Office of Workers' Compensation Programs September 2019 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Black Lung Benefits Act provides benefits to miners who are totally disabled due to pneumoconiosis arising out of coal mine employment and to certain miners' survivors. Determining benefits entitlement necessarily entails evaluating the miner's physical condition, particularly his or her respiratory system. These evaluations usually involve medical tests that assess the miner's respiratory capacity. To promote accuracy when tests are conducted in connection with a claim, the program regulations set out quality standards for administering and interpreting two commonly used tests: pulmonary function tests and arterial blood gas studies. The Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) is considering updating the quality standards, which were last amended in 2000, to better reflect current medical technology and practice. This request for information seeks the public's input on current standards for administering pulmonary function tests and arterial blood gas studies; criteria used to evaluate the results of these tests; whether OWCP should adopt quality standards for additional testing methods; and the economic impact of any changes to the quality standards.