The Bush administration had said that without court intervention, a 1992 law to aid retired miners could fail. The law made mine operators responsible for the health care of former workers.

At issue is the 1993 deadline that Congress set for the Social Security commissioner to determine which coal companies would be responsible for benefits, and to whom.

That determination was made for about 7,500 miners after the deadline expired. As a result, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the designation was improper.

The Supreme Court will review two cases from that appeals court. If the government loses, it may have to repay millions that companies spent on premiums and then figure out how to cover future costs.

It would cause "significant disruption to the funding scheme set up by Congress to protect the health care benefits of tens of thousands of retired coal miners and their dependents," Solicitor General Theodore B. Olson, representing the Bush administration, said in court filings.

Court records show that the Social Security Administration missed the deadline because it was not given money to handle the matter until 80 days before the time expired.

Justices are already reviewing a separate coal mining case, also involving health care benefits for retirees under the 1992 law. In Massanari v. Sigmon Coal Co., the issue is whether a coal company that buys another one can be held responsible for the costs of health insurance for retired employees of the predecessor company.

The cases are Barnhart v. Peabody Coal Co., 01-705, and Holland v. Bellaire Corp., 01-715.