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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C.C. and Tennessee Valley Authority, Workers’ Compensation Department, Chattanooga, TN
C.C. (ECAB 14-1576): Leg impairment claim returned to combine files
C.C. sought an additional award for right-leg impairment. OWCP compared his claim with a 23-percent award in another file, but the Board did not have that file or enough information about which conditions the earlier award covered. The Board directed OWCP to combine the related right-leg files and…
R.P. and U.S. Postal Service, North Richland Hills Post Office, North Richland Hills, TX
R.P. (ECAB 14-1264): Benefits termination for refusing suitable work affirmed
R.P., a postal carrier with an accepted thumb condition, refused a modified job offer. An impartial physician found that he could perform the offered work with restrictions. The Board found the physician’s opinion well reasoned and rejected a challenge to his selection based on disciplinary action…
D.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Kearny, NJ
D.P. (ECAB 14-1256): Recurrence of disability denial affirmed
D.P., a postal worker with accepted shoulder and knee injuries, returned to regular work and later claimed total disability beginning April 3, 2012. Her physician attributed later pain and disability to the earlier injury but did not adequately explain the medical connection for the claimed period…
P.A. and Department of Homeland Security, Customs & Border Protection, Yuma, AZ
P.A. (ECAB 14-0179): Vehicle accident injury claim denial affirmed
P.A., a border protection employee, was in a vehicle accident while working. OWCP accepted that the accident occurred, and an emergency physician diagnosed wrist, head, and neck conditions. The Board found that the physician checked a work-causation box but gave no medical explanation connecting…
All Florida Tree & Landscape, Inc.
Willful power-line violations affirmed after fatal electrocution
Two All Florida employees were cutting branches high in a tree with crane rigging near energized overhead lines when one employee was electrocuted. The judge held that the tree removal was maintenance work governed by general-industry standards, not construction work. A serious crane item was…
National Treasury Employees Union (Union) and United States Department of Agriculture, Food Nutrition and Consumer Services (Agency)
NTEU and USDA Food Nutrition and Consumer Services (FLRA 0-NG-3214): Three promotion proposals require bargaining
NTEU and USDA Food Nutrition and Consumer Services disputed five proposals about merit promotions and employee details. The Authority ordered bargaining over a written explanation when an outside applicant is selected over a qualified bargaining-unit employee, access to documentation about…
Secretary of Labor v. Ames Construction, Inc.
Tool-trailer housekeeping citation vacated
MSHA issued an S&S, high-negligence housekeeping citation after an inspector found tools and construction materials in a mobile storage trailer and measured one isolated walkway point at 13 inches wide. Judge David P. Simonton found the trailer relatively clean and orderly, with a generally clear…
Secretary of Labor v. Signal Peak Energy, LLC
Five-day reporting delay brings $60,000 penalty
A longwall roof cave produced an air blast that damaged 78 stoppings and propelled a miner 50 to 80 feet, causing serious and visible injuries. Signal Peak did not notify MSHA, resumed mining through the accident site, and MSHA learned of the incident from a reporter five days later. The Commission…
T.S. and Department of Energy, Bonneville Power Administration, Kent, WA
T.S. (ECAB 15-0184): Trigger finger claim and reconsideration denied
T.S. claimed that using a larger hammer at work caused or aggravated a right trigger finger condition. The Board accepted that he used the hammer but found no physician’s explanation connecting that work factor to the diagnosis. His later reconsideration materials did not address the missing causal…
Z.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Pittsburgh, PA
Z.L. (ECAB 15-0117): Merit reconsideration of disability claim denied
Z.L., a postal worker with accepted shoulder conditions, sought further review of a denied wage-loss claim. The Board could review only OWCP’s refusal to reconsider the claim, not the earlier merits ruling. It found that the submitted reports repeated evidence already considered or did not address…
R.R. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Morrisville, NC
R.R. (ECAB 15-0065): Schedule award reconsideration denied
R.R. sought review of a schedule award issued for a TSA work injury. She submitted pay records showing a weekly rate lower than the rate OWCP had used and resubmitted a medical report already considered. The Board found that the pay records did not support a higher award or address a greater…
N.T. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Salisbury, NC
N.T. (ECAB 14-1895): Left-arm impairment and reconsideration denials affirmed
N.T. had received left-arm schedule awards after accepted shoulder conditions and surgery. OWCP’s medical adviser rated total impairment at 34 percent under the impairment guides, and the Board found the calculation supported by the record. N.T. then asked OWCP to consider a physician’s report for…
L.Z. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Phoenix, AZ
L.Z. (ECAB 14-1544): Multi-condition occupational claim denial affirmed
L.Z., a postal worker, attributed back, neck, arm, shoulder, and leg conditions to repetitive duties such as lifting mail tubs and pushing carts. The Board found that she identified work factors but did not submit a reasoned physician opinion explaining how they caused or aggravated the claimed…
Jacobs Field Services North America
Four lockout items vacated for lack of knowledge and applicability proof
A Jacobs employee volunteered to help a chemical-plant operator replace a leaking valve, and a flange failure released about 750 pounds of butylene oxide. The Commission agreed that lockout requirements applied to that valve-replacement work because the release caused burns, chemical pneumonia, and…
Secretary of Labor on behalf of Dallas Brooks v. Kingston Mining, Inc.
