(a) Miner defined. A “miner” for the purposes of this part is any person who works or has worked in or around a coal mine or coal preparation facility in the extraction, preparation, or transportation of coal, and any person who works or has worked in coal mine construction or maintenance in or around a coal mine or coal preparation facility. There shall be a rebuttable presumption that any person working in or around a coal mine or coal preparation facility is a miner. This presumption may be rebutted by proof that:

(1) The person was not engaged in the extraction, preparation or transportation of coal while working at the mine site, or in maintenance or construction of the mine site; or

(2) The individual was not regularly employed in or around a coal mine or coal preparation facility.

(b) Coal mine construction and transportation workers; special provisions. A coal mine construction or transportation worker shall be considered a miner to the extent such individual is or was exposed to coal mine dust as a result of employment in or around a coal mine or coal preparation facility. A transportation worker shall be considered a miner to the extent that his or her work is integral to the extraction or preparation of coal. A construction worker shall be considered a miner to the extent that his or her work is integral to the building of a coal or underground mine (see §725.101(a)(12), (30)).

(1) There shall be a rebuttable presumption that such individual was exposed to coal mine dust during all periods of such employment occurring in or around a coal mine or coal preparation facility for purposes of:

(i) Determining whether such individual is or was a miner;

(ii) Establishing the applicability of any of the presumptions described in section 411(c) of the Act and part 718 of this subchapter; and

(iii) Determining the identity of a coal mine operator liable for the payment of benefits in accordance with §725.495.

(2) The presumption may be rebutted by evidence which demonstrates that:

(i) The individual was not regularly exposed to coal mine dust during his or her work in or around a coal mine or coal preparation facility; or

(ii) The individual did not work regularly in or around a coal mine or coal preparation facility.

(c) A person who is or was a self-employed miner or independent contractor, and who otherwise meets the requirements of this paragraph, shall be considered a miner for the purposes of this part.

(d) Conditions of entitlement; miner. An individual is eligible for benefits under this subchapter if the individual:

(1) Is a miner as defined in this section; and

(2) Has met the requirements for entitlement to benefits by establishing that he or she:

(i) Has pneumoconiosis (see §718.202), and

(ii) The pneumoconiosis arose out of coal mine employment (see §718.203), and

(iii) Is totally disabled (see §718.204(c)), and

(iv) The pneumoconiosis contributes to the total disability (see §718.204(c)); and

(3) Has filed a claim for benefits in accordance with the provisions of this part.