# Bill introduced in Congress to increase black lung benefit stipends for coal miners in Appalachia **Published:** 2026-07-02T13:42:54.000Z **Source:** [Kentucky Lantern](https://kentuckylantern.com/2026/07/02/repub/bill-introduced-in-congress-to-increase-black-lung-benefit-stipends-for-coal-miners-in-appalachia/) **Republished from:** [Kentucky Lantern](https://kentuckylantern.com/2026/07/02/repub/bill-introduced-in-congress-to-increase-black-lung-benefit-stipends-for-coal-miners-in-appalachia/) (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) **Canonical:** https://kentuckylantern.com/2026/07/02/repub/bill-introduced-in-congress-to-increase-black-lung-benefit-stipends-for-coal-miners-in-appalachia/ By Caity Coyne, West Virginia Watch, [Kentucky Lantern](https://kentuckylantern.com) · July 2, 2026  (X-rays of a patient with black lung disease. (National Archives at College Park photo)) Members of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced a bill this week that, if made law, would increase black lung disability payments for coal miners and their families and tie the stipends to inflation rates moving forward. Despite the outsized impact black lung has had on miners in West Virginia, neither of the state’s U.S. Representatives — Carol Miller, R-W.Va., or Riley Moore, R-W.Va. — are signed on as sponsors of the Support Our Miners Act. The bill is instead sponsored by three members of Congress who represent other coal-producing states: Reps. Summer Lee, D-Pa., Chris Deluzio, D-Pa., and Morgan McGarvey, D-Ky. To date, former Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., remains the only member of Congress from West Virginia to [sponsor](https://westvirginiawatch.com/2024/09/17/black-lung-advocates-send-letter-urging-congressional-action-to-up-benefits-as-inflation-rises/) legislation to increase black lung benefit stipends. From 2015 until his retirement in 2024, Manchin — often alongside senators from Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia — sponsored and introduced legislation to improve black lung benefits at least five separate times. The Black Lung Benefits Act was first passed by Congress in 1972, while the federal Black Lung Program was established in 1970. In the almost 55 years since the program was implemented, benefits have seen infrequent increases that have not kept pace with inflation. Today, that means thousands of coal miners debilitated by black lung in West Virginia and beyond are living off stipends below the federal poverty rate and far lower than they previously received through their salaries. “I spent nearly three decades underground mining coal to keep this country’s lights on, only to be diagnosed with black lung before I turned 50. It stole my ability to work and provide for my family,” said Gary Hairston, a Raleigh County resident who serves as president of the National Black Lung Association. “Over time, the monthly disability benefit has paid for less and less of my expenses. I’m glad that members of Congress are fighting to raise the monthly levels, and I hope that the Trump administration shows it cares about miners by implementing silica protections.” If passed by Congress, the Support Our Miners Act would bring the monthly benefit stipends in line with more than 50 years of inflation and tie it to the inflation rate moving forward. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 20% of coal miners in Central Appalachia are suffering from black lung — [the highest rate](https://archive.cdc.gov/#/details?url=https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/updates/upd-07-20-18.html) detected in more than 25 years. One in 20 of the region’s coal miners are living with the most severe form of the condition. According to [data](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/owcp/dcmwc/statistics/bls2025/DistributionOfClaimsByState2025) from the U.S. Department of Labor, coal miners in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky have, historically, filed the highest number of claims for black lung benefits. As of last year, Pennsylvanians have filed 143,000 claims while West Virginians have filed 140,000 and Kentuckians have filed about 128,000. About 4,070 primary beneficiaries in West Virginia are currently receiving benefits. The state is only outpaced by Kentucky, where about 4,700 coal miners receive them. Those statistics do not account for the dependents of the coal miners, including surviving spouses or children who qualify to receive the payments after primary beneficiaries die. Vonda Robinson, vice president of the National Black Lung Association, said in a news release that the benefits became “a lifeline” for her family after her husband was no longer able to work in the mines due to black lung. But over the years, inflation has meant the stipend is “less than it used to be.” “Things like car and home