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5d ago

HHS Reinstates Over 100 NIOSH Workers, Restores Coal Miner Health Programs

Following judicial and political pressure, the Department of Health and Human Services has reversed layoffs, ensuring the continuation of critical black lung disease surveillance and compensation efforts.

A miner diagnosed with advanced black lung diease, stands inside an old water well near his home in Hinton, West Virginia, U.S., April 13, 2025. REUTERS/Adrees Latif/File Photo
People rally on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in support of some 185 researchers and other employees of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in Morgantown, W.Va., who received reduction-in-force notices as part of a larger push by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to dismiss 10,000 federal employees. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
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Overview

  • The Department of Health and Human Services permanently reinstated over 100 National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health employees in Morgantown, West Virginia, after earlier termination notices.
  • The reversal comes after significant public pressure from Senator Shelley Moore Capito and a federal court order citing irreparable harm to coal miners' health and safety.
  • The layoffs had halted black lung disease screening and health surveillance programs, threatening protections for miners as the disease resurges, now affecting one in five miners.
  • A letter from HHS officially revoked reduction-in-force notices, ensuring that affected employees will not face termination and can resume their roles in critical safety divisions.
  • Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to testify before Congress, where he is expected to address the layoffs and their impact on coal miner health protections.