Relief for Survivors of Miners Act of 2025

This bill amends the Black Lung Benefits Act to ease the benefits process for survivors of miners whose deaths were due to pneumoconiosis (black lung disease).

Sec. 2, Amendments to the benefits process for survivors: This section makes several changes. It tightens the rules for rebutting the presumption that a miner's death was due to pneumoconiosis, requiring proof that no part of the death was caused by the disease. It creates a new rebuttable presumption that a miner's death was due to pneumoconiosis if the miner was totally disabled by it during life. It corrects a typo by changing 'respirable' to 'respiratory'. It restores pre-1981 provisions to include miners who were totally disabled by the disease at the time of death. These changes apply to claims filed up to 5 years before enactment and those pending on or after enactment. It also establishes a program to pay attorneys' fees (up to $4,500 total per claim) and medical expenses (up to $3,000 total) for contested claims that take over a year to resolve, using the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund, with reimbursement from liable operators.

Sec. 3, Reports by the Government Accountability Office: This section requires the Comptroller General to conduct reviews and report to Congress within one year on interim benefit payments (including financial impact of recoupment if claims are denied), the sufficiency of current benefit payments and the economic impact of possible increases, and the impact of allowing survivors to file a subsequent claim after a final determination.