Black Lung benefits program: continued inaction on coal operator self-insurance increases financial risk to trust fund : testimony before the Committee on Education and Labor, Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, House of Representatives
- Collection:
- Health Policy and Services Research
- Contributor(s):
- United States. Government Accountability Office, issuing body. United States. Congress. House. Committee on Education and Labor. Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, issuing body.
- Publication:
- Washington, DC : United States Government Accountability Office, December 2, 2021
- Language(s):
- English
- Format:
- Text
- Subject(s):
- Anthracosis -- economics Government Regulation Insurance, Health -- legislation & jurisprudence United States
- Genre(s):
- Technical Report
- Abstract:
- Why GAO did this study. The Trust Fund, which pays benefits to coal miners disabled due to black lung, faces financial challenges. It has borrowed from the U.S. Treasury’s general fund almost every year since 1979 to make needed expenditures. In February 2020, GAO found that DOL’s limited oversight of coal mine operator insurance exposed the Trust Fund to additional financial risk. This testimony is based on reports GAO issued in 2020 and 2018. GAO found in 2020 that in overseeing coal operator self-insurance DOL did not (1) estimate future benefit liability when setting the amount of collateral required to self-insure, (2) regularly review operators to assess whether the required amount of collateral should change, or (3) always take action to protect the Trust Fund by revoking an operator’s ability to self-insure as appropriate. To obtain updated information for this hearing statement, GAO interviewed DOL officials in November 2021 and reviewed agency documentation. What GAO Recommends. DOL agreed with the recommendations made in GAO’s 2020 report that DOL should establish procedures for self-insurance renewals and coal operator appeals. Doing so could better position DOL to take action to protect the Trust Fund should an operator not submit its renewal application or comply with DOL’s collateral requirements. In addition, appeals procedures could help ensure that DOL is able to revoke an operator’s ability to self-insure, when warranted. Both recommendations remain open.
- Copyright:
- The National Library of Medicine believes this item to be in the public domain. (More information)
- Extent:
- 1 online resource (1 PDF file (9 pages))
- NLM Unique ID:
- 9918383084906676 (See catalog record)
- Permanent Link:
- http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/9918383084906676