Opinion ID: 503857
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Amendments

Text: 9 Congress became dissatisfied with the program that was set up to implement the Act. The legislature determined that the Act was being interpreted too restrictively. 8 Accordingly, in 1972, Congress amended the act in an effort to liberalize the evidentiary standards. Black Lung Benefits Reform Act of 1972, Pub.L. No. 92-303, 86 Stat. 150 (1972); see Solomons, A Critical Analysis of the Legislative History Surrounding the Black Lung Interim Presumption and a Survey of Its Unresolved Issues, 83 W.Va.L.Rev. 869, 870-73 (1981). 10 At the same time, Congress urged the Secretary of HHS to adopt regulations that would solve another problem: the tremendous backlog of class B claims. Strike v. Director, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, 817 F.2d 395, 397 (7th Cir.1987); Talley v. Mathews, 550 F.2d 911, 916 (4th Cir.1977). The Secretary, in response, adopted a set of interim standards that made it significantly easier for class B claimants to establish their eligibility for benefits. By establishing these rules, the Secretary hoped to enable class B claims to be reviewed more quickly and with more satisfactory results. In addition, the Secretary promulgated a set of permanent regulations for class C claimants. 9 These permanent regulations contained much more stringent standards than did the interim rules. 10 Consequently, the DOL claims had a much higher denial rate than the HHS claims. Strike, 817 F.2d at 398; Solomons, supra, at 873. 11 Between 1975 and 1977, Congress developed yet another set of amendments to the Act. These amendments further modified the existing evidentiary standards. The amendments also authorized the Secretary of Labor to create standards for class C claimants. 33 U.S.C. Sec. 932(a) (1982 & Supp. III 1985). By stressing that these standards could be no more stringent than the standards governing class B claims, Congress hoped to equalize treatment of the two classes. 11 12 In addition, Congress wanted to remedy past wrongs caused by the overly restrictive and complicated standards. Therefore, it provided both class B and class C claimants whose claims had been denied with one more chance to apply for benefits. 30 U.S.C. Sec. 945 (1982). Class C claims, which had been denied based on the most restrictive criteria of all, automatically received reconsideration. 30 U.S.C. Sec. 945(b) (1982). In reconsidering the claims, the Secretary of Labor had to apply its new, more relaxed evidentiary standards, and could request additional evidence from the claimant regarding the miner's disability. 30 U.S.C. Sec. 945(b)(2)(B) (1982). Class B claimants, on the other hand, had six months from their date of notification in which to opt for reconsideration. The class B claimants had two choices: (a) review by the Secretary of HHS based on existing evidence; or (b) review by the Secretary of Labor, based on both existing and additional evidence. 12 In either case, the claim would be evaluated according to the new, modified evidentiary rules. 30 U.S.C. Sec. 945(a)(1) (1982). 13 The statute unequivocally mandates that all claimants who reapply for benefits and are found eligible shall be awarded benefits on a retroactive basis for a period which begins no earlier than January 1, 1974. 30 U.S.C. Sec. 945(c) (1982). Beyond this general guideline, however, the statute provides no instructions regarding the date that retroactive payments should begin. 14 Pursuant to his statutory authorization, the Secretary of Labor set up a system governing the payment of benefits for these reconsidered class B and class C claims. 20 C.F.R. Sec. 727.302 (1987). No claimant can receive benefits for a period which commences earlier than January 1, 1974. 20 C.F.R. Sec. 727.302(a) (1987). For class C claimants who can establish a date of onset for the disease, benefits are payable from the month of onset or January 1, 1974, whichever is later. 20 C.F.R. Secs. 725.503(b), (e) (1987); see 20 C.F.R. Sec. 727.302(e) (1987) (making section 725.503 controlling for reconsidered class C claims). Where the class C claimant cannot establish a date of onset, benefits are payable beginning with the month during which the claim [is] filed. 20 C.F.R. Sec. 725.503(b) (1987). 15 Class B claimants are treated slightly differently. Like class C claimants, class B claimants who can show when they were stricken with black lung disease receive retroactive benefits payable from the latter of the onset date or January 1, 1974. 13 If a class B claimant cannot establish the date of onset of disease, however, the DOL must first determine whether the claimant elected DOL or HHS review. If the claimant chose to have HHS review the claim, and, accordingly, presented no additional evidence to establish his claim, his retroactive payments date back to January 1, 1974. 20 C.F.R. Sec. 702.302(b) (1987). This claimant, then, would receive the same benefits as a similarly situated class C claimant. A class B claimant who, like Curse or New, elects DOL review and is found eligible for benefits only after presenting new evidence to substantiate his claim, however, is treated differently. When a class B claimant who presented new evidence cannot establish a date of onset, he only receives benefits payable from the month in which he elected DOL review. 14