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.
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George E. Kinder v. Consol Incorporated
Kinder v. Consol (BRB 21-0099 BLA): blood gas study findings returned for explanation
George Kinder sought black lung benefits after more than 32 years of underground coal mine work. The administrative law judge found total respiratory disability and awarded benefits under the fifteen year presumption. Three blood gas studies from Kinder's treatment records had results that did not…
Danny R. Boggs v. North Fork Coal Corporation
Boggs v. North Fork Coal (BRB 21-0035 BLA): black lung benefits award affirmed
Danny Boggs sought black lung benefits after 14.88 years of coal mine employment. The administrative law judge found that he had legal pneumoconiosis and a totally disabling respiratory impairment caused by it, and awarded benefits without relying on the fifteen year presumption. North Fork Coal…
Jerry Endicott v. Taurus Coal Company, Incorporated
Endicott v. Taurus Coal (BRB 20-0526 BLA): medical bill reimbursement sent for calculation
Jerry Endicott had already won black lung benefits when a dispute arose over medical expenses paid by the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund. Taurus Coal objected to reimbursing treatment and prescription costs. The Board held that the employer had forfeited its argument about provider fee schedules…
J.M. and Department of the Army, Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Gaines, GA
Board orders clarification of Army mechanic's knee impairment rating (ECAB 21-1428)
An Army Corps mechanic sought a schedule award after an accepted left knee injury. OWCP granted a 5.76-week schedule award for two percent permanent impairment of the left leg and found no impairment of the right leg. The Board agreed that the range-of-motion method did not govern the left knee…
J.B. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Jack C. Montgomery VA Medical Center, Muskogee, OK
Board orders further review of VA nurse's COVID wage claim (ECAB 21-1427)
A VA nurse sought wage-loss compensation for time off after an accepted July 2020 COVID-19 infection. OWCP denied compensation for the disputed August 19 through September 12 period because it found inadequate proof of disability. The Board found that her doctor's report tied continuing symptoms…
L.H. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI
Board accepts VA worker's finger laceration but rejects other conditions (ECAB 21-1398)
A VA nursing assistant caught her right hand in a door while slipping at work. OWCP accepted the incident but denied an injury claim. The Board found that emergency physicians had observed a superficial cut on her right little finger, which established that injury. It found the evidence…
S.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Woburn, MA
Board orders further medical review of carrier's knee claim (ECAB 20-0313)
A retired postal carrier claimed that years of walking, standing, and carrying mail aggravated osteoarthritis in both knees. OWCP denied the occupational disease claim. The Board found that his physician's reports were not enough to prove causation but gave a plausible explanation of how repeated…
Emil Jean Deel, widow of and on behalf of Carlis R. Deel v. Dominion Coal Corporation
Deel v. Dominion Coal (BRB 21-0071 and 21-0072 BLA): miner and survivor awards returned for review
Emil Jean Deel pursued her late husband's black lung claim and her own survivor claim against Dominion Coal. The administrative law judge found that his underground work and dusty repair shop work together qualified him for the fifteen year presumption, and awarded both claims. The Board upheld…
Emil Jean Deel, widow of and on behalf of Carlis R. Deel v. Dominion Coal Corporation
Deel v. Dominion Coal (BRB 21-0071 and 21-0072 BLA): miner and survivor awards returned for review
Emil Jean Deel pursued her late husband's black lung claim and her own survivor claim against Dominion Coal. The administrative law judge found that his underground work and dusty repair shop work together qualified him for the fifteen year presumption, and awarded both claims. The Board upheld…
Beecher D. Plumley v. Eastern Associated Coal Company
Plumley v. Eastern Associated Coal (BRB 20-0178 BLA): benefits and employer liability affirmed
Beecher Plumley won black lung benefits after the administrative law judge found complicated pneumoconiosis. Eastern Associated Coal and its self insurer, Peabody Energy, challenged who must pay the award, while leaving Plumley's entitlement unchallenged. The Board held that the employer forfeited…
E.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Kansas City, MO
Board orders causation review of mail handler's knee claim (ECAB 22-0035)
A postal mail handler reported left knee pain after trying to lift a heavy parcel at work. OWCP accepted the January 30 incident but denied the injury claim. The Board found that doctors had diagnosed left knee chondromalacia and a meniscus tear. It held that OWCP still needed to evaluate whether…
T.S. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Buffalo, NY
