DOL Proposes Changes to Black Lung Rules

The U.S. Department of Labor is proposing revisions to the Black Lung Benefits Act rules that would require parties to disclose all medical information developed in connection with a claim for benefits, require a mine operator to pay benefits during post-award modification and clarify that a supplemental physician's report is a continuation of earlier reports for the purposes of evidence-limiting rules. Current rules limit the quantity of medical evidence that each party can submit on a black lung claim, according to an advance rulemaking notice posted to the Federal Register website Tues...