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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L.D. and Department of the Air Force, Peterson Air Force Base, CO
L.D. (ECAB 15-1102): One overpayment affirmed and insurance calculation remanded
L.D., an Air Force employee with an accepted carpal tunnel claim, received compensation calculated using a full-time pay rate although he had worked 32 hours a week. The Board affirmed OWCP’s finding that this caused a $109,282.04 overpayment. It also upheld denial of waiver and recovery from…
B.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Bulk Mail Center, Pittsburgh, PA
B.P. (ECAB 15-1096): Job refusal termination and sleep study denial affirmed
B.P., a postal clerk with accepted head and neck conditions, declined a modified mail processing job. The Board found the offered work fit her medical restrictions and that OWCP gave her the required chances to explain her refusal and accept the position. It affirmed the termination of compensation…
Peco Foods, Inc.
Eye-protection citation affirmed on poultry debone line
Peco Foods did not allow employees on its poultry debone line to wear safety glasses, although liquid and chicken residue splattered around the work area. OSHA inspected after an employee cut his eyelid with a knife, but the judge found that knives were not among the hazards covered by the cited…
L.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Kearney, NJ
L.C. (ECAB 15-0436): Knee injury and recurrence claims sent back to OWCP
L.C., a postal carrier with a previously accepted right knee injury, claimed that delivering mail in January 2012 caused a new knee injury or a recurrence of disability. OWCP denied the new injury claim but did not address his request to reconsider the recurrence claim. The Board also found that…
American Federation of Government Employees, National Border Patrol Council, Local 2455 (Union) and United States Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, Laredo Sector (Agency)
Border Patrol Council Local 2455 and Laredo Sector (FLRA 0-AR-5126): Two-day suspension upheld
Local law enforcement stopped a Border Patrol agent for traffic violations at least twenty-two times in three years, sometimes while he wore his uniform or identified himself as an agent. Customs and Border Protection imposed a two-day suspension. An arbitrator found the repeated violations…
William Nichols d/b/a Nichols Tree Farm
Nichols Tree Farm (DOL ARB 2016-0008): Early review of H-2A case denied
The Department of Labor charged Nichols Tree Farm with H-2A program violations and proposed civil penalties. The farm asked an administrative law judge to dismiss the case because the department had delayed referring it for a hearing. After the judge denied dismissal, the farm asked the Board to…
B.C. and Department of the Navy, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, WA
B.C. (ECAB 15-1853): Wage capacity decision sent back for medical review
B.C., a Navy shipyard welder, sought to change a 2009 decision that measured his earning capacity using a motor vehicle dispatcher job. OWCP later accepted lymphedema as related to his work injuries, and his physician reported that the condition limited his ability to perform that job. The Board…
R.M. and Department of the Navy, Commander U.S. Pacific Fleet Shipyards, Bremerton, WA
R.M. (ECAB 15-1747): Hearing loss award denial affirmed
R.M., a Navy shipbuilding specialist, had an accepted claim for hearing loss from workplace noise and sought a schedule award. The Board found that the hearing test used by OWCP produced no ratable impairment under the governing formula. An earlier audiogram could not establish a different rating…
J.H. and Department of the Navy, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, VA
J.H. (ECAB 15-1726): Ankle benefit termination reversed and remanded
J.H., a Navy shipyard mechanic, had an accepted ankle sprain and received wage-loss and medical benefits. OWCP ended those benefits after its examining physician said the injury had resolved. The Board found that J.H.’s treating physician documented continuing symptoms and restrictions, creating a…
J.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Dover, NJ
J.S. (ECAB 15-1252): Additional ankle award claim sent back for review
J.S., a postal carrier, had received a schedule award for 54 percent impairment of her right leg, including seven percent attributed to the ankle. She sought a larger award after Dr. Weiss later rated the ankle region at 12 percent, up from his earlier rating. OWCP treated the new rating as wholly…
M.R. and Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Newnan, GA
M.R. (ECAB 15-1181): Additional back claims and hearing request denied
M.R., an Agriculture Department animal caretaker, had an accepted lumbar sprain after restraining a dog at work. She sought recognition of additional back conditions and wage-loss compensation for time spent receiving injections on December 12 and 23, 2014. The Board found that her doctors had not…
Mark L. Lujan v. Signal Peak Energy, LLC
Medical absence did not prove Mine Act discrimination
