Manchin Joins Colleagues in Asking for Highest Level of Funding to Support Black Lung Health Clinics
Washington, D.C. – As a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) along with Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Warner (D-VA), Bob Casey (D-PA), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) have requested the highest level of funding in Fiscal Year 2018 (FY18) to support black lung health clinics that serve West Virginia’s coal miners. In a letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, the Senators asked that the Subcommittee’s annual funding bill include the full authorized amount of $10 million to support the clinics, which provide health screenings, medical care, and assistance in securing black lung benefits for miners.
The Senators said in part: “Due to the rise in the number of miners diagnosed with black lung disease, as documented by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, we are asking you to consider providing $10 million for the black lung program. We are grateful for the slight increase in the Fiscal Year 2017 appropriations bill, however we also note that funding to these black lung clinics has been historically frozen and is well-below its authorized level of $10 million in the Black Lung Benefits Reform Act of 1977. The clinics have faced a substantial increase in demands from coal miners for screening, diagnosis, and pulmonary rehabilitation. Some clinics are so underfunded that they are operating with obsolete and inefficient diagnostic equipment, which is needlessly increasing miners’ radiation dose when they receive a chest X-ray.”
Read the full letter below:
Dear Chairman Blunt and Ranking Member Murray:
As you consider the FY 2018 Labor, Health, and Human Services, Education & Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, we are writing to urge you to include the full authorized amount of $10 million to support the black lung health clinics that serve our nation’s coal miners. These clinics provide miners with health screenings, medical care and assistance in securing black lung benefits.
Black lung disease is a debilitating, potentially fatal disease caused by long-term exposure to coal dust. This disease impacts thousands of individuals who provide a critical service in our energy economy. There are 28 black lung clinics located in 15 coal mining states which, with very small grants provided by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy within the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA), serve as a lifeline for disabled miners who have spent a lifetime toiling in coal mines.
Due to the rise in the number of miners diagnosed with black lung disease, as documented by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, we are asking you to consider providing $10 million for the black lung program. We are grateful for the slight increase in the Fiscal Year 2017 appropriations bill, however we also note that funding to these black lung clinics has been historically frozen and is well-below its authorized level of $10 million in the Black Lung Benefits Reform Act of 1977. The clinics have faced a substantial increase in demands from coal miners for screening, diagnosis, and pulmonary rehabilitation. Some clinics are so underfunded that they are operating with obsolete and inefficient diagnostic equipment, which is needlessly increasing miners’ radiation dose when they receive a chest X-ray.
While we are aware that you are carefully reviewing budget priorities, we respectfully ask that coal miners – many of who reside in rural communities – receive the medical services and support that they need and deserve. Thank you for your consideration of our request.
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