Bill to improve black lung benefits process introduced in Congress
Democrat from Pa. seeks to address “resource disparities” between coal companies, claimants
Congressional Democrats have introduced a measure designed to streamline the process for miners filing benefits claims under the Black Lung Benefits Act – and to help miners overcome the “resource disparities” between themselves and the coal companies who use legal maneuvering to block the miners’ claims.
Introduced by Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA), the ‘‘Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act of 2014’’ (H.R. 5751) would make substantial changes to the way claims are filed and adjudicated and would include the establishment of a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) program that would provide unbiased evidence for particularly severe cases of pneumoconiosis – the group of mining-related pulmonary diseases commonly known as ‘‘black lung disease.’