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.C. and Department of Labor, Mine Safety and Health Administration, Norton, VA
L.C. (ECAB 14-1954): Additional hearing loss award denied
L.C., a retired mine safety specialist, had an accepted claim for hearing loss and a prior schedule award based on 14 percent loss in both ears. He requested a larger award and submitted an audiologist’s later test suggesting greater impairment. The Board held that an additional award could not…
K.G. and Department of the Navy, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, VA
K.G. (ECAB 14-1827): Five percent hearing loss award upheld
K.G., a naval shipyard rigger, had an accepted claim for hearing loss caused by workplace noise. OWCP awarded him 10 weeks of compensation based on five percent hearing loss in both ears. He sought a larger rating that included an additional three percent for tinnitus. The Board found that the…
B.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Bulk Mail Center, Memphis, TN
B.T. (ECAB 14-1823): Late hearing request denied
B.T., a postal clerk with accepted knee and ankle injuries, sought a hearing after OWCP denied some claimed lost wages. Her hearing request was dated within 30 days of that decision, but its postmark was illegible and OWCP did not receive it until February 4, 2014. The Board found that the receipt…
S.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Pasadena, TX
S.R. (ECAB 14-1707): Claimed smoke inhalation injury not established
S.R., a postal custodial laborer, reported smoke inhalation and related symptoms after an electrical problem at work. The employer confirmed an odor and an evacuation but disputed that she was exposed to smoke in the area where she remained. OWCP asked S.R. to describe where she was and how the…
H.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Seattle, WA
H.J. (ECAB 14-1550): Two days of wage loss compensation denied
H.J., a postal mail handler, had an accepted claim for work aggravated arthritis in both hips. He sought wage loss compensation for two days in July 2013 when he said he could not work because of a flare-up. His physician later attributed the absence to pain in his hips and shoulder, relying mainly…
C.N. and Department of Defense, Defense Commissary Agency, Kirtland Air Force Base, NM
C.N. (ECAB 14-1953): Late reconsideration of cart injury claim denied
C.N., a commissary store associate, claimed that pushing carts injured her left arm and upper back in March 2012. OWCP denied the claim after she did not supply details establishing the alleged incident. She sought reconsideration almost two years later and said she had received the denial letter…
C.K. and Department of the Navy, Naval Air Systems Command, San Diego, CA
C.K. (ECAB 14-1861): Arm impairment claim returned for a supported rating
C.K., a former Navy aircraft electrician, had received a schedule award for 13 percent impairment of each arm after a work injury involving his neck. He sought a larger award. A referral physician said his condition had not changed but supplied no impairment calculation, while OWCP’s medical…
B.L., widow of J.L. and Department of Justice, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Washington, DC
B.L., widow of J.L. (ECAB 14-1853): Late written-record review request denied
B.L. sought survivor benefits after her husband, a former federal investigator with accepted work injuries, died in 2013. OWCP denied the claim because it found no proven link between his death and the accepted conditions. B.L. requested review of the written record more than 30 days after that…
B.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Dallas, TX
B.H. (ECAB 14-1846): Life insurance overpayment upheld, recovery remanded
B.H., a postal supervisor receiving compensation, elected life insurance coverage that required additional premium deductions. OWCP omitted the extra deductions for 21 payment periods, creating an overpayment of $3,117.24, and the Board upheld that calculation. OWCP had also denied waiver and…
B.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Kansas City, KS
B.M. (ECAB 14-1758): Stroke claim not linked to postal work
B.M., a postal mail carrier, had a stroke at work and attributed it to pressure to complete his duties after moving to a new work site. The Board found that his brief account did not identify a specific compensable work factor. His physicians diagnosed the stroke but did not explain a causal…
H.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Greensboro, NC
H.H. (ECAB 14-1609): Left knee claim lacked a specific causal opinion
H.H., a postal mail processing clerk, reported left knee pain after pulling mail containers at work on May 21, 2013. OWCP accepted that the pulling incident occurred, but denied the injury claim. Her physician described several knee conditions and discussed repeated work duties, yet did not explain…
L.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Milwaukee, WI
L.S. (ECAB 14-1460): Arm impairment claim returned for a new examination
L.S., a former postal mail handler with accepted cervical spine disease, had previously received schedule awards for 21 percent impairment of each arm. He sought a larger award, but OWCP’s medical adviser rated the right arm at 10 percent and the left at zero without adequately addressing sensory…
A.W. and Department of Labor, Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs, San Francisco, CA
A.W. (ECAB 14-0708): Approval for previously performed spine surgery denied
A.W., a federal claims examiner, had an accepted aggravation of lower back disc disease and underwent spine surgery in August 2011. His surgeon attributed the need for surgery in part to prolonged sitting at work, but an OWCP referral surgeon found it was chiefly due to the progression of…
Mondo Construction Company, LLC
Trench items affirmed but repeat classification rejected
Mondo employees worked in a utility trench with deep side channels while installing plywood shoring that lacked the braces required by the company's engineering plan. The judge measured the excavation from the channels because they extended to the walls and increased the wall load, making the…
Secretary of Labor v. Harry C. Crooker & Sons, Inc.
