Asbestos Trust Funds: How to File Claims in Pennsylvania and New Jersey

From the refineries of Linden to the shipyards of Camden, from the factory floors of Lancaster to the neighborhoods of Manville where asbestos dust once settled like snow, this material was a fixture of working life in Pennsylvania and New Jersey for most of the twentieth century. The companies responsible for that exposure did not simply disappear when the lawsuits came. Federal bankruptcy courts required them to set aside assets before they dissolved, and those assets sit in court-supervised trust funds today, available to the workers, families, and communities they harmed.

According to published trust fund data, over $30 billion remains in more than 60 active asbestos trust funds as of 2026. For PA and NJ families facing a mesothelioma or asbestosis diagnosis, that money is accessible. The challenge is knowing which trusts apply to your exposure history, how to file, and how to pursue every source of compensation available to you.

Quick Answer: Asbestos trust funds are court-ordered accounts established by bankrupt asbestos manufacturers to compensate victims of mesothelioma, asbestosis, and asbestos-related lung cancer. More than 60 active trusts hold over $30 billion as of 2026. Workers exposed at PA and NJ job sites (including the Johns-Manville plant in Manville, NJ, the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Armstrong World Industries in Lancaster, PA, and refineries across both states) may be eligible to file claims with multiple trusts simultaneously. An experienced attorney at Cohen, Placitella, Roth & Goslee can identify every trust you qualify for and file claims on your behalf. Contact us for a free case evaluation.

What Is an Asbestos Trust Fund?

Why Asbestos Companies Were Forced to Create Trust Funds

When major asbestos manufacturers faced overwhelming personal injury litigation in the 1980s and beyond, many sought bankruptcy protection as a way to limit their liability. Federal courts closed that escape route by requiring, under 11 U.S.C. § 524(g) of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, that any company seeking bankruptcy protection due to asbestos liability establish a trust funded with assets sufficient to pay current and future claimants. The company is shielded from direct lawsuits going forward, but the trust it funds remains legally obligated to compensate victims for as long as eligible claimants exist.

Every trust that exists today is a court-supervised obligation, managed by independent trustees, with published criteria for who qualifies and how claims are evaluated.

How Many Asbestos Trust Funds Exist Today

There are more than 60 active asbestos trust funds as of 2026. The first was the Johns-Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust, established in 1988. Trust fund advocates and legal researchers estimate that more than $17 billion has been paid out across all trusts since that year, and over $30 billion remains available to future claimants.

Trust Fund Claims vs. Lawsuits: What’s the Difference

These are two distinct legal processes that can run simultaneously. A trust fund claim is an administrative process filed directly with a specific bankruptcy trust, with no courtroom, no trial, and no jury. A personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit is filed in court against companies that are still solvent. Most PA and NJ asbestos victims were exposed to products made by both bankrupt companies (which established trusts) and companies that are still operating (which can be sued directly).

Filing trust fund claims does not prevent you from also pursuing a lawsuit, and a lawsuit does not disqualify you from trust fund compensation; the two tracks operate independently. Trust fund payments through expedited review typically arrive within 6 to 12 months, while litigation takes significantly longer but may result in larger total recoveries.

Asbestos Trust Funds Connected to PA and NJ Job Sites

The sections below map the major trusts to the specific PA and NJ job sites and industrial facilities where our clients were exposed.

Johns-Manville Trust — Manville, Somerset County, NJ

The Johns-Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust is the largest asbestos trust fund in history. The Manville, NJ plant opened in 1912 and manufactured asbestos cement board, pipe, roofing, and paper until Johns-Manville ceased asbestos use in 1985; the plant closed in 1986. Residents of Manville reported asbestos fibers falling like snow in their neighborhoods for decades. In 2014, the families of 11 Manville residents were awarded a cumulative $90.5 million in asbestos cases connected to that plant.

The trust has distributed more than $5 billion to claimants since 1988. Its mesothelioma scheduled value is $350,000 at an approximate 5.1% payment rate, yielding roughly $17,850 from this single trust. Most claimants who qualify for this trust also qualify for several others, and total compensation across all eligible trusts can reach many times that figure.

Owens Corning and Fibreboard Trusts

The Owens Corning and Fibreboard trusts were funded with an initial $4.9 billion combined: $1.5 billion in the Owens Corning subfund and $3.4 billion in the Fibreboard subfund. Owens Corning produced home insulation, fiberglass products, and other materials containing asbestos used extensively in PA and NJ residential and commercial construction. Current payment rates are approximately 4.7% for Owens Corning claims and 3.7% for Fibreboard claims. Payment percentages are subject to periodic adjustment; confirm current rates at the time of filing.

