Federal Agency Decisions
Federal workers' compensation appeals from the Department of Labor's Employees' Compensation Appeals Board (ECAB), federal-sector labor-relations cases from the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), mine-safety cases from the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission (FMSHRC), workplace-safety cases from the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC), Longshore Act and Black Lung Benefits Act appeals from the Department of Labor's Benefits Review Board (BRB), precedent decisions of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), environmental permit and penalty appeals from the EPA's Environmental Appeals Board (EAB), and whistleblower and other labor appeals from the Department of Labor's Administrative Review Board (ARB), each with a plain-English summary, the law it cites, and whether it counts as precedent. More agencies are coming.
No decisions match these filters
Try fewer or different words, check the spelling, or clear the filters to browse everything.
M.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, San Antonio, TX
Board dismisses appeal from void OWCP decision (ECAB 22-0880)
A postal mail handler appealed OWCP's May 18, 2022 decision about her injury claim. OWCP issued that decision while an earlier appeal on the same issue was already before the Board. The Board found that OWCP lacked jurisdiction to issue it, making it null and void. Without a valid final adverse…
J.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Ketchum Post Office, Ketchum, ID
Board rejects postal worker's abdominal claim and reconsideration (ECAB 22-0784)
A postal worker reported abdominal pain after an accepted workplace incident. Her emergency physician identified pain but did not make a firm medical diagnosis linked to the incident. The Board affirmed denial of the injury claim. It also upheld OWCP's refusal to reopen the merits because her…
K.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Fremont, CA
Board upholds end of postal worker's injury benefits (ECAB 22-0763)
A postal worker received benefits for an accepted lumbar sprain. An OWCP referral physician found that the work injury had resolved and that current symptoms related to preexisting spine conditions. The Board upheld the termination of wage loss and medical benefits effective October 26, 2021. It…
S.G. and Department of Labor, Occupational Safety & Health Administration, Corpus Christi, TX
Board sends OSHA worker's stress claim back for employer response (ECAB 22-0495)
An OSHA employee attributed an emotional condition to alleged harassment and personnel actions. OWCP asked the employing agency to respond but received no answer before denying the claim. The Board found that the agency response was needed to develop the factual record. It set aside the denial and…
W.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Brooklyn, NY
Board orders new review of postal worker's knee injury (ECAB 22-0400)
A postal worker claimed a left knee injury from bending and straightening his leg at work. His physician described a medical mechanism linking the movement to a meniscus tear and ligament sprain. The Board found this explanation sufficient to require further development. It set aside the denial and…
L.B. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Charles P. Wylie Veterans’ Outpatient Clinic, Columbus, OH
Board denies added conditions after VA worker's fall (ECAB 22-0378)
A VA employee sought to add concussion and headache conditions to an accepted workplace fall claim. Her doctors diagnosed conditions after the fall but did not adequately explain how the accepted incident caused or aggravated them. The Board affirmed OWCP's refusal to expand the claim.
R.B. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT
Board orders further review of VA worker's shoulder surgeries (ECAB 21-0044)
A VA employee sought to add shoulder conditions to an accepted injury claim and obtain authorization for shoulder surgery. OWCP developed the medical record but did not obtain an opinion on whether the accepted injury aggravated his earlier shoulder condition, as a hearing representative had…
Harvest Four Corners, LLC
In re Harvest Four Corners, LLC (EAB CAA 22-02): permit petition dismissed
Harvest Four Corners, LLC and EPA jointly moved to dismiss a petition concerning the Title V permit renewal application for the Los Mestenios Compressor Station. EPA had rescinded an April 5, 2022 incompleteness determination and a September 8, 2022 permit decision, and confirmed that the…
N.K. and Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, San Luis, AZ
Board denies border worker's injury claim without medical records (ECAB 22-1077)
A Customs and Border Protection employee claimed an injury from an accepted January 9, 2022 work incident. OWCP asked for medical evidence, but none was submitted. The Board held that she had not established a diagnosed condition connected to the incident and affirmed the denial.
