Navy Journalists — JOs, later redesignated Mass Communication Specialists (MC) — wrote and produced content for the Navy’s internal and external communications: ship newspapers, command newsletters, press releases, photography, and video documentation of Navy operations. JO/MC personnel were assigned to carrier and large surface ship billets as part of the ship’s public affairs function, working throughout the ship’s interior to document operations and crew activities. Ships built before the mid-1970s asbestos phase-down contained asbestos-containing materials throughout their interior construction, with JO/MC personnel accumulating ambient asbestos exposure from the ship’s interior during their daily work and during off-watch periods in crew berthing.

Shipboard Public Affairs Work Environment

JO/MC personnel aboard surface ships worked throughout the vessel’s interior:

  • Ship’s office and print shop — the JO’s primary work location in the ship’s print shop and ship’s office used asbestos-containing construction materials in the overhead and bulkhead of these below-deck compartments in ships built with asbestos-era construction standards
  • Shipboard photography and documentation — documentary work bringing JOs throughout the ship — to engineering spaces, flight decks, hangar bays, and crew spaces — placed them in all compartments of the ship during documentation assignments. Engineering space photography in particular brought JOs into the most asbestos-intensive spaces aboard the vessel
  • Crew berthing — JO personnel berthed in crew berthing compartments with asbestos-containing deck tile, overhead materials, and structural insulation in the berths’ construction throughout their shipboard tour

Carrier Assignment Scale

JOs assigned to aircraft carrier billets worked in a ship with thousands of personnel and extensive public affairs requirements:

  • Carrier JOs documenting air wing operations, engineering operations, and command events moved throughout the carrier’s extensive interior — through hangar bays with asbestos-containing overhead structure, through below-deck engineering spaces during operations documentation, and through crew habitability spaces with asbestos-containing construction throughout

VA Claims for JO/MC Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure aboard Navy vessels. Journalists and Mass Communication Specialists who served in shipboard billets aboard surface ships built before the mid-1970s asbestos phase-down and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.