Timely answer makes default order a nullity
The Chief Administrative Law Judge entered a default after the record appeared to show that Harry C. Crooker & Sons had not answered an order to show cause. Crooker later sought reopening and asserted that it had mailed a timely answer to both the Labor Department and the Commission. The Secretary…
Brody Mining, LLC v. Secretary of Labor; Secretary of Labor v. Brody Mining, LLC
Brody Mining, LLC v. Secretary of Labor (FMSHRC WEVA 2014-82-R, et al.): POV ruling certified for review but stay denied
After dismissing MSHA's pattern-of-violations notice against Brody Mining, Judge William B. Moran agreed that immediate Commission review could materially advance the consolidated proceedings because 357 non-S&S citations and orders remained unresolved. He therefore certified controlling legal…
Secretary of Labor v. Sierra Rock & Dirt, Inc.
Answer under companion docket nullifies default
The Secretary's penalty case against Sierra Rock & Dirt was split into two dockets, WEST 2014-41-M and WEST 2014-42-M. Sierra timely answered all citations in both cases, but the answer displayed only the first docket number. Because the second docket appeared unanswered, a show-cause order later…
Secretary of Labor v. 80th Street Aggregates
Default vacated after misdirected answer
80th Street Aggregates defaulted after its answer to a penalty petition did not appear in the case record. The operator sought reopening and supplied delivery receipts supporting its claim that it responded to the Commission in February 2013. It also sent an answer to MSHA in July, but used MSHA's…
Secretary of Labor v. Austin Powder Company
Missed penalty contest reopened over dissent
Austin Powder missed the 30-day deadline to contest a proposed penalty because its safety specialist waited for instructions from managers and did not send the assessment to counsel. The Commission majority reopened the final assessment in the interest of justice, noting that Austin had changed its…
Bremerton Metal Trades Council (Union) and United States Department of the Navy, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, Bremerton, Washington (Agency)
Bremerton Metal Trades Council and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (FLRA 0-AR-4963): Weekend overtime grievance denied
A shipyard employee volunteered for weekend overtime but was on sick leave when her supervisor assigned the work on Thursday. The supervisor gave the overtime to someone else because he did not know whether she could work that weekend. An arbitrator found that the employee needed to notify…
M.N. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Houston, TX
M.N. (ECAB 14-1845): Cervical condition not added to accepted claim
M.N., a postal letter sorting machine operator, had accepted arm and shoulder injuries after a machine door struck her in 1996. She later sought to add a cervical disc condition to the claim. Her physician linked the condition to that incident, while OWCP physicians disagreed. The Board gave weight…
O.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Del Valle, TX
O.T. (ECAB 14-1803): Earlier elbow injury claim not established
O.T., a rural postal carrier, reported that a jolt while steering her vehicle hurt her left elbow in December 2012. She did not report or seek treatment for that incident until after a separate elbow event in June 2013. The Board found her differing explanations for the seven-month delay and the…
F.L. and Department of Defense, Defense Commissary Agency, Lakehurst, NJ
F.L. (ECAB 14-1771): Fall injury claim lacked medical causation
F.L., a commissary store associate, slipped on ice in a walk-in freezer at work in July 2012. OWCP accepted that the fall occurred but denied his claim for neck, arm, and shoulder conditions. His physicians diagnosed several conditions, yet the Board found their reports did not explain how the fall…
N.B. and Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Ogden, UT
N.B. (ECAB 14-1702): Shoulder condition not medically linked to work
N.B., an IRS computer operator, claimed that repetitive overhead lifting and carrying at work aggravated a condition affecting both shoulder blades. The Board accepted those duties and acknowledged the diagnosis of snapping scapula syndrome. His physician said the condition worsened after he took…
