Black Lung Center of Excellence
The Black Lung Center of Excellence (BLCE) is a collaboration between the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) School of Public Health, in the Division of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences and our colleagues at National Jewish Health (NJH). The UIC/NJH-BLCE has experience providing education, training, and guiding data collection and research for the Black Lung Clinics Program. We have developed significant expertise in order to enhance the medical surveillance, screening, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and medicolegal services provided by the Black Lung Clinics, advocacy organizations, and governmental agencies whose main goal is to care for coal miners.
The UIC/NJH-BLCE’s mission is to provide education, training, and expert consultation. The UIC/NJH-BLCE also serves as a tertiary level referral center for other Black Lung Clinics nationally for the most complicated and difficult cases of coal mine dust lung disease and other occupational lung diseases.
Black Lung Disability Evaluation & Claims Training for Medical Personnel Heading link
The University of Illinois, with funding from the US Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP), Division of Coal Mine Workers’ Compensation (DCMWC), developed an online learning curriculum, which was reviewed by NIOSH, and designed for Federal Black Lung Program 413B medical physicians. The objectives of the training program are for 413B providers to:
- Describe the requirements and best practices for performing diagnostic examinations of coal miners applying for Federal Black Lung benefits.
- Describe how to evaluate, assimilate and draw conclusions from complex and disparate medical evidence associated with a coal miner’s Federal Black Lung claim.
- Evaluate and explain causes and discrepancies in PFT and other pulmonary test results and medical examinations in medical/legal terminology using for non- medical examiners with content and objectives.
Black Lung Disability Evaluation & Claims Training for Non-Medical Personnel Heading link
The University of Illinois, with funding from the US Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP), Division of Coal Mine Workers’ Compensation (DCMWC), developed an online learning curriculum, reviewed by NIOSH, designed for Federal Black Lung Program claims personnel. The curriculum is designed for claims examiners to evaluate, assimilate, and draw conclusions from complex and disparate medical evidence associated with a coal miner’s Federal Black Lung benefits claim.