20 CFR §725.212
Verified against eCFR.gov as of June 20, 2026View official text on eCFR.gov ↗
- (a)An individual who is the surviving spouse or surviving divorced spouse of a miner is eligible for benefits if such individual:
- (1)Is not married;
- (2)Was dependent on the miner at the pertinent time; and
- (3)The deceased miner either:
- (i)Is determined to have died due to pneumoconiosis; or
- (ii)Filed a claim for benefits on or after January 1, 1982, which results or resulted in a final award of benefits, and the surviving spouse or surviving divorced spouse filed a claim for benefits after January 1, 2005 which was pending on or after March 23, 2010.
- (b)If more than one spouse meets the conditions of entitlement prescribed in paragraph (a), then each spouse will be considered a beneficiary for purposes of section 412(a)(2) of the Act without regard to the existence of any other entitled spouse or spouses.