B.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Houston, TX
Board denies postal worker's ankle injury claim (ECAB 22-1004)
A postal carrier reported tripping on a rock while delivering mail and injuring her right ankle. Her physician diagnosed an ankle sprain and gave work restrictions but did not offer a medical opinion on whether the accepted incident caused it. The Board affirmed the claim denial.
D.B. and Department of the Navy, Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport, Newport, RI
Board orders further review of Navy worker's shoulder claim (ECAB 22-0915)
A Navy worker claimed right shoulder conditions after working in a confined space. His physician explained how the incident may have aggravated arthritis and caused a rotator cuff tear. The Board found the opinion sufficient to require further medical development. It set aside OWCP's denial and…
V.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Princeton, NJ
Board orders dates of postal worker's disability clarified (ECAB 22-0706)
A postal carrier sought wage loss compensation from March 8, 2018 through November 2, 2020 for accepted neck and back conditions. OWCP's referral physician supported a temporary work related aggravation but did not identify when disability began or ended within the claimed period. The Board set…
S.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, New Orleans, LA
Board recognizes postal worker's mold exposure and orders medical review (ECAB 22-0014)
A postal employee claimed heart and lung conditions from mold at a flooded workplace. The Board found the exposure established by an environmental assessment and workplace records. It found that OWCP's medical referral omitted the nature and extent of the exposure. The Board reversed the finding…
J.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Waterloo, IA
Board denies larger arm impairment award to postal worker (ECAB 21-1201)
A postal worker sought more schedule award compensation for permanent right arm impairment. The Board found that she had not established impairment greater than the 22 percent for which she had already received compensation. It affirmed OWCP's denial of an increased award.
B.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Houston, TX
Board sends postal worker's late reconsideration request back (ECAB 21-0547)
A postal carrier asked OWCP to reconsider a decision about termination of benefits after refusing suitable work. Her request arrived more than a year after the last merit decision. OWCP applied the standard for timely requests instead of asking whether she showed clear evidence of error. The Board…
United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Federal Correctional Complex, Butner, North Carolina and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 408, Council of Prison Locals 33
FCC Butner and AFGE Local 408 (FLRA 0-AR-5815): Authority upholds wrong-recipient dismissal
AFGE Local 408 challenged FCC Butner's reduction of annual-leave availability for food-service employees and alleged that the agency changed the policy without bargaining. The master agreement required a grievance about an official's action to be filed with the institution's chief executive officer…
Secretary of Labor v. Rulon Harper Construction, Inc.
Berm and parking-brake settlement reductions rejected
Rulon Harper Construction operated a sand-and-gravel pit near Salt Lake City where MSHA issued eight citations, including four for missing or deficient berms and one for a parking brake that would not hold a truck on a grade. The parties proposed reducing the combined penalties from $22,134 to…
Secretary of Labor v. Rulon Harper Construction, Inc.
Proposed 83 percent penalty reduction rejected for thin factual support
Rulon Harper Construction operated a sand-and-gravel pit near Salt Lake City where MSHA cited an unchocked truck on a grade and an inadequate workplace examination that missed 20 violative conditions. The parties proposed reducing the combined penalties from $22,944 to $3,936, removing both…
B.C. and Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, New Orleans, LA
Board orders new review of air traffic controller's COVID leave pay (ECAB 22-1018)
An air traffic controller sought continuation of pay after reporting workplace COVID-19 exposure. OWCP denied the request as late and also refused a hearing. The Board found that OWCP had not applied its guidance treating the last exposure before diagnosis as the injury date. It set aside the…
B.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Indianapolis, IN
Board denies COVID leave pay and disability claim (ECAB 22-0892)
A postal worker claimed workplace COVID-19 exposure on August 11, 2021 but filed the injury form on November 27, 2021. The Board held that this was too late for continuation of pay. It also found that nurse practitioner notes and other submitted material did not establish work related disability…
K.V. and U.S. Postal Service, Kenilworth Post Office, Newark, NJ
Board denies postal worker's leg injury claim (ECAB 22-0865)
A postal worker claimed a left leg condition following an accepted November 21, 2020 incident. Her physician linked a possible plantaris tendon rupture to work events but did not adequately explain the medical mechanism. The Board found the causal opinion insufficient and affirmed OWCP's denial.
