The Department of Labor hosted its first outreach event Tuesday for current and former coal miners suffering from black lung disease.
At the Knox County Public Library in Vincennes, representatives for the Federal Black Lung Program welcomed anyone who wanted to file a claim for monthly government assistance in dealing with the disease.
For a single beneficiary, a miner could receive $777 a month in government assistance. A beneficiary with three or more dependents could receive up to $1500 a month.
Kenny Lowe, Equity Coordinator for the Department of Labor said it’s important that anyone affected files or even refiles due to the nature of the disease.
“Pneumoconiosis doesn't get better, it's a progressive disease,” he said. “So we always encourage them to come back out every so often to be re-examined and see if they're eligible for benefits.”
The program is administered by the department’s Division of Coal Mine Workers’ Compensation. The program currently provides benefits to about 200 people in Indiana.
Those applying must be determined to be fully disabled to qualify for benefits.
“The doctor may say, ‘you do have pneumoconiosis or black lung,’ but to qualify for the Federal black lung program, you have to be totally disabled to qualify for the benefits,” he said.
Anyone interested that wasn’t able to be at the outreach event can reach out to the Federal Black Lung Program online to apply. The next in-person outreach event is scheduled to take place in Pinkneyville, Illinois, on May 22.
