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WASHINGTON (AP) — Sens. Jay Rockefeller and Bob Casey are unveiling legislation aimed at ensuring fairer treatment for coal miners with black lung disease as they pursue benefits claims.
The bill by the two coal-state senators Thursday comes after an investigation examined how doctors and lawyers, working at the behest of the coal industry, helped defeat the benefits claims of sick miners. The investigation was done by the Center for Public Integrity and ABC News.
Among other things, the bill requires parties in a case to disclose all medical evidence, and strengthens criminal penalties for making false statements in the claims process.
Black lung is an irreversible and potentially deadly disease caused by exposure to coal dust, where the dust particles accumulate in the lungs.
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