G.K. and U.S. Postal Service, Berlin Post Office, Berlin, WI
Board denies larger leg impairment award to postal worker (ECAB 22-0691)
A postal worker sought a larger schedule award for permanent impairment of his left leg. The Board found that the medical evidence did not establish more than the 12 percent impairment for which he had already received an award. It affirmed OWCP's denial of an increase.
R.G. and Department of the Navy, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren, VA
Board reverses end of Navy worker's injury benefits (ECAB 22-0627)
OWCP ended a Navy worker's wage loss and medical benefits after a referral physician said his accepted injuries had resolved. The statement of accepted facts supplied to that physician substituted an ulna fracture for an accepted shoulder separation. The Board found that the inaccurate medical…
A-1 Sewer and Water Contractors, Inc.
Trench citation vacated for unreliable depth proof
A-1 Sewer and Water Contractors was installing a water line in a trench at a residential worksite in Illinois. OSHA alleged that an employee worked in a trench approximately 5.6 feet deep without a cave-in protective system and proposed a $1,985 penalty. The judge found that OSHA did not reliably…
T.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Cheyenne, WY
Board orders new review of postal worker's arm impairment (ECAB 22-0670)
A postal worker sought an increased schedule award for right arm impairment. OWCP denied the request because a current 19 percent rating was lower than an earlier 23 percent award. The Board found that its medical adviser had not explained whether the current impairment actually duplicated the…
L.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Ashville, PA
Board denies postal worker's neck and arm injury claim (ECAB 22-0667)
A postal worker sought benefits for cervical and upper extremity conditions after an accepted November 29, 2019 work incident. The submitted physician reports described conditions but did not give an opinion linking them to that incident. The Board affirmed OWCP's denial for lack of medical…
E.S. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Eugene J. Towbin Healthcare Center, North Little Rock, AR
Board orders new review of VA nurse's COVID leave pay (ECAB 22-0628)
A VA nurse anesthetist claimed workplace COVID-19 exposure and sought continuation of pay. OWCP denied pay because it counted 30 days from the reported December 23, 2021 exposure and found her injury form late. The Board found that OWCP had not applied its guidance setting the injury date at the…
A.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, New Bern, NC
Board orders medical review of postal worker's disability period (ECAB 20-1340)
A postal worker sought compensation for total disability from November 22, 2012 through August 6, 2013. His physician linked the period to an accepted aggravation of a cervical disc condition and an epidural injection. The Board found the opinion incomplete but sufficient to require further…
Superior Restoration & Construction, LLC
In re Superior Restoration & Construction, LLC (EAB TSCA 22-(02)): EAB declined sua sponte review
The Presiding Officer issued an Initial Decision and Default Order on September 19, 2022. Neither party appealed. The Environmental Appeals Board declined to review the case on its own initiative under 40 C.F.R. §§ 22.27(c)(4) and 22.30(b). The EAB stated that the Initial Decision and Default Order…
Robert D. Pease, Jr. v. Keystone Coal Mining Corporation
Pease v. Keystone Coal Mining (BRB 22-0120 BLA): Disability finding returned to judge
Robert Pease sought black lung benefits after 19.92 years of underground coal mine work. The judge denied the claim after finding he had not shown a totally disabling respiratory impairment. The Board held that she had wrongly discounted one doctor's opinion for supposedly failing to identify…
Tony L. Terry v. Electric Boat Corporation
Terry v. Electric Boat (BRB 21-0567): Hand injury benefits reconsidered
Tony Terry, a pipefitter for Electric Boat, had received compensation for work-related hand injuries in 2004. He later sought additional benefits, saying years of work with vibrating tools had worsened his hand symptoms. The judge dismissed the claim because Terry's medical impairment ratings had…
Haroletta Potter v. Mountaineer Coal Development
Potter v. Mountaineer Coal Development (BRB 21-0563 and 21-0564 BLA): Benefits affirmed
Haroletta Potter pursued her late husband's black lung claim and her own survivor claim. The judge found 22.25 years of surface coal mine work with regular dust exposure and a totally disabling respiratory impairment. The Board upheld the finding that the surface work qualified for the 15-year…
