Manchin can support the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund by backing Build Back Better

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

My husband, Sam, was a coal miner in Kanawha County, W.Va., for 30 years. Around 1989 he noticed trouble with his breathing. We were heartbroken to learn he had black lung disease. But even though he had breathing issues and had been approved to receive partial state benefits, he worked for 12 more years. After he retired, Sam's breathing got worse. We went back and forth to the doctor seeking medical help - he had heart problems and was on oxygen around the clock. He could no longer hunt, fish, mow the grass, or walk up steps.

Black lung is a preventable disease caused by exposure to coal and silica dust. It is a huge burden on coal mining families - and benefits paid to miners and their dependents are meant to ease that burden just a small bit. But, it doesn't always work that way. Sam first filed for his federal benefits in 2004 and I'm still fighting for them today even though he passed away in 2018. Not only do families like mine have to confront a constant health battle or cope with the grief of losing a loved one, but we have to travel a long road to receive benefits. To make a tough situation even harder, we're also trying to keep Congress from cutting the funding source for our benefits.

Our family's story is not unique. At the National Black Lung Association, our members have similar stories - and unfortunately many more will in the years ahead. Coal miners face an epidemic as black lung disease rises to unprecedented levels. The incidence rate of black lung has doubled since 2000, and 1 in 5 veteran coal miners in Central Appalachia now have the disease. Many miners diagnosed with the disease today are younger and sicker than ever before.

Thousands of miners and their families rely on the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund to pay their benefits - health insurance and a small living stipend. The stipend is less than $700 a month, but the health insurance can make the difference for the survival of families dealing with this disease. And the stipend, though little, is sometimes one of the primary sources of income for widows and family members left behind.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/manchin-can-support-the-black-lung-disability-trust-fund-by-backing-build-back-better/ar-AASyelu

[MiniMe]

1. My grandfather had black lung in PA

My grandmother was in court for years suing Bethlam Steel. They tried to "retire" him before he actually retired. He was 65, but he hadn't retired yet. That was around 1967, I think before they had that trust fund.