Amid new regulations from the Department of Labor, federal black lung liabilities – which are complex and often unpredictable – present unique and challenging opportunities for transactions.

In the property and casualty insurance space, traditional insurers that best adapt to market changes will understand their advantages over new market entrants and address their own shortcomings.

Understanding the complexity and time involved in the federal black lung adjudication process is an imperative for proper claim handling.

Federal black lung claims differ from other workers’ comp due to multiple potential payers, complex adjudication, much longer reporting and payment lags.

One in 10 underground coal miners who worked for at least 25 years have black lung disease, according to National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.