Haroletta Potter v. Mountaineer Coal Development
Potter v. Mountaineer Coal Development (BRB 21-0563 and 21-0564 BLA): Benefits affirmed
Haroletta Potter pursued her late husband's black lung claim and her own survivor claim. The judge found 22.25 years of surface coal mine work with regular dust exposure and a totally disabling respiratory impairment. The Board upheld the finding that the surface work qualified for the 15-year…
Roger Matney v. XMV, Incorporated
Matney v. XMV (BRB 21-0548 BLA): Black lung benefits affirmed
Roger Matney sought black lung benefits after a previous claim was denied. The judge found 21.09 years of qualifying coal mine work and a totally disabling respiratory impairment, which established a changed condition and invoked the 15-year presumption. XMV disputed the validity of Matney's…
Tobey Dale Collins v. Bevins Branch Resources, Incorporated
Collins v. Bevins Branch Resources (BRB 21-0430 BLA): Black lung benefits affirmed
Tobey Collins sought black lung benefits in a later claim after working 15.25 years in qualifying surface coal mine conditions. The judge found his respiratory condition prevented him from doing the very heavy work of a dozer operator. The Board held that the judge could infer total disability from…
Ralph Salaz v. Powderhorn Coal Company
Salaz v. Powderhorn Coal (BRB 21-0406 BLA): Payment liability changed, benefits remanded
The judge awarded Ralph Salaz black lung benefits payable from the federal Trust Fund after finding a later coal company was the responsible operator. The Board reversed that liability ruling. Salaz had worked for the later company for 217 days, but the Board held that the applicable rule also…
Debra D. Moore v. Krolick Contracting, Incorporated
Moore v. Krolick Contracting (BRB 21-0401 and 21-0402 BLA): Benefits affirmed
Debra Moore pursued her late husband's black lung claim and her own survivor claim. His nine years and eight months of coal mine work did not qualify for the 15-year presumption. The judge instead found directly that coal dust was a substantial cause of his disabling chronic obstructive lung…
Frances M. Estep v. Eastern Associated Coal Company, LLC
Estep v. Eastern Associated Coal (BRB 20-0488 and 20-0489 BLA): Benefits affirmed
Frances Estep pursued her late husband's black lung claim and her own survivor claim. The judge found complicated pneumoconiosis from coal mine work, supporting the miner's benefits award and Estep's automatic survivor benefits. Eastern Associated Coal and its self-insurer, Peabody Energy, did not…
Frances M. Estep v. Eastern Associated Coal Company, LLC
Estep v. Eastern Associated Coal (BRB 20-0488 and 20-0489 BLA): Benefits affirmed
Frances Estep pursued her late husband's black lung claim and her own survivor claim. The judge found complicated pneumoconiosis from coal mine work, supporting the miner's benefits award and Estep's automatic survivor benefits. Eastern Associated Coal and its self-insurer, Peabody Energy, did not…
Larry E. Osborne v. Sterling Smokeless Coal Company, Incorporated
Osborne v. Sterling Smokeless Coal (BRB 20-0347 BLA): Publication motion denied
The Director of the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs asked the Board to publish its September 13, 2022 decision in Larry Osborne's black lung case. Osborne supported the request, and no other party responded. The Board noted that it had since published other decisions addressing the same…
Joseph R. Parrish v. Tanoma Mining Company, Incorporated
Parrish v. Tanoma Mining (BRB 20-0173R): Reconsideration denied
Joseph Parrish asked the full Benefits Review Board to reconsider its August 2021 decision affirming denial of his black lung benefits claim. Tanoma Mining opposed the request. After considering Parrish's arguments, a majority of the Board did not vote to grant reconsideration. The Board therefore…
T.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Yucaipa, CA
Board orders new review of postal worker's leg impairment (ECAB 22-0977)
A postal worker sought a larger schedule award for his left leg. OWCP's medical adviser calculated a two percent left leg impairment but did not explain the rating modifiers and treated a prior right leg award as if it covered the left leg. The Board set aside the denial and directed a properly…
D.F. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Brooklyn, NY
Board denies postal worker's neck and back injury claim (ECAB 22-0904)
A postal worker claimed neck and back conditions after an accepted December 3, 2020 vehicle crash at work. Her physician attributed the diagnoses to the crash but did not explain how the incident caused or aggravated them, including any preexisting condition. The Board affirmed OWCP's denial.
