Black lung programs : MSHA, benefits and challenges / Ross D. Blodgett, editor.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Blodgett, Ross D., editor.

Series:

Congressional Policies, Practices and Procedures

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Black Lung Disability Trust Fund (U.S.).

United States. Mine Safety and Health Administration--Rules and practices.

United States.

Workers' compensation--United States.

Workers' compensation.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (312 pages)

Place of Publication:

New York : Nova Science Publishers, [2021]

Summary:

The federal government pays benefits to coal miners affected by coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP, commonly referred to as black lung disease) and other lung diseases linked to coal mining in cases where responsible mine operators are not able to pay. This book looks at the Mine Safety and Health Administration's coal dust rules and provides background information and policy options concerning the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund.

Contents:

Intro

Contents

Preface

Chapter 1

Breathless and Betrayed: What is MSHA Doing to Protect Miners from the Resurgence of Black Lung Disease?(

Prepared Statement of Hon. Alma S. Adams, Chairwoman, Subcommittee on Workforce Protections

Prepared Statement of Hon. Bradley Byrne, Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Subcommittee on Workforce Protections

Testimony of Robert Cohen, MD, FCCP, Clinical Professor, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Illinois School of Public Health

Statement of Robert Cohen, MD, FCCP, Mining Education and Research Center University of Illinois at Chicago, School of Public Health

Evidence of Resurgent Severe Pneumoconiosis in U.S. Underground Coal Miners

Surveillance of Active Miners

Disease in Former Miners

Increases in Mortality

Conclusion

What Is the Role of Silica in Resurgent Severe Coal Mine Dust Lung Disease?

Radiographic Evidence

Pathologic Evidence

Mineralogic Evidence

Recommendations

References

Testimony of Gary Hairston, Vice President, Fayette County Black Lung Association

Testimony of Gary Hairston, o/b/o the National Black Lung Association, U.S. House of Representation, Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, "Breathless and Betrayed: What is MSHA Doing to Protect Miners from the Resurgence of Black Lung," June 20, 2019

Excise Tax on Coal

Affordable Care Act

Testimony of Bruce Watzman, Former Member, National Mining Association

Testimony of Bruce Watzman, Before the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, U.S. House Representatives on "Breathless and Betrayed: What is MSHA Doing to Protect Miners from the Resurgence of Black Lung Disease?" June 20, 2019

Testimony of Cecil Roberts, President, United Mine Workers of America.

Testimony of Cecil E. Roberts, before the United States House of Representatives, Committee on Education and Labor, Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, June 20, 2019

The History of Black Lung in the United States

All White Center Tampering (AWC) Case

The Coal Mine Respirable Dust Task Group

Advisory Committee on the Elimination of Pneumoconiosis among the Nation's Coal Workers

Stanford Review

Louisville Courier Journal

Previous Congressional Hearings

National Public Radio and Center for Public Integrity

Armstrong Coal Company

After the Diagnosis

A Special Place in Hell

Black Lung Trust Fund

Testimony of John Howard, MD, Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Statement of John Howard, M.D., Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, Committee on Education and...

Science Supporting Crystalline Silica (Quartz) as a Contributing Cause of Pneumoconiosis in U.S. Coal Miners

Quartz Exposure and Pneumoconiosis in Coal Miners

Quartz Exposure and Pneumoconiosis in Contemporary Coal Miners

Coal Workers' Health Surveillance Program Data

MSHA Inspection Data

Black Lung Clinic Data

Lung Tissue Pathology Data

Technology for Evaluating Coal Miners' Exposures to Respirable Coal Mine Dust

Continuous Personal Dust Monitor

Current Methods for Evaluating Coal Miners' Exposures to Quartz

Efforts to Improve the Technology for Measuring Coal Miners' Exposures to Crystalline Silica

Academic and Private Sector Research Efforts

NIOSH Research Efforts

NIOSH Field Test Evaluations

MSHA Field Test Evaluations

Technological Readiness of the Field-Based, Prototype RQM for Compliance Use by MSHA.