Board reverses VA worker's Social Security offset overpayment (ECAB 21-1376)
A VA worker received injury compensation and Social Security age-related retirement benefits. OWCP calculated an $18,032.12 overpayment on the theory that part of the retirement benefit reflected federal service and should have been offset. The Board found that a personnel record showed temporary…
T.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Brooklyn, NY
Board upholds denial of carrier's knee injury claim (ECAB 21-1239)
A postal carrier assistant filed a claim saying she slipped on bags and sprained her left knee at work. The employer and medical records instead described her striking the knee against a truck cargo door. OWCP asked her to clarify the conflicting accounts, but she did not respond. The Board found…
S.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Bulk Mail Center, Forest Park, IL
Board upholds denial of late reconsideration request (ECAB 21-1232)
A former postal mail handler asked OWCP in March 2021 to reconsider a wage-loss dispute last decided on the merits by the Board in March 1999. OWCP denied review because the request was filed outside the one-year period. The Board agreed that the request was late and found that the material…
D.T. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services, Arlington Asylum Office, Arlington, VA
Board orders combined review of immigration worker's back claims (ECAB 21-0168)
An immigration services assistant reported back injuries from pulling files in January 2019 and lifting documents in July 2019. OWCP handled the incidents in separate files and later refused to reconsider the first claim. The Board found that the similar back claims required cross-referencing and…
S.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Washington, DC
Board reverses termination of carrier's injury benefits (ECAB 20-1010)
A postal carrier received wage-loss and medical benefits for accepted carpal tunnel syndrome in both wrists. OWCP ended those benefits based on a second opinion that the condition had resolved. The Board found the opinion conclusory because the physician lacked diagnostic studies and did not…
Secretary of Labor v. Knight Hawk Coal, LLC
S&S removal authority accepted for review
A judge denied a proposed settlement because the Secretary did not provide enough information to support removing a significant and substantial designation. The judge certified the denial for interlocutory review. The Commission granted review to decide whether the Secretary has unreviewable…
V.C. and Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Grand Coulee, WA
Board upholds denial of mechanic's carpal tunnel schedule award (ECAB 21-1228)
A Bureau of Reclamation mechanic sought a schedule award for accepted carpal tunnel syndrome in both wrists. His treating surgeon rated 20 percent impairment of each arm using an older edition of the rating guide. A second opinion physician used the required sixth edition and found zero percent…
R.B. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Frank Tejeda Outpatient Clinic, San Antonio, TX
Board orders medical review of VA nurse's pesticide exposure claim (ECAB 21-1115)
A VA nurse reported respiratory symptoms after a pesticide was sprayed near her clinic workspace. OWCP accepted the exposure incident but denied a related medical condition. The Board found that treating physicians had offered opinions linking her symptoms and respiratory sensitization to the…
C.G. and Department of Defense, Defense Commissary Agency, Little Creek Commissary, Norfolk, VA
Board dismisses duplicate docket for commissary worker's appeal (ECAB 21-0496)
A commissary employee appealed OWCP merit decisions dated November 3, 2020 and January 6, 2021. The Board clerk assigned docket 21-0495 and then inadvertently gave the same appeal a second docket number, 21-0496. The Board dismissed only the duplicate docket. It stated that the original appeal…
W.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, San Francisco, CA
Board upholds schedule award review denial and rejection of neck condition (ECAB 21-0131)
A postal employee sought a larger right leg schedule award and acceptance of a cervical condition in a longstanding injury claim. OWCP refused to reopen the award issue and rejected the requested neck condition. The Board found that her reconsideration submission offered no new medical impairment…
Juan G. Quevedo-Garcia
Corporate veil pierced for OSHA penalties
Five consolidated cases involved 33 construction violations issued to BB Frame LLC and its owner, Juan G. Quevedo-Garcia, including serious, repeat, and willful violations involving fall protection, eye and head protection, and stairways and ladders. BB Frame withdrew its contests, leaving only…
United States Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service and National Treasury Employees Union
IRS and NTEU (FLRA 0-AR-5718): Authority keeps accessibility grievance in arbitration
NTEU filed a national grievance alleging that IRS systems failed to provide adequate access and accommodations for visually disabled employees. An arbitrator found the grievance substantively and procedurally arbitrable, and the IRS sought interlocutory review before a merits hearing. The Authority…
