2020 Black Lung Benefits Rates
This month, coal miners and their families received news that the U.S. Department of Labor increased federal black lung benefits by 2.6%. For a disabled coal miner and spouse, this could mean an extra $24 in their pockets every month — an amount that makes a meaningful difference for many families.
Federal black lung benefit rates are set at 37.5% of the base salary of certain entry-level federal employees. See 30 U.S.C. § 922(a)(1). These employees are on the second lowest paygrade for federal employees, or the GS-2 Step 1, and they earn just $21,974.00 per year or $10.53 per hour. Coal miners receive roughly one third of that amount in federal black lung benefits. So, when federal workers receive their annual raise, so do coal miners suffering from black lung.
Many disabled coal miners rely upon these regular annual raises. In 2018 and 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor increased federal black lung benefits by 1% and 1.3% respectively. These modest increases often fail to keep up with inflation. For example, in 2019, the consumer price index which tracks the average price paid by consumers for goods and services increased by 2.3%. This means miners’ paychecks have to be stretched thinner every year just to pay their normal bills.
The 2020 pay raise is significant because it is reverses this trend and will likely outpace inflation this year.
As posted online by the Division of Coal Mine Workers’ Compensation of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation, the monthly benefits rates for 2020 are below:
- Primary beneficiary (e.g., a single miner or a widow without any dependent children) – $686.70/month. Up from $669.30 in 2019.
- A primary beneficiary and one dependent (e.g., a married miner without dependent children or a widow with a dependent child) receives 50% more than a single miner – $1,030.10/month. Up from $1,004.00 in 2019.
- A primary beneficiary with two dependents (e.g., a married miner with one dependent child) receives 75% more than a single miner – $1,201.80/month. Up from $1,171.30 in 2019.
- A primary beneficiary with three or more dependents (e.g., a married miner with two or more dependent children) receives 100% more than a single miner – $1,373.40/month. Up from $1,338.60 in 2019.
Note that sometimes benefits are decreased because a miner or survivor has another benefits award under a federal or state workers’ compensation program. Many beneficiaries also effectively get less because an award of federal black lung benefits can decrease the amount that someone gets from an award of Social Security Disability.
In addition to monthly monetary benefits, disabled coal miners also receive medical benefits to treat their lung disease. See 20 C.F.R. § 725.701. For many miners, the medical benefits prove more valuable than the monetary benefits.
Black lung disease is progressive, meaning by nature it worsens over time. For years, coal miners have been forced to do more to compensate and care for their disease with less and less money after inflation. That’s not right. At a bare minimum, coal miners disabled by black lung and their families deserve regular and predictable benefits that keep pace with inflation We’re thankful that the 2020 pay raise bucks the trend, and coal miners are able to maintain their status quo.