W.R. Grace Trust

The W.R. Grace Trust was capitalized with over $3 billion and has distributed approximately $2.5 billion to injured claimants nationwide. Grace produced Zonolite attic insulation and Monokote spray-on fireproofing, both widely applied in PA and NJ buildings constructed from the 1950s through the 1980s. Construction workers, insulators, and building maintenance workers across the Philadelphia metro area and throughout New Jersey were regularly exposed to Grace products on the job.

Armstrong World Industries Trust — Lancaster, PA

Armstrong World Industries, headquartered in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, manufactured asbestos-containing flooring, ceiling tiles, and insulation products sold throughout the mid-Atlantic region. Workers at Armstrong’s Pennsylvania manufacturing facilities, as well as the contractors, flooring installers, and construction workers who handled Armstrong products on job sites across PA and NJ, may be eligible to file claims with this trust. Armstrong is one of the few major trusts with direct roots in Pennsylvania, which matters when documenting exposure history.

USG Corporation Trust

USG produced drywall joint compound, plaster products, and ceiling systems containing asbestos. Their products were used in virtually every commercial and residential construction project in PA and NJ from the 1940s through the 1980s. Drywall finishers, plasterers, tapers, and general construction workers represent the primary exposure populations, and USG product exposure is among the most broadly documented in regional job site records.

Other Trusts Relevant to PA and NJ Workers

Several additional trusts have particular relevance for PA and NJ industrial workers: the Babcock & Wilcox Trust for workers at PA power generation and industrial facilities; the Celotex Corporation Trust for building product exposure; trusts related to NJ refinery exposure at facilities including Bayway; and the General Motors/Motors Liquidation Trust for auto workers and mechanics. An experienced attorney cross-references a claimant’s complete exposure history against all 60-plus active trusts, not just the obvious ones.

Who Can File an Asbestos Trust Fund Claim

Workers Exposed at PA and NJ Industrial Sites

The eligible worker population for PA and NJ trust fund claims is broad. It includes shipyard workers at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and Camden Shipyard; refinery workers at Exxon Bayway, Hess, and Mobil facilities; power plant workers across both states; factory workers, including those at Armstrong in Lancaster and Johns-Manville in Manville; and the full range of construction trades: insulators, pipefitters, plumbers, electricians, boilermakers, carpenters, and sheet metal workers.

Family Members Exposed Through Take-Home Asbestos

Spouses and children of exposed workers developed mesothelioma from laundering work clothing saturated with asbestos fibers, without ever setting foot on a job site. In Olivo v. Owens-Illinois, Inc., 186 N.J. 394 (2006), the New Jersey Supreme Court established that premises owners have a duty of care to household members foreseeably exposed to asbestos brought home on a worker’s clothing, person, or personal effects. Family members who developed asbestos-related disease through this route can file trust fund claims based on the worker’s documented exposure history.

Veterans Exposed at Military Installations

Veterans who served at NJ and PA military installations (including Fort Dix, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, Bayonne Military Ocean Terminal, Earle Naval Weapons Station, and Picatinny Arsenal) faced significant asbestos exposure in barracks, vehicles, and equipment. Veterans can file asbestos trust fund claims and simultaneously pursue VA disability benefits under 38 C.F.R. § 3.303; the two sources of compensation are independent and do not reduce each other. Mesothelioma advocacy organizations estimate that veterans account for roughly one-third of all U.S. mesothelioma diagnoses.

Surviving Family Members After a Death

Wrongful death trust fund claims can be filed by heirs and estate representatives after the death of an asbestos victim, even if the deceased never filed a claim during their lifetime. Under N.J. Stat. § 2A:31-1 et seq. and 42 Pa.C.S. § 8301, surviving spouses and children are the typical beneficiaries of wrongful death claims. These claims are filed separately from the estate’s survival claim and are subject to their own statute of limitations deadlines.

How Much Do Asbestos Trust Funds Pay?

Scheduled Values by Disease Category

Each trust publishes a schedule of values for different disease categories. Mesothelioma claims receive the highest scheduled values, typically ranging from $110,000 to $350,000 depending on the trust. Lung cancer and asbestosis claims receive lower scheduled values. The actual payout is calculated by multiplying the scheduled value by the trust’s current payment percentage, a figure that varies by trust and is periodically adjusted based on projected claims volume.

Payment Percentages and What They Mean

Payment percentages are set low because trusts must remain solvent to pay future claimants not yet diagnosed. These figures reflect recent estimates; actual percentages are subject to trust adjustments and should be confirmed at the time of filing.