M.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Cleveland, OH
Board orders review of omitted evidence in carrier's ankle claim (ECAB 21-1294)
A postal carrier reported a left ankle injury while climbing into a work truck. OWCP denied the claim and later declined to change that ruling. Before the later decision, she submitted a detailed account and orthopedic reports describing a distal fibula fracture. The Board found that OWCP had not…
L.S. and U.S. Postal Service, El Sobrante Post Office, El Sobrante, CA
Board upholds denial of postal worker's arm condition claim (ECAB 21-1286)
A postal worker claimed right wrist, forearm, and elbow conditions from repetitive duties. OWCP denied the condition claim and later refused reconsideration. The Board found that the treating physician named several diagnoses and said they were work related, but did not explain which duties caused…
S.G. and Department of the Navy, Naval Sea Systems Command, Mare Island Shipyard, Vallejo, CA
Board reverses Navy worker's retirement offset overpayment (ECAB 21-1274)
A former Navy shipyard worker received injury compensation and Social Security retirement benefits. OWCP used a FERS offset calculation to declare a $25,568.60 overpayment. The Board found that her federal service was covered by CSRS or CSRS Offset, not FERS. The FERS worksheet therefore did not…
D.T. and Department of the Interior, Badlands National Park, Interior, SD
Board reverses termination of park mechanic's injury benefits (ECAB 21-1168)
A Badlands National Park mechanic had accepted lumbar sprain and permanent aggravation of degenerative disc disease after a work fall. OWCP ended his wage-loss and medical benefits based on a second opinion. The Board found that the physician treated the disc disease as entirely age related…
B.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Cleveland Processing & Distribution Center, Cleveland, OH
Board orders combined review of postal supervisor's stress claim (ECAB 21-0938)
A postal distribution supervisor claimed a stress condition arising from workplace events, including the handling of an earlier injury claim. OWCP denied the condition without combining the file for that earlier claim. The Board found that the earlier file was directly relevant to one of her…
C.C. and Social Security Administration, Albuquerque, NM
Board upholds refusal to reopen SSA employee's benefit claim (ECAB 21-0900)
A Social Security Administration employee asked OWCP to reconsider a decision affecting her compensation benefits. She argued that a second opinion physician had overlooked an accepted back condition and supplied further medical records. The Board found that the physician had addressed the…
A.P. and U.S. Postal Service, FDR Station Post Office, New York, NY
Board upholds denial of supervisor's extended wage-loss claim (ECAB 21-0300)
A postal supervisor sought wage-loss compensation for more than a year after an accepted July 2018 back injury. OWCP denied the disputed period. The Board found that the submitted reports did not adequately explain why the accepted injury, rather than other conditions, prevented her from working…
New River Electrical Corporation
Case remanded after court reversal
An administrative law judge had affirmed an OSHA citation against New River Electrical Corporation, and that decision became a final Commission order. The Fourth Circuit reversed the judge's decision and returned the case to the Commission by mandate. The Commission then remanded the matter to the…
Secretary of Labor v. KC Transport, Inc.
MSHA lacked jurisdiction at offsite truck facility
KC Transport is an independent trucking company that maintained coal-haul and non-mining trucks at an offsite West Virginia facility. MSHA cited two trucks there because they were not blocked against motion while raised for repair. A Commission majority reversed the judge and held that neither the…
James R. Ice, Jr. v. Southern Ohio Coal Company
Ice v. Southern Ohio Coal (BRB 21-0305 BLA): black lung benefits award affirmed
James Ice sought black lung benefits after 22 years of underground coal mine work. The administrative law judge found a totally disabling respiratory impairment, applied the fifteen year presumption, and awarded benefits when Southern Ohio Coal failed to rebut it. The Board said the judge erred by…
R.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Kenmore Post Office, Buffalo, NY
Board upholds timeliness denial of carrier's knee claim (ECAB 21-1364)
A postal carrier filed a bilateral knee osteoarthritis claim in November 2017, more than 13 years after his last claimed exposure to the work duties. He said he had only learned of the possible work connection that year. The Board found that medical treatment and records from 2005 and 2006 showed…
L.G. and Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Miami, FL
Board reverses FAA worker's retirement offset overpayment (ECAB 21-1321)
A former FAA employee received injury compensation and Social Security retirement benefits. OWCP used a FERS offset worksheet to declare a $77,735.14 overpayment. The Board found that records showed he was covered by CSRS or CSRS Offset during federal service. The FERS calculation therefore did not…