Mark Lujan alleged that Signal Peak suspended and discharged him after he stayed home during a gout flare-up because he believed working would endanger himself and others. Judge David F. Barbour excused Lujan's late complaint because the operator did not show material prejudice, but held that…
Secretary of Labor v. State of Alaska, Dept. of Transportation
Five highway-equipment citations vacated
Alaska used loaders and mobile screeners to process sand, gravel, and rock from pits for maintenance of the Dalton Highway. An earlier ALJ decision treated the work as exempt borrow-pit activity, but the Commission held that MSHA had jurisdiction over the open-pit sand-and-gravel operations and…
M.W. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Roseburg, OR
M.W. (ECAB 15-1852): 2012 disability claim denial affirmed
M.W., a Veterans Affairs employee, had an accepted cervical disc condition and underwent neck surgery. She claimed that the accepted condition left her unable to work from January 9 through May 30, 2012. The Board found that her physicians had not adequately explained how that condition caused…
P.W. and Department of Defense, Education Activities, Alexandria, VA
P.W. (ECAB 15-1814): Elevator incident injury claim denial affirmed
P.W., a Defense Department procurement analyst, was trapped in a malfunctioning elevator at work for about 45 minutes and reported anxiety and other symptoms. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred but denied her injury claim. The Board found that her psychiatrist’s report did not explain how the…
S.N. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Seattle, WA
S.N. (ECAB 15-1786): Postal carrier knee claim denial affirmed
S.N., a postal carrier, attributed right knee problems to walking hills and stairs and carrying mail on her route. The Board found that reports from a physician assistant could not establish medical causation under FECA. The physician-reviewed forms in the record also lacked a reasoned explanation…
N.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Kenner, LA
N.B. (ECAB 15-1749): Wage capacity modification denial affirmed
N.B., a postal clerk with several accepted injuries, worked four hours a day in a modified position used to measure her wage-earning capacity. She claimed wage loss for a later, brief absence attributed to worsening left knee pain. The Board explained that OWCP can sometimes pay for a short…
S.G. and U.S. Postal Service, South Arlington Station, Akron, OH
S.G. (ECAB 15-1540): Mail route foot fracture claim denial affirmed
S.G., a postal carrier, developed pain and swelling in her left foot while walking her mail route and was diagnosed with two metatarsal fractures. OWCP accepted that she walked the route on June 29, 2013 but denied that the fractures had been shown to result from that day’s work. The Board found…
J.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Jamaica, NY
J.L. (ECAB 15-0830): Mail bag injury claim denial affirmed
J.L., a postal clerk, reported left hip and leg pain after carrying and pulling heavy mail bags at work. OWCP accepted that the November 26, 2011 incident occurred but denied her injury claim. The Board found that her physicians diagnosed hip conditions without adequately explaining how the…
M.F. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Staten Island, NY
M.F. (ECAB 15-0081): Sprain benefit termination and later back claim denied
M.F., a postal carrier, had accepted ankle and back sprains after a fall on ice. The Board found that OWCP’s examining physician adequately supported the conclusion that those accepted sprains had resolved, so OWCP could end wage-loss and medical benefits on March 2, 2012. M.F. also sought benefits…
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (Agency) and National Association of Government Employees, Local R3-77 (Union)
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation and NAGE Local R3-77 (FLRA 0-AR-4416): Retaliation reconsideration denied
An arbitrator found that Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation officials failed to properly investigate an employee's complaint because of animosity over her prior equal-employment-opportunity testimony and awarded compensatory damages for retaliation. After an earlier remand and a decision…
Thyssenkrupp Elevator Americas v. Secretary of Labor and Secretary of Labor v. Thyssenkrupp Elevator Americas
Thyssenkrupp Elevator Americas v. Secretary of Labor (FMSHRC WEST 2015-33-RM, et al.): Elevator-maintenance citations vacated
Thyssenkrupp Elevator was repairing a cement-plant elevator that had been out of service since a major flood. MSHA cited the contractor for leaving no warning at a door where the car sat above the landing and for failing to de-energize and block the elevator against motion. Judge Richard W. Manning…
Town of Salisbury Sewer Commission
In re Town of Salisbury Sewer Commission (EAB NPDES Appeal No. 15-11): petition dismissed with prejudice
The Town of Salisbury Sewer Commission sought review of an NPDES permit matter. The Town moved to withdraw its petition and jointly asked the Board to dismiss the proceedings, explaining that the parties had settled their differences through an administrative order to comply with the Final Permit…
I.H. and Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Richmond, VA
