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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M.M. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Augusta, ME
Board affirms denial of VA clerk’s repetitive work claim (ECAB 16-1851)
M.M. attributed neck, shoulder, and wrist conditions to repetitive computer work as a VA correspondence clerk. OWCP accepted the clerical duties. The Board found that the medical reports did not adequately explain how those duties caused or aggravated the claimed conditions. It affirmed the denial.
Secretary of Labor v. Mach Mining, LLC
Coal-accumulation and examination-record violations affirmed
MSHA found extensive loose-coal accumulations along Mach Mining's 3,500-foot slope belt, including six locations where coal contacted the belt or rollers. The mine's examination book said only that the slope belt needed cleaning and that work was in progress. The Commission affirmed both the…
Nancy Lou McNulty (widow of Arthur Chris McNulty) v. Director, Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs
Survivor benefits denial affirmed
Nancy McNulty sought black lung survivor benefits after her husband's death. The judge found the evidence did not show that pneumoconiosis substantially contributed to his death. The Board upheld the judge's decision to give limited weight to a death certificate that lacked a clear foundation for…
Kenneth Evans v. Ceres Marine Terminals, Incorporated
Partial disability and fee rulings remanded
Kenneth Evans received Longshore Act disability benefits and an attorney fee award. The Board upheld several benefit periods but vacated the judge's order on reconsideration and his temporary partial disability calculation. It remanded for reconsideration of wage earning capacity and the fee…
Misty D. Trent (widow of Danny L. Trent) v. Maple Coal Company and Rockwood Casualty Insurance Company
Misty D. Trent (widow of Danny L. Trent) v. Maple Coal Company (BRB 17-0181 BLA): survivor benefits denial affirmed
Misty Trent sought survivor benefits after her miner husband's death. The judge found no evidence that pneumoconiosis caused, contributed to, or hastened his death. The Board upheld the judge's weighing of the death certificate, autopsy, and medical opinion. It affirmed the denial of survivor…
Oscar W. Hancock, Jr. v. Bull Creek Coal Corporation and Kentucky Employers Mutual Insurance
Oscar W. Hancock, Jr. v. Bull Creek Coal Corporation (BRB 17-0151 BLA): black lung benefits award affirmed
Oscar Hancock won black lung benefits under the statutory presumption. His employer argued that medical evidence rebutted the presumption. The Board upheld the judge's rejection of opinions that did not adequately rule out coal dust as a contributor to lung disease or disability. The benefits award…
D.T. and Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Tucson, AZ
Board affirms shoulder claim denial and reopening refusal (ECAB 17-1734)
D.T. claimed a left shoulder condition after an accepted work incident involving a door. The Board found that the medical reports did not adequately connect a diagnosed condition to that incident. His later reconsideration request added no relevant new medical evidence or legal ground for…
J.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Roseland Post Office, Chicago, IL
Board orders correct standard for late reconsideration request (ECAB 17-1682)
J.D. asked OWCP to revisit a claim years after the last merit decision. OWCP applied the standard for a timely reconsideration request. The Board found that the request instead required review for clear evidence of error. It set aside the denial and returned the matter without deciding the…
L.R. and Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons, Pine Knot, KY
Board affirms denial of correctional officer’s schedule award (ECAB 17-1654)
L.R. sought a schedule award after accepted injuries from an inmate assault. The Board reviewed the submitted reports about scars and residual conditions. It found that the evidence did not establish permanent impairment of a member or function covered by the schedule award provisions. It affirmed…
B.R. and Department of the Air Force, Tinker Air Force Base, OK
Board upholds refusals to reopen knee benefit claims (ECAB 17-1213)
B.R. sought renewed review of an additional schedule award and continuing disability for a right knee condition. The Board found that the award request did not meet the rule for merit reopening. It also found that the disability request was untimely and did not show clear evidence of error. It…
R.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Cleveland, OH
Board reverses postal worker’s benefit termination (ECAB 17-1133)
R.P. challenged termination of benefits for an accepted back and hip injury. OWCP relied on an impartial physician who had not been given an updated statement listing all accepted conditions. Because the physician did not assess two later-accepted spinal conditions, the Board found his opinion…
E.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Malden, MA
Board orders further medical review of hip impairment (ECAB 17-0795)
E.B. sought a schedule award after OWCP accepted work-related aggravation of osteoarthritis in both hips. Referral physicians concluded that the aggravation was temporary but did not adequately explain why it caused no permanent impairment. The Board found the medical development incomplete and…
Thomas R. James v. Island Creek Coal Company
Black lung benefits award affirmed
Thomas James won black lung benefits on an initial claim. The employer tried to rebut the statutory presumption with medical opinions denying legal pneumoconiosis. The Board upheld the judge's rejection of those opinions and their disability causation conclusions. It affirmed the award.
