Recognizing the difficulty countless households have with these decisions, members of the West Virginia, Virginia, and Kentucky Black Lung Associations traveled in early May to Washington, D.C., to meet with legislators about the need to increase miners’ benefits, which have failed to keep pace with inflation.
In 2023, Appalachian advocates made several advancements in the fight for greater protections for rural communities and families affected by black lung but as we enter 2024, an ongoing battle in Congress over spending is threatening to undo much of this progress while also cutting programs that benefit these communities.
Today, Sens. Mark Warner (VA), Tim Kaine (VA), Joe Manchin (WV), Sherrod Brown (OH), Bob Casey (PA) and John Fetterman (PA) introduced legislation to ease the process for families of deceased miners to apply for black lung benefits. Surviving dependents can apply to receive black lung benefits after a miner’s death, but filing for benefits is complex and burdensome.
Miners with black lung and their advocates scored a huge victory in the recently signed Inflation Reduction Act, which permanently extended the black lung excise tax that supports the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund.