Roof bolter temporarily reinstated
Dallas Brooks alleged that Kingston Mining discharged him after he complained about roof bolters working downwind more than once per shift in violation of the ventilation plan. Judge Priscilla M. Rae found the complaint was not frivolously brought because Brooks described repeated safety…
S.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Crownsville, MD
S.B. (ECAB 15-0174): Parcel-lifting injury claim denied
S.B., a postal distribution clerk, reported injury while lifting parcels at work. OWCP accepted that the lifting incident occurred, as the Board noted. The physician’s report mentioned degenerative back changes but did not give an opinion linking a diagnosed condition to the work incident; a…
A.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Amherst, NY
A.D. (ECAB 15-0162): Mailbox injury incident not established
A.D., a postal carrier, reported a hand injury while removing mail from a full mailbox but gave several possible dates. OWCP requested a detailed account identifying when and how the incident occurred, and she did not provide one. The Board found that the work incident itself had not been…
R.P. and Department of the Navy, Marine Corps, Barstow, CA
R.P. (ECAB 14-2043): Additional accident-related conditions denied
R.P. was in a vehicle accident while returning from treatment for accepted work conditions. OWCP accepted neck and upper-back sprains from the accident. He sought to add spinal disc conditions and nerve symptoms, but the Board found that the medical reports did not adequately explain how the…
R.A. and Tennessee Valley Authority, Chattanooga, TN
R.A. (ECAB 14-1918): Pulmonary claim returned for x-ray review
R.A. claimed a pulmonary condition after workplace dust exposure. Two physicians qualified to read occupational chest x-rays diagnosed pneumoconiosis. OWCP’s referral physician discussed possible x-ray findings but had not reviewed the films, leaving the key issue unresolved. The Board directed…
N.C. and Department of the Air Force, Barksdale Air Force Base, LA
N.C. (ECAB 14-1882): Whole-body rating did not support schedule award
N.C. sought a schedule award for permanent impairment from accepted work conditions. Her doctor rated whole-body impairment at 28 percent, but the Board explained that the compensation statute does not provide a schedule award for whole-body impairment. OWCP’s examining physician and medical…
L.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Carol Stream, IL
L.M. (ECAB 14-1738): Late schedule award reconsideration denied
L.M. sought further review of a schedule award for knee impairment. The Board found that her 2014 filing came more than a year after the last merits decision and included no relevant rating of increased permanent impairment that would make it a new award claim. The evidence also did not show clear…
United States Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service (Agency) and National Treasury Employees Union, Chapter 271 (Union)
IRS and NTEU Chapter 271 (FLRA 0-AR-5016): Bargaining required over health unit at new office
The IRS left a Brooklyn office where it had maintained an employee health unit and moved to a new location without bargaining over a replacement. An arbitrator found that the health unit was an established past practice and that the agency's refusal to bargain violated the parties' agreement and…
M.K. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Omaha, NE
M.K. (ECAB 15-0142): Injury claim and reconsideration denials affirmed
M.K., a VA police chief, was startled by a mouse trap while picking up a paper towel at work and reported striking his head and shoulder. The Board accepted the incident but found no physician opinion linking a diagnosed condition to it. A nurse’s report and an unsigned report did not supply the…
G.U. and Department of the Army, Army Depot, Anniston, AL
G.U. (ECAB 15-0098): Existing hearing loss awards affirmed
G.U., an Army Depot inspector, sought a larger hearing loss award after accepted workplace noise exposure. The Board credited a physician’s certified audiogram showing two percent loss in the left ear and no additional ratable loss in the right ear. His older audiograms lacked required testing and…
A.T. and Department of Homeland Security, Immigration & Customs Enforcement, San Diego, CA
A.T. (ECAB 15-0033): Fifteen-percent left-arm award affirmed
A.T. sought a larger schedule award after receiving awards totaling 15 percent left-arm impairment. The Board credited a medical opinion that applied the current impairment guides and explained why a higher competing rating counted overlapping shoulder diagnoses and lacked supporting wrist…
S.G. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration Medical Center, Murfreesboro, TN
S.G. (ECAB 15-0018): Occupational claim returned to review medical records
S.G. submitted medical records for an occupational disease claim. OWCP received them on the day it denied the claim, but the denial said she had submitted no evidence and did not address the records. The Board held that OWCP had to consider evidence received before issuing its decision, even if it…