Walter F. Miller v. Pittston Coal Company
Black lung benefits award affirmed
Walter Miller won black lung benefits under the statutory presumption. Pittston Coal relied on medical opinions that denied legal pneumoconiosis and its role in disability. The Board upheld the judge's reasons for discounting those opinions. Because the employer did not rebut the presumption, the…
Sinkfield v. Marten Transportation, Ltd.
Sinkfield v. Marten Transportation (DOL ARB 2016-0037): Liability affirmed, punitive damages remanded
Truck driver Cedric Sinkfield refused to take a load with a tandem axle weight above the legal limit, and Marten Transportation later fired him. An administrative law judge found that the refusal was protected by the Surface Transportation Assistance Act and that the firing violated the law. The…
V.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Middle Village Post Office, Staten Island, NY
Board affirms denial of renewed disability after fall (ECAB 17-1642)
V.T. sought renewed disability benefits after an accepted finger sprain and knee contusion from a workplace fall. He had returned to full duty. The medical records supporting the later claim discussed back conditions rather than the accepted finger and knee injuries. The Board found no sufficient…
F.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, New York, NY
Board upholds refusal to reopen suitable-work ruling (ECAB 17-1231)
F.A. sought reconsideration of a benefit termination based on refusal of suitable work. He repeated arguments about a heart condition and his ability to perform the offered job. The Board found that the request did not provide a new legal ground or relevant new evidence meeting the reopening rule…
T.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Philadelphia, PA
Board upholds termination of postal worker’s benefits (ECAB 17-1011)
T.D. challenged termination of benefits for accepted wrist and hand conditions. The Board found that OWCP had sufficient medical evidence to end benefits effective April 22, 2016. Later physician reports asserted ongoing disability but did not adequately explain its connection to the accepted…
A.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Hartford, CT
Board affirms denial of postal worker’s emotional condition claim (ECAB 17-0849)
A.S. attributed an emotional condition to workplace interactions with a supervisor and coworker, including an alleged threat. The Board found that the evidence did not establish a compensable employment factor under the applicable rules. Without that threshold showing, it did not need to review…
J.S. and Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration, Holly, MI
Board affirms denial of cemetery worker’s knee claim (ECAB 16-1816)
J.S. twisted his right knee after stepping in a tire rut while preparing sod at work. OWCP accepted the incident and the record showed knee diagnoses. The Board found that the medical reports did not adequately explain how the incident caused or aggravated the diagnosed arthritis and meniscal…
D.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Rainier, OR
Board upholds wage-loss reduction for rehabilitation noncooperation (ECAB 16-1590)
D.T. received wage-loss benefits for accepted arm and pain conditions. OWCP directed vocational rehabilitation after a physician found she could work with restrictions. The Board found that she failed to cooperate with that effort without good cause. It affirmed the resulting wage-loss reduction.
