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Washington — Legislation aimed at easing access to health care and other benefits for coal miners who have black lung disease has been reintroduced in both the House and Senate.
Also known as coal workers’ pneumoconiosis, black lung is a deadly condition caused by exposure to respirable coal mine dust. Cases of black lung remain on the rise, and the disease affects about 16% of coal workers, according to the American Lung Association.
Sponsors of the Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act say it would revise the Department of Labor’s Black Lung Program, which provides benefits to miners and eligible survivors or dependents, by:
- Requiring full disclosure of medical information on a claim, regardless of whether the information is considered evidence.
- Allowing more miners to receive legal assistance.
- Allowing miners or their survivors to reopen cases previously denied because of medical interpretations that have since been discredited.
- Adjusting black lung benefits to reflect cost-of-living increases.
The legislation also is aimed at improving access to CT scans to clarify medical eligibility and would increase civil penalties for mine operators who fail to secure benefits.
“Decades ago, Congress established the Black Lung Benefits Act to provide monthly compensation and medical coverage for coal miners who develop black lung disease and are totally disabled,” Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), a co-sponsor of the House bill and ranking member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, said in a press release. “Unfortunately, the Government Accountability Office found that miners often lack the necessary medical and legal resources to develop evidence to prove their claims.
“The Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act helps miners and their survivors access legal representation, ensures benefits are not eroded due to inflation, reduces the time for processing claims, and protects taxpayers from taking a hit when a self-insured coal company goes bankrupt and cannot pay black lung claims.”
(In January 2025, DOL revised the Black Lung Benefits Act to require self-insured coal mine operators to “post adequate security for their benefit liabilities.”)
Scott and Rep. Morgan McGarvey (D-KY) reintroduced the bill in the House on Dec. 16, while Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA), John Fetterman (D-PA) and Mark Warner (D-VA) did so in the Senate.
Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center, an advocacy group, supports the bill. In a separate release, Rebecca Shelton, director of policy, said that the process of applying for federal benefits is “arduous and causes miners and their families a lot of anxiety.” She added: “Coal companies have exorbitant legal and financial resources that they can employ to fight these claims. To give miners a fighting chance, we need to do everything we can to ensure that they have the support they need to defend their claim.”
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Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication