Program To Pay Black Lung Benefits to Coal Miners and Their Survivors, Improvements Are Needed

Gao ID: HRD-77-77 July 11, 1977

The program to pay black lung benefits to coal miners and their survivors has largely failed because of delays in processing claims.

The 3-year statutory limitation for filing claims has resulted in the denial of many otherwise eligible claims. Average processing time for all claims in fiscal year 1976 was 630 days, and the backlog of claims was over 50,000 cases. Management problems contributing to the backlog were inadequate development of claims by the Social Security Administration (SSA), piecemeal and cumbersome procedures for processing claims by the Department of Labor (DOL), delays in both formal and informal hearings, lack of help to claimants by SSA and DOL, and failure to alleviate staffing problems. Further, about 5 percent of X-rays have been misinterpreted as negative, and thus benefits have been denied to eligible persons.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

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