Secretary of Labor obo Kevin R. Shaffer v. The Marion County Coal Company
Temporary reinstatement granted
Kevin Shaffer complained that a haul truck's transmission twice jumped from neutral into reverse and asked his supervisor for different work. Marion County Coal reassigned him, but suspended him the next day and later moved to discharge him after a disputed confrontation with the supervisor. The…
United States Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Washington, D.C. (Agency) and National Treasury Employees Union (Union/Petitioner)
Bureau of Engraving and Printing and NTEU (FLRA WA-RP-17-0034): IT project managers excluded as professionals
NTEU sought to include seven information-technology project managers in a nonprofessional bargaining unit at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. A regional director included them after finding that their jobs did not require advanced knowledge normally acquired through prolonged specialized…
Scott Parkhurst v. AAR Aircraft Group and Allied World Assurance Company
Scott Parkhurst v. AAR Aircraft Group (BRB 17-0305): attorney fee award partly remanded
Scott Parkhurst's employer challenged a district director's attorney fee award in a Longshore Act case. The Board found that the director had not addressed several objections or adequately explained reductions to attorney time. It vacated those parts of the fee order and remanded for findings on…
Joseph J. Yermalovich (on behalf of Joseph A. Yermalovich) v. Director, Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs
Miner benefits denial affirmed
Joseph Yermalovich pursued his deceased father's black lung claim. The judge found that the medical record did not prove total respiratory disability. The Board held that family testimony could not by itself establish disability when relevant medical evidence addressed the miner's condition. It…
Luis Peña Garcia v. Calzadilla Construction Corporation and IMS Insurance Company of Puerto Rico
Luis Peña Garcia v. Calzadilla Construction Corporation (BRB 17-0103r): attorney fee reconsideration denied
Luis Peña Garcia asked the Board to reconsider its earlier decision on attorney fees. He argued that obtaining treatment from a physician of his choice meant he had successfully prosecuted the claim and qualified for an employer-paid fee. The Board said it had already considered and rejected that…
J.R. and Social Security Administration, Richmond, CA
Board affirms denial of claims representative’s wrist condition (ECAB 17-1781)
J.R. attributed right carpal tunnel syndrome to repetitive typing as a Social Security claims representative. OWCP accepted the typing duties. The Board found that his physician’s opinions asserted a connection without explaining the medical mechanism, and one opinion was speculative. It affirmed…
R.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Yorktown Heights, NY
Board affirms denial of mail carrier’s back claim (ECAB 17-1656)
R.M. claimed low back conditions after lifting and loading mail at work. OWCP accepted the incident. The Board found that the physician’s checked causation box and other reports did not adequately explain how the lifting caused or aggravated the diagnosed conditions. It affirmed the claim denial.
J.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Rohnert Park, CA
Board orders clear ruling on postal worker’s hip claim (ECAB 17-1560)
J.M. attributed a left hip condition both to carrying mail and to altered walking after an accepted right ankle injury. OWCP’s decision did not clearly say whether it resolved the consequential injury theory or explain the supporting medical reports. The Board set it aside and ordered the related…
C.N. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Bellmawr, NJ
Board affirms denial of renewed disability from spinal strains (ECAB 17-1321)
C.N. sought total disability compensation after returning to regular work following accepted neck and back strains. Her later physician reports focused on a herniated disc that OWCP had not accepted as work related. The Board found no adequate medical proof that the accepted strains caused…
D.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Absecon, NJ
Board affirms denial of postal worker’s occupational disease claim (ECAB 17-1153)
D.B. claimed several right arm, shoulder, and neck conditions from postal duties. The medical opinions conflicted, so OWCP obtained an impartial examination. The Board found the impartial specialist’s opinion sufficiently reasoned and based on an accurate factual record to resolve the conflict…
D.W. and Department of Agriculture, Food Safety & Inspection Service, Minneapolis, MN
Board affirms denial of lung schedule award (ECAB 17-0974)
D.W. sought a lung schedule award after OWCP accepted work-related toxic exposure and asthma. The Board reviewed the medical rating evidence under the applicable impairment guide. It found that the record did not establish ratable permanent lung impairment despite ongoing symptoms. It affirmed…
Wright v. Railroad Commission of Texas
Water safety retaliation claim remanded
Engineer Frederick Wright alleged that the Railroad Commission of Texas fired him after he raised concerns about enforcement of rules protecting underground drinking water. An administrative law judge dismissed his Safe Drinking Water Act and water pollution whistleblower complaint, finding that…
Holmquist v. Wisconsin Central Ltd.
Holmquist v. Wisconsin Central (DOL ARB 2016-0006): Railroad retaliation liability established
Rail worker Curtis Holmquist told supervisors that he did not feel qualified to oversee a rail grinding train. Wisconsin Central then disqualified him from all positions requiring track authority, and he filed a Federal Rail Safety Act retaliation complaint. An administrative law judge found that…
Carter v. CPC Logistics, Inc.
Carter v. CPC Logistics (DOL ARB 2015-0050): Fatigued driving claim remanded
Truck driver Roderick Carter claimed that CPC Logistics fired him after he refused to drive while fatigued and reported his need for rest breaks. An administrative law judge dismissed his Surface Transportation Assistance Act complaint, and the Board initially affirmed. The Fourth Circuit found…
E.B. and Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Brooklyn, NY
Board affirms denial of IRS worker’s fall injury claim (ECAB 17-1862)
E.B. reported slipping and falling at work and claimed injuries to multiple body parts. OWCP accepted that the fall occurred. The Board found that imaging and treatment records did not offer a reasoned physician opinion linking a diagnosed condition to the fall. It affirmed the injury claim denial.
