Failure to Appeal Small 2006 Award Leads to Survivor's Benefits

A coal mining company's failure to dispute a ruling granting four months of black lung benefits to a miner in 2006 ultimately allowed his widow to collect survivors' benefits under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals concluded. Case: Vision Processing v. Christie Groves, No. 11-3702, 1/30/13, published.Facts: Earl Groves worked in Kentucky coal mines for 29 years, before suffering a collapsed lung in December 2005. He was unable to return to work after the injury, and filed a claim for black lung benefits under the Black Lung Be...