J.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Louisville Post Office, Louisville, KY
Board recognizes postal worker's foot contusion (ECAB 22-0868)
A postal carrier rolled her right foot after stepping into a hole while delivering mail. The Board found that the record established a visible right foot contusion and reversed denial of that injury. It found insufficient medical proof for additional claimed conditions. It sent the case back for…
C.E. and U.S. Postal Service, San Rafael Post Office, San Rafael, CA
Board denies postal worker's later disability claim (ECAB 22-0663)
A postal employee with an accepted knee injury had been working modified duty and sought total disability benefits beginning November 29, 2021. Her doctor held her off work after she reported knee swelling during a home exercise session. The Board found that the reports did not explain why the…
E.L. and Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons, USP Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
Board rejects late request to revisit prison worker's claim (ECAB 22-0631)
A Bureau of Prisons employee asked OWCP to reconsider a February 2020 merit decision in December 2021. The Board found that the request came after the one year deadline. It also found that the submitted material did not demonstrate clear evidence that OWCP had erred. It affirmed the refusal to…
S.G. and Department of Homeland Security, Federal Protective Service, San Francisco, CA
Board recognizes officer's visible thumb injury (ECAB 22-0016)
A federal protective officer injured his left thumb while struggling with a suspect at work. The Board found that visible swelling and bruising were established and directed OWCP to address related benefits. It upheld the denial of additional conditions for lack of medical proof. It also upheld…
C.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Saint Bernard Post Office, Cincinnati, OH
Board orders further review of postal worker's knee injury (ECAB 20-1561)
A postal worker claimed a right knee injury after twisting her planted leg at work. Her physician described how that movement could tear cartilage and aggravate osteoarthritis. The Board found the report sufficiently reasoned to require additional medical development. It set aside OWCP's denial and…
Trivedi v. General Electric and GE Healthcare
Reconsideration of late-filed complaint denied
Madhuri Trivedi sought reconsideration after the Board upheld dismissal of her whistleblower complaint against General Electric and GE Healthcare as several years late. Her complaint invoked Sarbanes-Oxley and the Consumer Financial Protection Act. The Board held that she repeated arguments about…
D.K. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Denver, CO
Board denies postal worker's back injury claim (ECAB 22-0988)
A postal worker sought recognition of a lower back condition after an accepted March 4, 2020 work incident. The Board found that the submitted medical reports did not adequately establish a causal relationship between the incident and the claimed condition. It affirmed OWCP's denial.
P.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Land O Lakes Post Office, Land O’ Lakes, FL
Board upholds $8,076.39 federal benefits overpayment (ECAB 22-0801)
A postal worker received FECA wage loss payments and Social Security retirement benefits attributable to federal service for overlapping periods. The Board upheld an $8,076.39 overpayment, although she was without fault. She submitted some financial records but omitted needed information about…
R.B. and Department of Veterans Affairs, West Palm Beach VA Medical Center, West Palm Beach, FL
Board upholds denial of VA worker's hearing request (ECAB 22-0755)
A VA employee asked for an oral hearing after OWCP had denied reconsideration of his claim. The Board found that his earlier request for reconsideration meant he no longer had a right to a hearing on that decision. It affirmed OWCP's refusal of the hearing request.