M.C. and Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, San Diego, CA
Board upholds refusal to reopen IRS worker’s stress claim (ECAB 17-1836)
M.C. requested reconsideration of a denied emotional condition claim based on alleged workplace treatment. The Board found that the request repeated a witness statement already in the record and presented no qualifying new legal argument or evidence. It affirmed OWCP’s refusal to reopen without…
A.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Dallas, TX
Board orders new right arm impairment rating (ECAB 17-1806)
A.T. sought a larger schedule award after receiving right arm awards totaling 13 percent impairment. The Board found that OWCP needed to apply a consistent method when comparing diagnosis-based and range-of-motion ratings. It set aside the decision and ordered a new assessment. The Board did not…
R.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Duncan, OK
Board orders consistent rating of left arm impairment (ECAB 17-1783)
R.S. sought a larger schedule award after a left shoulder injury and a prior four percent arm rating. The Board found that OWCP had not used a consistent approach to choosing between diagnosis-based and range-of-motion methods for upper extremity impairment. It set aside the decision and ordered a…
C.B. and Department of Defense, Fort Benning Commissary, Fort Benning, GA
Board partly reverses termination of commissary worker’s benefits (ECAB 17-1144)
C.B. challenged termination of wage-loss and medical benefits for an accepted back strain and emotional condition. The Board found medical support for ending benefits tied to the resolved acute lumbar strain. It found OWCP had not met its burden to end benefits for the separately accepted emotional…
L.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Terminal Annex, Seattle, WA
Board upholds denial of long-late reconsideration request (ECAB 17-0954)
L.T. sought reconsideration of a 2002 decision ending wage-loss and medical benefits. Her request reached OWCP in 2017, well beyond the one-year filing period. The Board found that her arguments and new material did not demonstrate clear evidence of error in the old decision. It affirmed the…
J.G. and Department of Defense, Defense Distribution Depot, Richmond, VA
Board affirms overpayment and finding of fault (ECAB 17-0400)
J.G. received full workers’ compensation while also receiving Social Security retirement benefits that required an offset. The Board upheld OWCP’s finding that an overpayment occurred and that she was at fault because she had been told of the offset yet continued to accept full payments. The…
Secretary of Labor obo Carl Ebert v. Marshall County Coal Co.
Discrimination complaint dismissed
Carl Ebert, a shuttle-car operator known as a safety advocate, raised concerns about roof bolting, emergency-ride brakes, supply handling, a power cable, and the number of rail cars at the section. Marshall County Coal later suspended him for two and a half days after he did not begin his…
Secretary of Labor obo Anthony Vega v. Syar Industries, Inc.
Temporary reinstatement ordered
Anthony Vega raised safety concerns about smoke created when workers cut hydraulic hoses and about a near miss on a quarry haul road. Syar Industries later terminated him for writing complimentary messages on coworkers' pay envelopes and signing some with a quarry manager's initials. Judge L. Zane…
Kopin Display Corporation
In re Kopin Display Corporation (EAB TSCA Appeal No. 18-01Q): $47,073 penalty paid and matter resolved
EPA alleged that Kopin Display Corporation violated the prohibited acts provision in section 15(2) of the Toxic Substances Control Act. EPA's amended complaint sought a $47,073 penalty. Kopin paid the full penalty, waiving its rights to contest the allegations and appeal the Final Order. The…
City of Sandpoint Wastewater Treatment Plant
In re City of Sandpoint Wastewater Treatment Plant (EAB NPDES Appeal No. 17-06): phosphorus-limit challenge dismissed as moot
EPA Region 10 reissued an NPDES permit for the City of Sandpoint Wastewater Treatment Plant in Idaho. The Idaho Conservation League challenged the phosphorus effluent limits, arguing that the Region used a mixing-zone policy that was not included in Idaho's EPA-approved water-quality standards. The…
Hamidullah Makhmoor v. Mission Essential Personnel, LLC and Zurich American Insurance Company
Hamidullah Makhmoor v. Mission Essential Personnel, LLC (BRB 17-0339): Defense Base Act claim denial affirmed
Hamidullah Makhmoor sought compensation for a psychological injury under the Defense Base Act. The judge weighed conflicting medical and psychological evidence and denied the claim. The Board held that the judge permissibly credited test results and a medical opinion over the claimant's competing…
G.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Cayey, PR
Board upholds refusal to reopen disability recurrence claim (ECAB 17-1860)
G.D. sought reconsideration of a denied disability recurrence after an accepted back injury. The disputed issue was whether his light-duty job changed or was withdrawn. His new medical records described conditions but did not address that job-assignment question. The Board affirmed OWCP’s refusal…
S.H. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Columbia, MO
Board affirms denial of VA worker’s back claim (ECAB 17-1447)
S.H. reported being thrown forward from a chair at work and claimed a back injury. OWCP accepted the incident. The Board found that the physician reports did not provide a firm, reasoned medical explanation linking a diagnosed back condition to it. It affirmed the denial.