Conclusions

Science Supporting Respirable Crystalline Silica as a Contributing Cause for Pneumoconiosis in eastern Kentucky, western Virginia and West Virginia

Technological Readiness of the Prototype Rapid Quartz Monitor

Testimony of David Zatezalo, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health, Department of Labor

Statement of David G. Zatezalo, Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and Health, U.S. Department of Labor, before the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, Committee on Education and Labor, United States House of Representatives, June 20, 2019

Testimony of Cindy S. Brown Barnes, Director, Education, Workforce, and Income Security, Government Accountability Office

Black Lung Benefits Program: Financing and Oversight Challenges Are Adversely Affecting the Trust Fund, Statement of Cindy Brown Barnes, Director, Education, Workforce, and Income Security

Why GAO Did This Study

What GAO Recommends

What GAO Found

Background

Black Lung Benefits

Benefit Adjudication Process

Trust Fund Revenue and Expenditures

Trust Fund Borrowing Will Likely Continue to Increase through 2050

Preliminary Observations Raise Concerns About DOL's Oversight of Coal Mine Operator Insurance

Chapter 2

Black Lung Benefits Program: Improved Oversight of Coal Mine Operator Insurance Is Needed(

Abbreviations

Black Lung Insurance

Some Self-Insured Operator Bankruptcies Shifted Liability to the Trust Fund, but Commercial Insurance Coverage Can Help Limit Trust Fund Exposure

Self-Insured Operators Transferred About 865 Million in Estimated

Liability to the Trust Fund, More than Double DOL's Previous Estimate.

State Insurance Regulation and Insurer Practices Help to Protect the Trust Fund from Assuming Responsibility for Paying Benefits of Commercially-Insured Operators

DOL's Limited Oversight Has Exposed the Trust Fund to Financial Risk, and Its New Self-Insurance Process Lacks Enforcement Procedures

DOL Did Not Estimate Future Benefit Claims When Setting Collateral and Regularly Review Self-Insured Operators

DOL Did Not Always Use Enforcement Tools to Protect the Trust Fund

DOL Has Implemented a New Self-Insurance Process, but It Lacks Procedures to Help Ensure Enforcement Actions

DOL Does Not Monitor Whether Coal Mine Operators Maintain Commercial Insurance Coverage

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Comments and Our Evaluation

Appendix I: Comments from the U.S. Department of Labor

Chapter 3

Black Lung Benefits Program: Options for Improving Trust Fund Finances(

Multiple Factors Have Challenged Trust Fund Finances Resulting in Growing Debt

Trust Fund Borrowing Will Likely Continue to Increase through 2050, and Multiple Options Could Reduce Future Debt

Adjusting Coal Tax Rates, Forgiving Interest, and Forgiving Debt Are Options That Could Improve the Trust Fund's Future Financial Position

Adjust Coal Tax Rates

Forgive Interest on Debt

Forgive Debt (Principal and Interest)

Stakeholder Views and Other Options

Multiple Options Could Reduce Future Trust Fund Debt and Would Distribute the Financial Burden Differently Among General Taxpayers and Industry

Agency Comments

Appendix I: Black Lung Disability Trust Fund Simulation Methodology

Black Lung Benefit Expenditures

Coal Tax Revenues

Other Expenditures and Revenue.

Options That May Affect Trust Fund Finances

Appendix II: Results of GAO's Black Lung Disability Trust Fund Simulations

Multiple Options

Chapter 4

Black Lung Benefits Program: Oversight Is Needed to Address Trust Fund Solvency Strained by Bankruptcies(

Some Self-Insured Operator Bankruptcies Shifted 865 million in Estimated Liability to the Trust Fund, but Commercial Insurance Coverage Can Help Limit Trust Fund Exposure

DOL's New Self-Insurance Process May Help Address Problems, but Key Enforcement Procedures Are Needed

Commercial Insurance Oversight Improvements Are Needed

Chapter 5

The Black Lung Program, the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund, and the Excise Tax on Coal: Background and Policy Options(

Summary

Federal Black Lung Program

Black Lung Disease

Part B

Part C

Operator Responsibility

Federal Payment of Benefits and Expenses

Eligibility for Black Lung Benefits

Clinical and Legal Pneumoconiosis

Eligibility Presumptions

Affordable Care Act Amendments

Black Lung Program Benefits

Medical Benefits

Disability Benefits

Survivors' Benefits

Black Lung Disability Trust Fund Revenues

Legislative History

Establishing an Excise Tax on Coal

Increasing the Rate of Tax

Borrowing and Debt

Other Revenue Sources

Fines, Penalties, and Interest

Collection from Responsible Mine Operators

Financial Condition and Outlook

Policy Issues and Options

Revenue Options

Change the Coal Excise Tax

Modify Coal Industry Tax Benefits

Provide Additional General Fund Revenue.

Forgive Trust Fund Interest or Debt.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-5361-9402-6

OCLC:

1243532753