Sponsors (3)
Introduced December 16, 2025 by Timothy Michael Kaine · Last progress December 16, 2025
The bill strengthens benefits, claims access, and administrative accountability for miners and survivors while shifting greater costs and compliance burdens onto taxpayers, operators, and program administrators, with some tradeoffs for privacy and potential access gaps from strict diagnostic rules.
Totally disabled miners and their survivors would receive higher, inflation‑protected benefits (set 2026 rate with CPI‑W indexing), preserving purchasing power for health and living costs.
Claimants would face easier access to benefits through an irrebuttable presumption for complicated pneumoconiosis, funded diagnostic testing (complete pulmonary evaluations and CT scans), programs to cover reasonable attorneys' fees and medical expenses, and procedures to reopen claims when radiographs are re-evaluated.
Stronger enforcement of company self-insurance and reform of employer responsibilities could reduce reliance on the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund and protect taxpayers by improving fund solvency.
Federal costs would increase (higher benefit levels, CPI indexing, payment of attorneys' fees and medical expenses), likely raising taxpayer burden or requiring budget reallocations.
Tighter oversight of employer self‑insurance and irrebuttable causation presumptions could raise costs for coal companies and operators, possibly leading to higher prices, reduced employment, or business closures in mining communities.
Sharing Social Security earnings and tax return information with the Department of Labor for claims processing reduces claimant privacy protections for earnings and tax data.
Based on analysis of 9 sections of legislative text.
Creates an irrebuttable presumption for complicated pneumoconiosis, requires Secretary‑listed pulmonary evaluators, creates a new DOL Office, narrows HHS grant language, and modernizes benefit rules and terminology.
Makes several changes to federal black lung benefits and the Department of Labor’s administration of those benefits. It creates an irrebuttable presumption that a miner with specific medical findings has total disability or death due to complicated pneumoconiosis, requires a Secretary‑maintained list of qualified physicians and the opportunity for a complete pulmonary evaluation, narrows an HHS grants/contracts phrase to focus on coal miners, creates a new Office of Workers' Compensation Programs with a presidentially appointed director, and updates terminology, cross‑references, and beneficiary definitions throughout the Black Lung Benefits Act. Also includes findings about problems with claims processes, legal representation, benefit value erosion, and self‑insurance practices that motivate the changes, and contains technical and conforming amendments (gender‑neutral language, updated tax references, severability).