I.H. (ECAB 16-0019): Workplace bite claim denial affirmed
I.H., an IRS customer service representative, reported feeling a bite or sting while working at her desk. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred but denied her injury claim. The Board found that the only submitted diagnosis came from a nurse practitioner, whose reports were not competent…
W.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Palatine, IL
W.L. (ECAB 15-1842): Reconsideration denial sent back for correct review
W.L., a postal carrier, asked OWCP to reconsider a denial of his claim for an emotional condition attributed to work. OWCP received his request five days after the one-year reconsideration period expired. The Board found that OWCP applied the standard for a timely request instead of asking whether…
D.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, League City, TX
D.A. (ECAB 15-1792): Leg impairment award decision upheld
D.A., a postal worker with accepted back and lower extremity conditions, sought a larger schedule award for permanent leg impairment. His physician and OWCP’s examiner disagreed on the left leg rating, so OWCP obtained an impartial specialist’s evaluation. The Board gave that specialist’s reasoned…
K.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Madison, WI
K.P. (ECAB 15-1711): Shoulder disability recurrence denial affirmed
K.P., a postal mail handler, had an accepted left rotator cuff injury and returned to full-duty work after surgery. He claimed intermittent disability beginning in July 2013 because of renewed shoulder pain. The Board found that the later scan showed an intact rotator cuff repair, while his…
A.B. and Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Transportation, Chamblee, GA
A.B. (ECAB 15-1530): Late reconsideration denial affirmed
A.B., an FAA specialist, sought reconsideration of a 2011 decision denying wage-loss compensation. His request arrived more than a year after that decision, so OWCP could consider it only if it showed clear evidence of error. The Board found that the accepted 2010 injury included post-traumatic…
F.B. and Department of Commerce, 2010 Decennial Census, Bloomfield, NJ
F.B. (ECAB 15-0802): Lumbar disability recurrence denial affirmed
F.B., a temporary Census worker, had an accepted lumbar sprain from lifting boxes in 2010. After she returned to a restricted clerk position, that temporary work ended because no work was available. She later claimed disability beginning in March 2012 and pointed to a herniated disc and worsening…
C.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Logistics and Distribution Center, Tampa, FL
C.G. (ECAB 15-0303): Compensation suspension for missed exam upheld
C.G., a postal worker with accepted injuries, missed a second opinion medical examination scheduled by OWCP. The Board found that OWCP had notified her of the appointment, warned that refusal could suspend compensation, and gave her 14 days to provide a reason after she missed it. Her objection…
F.W. and Department of the Air Force, Randolph Air Force Base, Randolph, TX
F.W. (ECAB 15-1891): Reconsideration refusal affirmed
F.W., an Air Force financial specialist, sought compensation for back and hip pain that arose during official travel for training. OWCP denied the injury claim, then declined to reopen it when he asked for reconsideration again in 2015. The Board found that his latest request only resubmitted…
T.B. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Poplar Bluff, MO
T.B. (ECAB 15-1871): Overpayment and fault findings affirmed
T.B., a Veterans Affairs licensed practical nurse, received FECA wage loss compensation for November 13 through 29, 2014, while also receiving paid sick and annual leave from her employer. OWCP found that the concurrent payments created a $1,060.53 overpayment. She said she thought the FECA payment…
S.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Bulk Mail Center, Pittsburgh, PA
S.C. (ECAB 15-1241): Denial of cervical surgery authorization affirmed
S.C., a Postal Service mail flow controller, had an accepted aggravation of preexisting cervical spondylosis and sought authorization for a second neck operation. Her physician performed a C6-7 discectomy and fusion in September 2014 without prior approval from OWCP. OWCP denied authorization…
J.W. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Baton Rouge, LA
J.W. (ECAB 15-1163): Overpayment amount returned for a clear calculation
J.W., a transportation security officer, returned to part-time work in October 2013 while OWCP continued paying full wage loss benefits. OWCP found a $1,286.70 overpayment and held her at fault, preventing waiver. The Board agreed that an overpayment occurred but could not tell how OWCP calculated…
E.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing & Distribution Facility, Rocky Mount, NC
E.M. (ECAB 15-1120): Occupational disease denial affirmed
E.M., a Postal Service mail processing clerk, claimed that his work duties caused or aggravated groin pain after an earlier hernia repair. His surgeon described pain associated with physical activity but did not adequately explain how particular work duties caused a new condition or aggravated the…