Filing with Multiple Trusts: How Total Compensation Adds Up

Trust fund claims work best when filed across every trust a claimant qualifies for. Most mesothelioma victims with PA or NJ industrial exposure qualify for 5 to 15 or more trusts simultaneously. Depending on the number of trusts eligible, aggregate trust fund compensation can reach $100,000 or more, entirely separate from any lawsuit recovery against solvent companies. Nationally, mesothelioma settlements average $1 million to $1.4 million and verdicts average $5 million to $11.4 million.

How to File an Asbestos Trust Fund Claim

The six steps below apply whether you are filing one claim or fifteen, and run in parallel with any ongoing litigation.

1. Get a confirmed medical diagnosis. Mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer must be confirmed by pathology or biopsy. Obtain your full diagnostic records and a written diagnosis from your treating physician.
2. Document your complete exposure history. Compile employment records, W-2s, union membership cards, military service records, and any documentation connecting you to specific job sites, products, or employers. Witness statements from coworkers are also valuable.
3. Identify all eligible trusts. An experienced asbestos trust fund attorney cross-references your exposure history against all 60-plus active trusts. Many claimants qualify for 10 to 15 or more trusts, including trusts they would never have identified on their own.
4. Choose expedited or individual review. Expedited review produces a fixed payout based on disease category and typically resolves within 6 to 12 months. Individual review is case-specific, may yield higher payouts, and takes 12 to 24 months or more. Approximately 97 to 98% of claims use expedited review.
5. Submit claims to each eligible trust. Your attorney prepares and files a separate claim with each trust, ensuring compliance with that trust’s specific documentation requirements and deadlines.
6. Receive payment. Expedited claims are typically paid within 6 to 12 months of filing. You may receive payments from different trusts at different times as each processes your claim independently.

Asbestos Trust Fund Claims vs. Lawsuits: Why You May Need Both

Trust fund claims compensate for exposure to products made by bankrupt companies. Lawsuits compensate for exposure to products made by companies that are still operating. Most PA and NJ asbestos victims were exposed to products from both categories. Filing trust fund claims does not prevent you from pursuing a lawsuit, and a lawsuit does not disqualify you from trust fund compensation.

Both tracks carry filing deadlines that run simultaneously. In New Jersey, the statute of limitations for a personal injury asbestos lawsuit is two years from the date of diagnosis, under N.J. Stat. § 2A:14-2. In Pennsylvania, the same two-year window applies under 42 Pa.C.S. § 5524. Trust fund claims have their own filing deadlines set by each individual trust. Both NJ and PA apply the discovery rule: the limitations clock begins when a claimant knew or reasonably should have known of the diagnosis, not at the time of the original asbestos exposure. NJ also recognizes a separate statute of limitations for each distinct asbestos disease: a person diagnosed with asbestosis who later develops mesothelioma has a new limitations period for the mesothelioma claim.

Why Choose Cohen, Placitella, Roth & Goslee for Trust Fund Claims

Cohen, Placitella, Roth & Goslee has represented PA and NJ asbestos victims for over 40 years. Our attorneys handle both trust fund claims and asbestos lawsuits, identifying and pursuing every source of compensation available under federal and state law. We have tried and settled cases connected to the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Camden Shipyard, Exxon Bayway, the Johns-Manville plant in Manville, Somerset County, Armstrong World Industries in Lancaster County, and the full range of NJ and PA industrial facilities where asbestos exposure defined working life for generations.

We work on a contingency fee basis: you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you. Contact Cohen, Placitella, Roth & Goslee for a free consultation at (888) 324-7683 or contact us online.

Find Out Which Asbestos Trust Funds You Qualify For

If you or a family member has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer after exposure at a PA or NJ job site, military installation, or through household contact with contaminated work clothing, the time to act is now. The two-year filing deadline applies immediately from diagnosis, and every year of delay narrows your options.

Cohen, Placitella, Roth & Goslee’s Philadelphia mesothelioma attorneys have recovered over $100 million for asbestos victims and their families. We identify every trust fund our clients qualify for, handle all filings, and pursue every available source of compensation: trust funds, lawsuits, and VA benefits where applicable.

Contact us at (888) 324-7683 or request a free consultation online. We work on a contingency fee basis: you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or medical advice. If you believe you have been exposed to asbestos or have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, consult a qualified physician and contact an experienced asbestos attorney to discuss your specific situation. Cohen, Placitella, Roth & Goslee, P.C. is licensed to practice in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and other jurisdictions.