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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S.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing & Distribution Center, San Antonio, TX
Board finds finger fracture diagnosed and orders causation review (ECAB 20-1498)
S.A. reported striking her left little finger on a postal vehicle door frame at work. Medical reports and x-rays documented a displaced fracture. OWCP denied the claim without evaluating all medical evidence on causation. The Board found the diagnosis established and returned the claim for OWCP to…
V.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Charlotte, NC
Board upholds overpayment after full time work resumed (ECAB 20-1335)
V.J. returned to full time modified postal work in February 2020 but continued to receive wage loss compensation for the rest of that month. The Board upheld OWCP’s calculation of a $1,389.20 overpayment for the overlapping period. It also upheld denial of waiver because V.J. had not provided the…
L.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Fort Worth, TX
Board orders accurate medical record for arm impairment rating (ECAB 20-0715)
L.B. sought a schedule award for right arm impairment. OWCP’s second opinion examiner received a statement listing only a shoulder strain, omitting the accepted rotator cuff tear and brachial plexus injury. The Board found that the incomplete statement undermined the impairment opinion. It directed…
J.K. and U.S. Postal Service, Florence Post Office
Board divides fault findings for wage loss overpayment (ECAB 20-0606)
J.K. returned to part time postal work while continuing to receive wage loss payments. The Board upheld a $1,189.30 overpayment and also found she had not proved total disability on August 17, 2019. Although OWCP had warned her generally about overpayments, the Board found no evidence that she knew…
Clem v. Computer Sciences Corp.
Hanford IT complaints support ERA liability
Computer Sciences Corporation employed Kirtley Clem and Matthew Spencer on an IT system for occupational medical services at the Department of Energy's Hanford site. They raised concerns about the system's reliability with DOE and later met with personnel from the incoming prime contractor about…
C.C. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Sheridan VA Medical Center, Sheridan, WY
Board accepts reported work incident and orders causation review (ECAB 20-1432)
C.C., a nursing assistant, reported abdominal pain while working on May 9, 2020. OWCP denied her claim because accounts of how the pain began differed. The Board found that she had established an incident in the performance of duty despite those differences. It set aside the denial and remanded for…
A.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Manistee, MI
Board seeks clarification on lumbar surgery and disability (ECAB 20-1399)
A.A. had an accepted lumbar disc condition after bending for mail at work. She later underwent lumbar surgery and sought further compensation for disability. The Board found that OWCP needed clarification from its second-opinion physician on whether the surgery was medically necessary and caused by…
J.P. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Secret Service, Washington, DC
Board upholds denial of eye condition claim (ECAB 20-1083)
J.P. reported that particles fell into his eyes while he removed a ceiling tile at work in 2008. OWCP accepted the incident but denied his claim for bilateral eye conditions. The Board found that his physician did not give a reasoned explanation linking the diagnosed eye conditions to that…
L.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Homerville, GA
Board rejects claim expansion and wage-capacity challenge (ECAB 20-1038)
L.M., a rural postal carrier, had an accepted left shoulder injury from lifting a package. She sought to add further conditions to her claim and to modify OWCP’s loss of wage-earning capacity finding. The Board found the medical evidence did not establish that the additional conditions resulted…
J.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Corpus Christi, TX
Board orders new independent medical examination (ECAB 20-0586)
J.M. sought to expand a postal injury claim to include several lumbar conditions. OWCP relied on an impartial medical specialist to decide a conflict in medical opinions. The Board found that specialist appeared to be associated with an earlier impartial examiner in the same claim and had been seen…
L.M. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Denver, CO
Board upholds late reconsideration denial (ECAB 20-0203)
L.M. sought reconsideration of a denied injury claim involving a January 2017 workplace fall. The last merit decision had been issued in January 2018, but OWCP did not receive his reconsideration request until March 2019. The Board found the request outside the one-year limit. It also found that…
P.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Alexandria, VA
Board upholds denial of emotional condition claim (ECAB 20-0124)
P.B., a postal city carrier, sought benefits for an emotional condition following a 2016 workplace altercation. An OWCP hearing representative had accepted the workplace altercation as a compensable employment factor, but denied the claim for lack of medical evidence connecting it to her emotional…
S.H. and Department of Labor, Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs, Dallas, TX
Board upholds termination of wage-loss benefits (ECAB 19-1855)