E.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, White River Junction, VT
Board dismisses appeal from informational OWCP letter (ECAB 21-1281)
A postal employee appealed an OWCP letter dated August 18, 2021. The Board found that the letter only supplied information and did not decide the claim adversely. Without a final adverse OWCP decision to review, the Board lacked jurisdiction. It dismissed the appeal without reaching the underlying…
R.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Seaford Post Office, Seaford, DE
Board upholds denial of late parcel injury reconsideration (ECAB 21-1164)
A postal clerk sought reconsideration of the denial of an injury claim involving a customer's parcel. OWCP had issued its merits denial on October 31, 2019 and received the reconsideration request on November 2, 2020. The Board found the request outside the one-year period. It also found that the…
R.M. and Department of the Navy, Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Philadelphia, PA
Board upholds benefit termination but orders review of later disability (ECAB 21-1150)
A former Navy shipyard worker challenged termination of benefits for an accepted 1992 shoulder injury and claimed continued disability afterward. The Board found that OWCP's second opinion supported ending benefits as of December 12, 2019. Later treating reports, however, gave a reasoned view that…
T.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Nashville, TN
Board upholds denial of rural carrier's back injury claim (ECAB 21-1123)
A postal rural carrier reported back pain after slipping while leaving her mail vehicle. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred but denied the injury claim. The Board found that form reports bearing illegible signatures could not be credited as physician opinions. Physical therapy records also…
K.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Baltimore, MD
Board orders causation review of carrier's crash injuries (ECAB 21-1021)
A postal rural carrier reported back symptoms after a motor vehicle accident while working. OWCP accepted the January 29, 2021 incident but denied the injury claim. The Board found that an emergency physician had diagnosed thoracic and lumbar strains. It held that OWCP still needed to evaluate…
J.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Dallas, TX
Board upholds postal driver's retirement benefit overpayment (ECAB 21-1019)
A postal tractor trailer operator received injury compensation and Social Security retirement benefits without the required offset. OWCP found an $8,402.67 overpayment for September 2016 through November 2020 and found him without fault. The Board upheld the amount and denial of waiver because his…
A.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Tampa, FL
Board accepts postal worker's dolly incident and orders medical review (ECAB 21-0686)
A postal carrier assistant reported that a dolly struck her head when she loaded a heavy parcel. OWCP disputed whether the workplace incident occurred and denied the claim. The Board found her account consistent with her claim form, later statement, and the history given to medical providers. It…
F.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Corpus Christi, TX
Board upholds denial of late postal worker reconsideration (ECAB 21-0615)
A postal letter carrier asked OWCP in September 2020 to reconsider an occupational disease claim last decided on the merits in January 2013. OWCP found the request outside the one-year period and denied it. The Board agreed that the request was late and that the submission did not show clear error…
R.P. and Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA
Board upholds denial of VA worker's elevator injury claim (ECAB 21-0474)
A VA nursing assistant reported pain in her neck, back, and arm after an elevator door struck her at work. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred but denied a related medical condition. The Board found that a doctor's suggestion that her conditions seemed aggravated by the incident was…
E.G. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs & Border Protection, Edinburg, TX
Board upholds denial of border agent's hearing loss award (ECAB 21-0165)
A border patrol firearms instructor sought a schedule award for hearing loss and tinnitus from workplace noise. A physician found mild hearing loss, but the rating calculation produced zero percent impairment in each ear. The Board agreed that the hearing loss did not reach the threshold for a…
J.H. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Western New York Healthcare System, Buffalo VA Medical Center, Buffalo, NY
Board upholds denial of VA nurse's back injury claim (ECAB 20-1414)
A VA psychiatric nurse reported back symptoms after assisting with an uncooperative patient. OWCP accepted that the March 2019 incident occurred but denied the injury claim. The Board found that treatment reports named conditions and described symptoms without a reasoned explanation tying the…
Administrator, Wage and Hour Division, USDOL v. C.S. Lawn & Landscape, Inc.
