What is the ZAI Trust?
W.R. Grace & Co. mined vermiculite from a deposit near Libby, Montana from the 1920s through 1990. That deposit was contaminated with naturally occurring asbestos. The vermiculite was sold under the Zonolite brand and installed in millions of American homes as attic insulation — including hundreds of thousands of homes in Michigan.
As part of W.R. Grace's Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, the Zonolite Attic Insulation Trust was established to compensate homeowners who need to remove this material. The trust became active in 2014 and is currently open and accepting claims.
The reimbursement is straightforward: the trust pays up to 55% of documented removal costs, capped at approximately $4,935 per claim. For a typical Michigan attic removal project — which runs $3,000 to $9,000 depending on attic size and depth — this represents a meaningful offset that most homeowners never collect because they don't know it exists.
Some sources — including older contractor websites and even some legal references — incorrectly state that the ZAI Trust "closed in 2014." This is wrong. 2014 is when the trust became active following the conclusion of W.R. Grace's bankruptcy proceedings. The trust is currently open and paying qualifying claims.
Eligibility requirements
To qualify for reimbursement from the ZAI Trust, all of the following must be true:
How to file a ZAI Trust claim
Your home must have been built before 1990 and contain loose vermiculite attic insulation. If you're not sure, we can inspect and sample during your abatement quote visit.
The trust requires documentation from a licensed asbestos inspector confirming the material is vermiculite and that it was tested. We provide this as part of every vermiculite project.
Work must be performed by a MIOSHA-licensed abatement contractor. We coordinate this end-to-end. You receive a detailed invoice with every line item.
Required documents: inspection report, lab results, contractor invoice, proof of property ownership, and the completed claim form. We prepare the documentation package for every vermiculite project specifically to support a successful claim.
Claims are submitted directly to the Zonolite Attic Insulation Trust. The trust reviews and pays qualifying claims. Current reimbursement is up to 55% of eligible costs, capped at approximately $4,935.
Get a vermiculite quote + claim documentation
We prepare the complete documentation package for every vermiculite project — inspection report, lab results, and contractor invoice — formatted specifically for ZAI Trust submission.