Coal Mine Operator Response to Schedule for Submission of Additional Evidence and Operator Response to Notice of Claim

Forms and Documents

Forms and supporting documents for this ICR

Document	Type	Status	Availability
Form CM-2970a OPERATOR RESPONSE TO NOTICE OF CLAIM	Form	Modified	Available
Form CM-2970 OPERATOR RESPONSE TO SCHEDULE FOR SUBMISSION OF ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE	Form	Modified	Available
SS-1240-0033 CM-2970 2970a 2026 Final 8.27.26.docx	Supporting Statement A	Uploaded 2026-08-27	Available
DOL-OWCP-9.pdf	Supplementary Document	Uploaded 2020-02-18	Available
FRN Notice for SORN.pdf	Supplementary Document	Uploaded 2017-03-13	Available
20CFR725.407-408.pdf	Supplementary Document	Uploaded 2007-08-08	Available
20CFR725.412.pdf	Supplementary Document	Uploaded 2007-08-08	Available

IC Document Collections

Information collection document groups

IC ID	Collection	Type	Status	Form
13697	Operator Response to Schedule for Submission of Additional Evidence, and Operator Response to Notice of Claim	Form	Modified	OPERATOR RESPONSE TO NOTICE OF CLAIM
13697	Operator Response to Schedule for Submission of Additional Evidence, and Operator Response to Notice of Claim	Form	Modified	OPERATOR RESPONSE TO SCHEDULE FOR SUBMISSION OF ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE

ICR Details

OMB Control No: 1240-0033	ICR Reference No: 202604-1240-001
Status: Received in OIRA	Previous ICR Reference No: 202401-1240-003
Agency/Subagency: DOL/OWCP	Agency Tracking No:
Title: Coal Mine Operator Response to Schedule for Submission of Additional Evidence and Operator Response to Notice of Claim
Type of Information Collection: Extension without change of a currently approved collection	Common Form ICR:  No
Type of Review Request: Regular	Date Submitted to OIRA: 10/16/2026

table that charts list comparision

	Requested	Previously Approved
Expiration Date	36 Months From Approved	10/31/2026
Responses	11,470	5,294
Time Burden (Hours)	2,644	1,173
Cost Burden (Dollars)	2,923	1,096

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Abstract: The OWCP, Division of Coal Mine Workers' Compensation (DCMWC) administers the Black Lung Benefits Act (30 U.S.C. 901 et seq.), which provides benefits to coal miners totally disabled due to pneumoconiosis and their surviving dependents. When the DCMWC makes a preliminary analysis of a claimant's eligibility for benefits, and if a coal mine operator has been identified as potentially liable for payment of those benefits, the responsible operator is notified of the preliminary analysis. Regulations codified at 20 CFR part 725 require that a coal mine operator be identified and notified of potential liability as early in the adjudication process as possible. Coal Mine Operator Response to Schedule for Submission of Additional Evidence (Form CM-2970) and Operator Response to Notice of Claim (Form CM-2970a) are used for claims filed after January 19, 2001, and indicate that the coal mine operator will submit additional evidence or respond to the notice of claim.

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Authorizing Statute(s): US Code: 30 USC 901 Name of Law: Black Lung Benefits Act
  

Citations for New Statutory Requirements: None

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Associated Rulemaking Information
RIN:	Stage of Rulemaking:	Federal Register Citation:	Date:
	Not associated with rulemaking

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Federal Register Notices & Comments
60-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	91 FR 34657	06/08/2026
30-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	91 FR 65788	10/16/2026
Did the Agency receive public comments on this ICR? Yes

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Number of Information Collection (IC) in this ICR: 1

table that charts list of burden

IC Title	Form No.	Form Name
Operator Response to Schedule for Submission of Additional Evidence, and Operator Response to Notice of Claim	CM-2970, CM-2970a	OPERATOR RESPONSE TO SCHEDULE FOR SUBMISSION OF ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE ,   OPERATOR RESPONSE TO NOTICE OF CLAIM

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ICR Summary of Burden

table that charts list of burden

	Total Request	Previously Approved	Change Due to New Statute	Change Due to Agency Discretion	Change Due to Adjustment in Estimate	Change Due to Potential Violation of the PRA
Annual Number of Responses	11,470	5,294	0	3,240	2,936	0
Annual Time Burden (Hours)	2,644	1,173	0	0	1,471	0
Annual Cost Burden (Dollars)	2,923	1,096	0	0	1,827	0

Burden increases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Increase Due to:

Burden decreases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Reduction Due to:

Short Statement: EXPLANATION OF CHANGE TOTALS Respondents: The number of respondents increased from 5,294 to 8,230. Responses: The number of responses increased from 8,082 to 11,470. OWCP issues more Notices of Claims than Schedules for the Submission of Additional Evidence because the miner can withdraw or abandon his claim before a Schedule for the Submission of Additional Evidence is issued. Reasons for notifying multiple employers in a single claim include, but are not limited to: the miner’s reporting of who his last coal mine employer was is different from who his Social Security Earnings Records indicate was the last operator to employ him, or the most recent employer is not financially capable of assuming liability for the claim and OWCP must notify the next most-recent coal mine employer. For the current iteration of this collection, OWCP has used the actual FY-25 response rates to each form to more precisely estimate the burden associated with this collection. Burden Hours: Burden hours have increased from 1,173 to 2,644. Costs: Annual burden costs have increased from $1,096 to $2,923.

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Annual Cost to Federal Government: $54,139

Does this IC contain surveys, censuses, or employ statistical methods? No

Does this ICR request any personally identifiable information (see OMB Circular No. A-130 for an explanation of this term)? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination.     Yes

Does this ICR include a form that requires a Privacy Act Statement (see 5 U.S.C. §552a(e)(3))? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination.     Yes

Is this ICR related to the Affordable Care Act [Pub. L. 111-148 & 111-152]? No

Is this ICR related to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, [Pub. L. 111-203]? No

Is this ICR related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)? No

Is this ICR related to the Pandemic Response? No

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Common Form ICR:  No

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On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).

The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:

(a) It is necessary for the proper performance of agency functions;

(b) It avoids unnecessary duplication;

(c) It reduces burden on small entities;

(d) It uses plain, coherent, and unambiguous language that is understandable to respondents;

(e) Its implementation will be consistent and compatible with current reporting and recordkeeping practices;

(f) It indicates the retention periods for recordkeeping requirements;

(g) It informs respondents of the information called for under 5 CFR 1320.8 (b)(3) about:

(i) Why the information is being collected;

(ii) Use of information;

(iii) Burden estimate;

(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);

(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and

(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;

(h) It was developed by an office that has planned and allocated resources for the efficient and effective management and use of the information to be collected.

(i) It uses effective and efficient statistical survey methodology (if applicable); and

(j) It makes appropriate use of information technology.

If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.

Certification Date: 10/16/2026

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