repairs are stretching the benefit thinner. My husband used to be able to do much of the work around the house himself, but with black lung disease and his oxygen tank, he has trouble doing the things he used to do,” Robinson said. “Raising the monthly benefit is necessary to help families like mine and others in coal communities survive. But the federal government also needs to stop black lung from happening in the first place.” Rebecca Shelton, the director of policy at the Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center, said the current benefit distribution system has been “long outdated.” Rates for the stipend are currently set at 37.5% of the base salary for an [entry-level](https://www.federalpay.org/gs/2024/GS-2) federal government position, [according to the U.S. Department of Labor](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/owcp/dcmwc/regs/compliance/blbene). Based on that [rate](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/owcp/dcmwc/regs/compliance/blbene), a single black lung beneficiary currently receiving the stipend gets $793.60 per month. Those with one dependent receive $1,190.30 and the stipend increases by nearly $199 a month per dependent, capped at $1,587.10 for those with three or more dependents. When the black lung benefits were first dispersed in December 1969, [primary recipients received](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/owcp/DCMWC/benefits_part_b) $144.50 per month. [Adjusted for inflation](https://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl?cost1=144.50&year1=196912&year2=202605), that would total $1,284.49 in May 2026 dollars. According to [research](https://aclc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Benefit_levels_report_Feb2024_FINAL.pdf) from the Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center, the current stipend for one beneficiary and a single dependent can be more than $3,000 below the cost of living in several communities with a high number of coal miners and those affected by black lung. The attempt to increase the black lung benefit stipend comes as black lung rates are on the incline and while [efforts](https://westvirginiawatch.com/2023/08/10/putting-the-fox-in-charge-of-the-henhouse-miners-advocates-concerned-over-proposed-silica-rule/) to implement protections that could keep miners from developing the disease have stalled federally. A federal [rule](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/04/18/2024-06920/lowering-miners-exposure-to-respirable-crystalline-silica-and-improving-respiratory-protection) that would have limited the allowable exposure limits for silica dust in coal mines for the first time ever was initially set to go into effect in [2025](https://wvpublic.org/story/energy-environment/court-blocks-msha-silica-dust-rule-days-before-it-takes-effect/#:~:text=The%20rule%20was%20aimed%20at,during%20an%20eight%2Dhour%20shift.). Then, under the Trump administration, it was pushed back to August 2025. [That month](https://westvirginiawatch.com/2025/08/14/they-dont-care-advocates-for-miners-with-black-lung-worry-as-silica-dust-rule-delayed-again/), it was pushed [again](https://westvirginiawatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/october-delay.pdf) to October. And in October, it was delayed yet again. In April, federal regulators [indefinitely delayed](https://westvirginiawatch.com/2026/04/09/federal-regulators-indefinitely-delay-rule-to-protect-coal-miners-in-wv-beyond-from-black-lung/) the rule, leaving advocates who serve those with black lung worried about the real consequences the lack of intervention will have for coal miners who are suffering from symptoms of the incurable disease at [younger ages](https://westvirginiawatch.com/2024/06/03/as-silica-dust-rule-goes-into-effect-experts-advocate-education-for-the-industrys-youngest/) than ever before. “We’ve allowed miners to be overexposed to dust, become sick and then offer them a benefits system that will not adequately support them and their families,” Shelton said. “We are so grateful for the leadership from Reps. Lee, McGarvey and Deluzio in introducing the Support Our Miners Act, which will increase monthly black lung disability benefits for miners, bringing the value of black lung benefits back up to the standard intended by Congress when it passed the Black Lung Benefits Act in 1972.” This story was originally produced by [West Virginia Watch](https://westvirginiawatch.com/2026/07/02/bill-introduced-in-congress-to-increase-black-lung-benefit-stipends-for-coal-miners-in-wv-beyond/), which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Kentucky Lantern, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. ## Sources - [Kentucky Lantern](https://kentuckylantern.com/2026/07/02/repub/bill-introduced-in-congress-to-increase-black-lung-benefit-stipends-for-coal-miners-in-appalachia/)