A claimant, who smoked cigarettes and worked as a coal miner for 30 years and who developed severe breathing problems after he stopped working in the coal mines was properly awarded benefits under the Black Lung Benefits Act, 30 U.S.C.S. § 901 et... Read More
By Karen C. Yotis, Esq. © Copyright 2012 LexisNexis. All rights reserved. When the Workers’ Injury Law & Advocacy Group (WILG) met in Chicago during 2012 to mark the 40th anniversary of the National Commission on State Workmen’s... Read More
By Karen Koenig, Associate General Counsel, Longshore, Benefits Review Board, United States Department of Labor, Washington, D.C. BRB Statistical Update The Board began this fiscal year in October 2011 with 148 pending Longshore appeals. During the... Read More
Sign up here for our free workers' compensation enewsletters (National or California Edition) to receive weekly news items. Be sure to select the enewsletter of your choice. NATIONAL NEWS WILG Symposium on 40th Anniversary of Nat'l Commission... Read More
By Karen Koenig, Associate General Counsel, Longshore Division, U.S. Department of Labor, Washington, D.C. BRB Personnel News The membership of the Benefits Review Board has changed quite a bit in the past year. Judge Betty Jean Hall, who has been... Read More
It’s time to look back on the past year’s top cases to help us identify possible national trends. While many of these cases are state decisions, there are far reaching implications to be found in each of them. Here’s our selection for... Read More
Larson's Spotlight on Tort Action, Retaliatory Discharge, Black Lung, Disqualification From Benefits, and Loss of Wage Earning Capacity. Larson's surveys the latest case developments that you need to know about. Thomas A. Robinson, the staff writer... Read More
By Karen Koenig, Associate General Counsel, Longshore, Benefits Review Board, United States Department of Labor, Washington, D.C. BRB Statistical Update The Board began this fiscal year in October 2011 with 148 pending Longshore appeals. During... Read More
Larson’s Spotlight on Black Lung, Physical Ability Test, Hugging and Deviation From Employment, Credit for Allowance Paid to Furloughed Worker, and Assault Related to Theft of Employee’s Car. Larson's surveys the latest case developments... Read More
CHARLESTON, WV - The Charleston Daily Mail reports that the rates for black lung insurance premiums are expected to increase 45%, this due to the federal black lung benefits program that Senator Robert Byrd wrote into the national health care reform law... Read More
National Public Radio reports that black lung disease in increasing among miners, but the paperwork and appeals to obtain benefits through the federal black lung program could take 10 to 12 years because mining companies often oppose the claims. Read... Read More