C.Y. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Troy, MI
C.Y. (ECAB 14-2075): Back injury claim denial affirmed
C.Y., a postal distribution clerk, reported a back injury while pushing equipment at work. The Board accepted that the incident occurred but found no reasoned physician opinion linking it to a low back condition. One doctor checked a causation box without explanation, which the Board found…
J.R. and Department of the Air Force, Air Force Systems Command, Hill Air Force Base, Ogden, UT
J.R. (ECAB 14-2073): Reconsideration denial returned for explanation
J.R. asked OWCP to reconsider an earlier denial of a shoulder injury claim and submitted a disc of records. OWCP rejected the request as late and said it showed no clear error, but did not discuss the submitted evidence or explain why it failed that standard. The Board held that OWCP had to state…
G.J. and Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons, Field Acquisition Office, Grand Prairie, TX
G.J. (ECAB 14-1894): Leg impairment award returned for complete record
G.J. received an additional left-leg schedule award calculated using a prior award in another claim file. OWCP and its medical adviser relied on that other file, but it was absent from the Board’s record. The Board ordered OWCP to combine the files and issue a new decision from a complete record…
S.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Fresno, CA
S.B. (ECAB 14-1511): Recurrence of disability not established
S.B. returned to a modified postal job and stopped working a week later. The Board found that the treating reports described pain but did not explain, with objective findings and reference to the modified duties, why accepted conditions prevented the work. It affirmed the denial and noted that S.B…
Secretary of Labor v. Justice Energy Company, Inc.
Haul-road and equipment violations bring $223,781
MSHA issued nine citations at Justice Energy's Red Fox surface mine for a muddy haul road, an inadequate berm, unsafe conditions on a bus used as a mantrip, and defects and oil accumulations on two highwall drills. Judge Jacqueline R. Bulluck affirmed seven litigated S&S citations, including…
United States Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Los Angeles, California and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 505, AFL-CIO
ICE Los Angeles and AFGE Local 505 (FLRA SF-CA-13-0537): Information request order upheld
AFGE Local 505 requested information about assignments on an ICE supervisor's team while grieving alleged favoritism. ICE did not address the request, and the union filed unfair labor practice charges. An administrative law judge found that ICE's late answer to the complaint admitted its…
Randall Stovall v. Total Terminals International, LLC
Stovall v. Total Terminals (BRB 14-0266): separate settlement returned to the judge
Longshoreman Randall Stovall brought back injury claims against several potentially liable waterfront employers. He and Total Terminals proposed a separate $1,500 settlement of the claim against that employer, plus a $500 attorney fee. An administrative law judge rejected the application because…
Wagner v. Grand Trunk Western Railroad Co.
Wagner v. Grand Trunk Western Railroad (DOL ARB 2015-0030): agency complaint dismissed after court filing
Jacob Wagner alleged that Grand Trunk Western Railroad retaliated against him by suspending him for 20 days. OSHA found reasonable cause and awarded damages, but an administrative law judge later dismissed his complaint after finding the railroad would have taken the same action without protected…
V.V. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, New York, NY
V.V. (ECAB 15-169): New back injury claim denied
V.V. reported back pain while lifting a tray of mail. The Board accepted that the lifting event occurred but found that his physician did not explain how it caused or aggravated a diagnosed condition beyond back problems already being treated under another claim. Increased symptoms without…
R.G. and Department of the Navy, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, VA
R.G. (ECAB 15-0167): Hearing loss timeliness returned for audiogram review
R.G. filed his hearing loss claim years after leaving shipyard work. Although that was beyond the ordinary three-year filing period, the Board found that OWCP overlooked at least 18 employer-administered hearing tests. A positive test could establish timely notice to his supervisor, so OWCP must…
A.A. and Department of the Army, Fort Bliss, TX
A.A. (ECAB 15-0128): Injury claim denied without medical evidence
A.A. was in a collision while about to park for work. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred in the performance of duty, but no medical evidence was submitted before its decision. The Board affirmed because the event alone did not establish a diagnosed injury caused by it.
