KRS 342.794: "B" reader list.

(1) The commissioner shall maintain a list of duly qualified "B" reader physicians who

are licensed in the Commonwealth and are board -certified pulmonary specialists,

currently certified by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health

(NIOSH) who h ave agreed to perform pulmonary examinations, interpret chest X -

rays, and review other medical evidence pursuant to KRS 342.316 for a fee to be

fixed by the commissioner and paid by the Kentucky coal workers' pneumoconiosis

fund or the carrier, whichever i s the appropriate payment obligor, the provisions of

KRS 342.1242 notwithstanding, for claims filed on or before June 30, 2017, and by

the employer for claims filed after June 30, 2017.

(2) "'B' reader" means a physician who has demonstrated proficiency in evaluating

chest roentgenograms for roentgenographic quality and in the use of the ILO

classification for interpreting chest roentgenograms for pneumoconiosis and other

diseases by taking and passing a specially designed proficiency examination given

on behalf of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) or

by the Appalachian Laboratory for Occupational Safety and Health (ALOSH), or

successors.

(3) "Board-certified pulmonary specialist" means a physician licensed in the

Commonwealth who is board -certified in internal medicine with a certification in

the subspecialty of pulmonary medicine by the American Board of Internal

Medicine.