Once the request has been submitted, the file manager first checks whether the Asbestos Fund has all the necessary information to analyze the request. If additional documents or clarifications are needed, you will receive a request for further information along with an acknowledgment of receipt.

Next, an engineer examines whether the information provided indicates asbestos exposure in Belgium.

If you are an employee, the exposure occurred occupationally, and all conditions are met, you may receive compensation both through the Asbestos Fund and through Fedris under the occupational disease system.

The file is then passed to a doctor, who verifies whether you indeed have the disease stated in the request. In cases of suspected mesothelioma, the Asbestos Fund consults the Mesothelioma Committee, a panel of nine specialists in anatomical pathology from academic hospitals. This expert group analyzes the provided tissue samples to confirm the diagnosis.

Based on all the collected information, the Asbestos Fund issues a reasoned decision, which is communicated to you by registered mail.

 

  • According to the regulations, the legal timeframe for a decision is two months from the receipt of a complete file for requests related to mesothelioma (after receiving the tissue slides), and four months for requests concerning asbestosis or other compensable diseases. However, these deadlines can be extended if the Asbestos Fund is waiting for external information.

    In addition, Fedris social workers can be involved at various stages, either at your request, the request of your family, or at the request of the file manager. The social workers then offer a meeting at a local office or a home visit.

    During this meeting, your situation is assessed to provide appropriate support, for example to:

    • Help you submit a compensation request

    • Initiate a request for assistance from a third person

    • Inform you about your rights and those of your beneficiaries

    • Connect you with other social services or authorities

    • Provide administrative support in completing the necessary forms

    Since May 2024, the Fedris social service has been systematically organizing home visits for people diagnosed with mesothelioma who have not yet submitted a request for third-party assistance.

    *Article 9 of the Royal Decree of 11 May 2007

    [1] Social workers’ consultation hours: https://www.fedris.be/en/office-hours.html

  • When a victim dies from a disease already recognized by the Asbestos Fund, a letter is automatically sent to the identified beneficiaries — namely the spouse, legal cohabitant, child, parent, grandchild, or sibling of the deceased.

    This letter informs them of their right to submit a request related to the death and includes a form to complete and return within one month.

    If the form is not returned within this period, a reminder letter is sent, granting a new one-month period to respond. If no response is received after this second period, the processing of the file is suspended. However, if a request is submitted later, the procedure can be reactivated at any time, without a time limit.

    If no recognition request was submitted by the victim during their lifetime, the beneficiaries have six months from the date of death to submit their request.

    Learn more about procedures when a victim of asbestos dies.