R.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Greensburg, TN
R.R. (ECAB 14-1415): Later wage loss claim denied after accepted strains resolved
R.R., a rural mail carrier, was injured when another vehicle struck her mail truck. OWCP accepted cervical and lumbar strains and paid wage loss through September 13, 2013, when it found the strains had resolved. She sought additional wage loss beginning September 25, 2013 and said the crash…
C.M. and Department of Defense, Defense Logistics Agency, Fort Belvoir, VA
C.M. (ECAB 14-1381): Employment termination did not establish a disability recurrence
C.M., a Defense Logistics Agency worker, injured her back and right elbow while moving a box. She returned to a limited duty label making job, then claimed a recurrence of total disability after her employment ended. The Board found that the agency terminated her for unauthorized absences and…
V.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Des Moines, IA
V.C. (ECAB 14-1230): Intermittent wage loss and foot impairment claims denied
V.C., a postal clerk, fractured bones in her left foot in a fall at work and later returned to limited duty. She sought compensation for intermittent absences from April 20 through May 31, 2013 and a schedule award for permanent impairment. The Board found that her physician had not explained why…
United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Federal Correctional Complex, Pollock, Louisiana (Agency) and American Federation of Government Employees, Council of Prison Locals #33, Local 1034 (Union)
Bureau of Prisons Pollock and AFGE Local 1034 (FLRA 0-AR-4942): Backpay award set aside
A Bureau of Prisons correctional officer lost overtime opportunities after being reassigned during an investigation. An arbitrator found no misconduct by the officer and awarded backpay for the lost overtime. The Authority set aside that award because the arbitrator had not found that the…
S.K. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Philadelphia, PA
S.K. (ECAB 14-1849): Shoulder injury claim lacked work duties and medical link
S.K., a postal sales associate, reported burning pain from her right shoulder into her neck after handling mail and parcels. Physicians diagnosed a shoulder or upper arm strain. The Board found that she had not clearly described the work activities she believed caused the condition. Her physicians…
J.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, San Francisco, CA
J.D. (ECAB 14-1843): Continuation of pay rescinded for hernia claim
J.D., a postal clerk, received continuation of pay after surgery for an inguinal hernia. OWCP later accepted his condition as an occupational disease but rescinded continuation of pay, which requires a traumatic injury. The Board found that his own account described heavy mail handling over several…
E.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Roanoke, VA
E.B. (ECAB 14-1735): Schedule award and merit review denied
E.B., a retired postal clerk, sought a schedule award for lasting impairment after a work vehicle accident injured his left arm and right leg. OWCP asked for an impairment rating under the sixth edition of the applicable guides, but none was in the record when it denied the award. He later…
W.H. and Department of Homeland Security, Customs & Border Protection, OFO-Imperial, CA
W.H. (ECAB 14-1661): Increased hearing loss claim returned for medical review
W.H., a retired customs inspector, had received a schedule award for 24.7 percent bilateral hearing loss from workplace noise. He sought a larger award after later testing showed more hearing loss. OWCP denied it based on a medical adviser’s general statement that noise induced loss does not…
J.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Greenwood, IL
J.J. (ECAB 14-1653): Later knee disability not linked to accepted sprain
J.J., a mail carrier, injured her right knee on stairs in 2004. OWCP accepted a medial collateral ligament sprain, and she returned to full duty that year. She later claimed a recurrence of disability beginning January 23, 2014, citing meniscus tears and arthritis found in later imaging. The Board…
S.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Charlotte, NC
S.L. (ECAB 14-1591): Commute crash claim denied; treatment costs left for OWCP
