The Relief for Survivors of Miners’ Act of 2025
At a Glance
Bill numbers: H.R. 6757 / S. 3505
House sponsors: Reps. Morgan McGarvey (D-Ky.), Nikki Budzinski (D-Il.), Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.), Maxine Dexter (D-Or.), Summer Lee (D-Pa.), Jennifer McClellan (D-Va.), Ilhan Omar (D-Mn.), Alma Adams (D-Nc.), Andre Carson (D-In.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mi.), Terri Sewell (D-Al.)
Senate sponsors: Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.)
Main goal: Make it easier for surviving spouses and dependents to access black lung benefits
Who it helps: Widows, surviving spouses, dependents, and families of miners who died from black lung or related respiratory disease
Key reforms: Restores survivor presumptions, shifts the burden toward coal operators, helps cover legal and medical costs, and requests further GAO review
Bill Overview
Often called the “Widows’ Bill,” the Relief for Survivors of Miners Act of 2025 would make it easier for surviving spouses and dependents to access black lung benefits after a miner dies from black lung disease or related respiratory illness.
Under current law, survivors may have to prove that black lung substantially contributed to a miner’s death, even when the miner had already been diagnosed with black lung and died from a respiratory condition. That burden can force grieving families into a lengthy, expensive, and technical legal process against coal companies and insurers with far greater resources. The Relief for Survivors of Miners Act would help to correct that imbalance by restoring stronger presumptions in favor of survivors and improving access to legal and medical support.
What the Relief for Survivors of Miners Act would do
Make it easier for surviving families to qualify for benefits
The Problem: Grieving families are forced to prove what mining already took from them.
When a coal miner dies from exposure to coal mine and silica dust, surviving spouses and dependents should not have to fight an uphill legal battle just to receive the benefits that their family has earned. But, under the current system, survivors often have to prove that black lung substantially contributed to the miner’s death, even when the miner was already diagnosed with black lung and died from a respiratory illness.
That burden can be especially unfair because the miner is no longer there to help explain their work history, medical history, symptoms, or the decline in their health. Families may be left trying to gather records, understand complex medical evidence, and even withstand the challenges from coal companies while also grieving the loss of their loved ones.
How the bill helps:The Relief for Survivors of Miners Act would re-establish a stronger presumption that a miner’s death was due to black lung in certain cases, shifting the burden away from survivors and requiring that coal operators prove that no part of the miner’s death was caused by pneumoconiosis.
Shift the burden of proof back onto responsible operators
The Problem: Survivors can lose benefits because the legal standard may be too hard to meet.
The current survivor benefits process can require families to prove a direct connection between black lung and the miner’s death. This can be difficult to do when death certificates are incomplete or when medical records do not fully capture the miner’s disease.
This creates a cruel gap for families: a miner may have spent years disabled by an occupational disease, but their surviving spouse or dependents can stills truggle to prove that the disease contributed to their death. The Relief for Survivors of Miners Act directly responds to this problem by restoring protections that existed before 1981 for certain survivor claims.
How the bill helps: The bill would restore certain pre-1981 provisions and create a rebuttable presumption that a miner’s death was due to pneumoconiosis if the miner was totally disabled by black lung during their lifetime.
Help surviving family members afford the expertise they need to win claims
The Problem: Coal companies have more money and better access to legal representation and medical experts than surviving families.
Survivors may enter a black lung claims process without legal representation, the necessary medical experts, or the resources that they need to develop a strong case in support of their benefits. Coal operators and insurers, by contrast, can rely on expensive legal teams and medical experts that can challenge these claims.
For a widow or dependent, this can turn what is otherwise a modest benefits claims process into a lengthy and intimidating legal battle. The problem is not just paperwork; it is an unequal system where families who have already lost a loved one may be forced to prove complex medical facts against their well-resourced opponents.
How the bill helps:The Relief for Survivors of Miners Act would improve access to representation by creating a payment program for attorneys’ fees and reasonable, unreimbursed medical expenses in qualifying contested claims where a final order has not been entered within one year.
Reduce the delays in the claims process
The Problem: Delays make the survivor benefits process more harmful.
For surviving spouses and dependents, delays in benefits can deepen the financial insecurity after the loss of a loved one. Families may face funeral costs, medical debt, and reduced household income to say nothing of the emotional toll that continuing a legal fight might bring. Lengthy claims are not just administrative problems - they can determine whether a surviving family member can keep up with basic household expenses.
How the bill helps:The Relief for Survivors of Miners Act would improve the process for survivors by supporting attorneys’ and medical evidence costs in qualifying delayed claims, providing survivors with a better defense in their claims when it’s contested or prolonged.
Tell Congress: Protect Black Lung Survivors
No widow or surviving family member should have to fight an unfair legal battle after losing a loved one to black lung disease. Coal miners gave their health and lives to power this country. Their families deserve a benefits system that honors that sacrifice.