OWCP ended S.H.’s wage-loss benefits for her accepted bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome effective July 30, 2019. Her treating physician reported that the accepted condition had resolved and that she had no continuing disability from it. The Board found that this medical evidence met OWCP’s burden to…
National Federation of Federal Employees, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and United States Department of Veterans Affairs
NFFE-IAMAW and Department of Veterans Affairs (FLRA 0-AR-5439): Authority returns settlement dispute to arbitration
The union alleged that the Department of Veterans Affairs breached a settlement agreement resolving an earlier unfair-labor-practice charge by proposing a second official-time article in contract negotiations. An arbitrator dismissed the grievance, reasoning that the alleged breach belonged before…
National Labor Relations Board and National Labor Relations Board Union
NLRB and NLRB Union (FLRA 0-AR-5424): Authority vacates salary-debt waiver
The NLRB promoted an employee from GS-13 to GS-14 before she had completed the required 52 weeks at the lower grade, later cancelled the promotion, and recovered the salary difference. An arbitrator found that the employee was not at fault, ordered reimbursement of the recovered pay, and directed a…
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC
Lifeline obstruction citation affirmed
At Consol's Harvey Mine, nine hydraulic hoses extended beneath a lifeline in an alternate escapeway. Judge John Kent Lewis found that the placement could force miners to identify and maneuver around a trip hazard during a smoke-filled emergency, so the lifeline was not located for effective escape…
S.O. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Coast Guard, Washington, DC
Board upholds denial of workplace stress claim (ECAB 20-1271)
S.O., a Coast Guard paralegal specialist, attributed an emotional condition to her supervisor’s actions and workplace stress. The Board found that the personnel actions she described were not shown to be abusive or erroneous. It also found insufficient evidence of harassment or discrimination…
R.R. and Department of Labor, Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs, Jacksonville, FL
Board upholds denial of reconsideration of fall claim (ECAB 20-0378)
R.R. reported falling backward from a step stool at work and sought benefits for several injuries. After OWCP denied the claim, she sought reconsideration. The Board found that her arguments repeated matters already considered and that the new records did not address the disputed fact of whether…
B.C. and Department of the Army, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD
Board orders specialist review of parasite infection claim (ECAB 20-0011)
B.C. worked as an animal caretaker and developed an entamoeba polecki infection. OWCP accepted exposure to animal feces at work but denied the claim for lack of medical causation evidence. The Board treated the work as high-risk employment and found that the record lacked the in-depth opinion…
T.D. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Coast Guard, Washington, DC
Board upholds denial of ankle injury claim (ECAB 19-1779)
T.D. reported that a security gate bar struck his right ankle while he worked as a Coast Guard contract specialist. OWCP accepted the 2015 incident but denied his injury claim. His podiatrist later diagnosed Achilles tendinitis, but the Board found that she did not explain how the gate incident…
National Treasury Employees Union, Chapter 226 and United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Alexandria, Virginia
NTEU Chapter 226 and USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FLRA 0-NG-3487): Authority dismisses late deficiency response
NTEU Chapter 226 timely filed a negotiability petition but did not serve the USDA agency-head designee as required. The Authority directed the Union to cure that deficiency by April 17, 2020, but the mailed response was postmarked April 18. The Union said it placed the papers in a mailbox on April…
United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Boise Veterans Administration Medical Center and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1273
Boise VA Medical Center and AFGE Local 1273 (FLRA 0-AR-5576): Authority narrows environmental-pay award
Housekeeping, linen, and food-service employees at the Boise VA Medical Center sought environmental-differential pay for exposure to hazardous microorganisms and chemicals. An arbitrator found the employees eligible for additional pay, ordered discovery to determine individual exposure, and…
Secretary of Labor v. Marfork Coal Company
Incorrect receipt date supported reopening
Marfork Coal missed a penalty-contest deadline after a delivery delay caused staff to record the assessment as received two days later than its actual delivery date. The company mailed its contest by the incorrectly calculated deadline, learned of the delinquency the next month, and moved to reopen…
Matter of Sanny Montefar NEMIS
Visa fraud conspiracy is moral turpitude
The Board reviewed a Filipino lawful permanent resident's appeal after an Immigration Judge found him inadmissible for a visa-fraud conspiracy and denied cancellation of removal. The Board held that the federal conspiracy statute is divisible and that the underlying visa-fraud statute is also…
Thomas Klett v. SSA Terminals and Homeport Insurance Company
Klett v. SSA Terminals (BRB 21-0067A): claimant's cross-appeal dismissed