K.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, City of Industry, CA
Board orders impartial review of postal worker's knee condition (ECAB 22-0480)
A postal worker claimed a right knee condition from work duties. His physician and an OWCP referral physician disagreed about whether work or a prior meniscectomy and age caused his osteoarthritis. The Board found a medical conflict that required an impartial specialist. It set aside the denial and…
A.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Duluth, GA
Board rejects postal worker's disability claim (ECAB 22-0469)
A postal employee with an accepted work injury sought compensation for disability from July 31, 2020 through January 22, 2022. Her doctors described symptoms and issued work excuse notes but did not explain how the accepted injury caused disability for the claimed period. The Board affirmed OWCP's…
Gayle C. Gregory v. Heritage Coal Company, LLC
Gregory v. Heritage Coal (BRB 19-0338R): Reconsideration and publication denied
Heritage Coal asked the Board to reconsider its September 2020 decision in Gayle Gregory's consolidated black lung claims. The Director separately asked the Board to publish that decision. No panel member voted to change the earlier ruling, so the Board denied reconsideration. It also denied…
Gayle C. Gregory v. Heritage Coal Company, LLC
Gregory v. Heritage Coal (BRB 19-0338R): Reconsideration and publication denied
Heritage Coal asked the Board to reconsider its September 2020 decision in Gayle Gregory's consolidated black lung claims. The Director separately asked the Board to publish that decision. No panel member voted to change the earlier ruling, so the Board denied reconsideration. It also denied…
D.S. and Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Bridgeton, MO
Board dismisses appeal from a favorable claim decision (ECAB 23-0021)
A Federal Aviation Administration employee appealed what he described as an OWCP decision dated March 31, 2022. The record showed that the decision accepted his compensation claim. The Board could review a final adverse OWCP decision, but found none on that date and dismissed this appeal for lack…
N.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Larchmont Post Office, Albany, NY
Board denies postal worker's hip injury claim (ECAB 22-1049)
A postal worker claimed a left hip condition after an accepted March 22, 2022 work incident. His physician described hip pain but did not provide a firm diagnosis of a medical condition. The Board affirmed OWCP's denial.
D.S. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Hunter Holmes McGuire Hospital, Richmond, VA
Board denies VA worker's back injury claim (ECAB 22-0804)
A VA worker claimed a back condition after an accepted April 7, 2021 work incident. His doctor described low back and hip pain and gave work restrictions but did not supply a firm diagnosis of a medical condition. The Board affirmed OWCP's denial.
M.C. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Togus VA Medical Center, Augustus, ME
Board orders related VA shoulder claims combined (ECAB 22-0765)
A VA nurse filed a new right shoulder occupational condition claim after an earlier accepted right shoulder and neck injury. OWCP reviewed the new claim while keeping the related claim files separate. The Board found that the files needed to be combined to consider all relevant evidence. It set…
What these documents are
- The agencies: Federal workers' compensation appeals from the Department of Labor's Employees' Compensation Appeals Board (ECAB), federal-sector labor-relations cases from the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), mine-safety cases from the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission (FMSHRC), workplace-safety cases from the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC), Longshore Act and Black Lung Benefits Act appeals from the Department of Labor's Benefits Review Board (BRB), precedent decisions of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), environmental permit and penalty appeals from the EPA's Environmental Appeals Board (EAB), and whistleblower and other labor appeals from the Department of Labor's Administrative Review Board (ARB). Each decision page names its agency.
- Commission, Board and Authority decisions: Rulings by the agency's highest review level (the Commission at OSHRC and FMSHRC, the Authority at FLRA, the Board of Immigration Appeals, the Administrative Review Board at Labor, and the Environmental Appeals Board at EPA). These are citable as precedent, though a decision may have been appealed to a U.S. Court of Appeals after issuance.
- ALJ decisions: Rulings by the agency's Administrative Law Judges after a hearing. When no Commissioner directs review, an ALJ decision becomes a final order that binds the parties in that case but is not binding precedent: under 29 U.S.C. § 661(j) at OSHRC, and after the 40-day window of 30 U.S.C. § 823(d)(1) at FMSHRC.
- Why finality matters: Every page here says which kind of decision you are reading, so you know whether it is precedent you can cite or a final order that only shows how one judge ruled on one set of facts.
- Where they come from: Every page links the official public release from the deciding agency, and the full text on the page is that release. The plain-English summaries are written by Ezel.