Summary
This Workers’ Compensation Issue Spotlight explains how the federal Black Lung Program provides benefits to workers with a variety of debilitating lung conditions resulting from work in coal mines. The Program is currently deeply in debt, and the proportion of miners developing black lung disease has increased over the past 25 years. This explores the forces driving increases in rates of black lung, why benefits are declining, and the Program’s financial challenges.
Citation:
Boden, Leslie I. “Black Lung Program: Rising Rates, Troubled Funding.” Workers’ Compensation Issue Spotlight. Washington, DC: National Academy of Social Insurance, May 2022.