Thomas Klett asked to withdraw his cross-appeal in a Longshore Act case involving SSA Terminals and its carrier. The Board granted that request and dismissed his cross-appeal with prejudice. The employer's separate appeal remained pending. The order also extended briefing time for the Director and…
Thomas Klett v. SSA Terminals and Homeport Insurance Company
Klett v. SSA Terminals (BRB 21-0067, 21-0067A): claimant's cross-appeal dismissed
Thomas Klett asked to withdraw his cross-appeal in a Longshore Act case involving SSA Terminals and its carrier. The Board granted that request and dismissed his cross-appeal with prejudice. The employer's separate appeal remained pending. The order also extended briefing time for the Director and…
Wellon Pierre, Jr. v. Ceres Gulf, Incorporated
Pierre v. Ceres Gulf (BRB 20-0493): medical benefit limits affirmed
Wellon Pierre was injured in a workplace vehicle accident and sought disability and medical benefits. The administrative law judge found some head, neck, and back conditions related to the accident but did not find that they prevented him from working. On reconsideration, the judge set dates when…
Danny W. Gilfilen v. Eastern Associated Coal Company and Peabody Energy Corporation
Gilfilen v. Eastern Associated Coal (BRB 20-0222): appeal dismissed after Trust Fund accepts liability
Eastern Associated Coal and Peabody Energy appealed their designation as the parties responsible for paying Danny Gilfilen's Black Lung benefits. They argued the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund should pay instead. The Director of the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs accepted Trust Fund…
John L. Bado v. Valley Camp Coal Company
Bado v. Valley Camp Coal (BRB 20-0139): benefits award affirmed
John Bado received Black Lung benefits after a judge found that coal mine dust had contributed to his disabling chronic lung obstruction. His work history was less than 15 years, so the statutory presumption did not apply. The Board upheld the judge's reliance on a doctor's reasoned opinion linking…
A.K. and U.S. Postal Service, Vehicle Maintenance Facility, Canton, OH
Board orders medical development of shoulder claim (ECAB 20-1426)
A.K., a postal automotive technician, attributed right shoulder conditions to repeated overhead work on trucks. An orthopedic surgeon linked those duties to a rotator cuff injury, but his explanation was too limited to establish the claim outright. The Board found that the opinion raised an…
N.J. and Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn, NY
Board finds training trip covered by employment (ECAB 20-1148)
N.J., a corrections officer, was driving to required firearms training when a tree branch hit her car and another vehicle rear-ended it. OWCP treated the trip as an ordinary commute and denied her injury claim. The Board found that her employer had assigned the training, authorized use of her car…
J.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Vehicle Maintenance Facility, Chicago, IL
Board upholds back claim denial and hearing abandonment (ECAB 20-1125)
J.G. reported hurting her lower back while loading tires for the Postal Service. The Board found that the medical evidence did not establish a causal link between the accepted work incident and a diagnosed back condition. It also found that she missed a scheduled telephone hearing without…
R.G. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs & Border Protection, Laredo, TX
Board orders further review of claimed disability recurrence (ECAB 20-0364)
R.G., a border patrol agent, sought compensation for renewed disability after an accepted right shoulder injury. OWCP obtained an impartial examination to resolve conflicting work-capacity opinions. The Board found that the examiner lacked earlier imaging and a clear description of the available…
H-E-B, LP
Meat-saw hand-tool citation vacated under plain text of standard
An H-E-B employee suffered a substantial hand laceration while cutting a shoulder roast on a meat-cutting band saw. OSHA issued a willful citation alleging that H-E-B failed to provide a special hand tool that would keep employees' hands outside the danger zone. On cross-motions for summary…
R.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Englewood Post Office, Chicago, IL
Board upholds left leg award and remands right leg rating (ECAB 19-1719)
R.B. sought a larger schedule award for permanent impairment of her legs. The Board agreed that the medical evidence supported the existing 13 percent rating for her left lower extremity. Her physician and OWCP’s district medical adviser disagreed about whether the accepted injury caused permanent…
B.F. and U.S. Postal Service, Kennesaw Main Post Office, Kennesaw, GA
Board orders findings on all claimed disability dates (ECAB 19-1095)
B.F., a postal rural carrier, sought intermittent wage-loss benefits after an accepted neck and upper back injury in a work vehicle accident. OWCP ruled on part of the claimed period but did not address several other dates she had claimed. The Board set aside the decision and directed OWCP to make…
StormForce of Jacksonville, LLC
Controlling-employer roofing citation vacated
StormForce served as general contractor for a Florida residential roofing project performed by its regular subcontractor. OSHA observed all five subcontractor employees working on a low-slope roof without a compliant form of fall protection and cited StormForce as a controlling employer. The…
Dave Erlanson, Sr.
