House members introduce bill to boost Black Lung disability benefits and index payments to inflation

The Support Our Miners Act would raise monthly stipends for coal miners disabled by pneumoconiosis and automatically adjust future payments for inflation, aiming to correct decades of benefit increases that lagged costs of living.

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Members of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced legislation this week aimed at increasing federal Black Lung disability payments for coal miners and their families, and tying future benefit increases to inflation. The bill, called the Support Our Miners Act, was introduced by Rep. Summer Lee of Pennsylvania, with co-sponsors including Rep. Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania and Rep. Morgan McGarvey of Kentucky, according to reporting and a companion account of the measure.

Under the bill’s approach, monthly disability payments for miners with Black Lung would be adjusted to account for what supporters say was a long period of inadequate increases. Reporting on the measure says the Black Lung disability benefit has not kept pace with inflation since the program’s establishment in 1970, a factor that supporters say has reduced purchasing power for beneficiaries over time.

One cited benchmark in the reporting is the current monthly disability stipend, described as $794 for an eligible miner. Supporters say that amount is about two-thirds of what a miner would have received in 1970 when adjusted for inflation. The reporting also attributes the gap to how the benefit is set, saying the disability stipend is tied to federal employee pay rates rather than to the cost of living.

The bill would change that structure going forward. The Support Our Miners Act would ensure that Black Lung disability payments are automatically adjusted for inflation each year, with supporters arguing that the current system has left recipients vulnerable as prices rise.

The legislation would benefit a broad set of mining families, according to the reporting that accompanies the bill’s introduction. It says more than 25,000 members of mining families across nearly all states could be eligible, depending on the program’s existing rules and determinations for Black Lung-related disability.

The measure is also being framed by advocates as a response to renewed attention on beneficiary outcomes. Reporting connected to the bill cited a May 2026 Government Accountability Office report, saying black lung beneficiaries reported needs for a benefit increase and that the agency projected many beneficiaries are living on incomes at or below federal poverty levels or well below the wages they formerly earned.

For Kentucky, the bill’s key institutional link is that McGarvey, a Kentucky representative, is listed as one of the co-sponsors. Kentucky’s involvement matters because Black Lung claims and benefit payments are administered through a federal program, but local political support can affect whether Congress prioritizes funding and procedural steps needed for changes to the benefit formula.

Next steps under the U.S. House process would include committee consideration, potential hearings, and then a vote by the full House before any changes could be enacted. If the measure advances, the payoff would be fiscal and administrative, centered on whether Congress will authorize inflation-based adjustments for Black Lung disability stipends and whether those changes can be implemented through the existing program framework.

Why It Matters

The bill targets a federal benefit formula that supporters say has reduced the purchasing power of Black Lung recipients over decades.
If enacted, the inflation indexing change would directly affect ongoing monthly payments and could alter how beneficiaries’ income keeps up with rising prices.
The measure’s progression through House committees and a full vote will determine whether Congress will treat Black Lung benefit adequacy as an urgent needs-based issue this session.
Because the program serves beneficiaries in many states, including Kentucky through congressional sponsorship, the legislation would have national administrative and budget implications beyond individual coal communities.
The outcome will hinge on whether lawmakers decide to depart from the current method of tying disability payments to federal employee pay rates.

Sources

Key Facts

A bill titled the Support Our Miners Act was introduced in the U.S. House to increase Black Lung disability payments for coal miners and their families.
Rep. Summer Lee of Pennsylvania is the sponsor, with co-sponsors including Rep. Chris Deluzio and Rep. Morgan McGarvey of Kentucky.
Supporters say Black Lung disability benefits have not kept pace with inflation since the program began in 1970.
Reporting describes the current monthly disability stipend for an eligible miner as $794 and says it is about two-thirds of the inflation-adjusted 1970 level.
The bill would change future increases by automatically adjusting Black Lung disability payments for inflation each year.
The reporting says more than 25,000 members of mining families across nearly all states could benefit.
A May 2026 Government Accountability Office report is cited in the reporting as supporting the argument for benefit increases.