Black lung disease cases hit 50-year high as miners face benefits delays

Coal workers' pneumoconiosis diagnoses have surged to their highest level in five decades, leaving retired miners struggling to access disability benefits despite decades of underground labor.

First covered Sep 20, 2026 · 4:00 AM PT · 1 article

Black lung disease cases hit 50-year high as miners face benefits delays — Image via theguardian.com

Coverage

6d Guardian Environment ‘Do you have to be dead?’: US coalminers plead for benefits as black-lung disease cases surge — Trump says he digs coal – but pneumoconiosis cases are at a 50-year high, and sick miners are mired in benefit delays For 38 years, Josh Armes worked as a coal…

Primary sources

files.gao.gov GAO-26-107612, BLACK LUNG BENEFITS PROGRAM: Miners Reported Experiencing Challenges, and <br> DOL Should Monitor Operator-Provided Medical Coverage

gao.gov Gao 26 107612 (gao.gov)

kaine.senate.gov Kaine, Warner, Fetterman, McGarvey, & Scott Introduce Legislation to Strengthen and Increase Accessibility of Black Lung Benefits Program for Miners | U.S. Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia

More coverage from around the web

wbur.org Black lung rates among Appalachian coal miners reach 50-year high | Here & Now

gao.gov BLACK LUNG BENEFITS PROGRAM Miners Reported Experiencing Challenges, and

npr.org Black lung rates in Appalachia are high as the 1970s, with thousands of miners sick

gao.gov U.S. GAO - Black Lung Benefits Program: Miners Reported Experiencing Challenges, and DOL Should Monitor Operator-Provided Medical Coverage

dol.gov Black Lung Monthly Benefit Rates for 2026 | U.S. Department of Labor

Appeared in: 2026-09-20 (#20) · 2026-09-21 (#14)

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