two out. The wait sucks but once that exam happens things move faster.
Veteran
Yeah that timeline helps, thanks for the real talk. So you're saying the C&P is the big bottleneck and then it picks up after that? I'm hoping that's the case because right now it feels like screaming into the void with the VA. Did they give you any sense of how quick things moved once your exam was done, or did it just depend on the individual rater.

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