D.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing & Distribution Center, Chicago, IL
Board affirms additional three percent right leg award (ECAB 17-1444)
D.B. sought a greater schedule award for an accepted right foot condition after earlier lower extremity awards for a separate back claim. The Board reviewed the impairment ratings and found that he had not established more than the additional three percent awarded for the right leg. It affirmed…
M.U. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Loma Linda, CA
Board upholds denial of late stress claim reconsideration (ECAB 17-1431)
M.U. requested reconsideration years after a decision on her emotional condition claim. She repeated workplace allegations and submitted court-related documents. The Board found that the request was late and that the material did not show clear evidence of error on the medical causation issue. It…
K.F. and Department of Defense, Defense Logistics Agency, New Cumberland, PA
Board affirms injury denial but orders merit reconsideration (ECAB 17-1125)
K.F. claimed a shoulder and neck injury after lifting a heavy parcel at work. The Board found the evidence before OWCP’s December 2016 decision insufficient to prove causation and affirmed that denial. A later physician addendum addressed causation and was relevant new evidence. The Board set aside…
Valmet, Inc.
Settlement remanded for corrected agreement
An administrative law judge approved a settlement agreement between Valmet and the Secretary. The parties later reported that they had inadvertently submitted an earlier draft containing an incorrect abatement date. The Secretary filed an unopposed motion to vacate the approval order and submitted…
G.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Rio Grande, PR
Board upholds benefit suspension for missed examination (ECAB 17-0896)
G.H. did not cooperate with a scheduled medical examination in his compensation case. OWCP suspended benefits and denied wage-loss claims for a later period. The Board found the suspension valid and concluded that his stated willingness to attend another exam had not yet ended the obstruction when…
C.Y. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Baltimore, MD
Board partly remands disability and overpayment dispute (ECAB 17-0605)
C.Y. sought wage-loss compensation after returning to modified postal work and disputed an overpayment assessed for total disability payments made after that return. The Board upheld the fact that an overpayment occurred, but left its amount unresolved pending OWCP’s decision on wage loss for…
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 933 (Union) and United States Department of Veterans Affairs, John D. Dingell Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Detroit, Michigan (Agency)
AFGE Local 933 and John D. Dingell VA Medical Center (FLRA 0-AR-5326): Union exception denied
AFGE Local 933 filed an exception to an arbitration award involving the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center. The Authority reviewed the record under the statutory grounds for challenging arbitration awards. It concluded that the Union had not shown that the award failed to draw its essence from the…
Michael Wilson v. Armstrong Coal Company, Inc.
Removing miners' representative contact information was interference
Armstrong Coal replaced a posted list of miners' representatives with a version that omitted every representative's address and telephone number, including Michael Wilson's. Judge Kenneth R. Andrews held that removing the contact information made confidential safety reporting harder and therefore…
Danny Spence v. Excel Mining, LLC
Black lung benefits denial affirmed
Danny Spence sought black lung benefits after an earlier remand. The judge found that the evidence did not prove total respiratory or pulmonary disability. The Board upheld her assessment of the medical opinions and the record as a whole. It affirmed the denial because disability is required for…
Newell v. Airgas, Inc.
Newell v. Airgas (DOL ARB 2016-0007): Hours of service retaliation claim remanded
Truck driver Rickey Newell alleged that Airgas fired him after he repeatedly complained about hours of service violations and refused assignments he believed would exceed the limits. An administrative law judge dismissed his Surface Transportation Assistance Act complaint. The Board held that the…
T.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Cleveland, OH
Board upholds denial of carrier’s stress claim (ECAB 17-1525)
T.M., a postal carrier, reported stress after an investigation of drug packages on her route. The investigation unfolded over several days, so the Board evaluated her claim as an occupational disease rather than a single traumatic incident. It found that the physicians did not adequately explain…
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.