3.0.0 4511 2023-03-08T20:12:10Z 2023-03-08T20:12:10Z Senate S 2022-07-13 117 sshr00 Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Senate Standing Referred to 2022-07-13T15:06:21Z Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act of 2022 117 6102 HR 2022-12-23 Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 483. Related bill CRS 2022-07-13 sshr00 Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Senate Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. IntroReferral 2022-07-13 Introduced in Senate IntroReferral 10000 9 Library of Congress C001070 Sen. Casey, Robert P., Jr. [D-PA] Bob Casey D PA N M001183 Sen. Manchin, Joe, III [D-WV] Joseph Manchin D WV 2022-09-07 False K000384 Sen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA] Timothy Kaine D VA M. 2022-09-07 False W000805 Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA] Mark Warner D VA R. 2022-09-07 False B000944 Sen. Brown, Sherrod [D-OH] Sherrod Brown D OH 2022-09-07 False Labor and Employment Health Labor and Employment 00 2022-07-13 Introduced in Senate 2022-09-20T17:14:49Z Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act of 2022

This bill revises requirements for miners' claims for pneumoconiosis (black lung disease) benefits.

Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Labor to

  • pay the attorneys' fees of specified parties on a qualifying benefit claim,
  • give a claimant the opportunity to substantiate a claim for benefits through a pulmonary evaluation,
  • authorize a CT (computerized tomography) scan in diagnosing complicated pneumoconiosis, and
  • develop a strategy to reduce delays in adjudication of black lung disease benefits claims.

The bill also establishes criteria that a mining operator must meet to self-insure against claims and increases from $1,000 to $25,000 the daily penalty amount that may be assessed against a mining operator that fails to make black lung benefits payments.

The bill authorizes (1) black lung disease clinics to use federal funds to help individuals file claims, and (2) certain previously denied claimants to file a new claim for black lung disease benefits within one year.

The bill prohibits a person from (1) knowingly and willfully making a false statement or misrepresentation in increasing or reducing black lung disease benefits, or (2) threatening or misleading a participant in a proceeding regarding such benefits.

Further, the bill revises (1) the standards of medical evidence that establish a presumption that a miner is totally disabled by black lung disease, and (2) payments to such miners.

Lastly, the bill provides statutory authority for the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs.

]]> Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act of 2022 Display Title Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act of 2022 Short Title(s) as Introduced Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act of 2022 Introduced in Senate IS Official Title as Introduced A bill to ensure that claims for benefits under the Black Lung Benefits Act are processed in a fair and timely manner, to better protect miners from pneumoconiosis (commonly known as "black lung disease"), and for other purposes. Introduced in Senate IS Introduced in Senate 2022-07-13T04:00:00Z https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-117s4511is/xml/BILLS-117s4511is.xml 2022-07-13 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress This file contains bill summaries and statuses for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.