Labor Department Tries to Simplify Black Lung Forms
Published Date: 5/26/2026
Notice
Summary
The Department of Labor wants to keep collecting info from coal miners about lung disease claims but is asking for your thoughts on how to make the paperwork easier and less time-consuming. This affects coal miners filing claims for pneumoconiosis (a lung disease) and the folks who handle these claims. You’ve got until July 27, 2026, to share your ideas—no extra costs, just smoother forms!
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
Coal miners must provide medical tests
If you are a coal miner applying for black lung benefits, you (or your doctor) must provide a complete pulmonary evaluation including a chest X-ray, physical exam, pulmonary function tests, and an arterial blood gas study. Physicians use Forms CM-933, CM-933b, CM-988, CM-1159, and CM-2907 to report those test results, which the agency uses to decide total disability under the Black Lung Benefits Act.
Medical providers must complete named forms
Medical institutions and private physicians who report diagnostic test results for coal mine workers are required to complete Forms CM-933, CM-933b, CM-988, CM-1159, and CM-2907. The notice reports 7,500 respondents, 37,500 annual responses, and a total annual burden of 11,625 hours, with an annual respondent or recordkeeper monetary cost reported as $0.00.
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
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