Relief for Survivors of Miners Act of 2025

This bill changes the Black Lung Benefits Act to make it easier for survivors of coal miners to get benefits when a miner's death is linked to black lung disease (pneumoconiosis). It creates a presumption that a miner's death was caused by the disease if the miner was totally disabled by it while alive, and this presumption can be overcome only by showing that no part of the death was caused by the disease. It restores older rules that cover survivors of miners who were totally disabled by the disease at death, and applies these changes to claims filed up to 5 years before the law takes effect. It sets up a program, paid from the black lung trust fund, to pay attorneys' fees and medical expenses in contested claims not resolved within one year, with coal operators repaying the fund if benefits are awarded. It also directs the Government Accountability Office to study interim benefit repayments, benefit amounts, and survivors' ability to file new claims.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Morgan McGarvey Democrat sponsor
• 10 cosponsors