To ensure that claims for benefits under the Black Lung Benefits Act are processed in a fair and timely manner, to better protect miners from pneumoconiosis (commonly known as black lung disease), and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill reforms the federal Black Lung Benefits program to help coal miners with pneumoconiosis (black lung disease) obtain the medical care and financial benefits they are entitled to. It addresses problems that have made the claims process difficult, expensive, and unfair to miners and their families.
Who Benefits and How
Coal miners with black lung disease and their surviving family members benefit most. They gain easier access to medical evidence through government-provided pulmonary evaluations, expanded diagnostic criteria (including CT scans), a new program to cover attorneys' fees and medical expenses during lengthy claims, and inflation-adjusted benefit payments starting at $9,627.60 per year. Miners whose claims were denied based on discredited medical opinions can file new claims.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Coal mine operators face increased costs and compliance requirements. They must meet stricter financial requirements to self-insure their black lung liabilities, must reimburse the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund for claims assistance expenses, and face expanded personal liability for corporate executives who fail to secure benefits. The penalty for failing to secure benefits increases from $1,000 to $25,000.
Key Provisions
- Requires the Department of Labor to provide complete pulmonary evaluations, including CT scans, to claimants at no cost
- Creates a payment program covering up to $4,500 in attorneys' fees and $3,000 in medical expenses for claims pending over 2 years
- Ties benefit payments to the Consumer Price Index so they keep pace with inflation
- Allows miners whose claims were denied based on discredited chest radiograph interpretations to file new claims
- Raises the penalty for failing to secure benefit payments from $1,000 to $25,000 and extends liability to corporate executives
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Reforms the Black Lung Benefits Act to make it easier for coal miners and their survivors to obtain benefits for pneumoconiosis, increases benefit amounts, and strengthens requirements for coal mine operators to secure payment of benefits.
Key Policy Areas
Labor, Health, Social Insurance, Mining
Primary Purpose
Reforms the Black Lung Benefits Act to make it easier for coal miners and their survivors to obtain benefits for pneumoconiosis, increases benefit amounts, and strengthens requirements for coal mine operators to secure payment of benefits.
Policy Domains
Title I - Improving Claims Processing
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Coal miners with pneumoconiosis
- Surviving spouses and dependents of deceased miners
- Black lung claims attorneys
- Pulmonary medicine physicians
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Coal mine operators
- Coal company executives
- Insurance carriers for coal operators
- Physicians who provide biased expert testimony
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Title II - Office of Workers' Compensation Programs
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Department of Labor workers' compensation programs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Title III - Technical and Conforming Amendments
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Surviving spouses of miners
- Divorced spouses of miners
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Cartwright (for himself, Mr. Scott of Virginia, and Ms. …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Coal mine operators, Coal mine operators and insurance carriers, Coal mine operators liable for benefits
Positive-direction: Coal miners filing black lung claims, Coal miners filing claims, Coal miners seeking black lung benefits, Coal miners with pending black lung claims, Coal miners with pending claims, Disabled coal miners receiving black lung benefits, Miners whose claims were denied based on discredited medical opinions, Miners with previously denied claims based on discredited evidence, Same-sex spouses of miners, Surviving family members of deceased miners with denied claims, Surviving family members of miners with denied claims, Surviving spouses and dependents of miners, Surviving spouses and divorced spouses of miners
Negative-direction: Coal mine operators, Coal mine operators and insurance carriers, Coal mine operators liable for benefits, Coal mine operators with self-insured black lung liabilities, Corporate executives of coal mining companies
Black Lung Disability Trust Fund, Department of Labor Office of Administrative Law Judges, Department of Labor claims administrators
Black Lung Disability Trust Fund faces effects in multiple directions
Positive-direction: Department of Labor claims administrators
Negative-direction: Department of Labor Office of Administrative Law Judges, Social Security Administration
Medical expert witnesses, Physicians retained by coal operators, Pulmonary medicine physicians
Positive-direction: Pulmonary medicine physicians
Negative-direction: Medical expert witnesses, Physicians retained by coal operators
Attorneys representing black lung claimants, Attorneys representing parties in black lung claims
Positive-direction: Attorneys representing black lung claimants
Negative-direction: Attorneys representing parties in black lung claims
Medical imaging and diagnostic providers
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Labor
- "the_director"
- → Director for the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Labor
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
An entity that possesses the power to direct management and policies of an operator or employer, or any trade or business under common control with an operator or employer
A contested claim for benefits for which a final order has not been entered within 2 years of filing
A chest radiograph interpreted as negative for pneumoconiosis by a physician whom the Secretary has directed not to be credited
An individual whose claim record includes a covered chest radiograph
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology