725.1—Statutory provisions.
(a) General.
Title IV of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, as amended by the Black Lung Benefits Reform Act of 1977, the Black Lung Benefits Revenue Act of 1977, the Black Lung Benefits Revenue Act of 1981 and the Black Lung Benefits Amendments of 1981, provides for the payment of benefits to a coal miner who is totally disabled due to pneumoconiosis (black lung disease) and to certain survivors of a miner who dies due to pneumoconiosis. For claims filed prior to January 1, 1982, certain survivors could receive benefits if the miner was totally (or for claims filed prior to June 30, 1982, in accordance with section 411(c)(5) of the Act, partially) disabled due to pneumoconiosis, or if the miner died due to pneumoconiosis.
(b) Part B.
Part B of title IV of the Act provided that all claims filed between December 30, 1969, and June 30, 1973, are to be filed with, processed, and paid by the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare through the Social Security Administration; claims filed by the survivor of a miner before January 1, 1974, or within 6 months of the miner's death if death occurred before January 1, 1974, and claims filed by the survivor of a miner who was receiving benefits under part B of title IV of the Act at the time of death, if filed within 6 months of the miner's death, are also adjudicated and paid by the Social Security Administration.
(c) .
Claims filed by a miner between July 1 and December 31, 1973, are adjudicated and paid under section 415. Section 415 provides that a claim filed between the appropriate dates shall be filed with and adjudicated by the Secretary of Labor under certain incorporated provisions of the Longshoremen's and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act (33 U.S.C. 901
et seq. ). A claim approved under section 415 is paid under part B of title IV of the Act for periods of eligibility occurring between July 1 and December 31, 1973, by the Secretary of Labor and for periods of eligibility thereafter, is paid by a coal mine operator which is determined liable for the claim or the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund if no operator is identified or if the miner's last coal mine employment terminated prior to January 1, 1970. An operator which may be found liable for a section 415 claim is notified of the claim and allowed to participate fully in the adjudication of such claim. A claim filed under section 415 is for all purposes considered as if it were a part C claim (see paragraph (d) of this section) and the provisions of part C of title IV of the Act are fully applicable to a section 415 claim except as is otherwise provided in section 415.
(d) Part C.
Claims filed by a miner or survivor on or after January 1, 1974, are filed, adjudicated, and paid under the provisions of part C of title IV of the Act. Part C requires that a claim filed on or after January 1, 1974, shall be filed under an applicable approved State workers' compensation law, or if no such law has been approved by the Secretary of Labor, the claim may be filed with the Secretary of Labor under section 422 of the Act. Claims filed with the Secretary of Labor under part C are processed and adjudicated by the Secretary and paid by a coal mine operator. If the miner's last coal mine employment terminated before January 1, 1970, or if no responsible operator can be identified, benefits are paid by the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund. Claims adjudicated under part C are subject to certain incorporated provisions of the Longshoremen's and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act.
(e) .
Section 435 of the Act affords each person who filed a claim for benefits under part B, section 415, or part C, and whose claim had been denied or was still pending as of March 1, 1978, the effective date of the Black Lung Benefits Reform Act of 1977, the right to have his or her claim reviewed on the basis of the 1977 amendments to the Act, and under certain circumstances to submit new evidence in support of the claim.
(f) Changes made by the Black Lung Benefits Reform Act of 1977.
In addition to those changes which are reflected in paragraphs (a) through (e) of this section, the Black Lung Benefits Reform Act of 1977 contains a number of significant amendments to the Act's standards for determining eligibility for benefits. Among these are:
(1)
A provision which clarifies the definition of “pneumoconiosis” to include any “chronic dust disease of the lung and its sequelae, including respiratory and pulmonary impairments, arising out of coal mine employment”;
(2)
A provision which defines “miner” to include any person who works or has worked in or around a coal mine or coal preparation facility, and in coal mine construction or coal transportation under certain circumstances;
(3)
A provision which limits the denial of a claim solely on the basis of employment in a coal mine;
(4)
A provision which authorizes the Secretary of Labor to establish standards and develop criteria for determining total disability or death due to pneumoconiosis with respect to a part C claim;
(5)
A new presumption which requires the payment of benefits to the survivors of a miner who was employed for 25 or more years in the mines under certain conditions;
(6)
Provisions relating to the treatment to be accorded a survivor's affidavit, certain X-ray interpretations, and certain autopsy reports in the development of a claim; and
(g) Changes made by the Black Lung Benefits Revenue Act of 1977.
