The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“THE BLACK LUNG BENEFITS IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2014” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Labor was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1660 on Nov. 20, 2014.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
THE BLACK LUNG BENEFITS IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2014
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HON. MATT CARTWRIGHT
of pennsylvania
in the house of representatives
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Mr. Speaker, I am introducing the Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act of 2014 today to help disabled coal miners get benefits that they are entitled to but often unable to access.
Coal workers' pneumoconiosis, commonly referred to as ``black lung,'' is a debilitating and deadly disease caused by the long-term inhalation of coal dust in underground and surface coal mines. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, black lung has caused or contributed to more than 76,000 deaths since 1968, with thousands of miners still sick and dying from the disease.
The Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969, which included the Black Lung Benefits Act, contained a program designed to provide compensation and medical care to miners who are totally disabled due to black lung. To secure benefits, disabled coal miners must engage in lengthy and complex litigation against local operators that has been proven to unfairly burden claimants and prevent them from receiving the benefits to which they are entitled.
In 2009, the Government Accountability Office found that ``coal miners face a number of challenges pursuing federal black lung claims, including finding legal representation and developing sound medical evidence to support their claims.'' More recent award-winning investigations by the Center for Public Integrity and ABC News uncovered numerous cases in which coal operators and their attorneys defeated claims by hiring doctors who systematically failed to diagnose black lung disease, or by withholding medical evidence from miners, surviving spouses, and judges that would have proven the miners' eligibility for benefits. These and other unethical practices were examined as part of a July 22, 2014, hearing before the Senate Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety. In addition, bureaucratic delays impede timely decisions about miners' benefits, with miners waiting an average of 42 months to receive a decision on their claim from an administrative law judge in the Department of Labor.
In the past year, the Department of Labor has taken several steps to address these issues; however, administrative actions alone will not be able to solve the systematic problems facing victims of black lung disease. That is why Congress has an obligation to reform this program so that it better serves and honors those who have helped supply the energy that our country relies on to light our homes and power our factories.
I want to thank Congressman George Miller, the senior Democrat on the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for his leadership on this issue, and for Representatives Joe Courtney, Nick Rahall and Robert C.
``Bobby'' Scott for joining me in sponsoring this important legislation.
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