Angela Ochery, executive director of the Wyoming Miners Hospital Board, briefed the Joint Appropriations Committee on Dec. 8, telling lawmakers the board serves about 6,900 Wyoming miners and operates from offices in Gillette and a satellite in Rock Springs.

Ochery said miners who qualify — generally those with 10 years of mining experience who are Wyoming residents — can receive up to $5,000 per year in benefits for pulmonary, respiratory, hearing, cardiac and musculoskeletal conditions tied to mining work, and $3,000 toward hearing aids every five years. She described the program’s cost‑sharing design as a “3‑2‑2” model: the board pays the first $3,000 in eligible claims, the enrollee is responsible for the next $2,000, and the board pays an additional $2,000 after that.

Why it matters: the board provides targeted health and financial assistance to a population with industry‑specific occupational risks. The committee sought detail on fund sustainability and year‑to‑year spending increases.

During questioning Representative Sherwood asked about the fund’s corpus and investment strategy. Finance staff Barb Wallace told the committee, “The corpus is currently $90,275,233.” Committee members asked for follow‑up documentation on recent expenditure growth after noting unit 0101 spending rose materially between the 2019‑20 biennium and the next projection; Wallace agreed to provide a written explanation of that increase.

The board requested one exception (TRP) identified in its budget materials and invited committee members to submit further questions. No formal vote or appropriation was taken at the hearing; members asked that the board return with updated expenditure detail and projections for investment earnings and long‑term sustainability.