P.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Jefferson, OH
P.G. (ECAB 15-0078): Refusal to reopen knee and ankle claim affirmed
P.G. requested reconsideration of the termination of benefits for accepted right knee and ankle tendinitis. A report from her treating orthopedic surgeon concerned a separate shoulder injury, so the Board found it irrelevant to the issue in this claim and upheld OWCP’s refusal to conduct another…
A.T. and Department of Defense, Defense Commissary Agency, MacDill Air Force Base, FL
A.T. (ECAB 15-0044): Store worker injury claim denied
OWCP accepted that A.T. lifted, pushed, and bent during her store work. Her doctor documented pain and treatment restrictions but did not explain how those duties caused a diagnosed injury. The Board affirmed the denial for lack of a reasoned medical opinion on causation.
A.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Newtown, MA
A.S. (ECAB 15-0017): Late reconsideration request denied
A.S. sought to reopen a denied claim for symptoms attributed to exhaust from a mail truck. OWCP received his request more than one year after the merit decision. The Board found that the later medical material could not meet the demanding clear-error standard for an untimely request, and that a…
R.R. and Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Van Buren, MO
R.R. (ECAB 15-0009): Late request to reopen carpal tunnel claim denied
R.R. asked for reconsideration nearly two years after OWCP denied his claim. New reports diagnosed carpal tunnel syndrome and one linked it generally to years of keyboard use. The Board found neither report explained medically how his work caused or aggravated the condition, so the evidence did not…
B.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Chicago, IL
B.B. (ECAB 15-0006): Foot condition claim and review denial affirmed
B.B.’s podiatrist diagnosed flatfoot and posterior tibial tendinitis but did not explain how the accepted mail-handling duties caused or aggravated those conditions. The Board upheld the claim denial. It also found that a later wage-loss form supplied no new evidence on medical causation and did…
B.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Atlanta, GA
B.S. (ECAB 15-0002): Additional consequential conditions not established
OWCP had accepted several conditions arising from B.S.’s knee injury and later falls, including a left foot fracture, hip bursitis, and lumbar sprain aggravation. B.S. sought acceptance of further back, neck, shoulder, and head conditions. The Board found the new medical opinions lacked a reasoned…
J.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Manhattanville Station, New York, NY
J.D. (ECAB 14-2061): Back injury claim denied for lack of medical causation
J.D. reported back and leg symptoms after offloading and pushing heavy mail containers over more than one shift. The Board agreed that OWCP properly treated the claim as an occupational disease and accepted the described work activities. It held that the physicians did not provide a reasoned…
H.G. and Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Albuquerque, NM
H.G. (ECAB 14-2033): Foot injury claim and merit review denied
H.G. reported a foot injury after walking all day on mountainous terrain. Her physician attributed the condition to a different event, stepping backward from a truck and twisting her ankle, without tying that event to the date or mechanism in the claim. The Board found the medical opinion…
M.M. and Department of Homeland Security, Federal Air Marshal Service, Reston, VA
M.M. (ECAB 14-1783): Recurrence claim returned for job evidence
M.M. was removed from his air marshal position after permanent knee restrictions were reported. The Board found the record too thin to determine whether his removal withdrew work that had accommodated his accepted right knee condition. It ordered OWCP to obtain the missing job and removal records…
C.G. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, El Paso, TX
C.G. (ECAB 14-1141): Emotional condition denial affirmed as modified
C.G. alleged harassment, improper personnel actions, and unauthorized access to medical records. OWCP had treated the records access and exposure of retirement papers as compensable factors but denied the claim for lack of medical causation. The Board found those incidents occurred but did not show…
C.L. and Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Roseburg, OR
C.L. (ECAB 14-0364): Additional leg impairment award denied
C.L. sought increased awards for both legs after a work-related spinal injury. An impartial examiner found no leg sensory or motor deficit under the applicable spinal nerve rating method. The Board gave his reasoned opinion special weight and rejected counsel’s challenge to OWCP’s use of that…
United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons (Agency) and American Federation of Government Employees, Council of Prison Locals 33 (Union)
Bureau of Prisons and AFGE Council of Prison Locals 33 (FLRA 0-AR-5050): Quarterly post assignments upheld
