After hearing from Virginians who are battling black lung disease and haven’t received the benefits they deserve from their employers, I joined a group of Senators to introduce a bill to help level the playing field for miners with this disease, which is caused by inhaling coal dust over an extended period of time. Federal law requires that coal companies compensate disabled miners who contract black lung, but employers routinely deploy an array of unfair tactics to avoid paying miners the benefits they deserve. The Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act of 2014 reforms the black lung benefits programs by improving miners’ access to medical evidence of their health and higher quality, timely assistance from the program. This bill will help to end many of the setbacks that people suffering from black lung disease encounter in the current benefits system and will provide care and comfort to those who need it. To learn more about the Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act of 2014, click here: kaine.senate.gov/press-releases
Posted on: Fri, 21 Nov 2014 21:25:10 +0000
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