Black Lung Evals Drop Sharply — and Most Side Against Claimants, Data Show

More than two years after Kentucky lawmakers made changes to the state's workers' comp system, data from the state Department of Workers' Claims show a drop in the number of black lung evaluations for coal miners. And the disagreement in findings by claimants' doctors and the two physicians assigned by a state agency appears to be deepening. In fiscal 2019, the state-hired lung specialists agreed with miners' doctors' assessments on black lung in just 20% of cases. By fiscal 2020, that percentage had dropped to 13%, according to an audit report by the department. In o...