The Bureau of Prisons extended some correctional officers' post assignments from three months to six or nine months. An arbitrator found that the parties' agreement required quarterly assignments and ordered the agency to open posts for bidding every three months. The agency argued that a prior…
United States Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Savannah, Georgia (Agency) and National Treasury Employees Union, Chapter 150 (Union)
CBP Savannah and NTEU Chapter 150 (FLRA 0-AR-5013): Backpay upheld for missed overtime
Two Customs and Border Protection employees missed overtime assignments they should have received under the labor agreement. An arbitrator awarded backpay instead of later overtime shifts offered by the agency. The Authority held that the agency had not shown a binding practice requiring…
United States Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Savannah, Georgia (Agency) and National Treasury Employees Union, Chapter 150 (Union)
CBP Savannah and NTEU Chapter 150 (FLRA 0-AR-4964): Backpay for missed overtime upheld
CBP Savannah assigned overtime to employees other than several volunteers who were entitled to it under the parties' agreement. The agency later offered the bypassed employees make-up overtime, but an arbitrator awarded backpay instead. The arbitrator found that the agreement superseded the earlier…
Secretary of Labor v. Remington, LLC
Settlement denied for inadequate factual support
The Secretary sought approval to reduce penalties for three alleged violations at Remington's Winchester Mine from $15,794 to $9,500. The proposed settlement would also reduce negligence from high to moderate and change three unwarrantable-failure orders into section 104(a) citations. Judge William…
Secretary of Labor v. Resolution Copper Mining, LLC
Commission orders supplemental briefing on petition for modification
MSHA cited Resolution Copper Mining for allegedly violating the hoisting-speed standard in 30 C.F.R. § 57.19076. After the Commission granted review of an ALJ decision favoring Resolution, a Department of Labor ALJ granted the operator a petition to modify the application of that same standard. The…
Secretary of Labor v. Northshore Mining Company
Mixed ruling and settlements produce $47,135 penalty
Northshore Mining processed taconite ore at a surface facility in Minnesota, where MSHA cited housekeeping, access, electrical, and guarding conditions. Judge David F. Barbour affirmed eight of the nine contested violations, including three S&S housekeeping violations involving slippery floors…
J.V. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Belvidere, IL
J.V. (ECAB 15-0102): Lung condition claim denied
J.V. attributed breathing problems to hot and cold weather on her mail route. The Board accepted that the job exposed her to those temperatures but found that the medical reports did not explain how the exposure caused or aggravated her diagnosed pulmonary conditions. Her pulmonologist described…
D.A. and Department of the Army, Redstone Arsenal, AL
D.A. (ECAB 15-0019): Neck injury claim denied
D.A. experienced neck and arm symptoms after reaching overhead for a file. The Board accepted the work event but found no physician had explained how it caused or aggravated a diagnosed condition, particularly in light of her earlier cervical surgery. Checking a work-related box and reporting…
W.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Laguna Niguel, CA
W.J. (ECAB 14-2068): Refusal to reopen schedule award claim affirmed
W.J. challenged OWCP’s denial of a schedule award, arguing about his doctor’s qualifications and seeking a change of physician. The Board did not review the change-of-physician request because OWCP had issued no final decision on it. It found that his argument about the doctor’s use of an outdated…
C.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Elizabeth City, NC
C.T. (ECAB 14-2014): Compensation reduction returned after notice error
OWCP relied on a second-opinion doctor’s work restrictions when it reduced C.T.’s wage-loss compensation. It sent her authorized counsel notice of that examination using an incorrect ZIP code. The Board found counsel lacked timely actual notice, which deprived C.T. of the opportunity to have her…
M.S. and Department of the Army, Command Safety Office, Fort Drum, NY
M.S. (ECAB 14-1975): Termination of wage-loss and medical benefits affirmed
After an earlier termination was reversed, OWCP obtained a new second opinion. The Board found that examination sufficiently explained why M.S. no longer had residuals or disability from the accepted shoulder strain and knee contusion. Reports from treating doctors did not adequately connect other…
K.J. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Lyons, NJ
K.J. (ECAB 14-1874): Emotional condition claim returned for factual development
K.J. said she took on librarian and training duties without adequate preparation. OWCP treated her claim as unsupported but failed to address her narrative and medical report clearly or obtain a response from her supervisor. The Board found that OWCP’s supposed merit review was only a nonmerit…
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.