BY ANNIE ANDERSEN KENTUCKY
JENKINS–Two Kentucky lawmakers are coming together to help former coal miners who are now ill.
Richard Yonts is one of the miners who says he will benefit if the bill passes.
Yonts worked in the mines of Eastern Kentucky for 35 years. He now keeps emergency inhalers in one pocket and a vial of nitroglycerin tablets in the other. However, he says even though he has been diagnosed with Black Lung, the government has yet to accept the diagnosis.
“I’ve been fighting my federal for five years,” said Yonts. He added, “When I did my breathing tests and found out I had Black Lung, I didn’t know what it was.”
Five years ago, when he was diagnosed, radiologists were still able to diagnose the deadly disease.
However, in Kentucky’s 2018 Legislative Session, lawmakers decided to pass a bill that allowed only specialized board-certified pulmonary specialists who are licensed as “B” readers to make official Black Lung diagnoses for state benefits.
Pre-filed for Kentucky’s 2019 Legislative Session is a new bipartisan bill that would reverse that.
One of the sponsors, Republican Representative Robert Goforth said, “The only reason to remove radiologists was to save money at the expense of our miners. That’s just wrong.”
Goforth’s co-sponsor, Democrat Angie Hatton echoed that, explaining “At a time when we’re seeing a spike in black lung, especially in Eastern Kentucky, many legislators unfortunately decided to make it much tougher for miners in these cases to qualify for the workers’ comp benefits they deserve.”
The official diagnosis is important as miners with the illness may be eligible for both state and federal benefits for themselves and their dependents.
“If my award gets settled and I die, my wife gets the benefits. If I die before it is actually settled, she gets nothing. So they’re trying to take the law, which is legal. They’re trying to take the law and outlive me,” said Yonts
While mining has fallen in recent years, the incidence of Black Lung has done the opposite.
“Miners, particularly young miners, are getting the most serious form of the disease. It’s that form of the disease that can lead to an early death, and miners are getting that form of the disease at rates that we’ve never seen,” said Wes Addington, the Deputy Director for the Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center.
Addington said there are several reasons for that, including that miners are working longer hours, with shorter breaks between their work and also that the coal seams that were easier to mine are now gone because they have already been mined.
Linda Adams has become a Black Lung right’s champion. Her husband died from the deadly disease, and she says even now, she is fighting to get it recognized by the government.
Fighting tears, Adam said “Four biopsies and they all show he had Black Lung. His autopsy showed he had Black Lung. And it’s on his death certificate that he died from Black Lung. And they have still fit. And they aren’t fighting him no more. He’s laying on the hill by the house. They’re fighting me. They’re hoping I die.”
The Kentucky Coal Association has come out in support of the law as it currently stands. In a statement, KCA President Tyler White said, “Changes under House Bill 2 provide a better business environment through improved clarity and certainty for employers, while preserving the benefits for those workers who truly need them and providing appropriately for workers.”
The proposed bill will be discussed when the 2019 session starts. If approved, the law would change as it impacts state benefits.
