Claim Filing
Does the Trust accept “secondary exposure” claims?
The RA TDP does not provide for treatment of “secondary exposure” claims.
How do I file a claim?
A claimant must submit the appropriate, fully completed Claim Form, including all supporting information referenced in the form. You may request a claim package from the Trust by calling Claimant Relations at (800) 708-8925 or download and print the claim forms from the Resources Page. You must complete the Proof of Claim form and send it to the Trust’s mailing address.
Do I need an attorney to file my claim so I can be paid?
No, any individual with a valid asbestos-related injury can file a claim. The Trust cannot provide guidance on whether you should obtain an attorney or file on your own.
Can I file a claim electronically?
A claimant may file online using the Rapid-American Asbestos Trust website. To file a claim online, the user must register with the Trust by executing the Electronic Filer Agreement.
What are my options when filing with the Trust?
A claimant must submit the appropriate, fully completed Claim Form, including all supporting information referenced in the form. A claimant may file online using Rapid-American Asbestos Personal Injury website. Individuals wishing to file online may download the Electronic Filer Agreement from the website. Any claim filing, whether electronic or on paper, that is not complete or is missing any of the required information will not be processed until it is completed by the claimant.
How do I register for an online account?
To access Trust Online, the user must first register with the Trust by executing the Electronic Filer Agreement, which also governs the terms of the user’s access. Once this Agreement is available, the Trust will post instructions for completing the Electronic Filer Agreement on the Resources Page.
What materials are needed to file a claim?
In addition to a completed Proof of Claim form, medical and exposure documentation supporting the alleged injury is required.
Can the Trust use the data from a Celotex claim that was previously submitted for a Claimant?
If a Claimant holds a Paid Celotex Claim and the Claimant’s Celotex claim form contains sufficient information to establish that the Claimant meets the Rapid-American Medical/Exposure Criteria, please check the box in Part 3 of the Rapid-American claim form and provide the Celotex paid claim number. Checking this box grants the Trust permission to review the Claimant’s Celotex claim file to expedite review of the Claimant’s exposure information.
Statutes of limitation on filing a claim:
To be eligible for processing, a claim must meet either:
To be eligible for processing, a claim must meet either:
- For claims first filed in the tort system against Rapid-American prior to March 8, 2013 (the “Petition Date”), the applicable federal, state, and foreign statute of limitation and repose that was in effect at the time of the filing of the claim in the tort system, or
- For claims not filed against Rapid-American in the tort system prior to March 8, 2013 (the “Petition Date”), the applicable federal, state or foreign statute of limitation that was in effect at the time of the filing with the Trust. However, the running of the relevant statute of limitation may be tolled by a number of factors (see TDP Section 4.1). Under no circumstances will the statute of limitations be extended beyond the Trust Filing Deadline. All claims must be filed by November 28, 2023.
What is the filing deadline for Rapid-American claims?
All claims must be filed by November 28, 2023 (the “Trust Filing Deadline”) and any claim review deficiency must be cured by May 28, 2024.
Deficiencies
Is there a deadline for resolving claim deficiencies?
All claim review deficiency must be cured by May 28, 2024.
Claim Edits
A claim is currently being edited by a firm user that no longer works at the firm. How can I remove this person from the claim edit mode?
The firm super user will have to login and proceed to the User Accounts page. Click the Search button to find all the users in the firm. Next, click on the Name of the user in the red font and once in their Profile page change the password, confirm the new password and check the Enabled box to re-enable the user. Login with the username and new password, find the claim in the Claim Search page and proceed to the finish page and click the Cancel button. This will remove this user from the edit mode.
How can I find all the claims that are currently stuck in the edit mode by users in the firm?
To find a listing of claims that are currently being edited by users in the firm, log into Trust Online and proceed to the Reports page. Click on the Claims Under Edit report and select the Trust from the drop-down. Select one or more attorneys from the Attorney’s list box and enter in the minimum number of days in which the claim may be in the edit mode and click the Export CSV button. For example, to see claims that have been in the edit mode for at least 30 days, you would enter 30 in the Days Under Edit field. This will include all claims that are currently in the edit mode for 30 days or longer.