Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act of 2025
- Bill Number
- H.R. 6756
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Labor and Employment
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-12-16: Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- Last Updated
- 2026-01-21T09:05:46Z
AI-Generated Summary
Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act of 2025 (H.R. 6756)
Purpose This legislation aims to improve the processing of claims under the Black Lung Benefits Act by making the system fairer and more timely, enhancing protections for coal miners against pneumoconiosis (black lung disease), and strengthening the financial responsibility of coal operators.
Key Provisions
- Title I (Black Lung Benefits):
- Provides assistance for miners and families filing claims (Section 101).
- Updates eligibility rules, including an irrebuttable presumption of total disability or death due to complicated pneumoconiosis based on chest radiographs, CT scans, biopsies, or other medical tests (Section 102).
- Requires the Secretary of Labor to develop medical evidence through complete pulmonary evaluations, including authorized CT scans under certain conditions, and supplemental reports when opposing evidence is submitted (Section 103).
- Establishes penalties for false statements or misrepresentations, allows attorney disqualification, and permits discovery sanctions in proceedings (Section 104).
- Permits readjudication of previously denied claims involving certain discredited chest radiograph interpretations, with benefits payable from the original filing date in many cases (Section 105).
- Creates a program to pay limited attorneys' fees and medical expenses for qualifying delayed claims using the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund (Section 106).
- Adjusts benefit levels starting in 2026 to a fixed annual amount with annual cost-of-living adjustments tied to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (Section 107).
- Authorizes disclosure of employment, earnings, and tax return information from the Social Security Administration and IRS to the Department of Labor for claim processing (Section 108).
- Requires a strategy to reduce adjudication backlogs before the Office of Administrative Law Judges (Section 121).
- Mandates new rules for coal operators seeking self-insurer status, including financial health criteria and annual security determinations, with increased penalties for noncompliance (Section 131).
- Title II: Statutorily establishes the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs within the Department of Labor, with a presidentially appointed Director.
- Title III: Includes technical and conforming amendments, such as updating terminology from "widow" to "surviving spouse," and a severability clause.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Replaces prior limited medical evaluation processes with mandatory Secretary-provided evaluations and expanded use of CT scans.
- Introduces new mechanisms for readjudicating claims and paying interim attorneys' fees and expenses.
- Shifts benefit adjustments from a fixed GS-2 rate to CPI-based indexing to address inflation erosion.
- Imposes stricter self-insurance requirements and higher civil penalties on operators and responsible parties.
- Codifies the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs and expands data-sharing authorities.
- Updates presumptions and definitions related to disability and family eligibility.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: Increases responsibilities and costs for the Department of Labor (including the new Office of Workers' Compensation Programs and Black Lung Disability Trust Fund) for medical evaluations, claim processing, and enforcement; requires coordination with the Social Security Administration and IRS for data access.
- Citizens: Improves access to benefits and representation for miners and surviving family members; may accelerate payments and reduce denials based on outdated evidence.
- Coal Operators: Heightens financial and compliance obligations for securing benefit payments.
- No direct effects on international relations are addressed in the legislation.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Coal miners diagnosed with black lung disease and their dependent spouses, children, and other family members.
- Coal mine operators and self-insured employers.
- The Department of Labor and its administrative bodies.
- Attorneys and medical experts involved in claims.
- The Black Lung Disability Trust Fund.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Introduces new legal standards for medical presumptions and sanctions, potentially affecting due process in administrative proceedings.
- Includes a severability clause to preserve other provisions if any part is found unconstitutional.
- Addresses structural imbalances in claim adjudication by providing resources for claimants and imposing accountability on operators.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Rep. McGarvey, Morgan [D-KY-3]
Cosponsors (5)
Rep. Scott, Robert C. "Bobby" [D-VA-3], Rep. Lee, Summer L. [D-PA-12], Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7], Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12], Rep. Dexter, Maxine [D-OR-3]
Recent Actions
- 2025-12-16: Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- 2025-12-16: Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- 2025-12-16: Introduced in House
- 2025-12-16: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act of 2025 — issued 2025-12-16 — PDF (46 pages)