U.S. Senator Joe Manchin joined other U.S. Senators to reintroduce the Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act.
The act helps coal miners and their families who suffer from black lung access the worker’s compensation they are entitled to, eliminating the long processing times and lack of legal aid.
The Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act makes updates to the original act to help restore lost aid due to increased cost of living, help families obtain secure legal aid, allow families and miners to reopen cases, and ban unethical conduct by attorneys and doctors in black lung processing claims.
Many coal miners suffer from black lung due to the dust they inhale while they work.
As a response to this, congress created the Black Lung Benefits Act in 1976 to provide monthly aid and medical care for the coal miners who had black lung disease or were left medically disabled.