N.C. and Department of the Army, U.S. Army Reserve, Barling, AR
N.C. (ECAB 15-0639): Termination of injury benefits affirmed
N.C., an Army Reserve equipment repairer, injured his back at work in 2000 and received benefits for a lumbosacral sprain and lumbar disc displacement. OWCP later terminated those benefits after an impartial orthopedic surgeon found that the accepted conditions had resolved. The Board found the…
Secretary of Labor v. Apogee Coal Company, LLC
Reopening denied as more than one year late
Apogee Coal Company asked the Commission to reopen a penalty assessment that had become a final order after the company did not timely contest it. Apogee attributed the missed deadline to a clerical error and noted that it had contested the underlying citation. The Commission explained that…
Secretary of Labor obo Jeffrey Pappas v. CalPortland Company
Temporary reinstatement ordered after mine sale
Jeffrey Pappas had worked at the Oro Grande cement plant for 16 years and previously obtained reinstatement after filing a Mine Act discrimination complaint against the former owner. CalPortland bought the operation, hired nearly all of its workers, and did not hire Pappas. Judge Alan G. Paez found…
Secretary of Labor v. Chase Crushing, LLC
Reopening denied for unexplained delay
Chase Crushing asked the Commission to reopen a penalty assessment that became a final order after the company did not timely contest it. Chase said the failure to contest was inadvertent. MSHA later sent a delinquency notice, but Chase waited more than 30 days to seek reopening. Because Chase did…
Christian Landers v. Peabody Powder River Mining, LLC and Joy Global Surface Mining, Inc.
Joy Global added to discrimination case
Christian Landers sought to add Joy Global Surface Mining to his Mine Act discrimination case against Peabody Powder River Mining. Landers had identified both companies as his employers in his statement to MSHA, but MSHA's notice declining the case named only Peabody. Joy argued that it had not…
Daniel B. Lowe v. Veris Gold USA, Inc.
Commission lacked jurisdiction to advise on interlocutory relief
Daniel Lowe prevailed before a Judge on a discrimination complaint against Veris Gold, but the Judge had not yet awarded damages or other relief. Because Veris Gold had entered bankruptcy and sold its mining assets, the Judge asked the Commission how to proceed when no successor had been joined…
Secretary of Labor v. South River Stone, LLC
Reopening denied for unexplained delay
South River Stone asked the Commission to reopen a penalty assessment that became final after the company did not timely contest it. The company explained that the employee responsible for reviewing assessments was on leave because of a family illness when the assessment arrived. MSHA later sent a…
Michael Wilson v. Jarrod Farris, David Taylor, & Ross Glazer
Discovery request denied
Michael Wilson, a nonemployee miners' representative at the Parkway Mine, alleged that three ram-car drivers interfered with his Mine Act rights by asking an MSHA inspector how to remove him as a representative and keep him off mine property. Wilson sought permission to depose the three respondents…
Secretary of Labor v. Highland Mining Company, LLC
Reopening motion withdrawn
Highland Mining filed a motion asking the Commission to reopen this docket. The company later asked to withdraw that motion. The Commission granted withdrawal and dismissed the case without addressing whether reopening would otherwise have been justified.
Secretary of Labor v. Specialty Sand Company
Reopening denied for unexplained delay
Specialty Sand Company asked the Commission to reopen a final penalty assessment, saying that it never received the proposed assessment. The company intended to pay the full amount and sought reopening only to avoid collection costs. MSHA had sent a delinquency notice, but Specialty waited more…
N.B. and Department of the Air Force, General Mitchell Air Reserve Station, WI
N.B. (ECAB 16-0020): Untimely reconsideration refusal affirmed
N.B., an Air Force boiler plant operator, sought reconsideration in 2015 of a 2003 denial of his back injury claim. The Board found the request untimely. OWCP had sent an earlier development letter to an outdated address, but it sent the 2003 denial to the correct address with an explanation and…
S.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Sioux Falls, SD
S.L. (ECAB 15-1914): Abandoned oral hearing finding affirmed
S.L., a Postal Service letter carrier, requested an oral hearing after OWCP found that her earnings in modified work represented her wage earning capacity. OWCP mailed notice of a telephone hearing to her address of record. She did not call at the scheduled time, request postponement, or explain…
R.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Miami, FL
R.W. (ECAB 15-1839): Foot injury disability claim denied
R.W., a Postal Service supervisor, sustained an accepted left foot contusion when a container fell on her foot. She sought wage loss compensation for April 16 through May 1, 2015. The Board found that her medical reports did not explain why the accepted injury prevented work during those specific…
M.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing & Distribution Center, Coppell, TX