The Black Lung Benefits Revenue Act of 1977 established the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund which is financed by a specified tax imposed upon each ton of coal (except lignite) produced and sold or used in the United States after March 31, 1978. The Secretary of the Treasury is the managing trustee of the fund and benefits are paid from the fund upon the direction of the Secretary of Labor. The fund was made liable for the payment of all claims approved under section 415, part C and section 435 of the Act for all periods of eligibility occurring on or after January 1, 1974, with respect to claims where the miner's last coal mine employment terminated before January 1, 1970, or where individual liability can not be assessed against a coal mine operator due to bankruptcy, insolvency, or the like. The fund was also authorized to pay certain claims which a responsible operator has refused to pay within a reasonable time, and to seek reimbursement from such operator. The purpose of the fund and the Black Lung Benefits Revenue Act of 1977 was to insure that coal mine operators, or the coal industry, will fully bear the cost of black lung disease for the present time and in the future. The Black Lung Benefits Revenue Act of 1977 also contained other provisions relating to the fund and authorized a coal mine operator to establish its own trust fund for the payment of certain claims.
(h) Changes made by the Black Lung Benefits Amendments of 1981.
In addition to the change reflected in paragraph (a) of this section, the Black Lung Benefits Amendments of 1981 made a number of significant changes in the Act's standards for determining eligibility for benefits and concerning the payment of such benefits. The following changes are all applicable to claims filed on or after January 1, 1982:
(1)
The Secretary of Labor may re-read any X-ray submitted in support of a claim and may rely upon a second opinion concerning such an X-ray as a means of auditing the validity of the claim;
(2)
The rebuttable presumption that the death of a miner with ten or more years employment in the coal mines, who died of a respirable disease, was due to pneumoconiosis is no longer applicable;
(3)
The rebuttable presumption that the total disability of a miner with fifteen or more years employment in the coal mines, who has demonstrated a totally disabling respiratory or pulmonary impairment, is due to pneumoconiosis is no longer applicable;
(4)
In the case of deceased miners, where no medical or other relevant evidence is available, only affidavits from persons not eligible to receive benefits as a result of the adjudication of the claim will be considered sufficient to establish entitlement to benefits;
(5)
Unless the miner was found entitled to benefits as a result of a claim filed prior to January 1, 1982, benefits are payable on survivors' claims filed on and after January 1, 1982, only when the miner's death was due to pneumoconiosis;
(6)
Benefits payable under this part are subject to an offset on account of excess earnings by the miner; and
(i) Changes made by the Black Lung Benefits Revenue Act of 1981.
The Black Lung Benefits Revenue Act of 1981 temporarily doubles the amount of the tax upon coal until the fund shall have repaid all advances received from the United States Treasury and the interest on all such advances. The fund is also made liable for the payment of certain claims previously denied under the 1972 version of the Act and subsequently approved under section 435 and for the reimbursement of operators and insurers for benefits previously paid by them on such claims. With respect to claims filed on or after January 1, 1982, the fund's authorization for the payment of interim benefits is limited to the payment of prospective benefits only. These changes also define the rates of interest to be paid to and by the fund.
(j) Longshoremen's Act provisions.
The adjudication of claims filed under sections 415, 422 and 435 of the Act is governed by various procedural and other provisions contained in the Longshoremen's and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act (LHWCA), as amended from time to time, which are incorporated within the Act by sections 415 and 422. The incorporated LHWCA provisions are applicable under the Act except as is otherwise provided by the Act or as provided by regulations of the Secretary. Although occupational disease benefits are also payable under the LHWCA, the primary focus of the procedures set forth in that Act is upon a time definite of traumatic injury or death. Because of this and other significant differences between a black lung and longshore claim, it is determined, in accordance with the authority set forth in section 422 of the Act, that certain of the incorporated procedures prescribed by the LHWCA must be altered to fit the circumstances ordinarily confronted in the adjudication of a black lung claim. The changes made are based upon the Department's experience in processing black lung claims since July 1, 1973, and all such changes are specified in this part or part 727 of this subchapter (see § 725.4(d) ). No other departure from the incorporated provisions of the LHWCA is intended.
(k) Social Security Act provisions.
Section 402 of Part A of the Act incorporates certain definitional provisions from the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. 301
et seq. Section 430 provides that the 1972, 1977 and 1981 amendments to part B of the Act shall also apply to part C “to the extent appropriate.” Sections 412 and 413 incorporate various provisions of the Social Security Act into part B of the Act. To the extent appropriate, therefore, these provisions also apply to part C. In certain cases, the Department has varied the terms of the Social Security Act provisions to accommodate the unique needs of the black lung benefits program. Parts of the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act are also incorporated into part C. Where the incorporated provisions of the two acts are inconsistent, the Department has exercised its broad regulatory powers to choose the extent to which each incorporation is appropriate. Finally, Section 422(g), contained in part C of the Act, incorporates 42 U.S.C. 403(b) -(l).