Administrator, Wage and Hour Division v. C.S. Lawn & Landscape, Inc. (DOL ARB 2020-0005): H-2B violations affirmed and penalties modified
C.S. Lawn & Landscape used the H-2B program for seasonal landscaping workers in 2013 through 2015. The Board affirmed findings that the company advertised less favorable wages to U.S. workers in 2014, overstated its worker need by including two people it knew would not work in 2014 and 2015…
M.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Pittsburgh, PA
Board establishes postal worker’s knee impact at work
A postal carrier said he hit his left knee on a vehicle door frame during work on August 23, 2021. His employer challenged the account because he reported the incident the next morning. The Board found the short delay and the remaining record did not disprove his account, and it established the…
A.V. and U.S. Postal Service, Nampa Carrier Annex Post Office, Nampa, ID
Board upholds denial of postal worker’s ankle claim
A postal carrier reported turning her ankle while retrieving equipment after her route. OWCP accepted the April 22, 2021 work incident but denied the injury claim. The Board found that the emergency report did not give a firm diagnosis or a reasoned link between a diagnosed condition and that…
J.B. and Department of Homeland Security, Immigration & Customs Enforcement, New York, NY
Board accepts visible shoulder contusion after vehicle crash
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement employee sought compensation for a left shoulder injury after a work vehicle crash. OWCP denied the claim. The Board found that the evidence established a visible left shoulder contusion related to the accepted June 21, 2019 incident. It reversed the denial…
T.D. and Social Security Administration, Chicago, IL
Board upholds refusal to reopen remote work fall claim
A Social Security Administration employee sought reconsideration of his claim involving a fall while working remotely. OWCP denied merit review of the claim. The Board found that his reconsideration request did not raise a new relevant legal argument or submit new and relevant evidence. It affirmed…
K.C. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System, San Antonio, TX
Board orders corrected wage loss overpayment calculation
A VA podiatrist received wage loss compensation after returning to full duty. OWCP found a $5,331.27 overpayment for November 6 through December 5, 2020. The Board agreed that an overpayment occurred but found that she returned to work on November 16, not November 6. It set aside the stated period…
T.R. and Department of the Navy, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, WA
Board reopens shipyard worker’s hearing loss claim
A retired Navy shipyard worker claimed hearing loss from workplace noise exposure. OWCP rejected his claim as untimely because he filed in 2020 after leaving federal service in 2008. The Board held that the shipyard’s 2006 hearing tests gave the employer actual knowledge of possible work-related…
R.L. and Department of the Air Force, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma City, OK
Board upholds overpayment but reopens waiver review
An Air Force information receptionist received FECA wage loss compensation while also receiving Social Security retirement benefits attributable to federal service. OWCP found a $20,808.44 overpayment from February 2014 through August 2020 and found her without fault. The Board upheld the amount…
M.V. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Union, NJ
Board upholds denial of TSA officer's hip claim (ECAB 21-1135)
A TSA officer reported right hip pain after pushing a cart loaded with water bottles at work. OWCP accepted the incident but denied the claimed condition. A doctor diagnosed trochanteric bursitis and referred to the cart incident, but the Board found that he did not explain how the exertion caused…
M.V. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Union, NJ
Board upholds denial of TSA officer's knee claim (ECAB 21-1121)
A TSA officer reported a right knee injury after tripping on uneven ground at work. OWCP accepted that the fall occurred but denied a related condition. A doctor diagnosed a meniscal tear and hip bursitis, yet the Board found that his report largely repeated the worker's account without explaining…
K.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Seattle, WA
Board orders explanation of late reconsideration denial (ECAB 21-1066)
A postal employee asked OWCP to reconsider a prior claim more than one year after the last merits decision. The Board agreed that the request was late. It found that OWCP had denied the request without the findings and reasons needed to assess whether the submission showed clear evidence of error…
L.B. and Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Seattle, WA
Board upholds denial of IRS employee's hand condition claim (ECAB 21-1007)
An IRS employee claimed tendinitis in both hands from repetitive typing. OWCP asked for a fuller description of the work duties she believed caused the condition, but she did not provide one. The Board found that the record lacked enough facts to identify the claimed employment factors. It also…
J.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Bent Tree Station, Dallas, TX
Board orders medical and file review of carrier's back claim (ECAB 21-0163)
A former postal carrier associated lumbar symptoms with years of lifting, carrying, and standing. OWCP denied the occupational disease claim. The Board found that her physician explained how repeated heavy loads could affect lumbar tissues and that the opinion warranted further review. It also…
I.H. and Department of the Navy, Commander Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, HI
Board confirms dive-pay overpayment but orders new calculation (ECAB 20-1381)
A Navy shipyard rigger and diver received wage-loss compensation calculated with dive pay throughout a long period that included work outside diving duties. The Board found that an overpayment occurred. It found OWCP's $339,114.49 figure unsupported because the record contained differing rules for…
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.