M.D. (ECAB 15-1161): Overpayment findings returned for work records
M.D., a Postal Service employee receiving wage loss benefits for an accepted shoulder injury, returned to work while OWCP continued paying compensation. OWCP found a $9,520.58 overpayment and held her at fault. The Board found conflicting dates and figures in OWCP’s records and no adequate evidence…
D.F. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Chattanooga, TN
D.F. (ECAB 15-1041): Ankle injury medical benefit termination modified
D.F., a Postal Service employee, injured his right ankle in 2011 and sustained a separate accepted ankle injury in 2013. An impartial orthopedic examiner later found that the 2011 injury had resolved, supporting termination of medical benefits for that injury. The Board found no medical evidence…
N.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Corona, CA
N.L. (ECAB 15-0431): Fault affirmed, overpayment amount returned for review
N.L., a former Postal Service clerk, received temporary total disability compensation while working part time as an usher and later full time for another employer. OWCP found a $7,855.27 overpayment and held her at fault. The Board found that OWCP had not matched her actual earnings to the periods…
C.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Martville Post Office, Martville, NY
C.W. (ECAB 14-0693): Emotional condition and wage capacity rulings remanded
OWCP had accepted an aggravation of C.W.’s preexisting posttraumatic stress disorder after a customer connected to her childhood abuse appeared at work. She later claimed another aggravation and disability after encountering someone she believed was related to that person at a different work site…
Price v. Federal National Mortgage Association
Price v. Fannie Mae (DOL ARB 15-003): Appeal withdrawn
Farley Price had asked the Board to review a Labor Department judge's dismissal of his Sarbanes-Oxley complaint against Fannie Mae. In December 2015, he told the Board he wanted to withdraw that appeal. The Board granted his request and dismissed the appeal without reviewing the complaint's merits…
D.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Chesterfield, VA
D.A. (ECAB 15-1872): Additional injury and disability claims denied
D.A., a Postal Service rural carrier associate, was in a vehicle collision while delivering mail in 2012. OWCP accepted a neck sprain and right shoulder and upper arm contusion. She sought recognition of additional medical conditions and wage loss benefits for March 15 through April 18, 2014. The…
A.H. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Philadelphia, PA
A.H. (ECAB 15-1870): Elevator incident injury claim denied
A.H., a Veterans Affairs housekeeping aide, reported that elevator doors repeatedly closed on her while she was cleaning the elevator. OWCP accepted that the incident happened but denied her injury claim. The Board found that the partially legible emergency room report did not identify a qualified…
P.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Richmond, VA
P.C. (ECAB 15-1805): Elbow impairment award returned for explanation
P.C., a Postal Service mail handler, received a schedule award for 10 percent right shoulder impairment and then an additional award for two percent right elbow impairment. She contested the elbow rating. The Board found that OWCP’s medical adviser had not adequately explained his choice of grade…
N.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Canal Street Station, New York, NY
N.P. (ECAB 15-1799): Retirement benefit overpayment affirmed
N.P., a Postal Service letter carrier, received FECA wage loss benefits and later elected federal disability retirement benefits retroactive to May 20, 2013. The Board found that the overlapping benefits through February 7, 2015 created an $11,317.50 overpayment. OWCP had told her that receiving…
G.Q. and Department of Homeland Security, Customs & Border Protection, El Paso, TX
G.Q. (ECAB 15-1794): Hearing loss schedule award denied
G.Q., a supervisory border patrol agent, developed hearing loss and tinnitus after noise exposure at work. The Board found that his measured hearing loss fell below the impairment threshold used for a schedule award. It also held that tinnitus could not support a separate award without ratable…
S.M. and Department of Defense, Dependents Education, Arlington, VA
S.M. (ECAB 15-1511): Claim expansion and spine surgery denied
S.M. sought to add a lumbar compression fracture to claims arising from earlier workplace injuries and to have OWCP authorize kyphoplasty surgery. The Board found that the medical evidence did not establish that the fracture resulted from an accepted work injury or as a consequence of one. Her…
S.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, San Francisco, CA
S.S. (ECAB 15-1160): Termination of back injury benefits affirmed
S.S., a Postal Service motor vehicle operator, fell from a truck in 1987, aggravating a preexisting lumbar disc condition. OWCP ended his wage loss and medical benefits effective May 13, 2013. The Board gave weight to a second opinion physician who found that the work related aggravation had…
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.