In re Dave Erlanson, Sr. (EAB CWA Appeal No. 20-03): Appeal dismissed and $6,600 penalty left in place
Dave Erlanson, Sr. appealed an Administrative Law Judge's decision assessing a $6,600 penalty for discharging pollutants from a suction dredge into the South Fork Clearwater River in Idaho without the required authorization. The Environmental Appeals Board dismissed the appeal because it consisted…
Chambers v. BNSF Railway Co.
Questionnaire dishonesty establishes same-action defense
Gregory Chambers reported an injury while employed by BNSF Railway and later alleged that the company fired him in retaliation. BNSF said it dismissed him for answering no when a pre-employment medical questionnaire asked about prior litigation, injuries, and surgery, despite his earlier railroad…
S.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Manchester, NH
Board orders specialist review of knee claim (ECAB 20-1458)
S.B., a postal letter carrier, attributed a left knee condition to his work duties. OWCP denied the occupational disease claim. The Board found that a physician’s opinion raised a basis for further medical development, although it did not establish causation outright. It set aside the denial and…
C.D. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Newark, NJ
Board orders review of omitted medical reports (ECAB 20-0168)
C.D., a transportation security officer, sought benefits for conditions she attributed to lifting and other physical duties. After an earlier denial, she submitted additional medical reports for OWCP reconsideration. OWCP discussed only one of those reports in its new decision. The Board set aside…
A.J. and Department of the Army, Tripler Army Medical Center, Fort Shaftner, HI
Board dismisses appeal for lack of a recent OWCP decision (ECAB 21-0365)
A.J. appealed what he described as a June 2017 OWCP decision in January 2021. The Board found no final adverse OWCP decision in the case record issued within the required 180-day appeal period. It dismissed the appeal for lack of jurisdiction. The Board did not decide the underlying compensation…
G.W. and Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Central California Health Care System, Fresno, CA
Board upholds denial of foot injury claim (ECAB 20-0507)
G.W., a VA nurse, reported a gurney rolling over her left foot at work. OWCP accepted the incident but denied her claim for a foot condition. The Board found that the medical reports either described a different mechanism of injury or did not explain how the accepted incident caused the diagnoses…
R.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, City of Industry, CA
Board rejects claim expansion but reverses benefit termination (ECAB 20-0452)
R.M., a postal mail clerk, sought to add left knee conditions to an accepted injury claim and challenged the termination of wage-loss and medical benefits. The Board found she had not shown that the left knee conditions were caused by the accepted injury. It also found an unresolved conflict…
S.P. and Department of Defense, Defense Health Agency, Fort Belvoir, VA
Board orders consideration of disability medical reports (ECAB 20-0092)
S.P., a Defense Health Agency dental assistant, sought wage-loss compensation after a vehicle struck her on the employer’s premises. OWCP denied compensation for March through June 2019. The Board found that OWCP did not address several medical reports concerning disability from her accepted…
B.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Beachwood, OH
Board upholds denial of back injury wage loss (ECAB 20-0050)
B.R., a postal letter carrier, sought wage-loss benefits for a period after an accepted back injury. His physician said he was totally disabled but did not explain, with objective findings and job duties, why the accepted condition prevented his limited-duty work. The Board found the medical…
J.I. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Reno, NV
Board upholds denial of bilateral thumb claim (ECAB 20-1374)
J.I., a postal letter carrier, attributed de Quervain’s tenosynovitis in both hands to his work. OWCP accepted the work factors but denied the occupational disease claim. The Board found that the medical reports did not adequately explain how those duties caused or aggravated the diagnosed…
J.M. and Department of Homeland Security, Customs & Border Protection, Imperial Beach Station, San Diego, CA
Board orders fuller upper extremity impairment review (ECAB 20-1316)
J.M., a border patrol employee, sought a schedule award for permanent left upper extremity impairment. OWCP’s medical adviser rated the impairment without reviewing relevant medical evidence and did not adequately explain a change in the impairment classification. The Board set aside the schedule…
C.F. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing & Distribution Center, North Reading, MA
Board upholds overpayment recovery terms (ECAB 20-1279)
C.F. received wage-loss compensation at an improper rate, creating an overpayment. OWCP denied waiver and ordered recovery through deductions of $175 every 28 days from continuing benefits. The Board found that the waiver denial and deduction rate were proper. It affirmed OWCP’s decision.
