Libby asbestos victims

The Daily Inter Lake

Disability back-pay a possibility

Some Libby residents who suffer from asbestos-related disease are entitled to as much as $40,000 in back payments from the Social Security Administration, Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., said Wednesday.

The federal agency ruled last month that victims of Libby asbestos poisoning are eligible to apply for disability benefits.

Residents had been denied payments because the Social Security Administration didn't have disability benefit criteria specific to amphibole asbestosis, the kind of asbestos-related disease linked to the former W.R. Grace vermiculite mine at Libby.

Baucus rallied to help Libby asbestos victims after he learned that only people suffering from exposure to chrysotile asbestos - a more common and less deadly form of asbestos poisoning - could qualify for disability benefits. He first heard about the incongruity during his March visit to Libby with Micheal Leavitt, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

It's difficult to say exactly how many residents will get back payments, Baucus said in a press release, but the Center for Asbestos Related Disease has indicated dozens of people were denied disability benefits.

Libby residents who were denied disability status under two different programs may qualify for retroactive payments:

Social Security Disability Insurance

. Libby residents who haven't worked since being denied benefits under the Social Security Disability Insurance benefits program during the last four years may be eligible for back payments up to about $40,000, and in some cases up to about $70,000. They would also be eligible for disability benefits each year from here on out until they die or reach the earliest Social Security retirement age of 62.

Supplemental Security Benefits

. Libby residents who haven't worked since being denied disability benefits under the Supplemental Security benefits program during the last two years may be eligible for back payments up to about $10,000 and in some cases as much as about $25,000. They would also be eligible for monthly disability benefits until they die.

Baucus said the dollar amount owed to each person will be determined by the date he or she applied for the assistance and other factors. He encouraged Libby residents who were denied disability status, or who think they may qualify now, to contact the Social Security office in Kalispell at 800-772-1213. He is also dispatching a staff member to Libby to hold office hours and answer questions on July 10. Call Baucus' Kalispell office at 756-1150 for further information.