L.E. and U.S. Postal Service, Chicago International Service Center, Chicago, IL
Board orders related injury files combined (ECAB 20-1178)
L.E., a postal mail handler, sought wage-loss benefits after a neck injury and a later incident affecting her arm and neck. OWCP denied a recurrence claim while a separate file covered the later injury and the same claimed disability period. The Board found that the files needed to be combined for…
K.S. and Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Northwest Mountain Airports Division, Cedar City, UT
Board orders review of evidence omitted from reconsideration (ECAB 20-0251)
K.S. sought reconsideration after OWCP terminated benefits for an accepted lumbar injury. OWCP denied the request without addressing several submitted medical reports. The Board set aside that decision and ordered OWCP to consider the evidence before deciding the request again. It did not decide…
FreightCar America, Inc.
Slip-and-fall citation vacated because parent company was not proven to be employer
A worker at an Alabama railcar manufacturing facility was hospitalized after slipping from a steel sheet onto roller-bed crossbeams and sustaining facial and abdominal injuries. OSHA cited FreightCar America, Inc. under the general duty clause for the slip-and-fall hazard. The Commission found that…
United States Environmental Protection Agency (Agency) and American Federation of Government Employees, Council 238 (Union)
EPA and AFGE Council 238 (FLRA 0-AR-5520): Conference lobbying and return travel qualified for official time
EPA approved part of the paid work time that union representatives requested for a 2018 conference, but denied time for lobbying and travel home. An arbitrator found that the union's agreement entitled the representatives to the disputed time and ordered restoration of leave or straight-time pay…
F.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Orlando Post Office, Orlando, FL
Board upholds refusal to reopen injury claim (ECAB 20-1406)
F.R. sought reconsideration of an OWCP decision involving an accepted injury. The Board found that his request raised no new relevant legal argument and did not show that OWCP had applied the law incorrectly. It also found the submitted evidence insufficient to require a new merits review. The…
J.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Florence Post Office, Florence, MS
Board upholds suspension for missing benefits form (ECAB 20-1327)
J.T. received wage-loss benefits but did not return a required EN1032 earnings and employment disclosure form. OWCP sent the form to her last known address and warned that benefits would be suspended if she did not return it within 30 days. The Board found the suspension procedure proper. It…
C.C. and Social Security Administration, Albuquerque, NM
Board orders reasons for reconsideration denial (ECAB 20-1323)
C.C. sought reconsideration after OWCP ended wage-loss compensation for accepted injuries. She submitted medical reports and argued that OWCP’s second-opinion doctor had overlooked an accepted condition. OWCP denied reconsideration without discussing that evidence and argument. The Board set aside…
D.B. and Department of Labor, Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs, Philadelphia, PA
Board orders direct review of right elbow claim (ECAB 20-1280)
D.B. asked OWCP to add right lateral epicondylitis to an accepted injury claim. OWCP analyzed it as a consequential condition but did not address his claim that the condition was directly related to accepted work factors. The Board set aside the denial and directed OWCP to make findings on the…
V.R. and Department of Homeland Security, Immigration & Customs Enforcement, Laguna Niguel, CA
Board reverses benefit termination but rejects cancer claim (ECAB 19-1754)
V.R. challenged the termination of benefits for an accepted injury and sought to add prostate cancer as a consequential condition. The Board found that OWCP had not met its burden to end wage-loss and medical benefits. It also found that a physician’s opinion did not adequately explain how the…
MasTec North America, Inc. dba MasTec Advanced Technologies, Inc.
Energized-line citation vacated for lack of employer knowledge
A MasTec crew was relocating energized overhead power lines in Florida when a lineman contacted an energized conductor and died. OSHA alleged that the conductor was not properly insulated when the lineman entered the minimum approach distance. The Commission majority found that the Secretary failed…
H.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Jim Falls Post Office, Jim Falls, WI
Board grants request to dismiss appeal (ECAB 21-0497)
H.L. appealed a November 2020 OWCP decision through counsel. The next day, counsel asked the Board to dismiss the appeal. The Board granted that request and dismissed the docket. It did not decide the underlying benefits issue.
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.