S.L., a rural mail carrier, was injured when her personal vehicle slid on an icy road while she was driving home. She lived 35 miles from her duty station and slid off the road at 7:00 p.m., two hours after signing out of work. Although her employer knew she used the vehicle for work, the Board…
A.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Bulk Mail Center, Jersey City, NJ
A.B. (ECAB 14-1513): Carpal tunnel claim returned to combine case records
A.B., a postal distribution clerk, claimed that repetitive work and a separate left wrist injury caused or worsened bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome. OWCP denied her occupational disease claim for lack of a sufficient medical link. The Board found that evidence about her wrist surgery was held in…
M.C. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Hudson Valley Health Care System, Castle Point, NY
M.C. (ECAB 14-1456): Emotional condition claim lacked a compensable work factor
M.C., a Veterans Affairs timekeeper, attributed an emotional condition to management’s handling of her return to work after earlier injuries. She cited inadequate training, limited supervisory support, and a failure to honor work restrictions. The Board found that the administrative complaints were…
Y.M. and Department of Labor, Office of Workers’ Compensation, Division of Federal Employees’ Compensation, Philadelphia, PA
Y.M. (ECAB 14-1050 and 14-1193): Added conditions denied and wage loss ended
Y.M., a Department of Labor claims examiner, had accepted bilateral carpal and radial tunnel conditions. She also sought acceptance of cervical radiculopathy and brachial plexopathy, and disputed the end of her wage loss benefits after she declined a modified job offer. The Board credited an…
J.E. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Rochester, MN
J.E. (ECAB 14-1132): Parking lot fall claim lacked a medical link
J.E., a postal letter carrier, reported that he fell on ice in the employer’s parking lot after his directed early reporting time and hurt his back and ribs. The Board found that his medical reports did not adequately diagnose a condition and explain how the fall caused it. It also found that his…
B.M. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Beckley, WV
B.M. (ECAB 14-0345): Leg impairment rating returned for independent review
B.M., a Veterans Affairs medical technician, had received schedule awards for four percent impairment of each lower extremity after an accepted lower back injury. She sought a higher rating. The Board found that her treating physician and an OWCP medical adviser disagreed about the severity of her…
Spirit AeroSystems, Inc.
Vehicle lockout case reinstated because manuals were not incorporated
A Spirit mechanic was killed when a diesel truck moved after he bypassed starter safety switches while standing in the engine compartment. OSHA alleged that Spirit lacked specific written energy-control procedures for vehicle maintenance, but the judge dismissed the case after the Secretary's…
Secretary of Labor v. Consolidation Coal Company
Ownership-change penalty default reopened
Consolidation Coal failed to contest a proposed penalty within 30 days after a change in ownership led to miscommunication about responsibility for filing contest forms. The assessment therefore became a final Commission order. Consolidation sought reopening, and the Secretary did not oppose relief…
Secretary of Labor v. Consolidation Coal Company
Ownership-transition default reopened over dissent
Consolidation Coal missed the 30-day deadline to contest a penalty assessment after Murray Energy acquired the Blacksville No. 2 Mine and responsibility for filing contest forms became unclear. The Commission majority reopened the assessment in the interest of justice and remanded for the Secretary…
United Steel Workers Local No. 5114, on behalf of Miners v. Hecla Limited
Compensation limited to stress-gauge noncompliance period
Hecla failed to take stress-gauge readings required by a section 103(k) order modification before a December 14, 2011 rockburst at the Lucky Friday Mine. Judge Richard W. Manning held that fourth-sentence section 111 compensation applied only to miners who worked in the affected area while that…
Secretary of Labor v. Hidden Splendor Resources, Inc.
Three penalty rulings clarify Commission discretion and statutory minimums
The Commission reviewed three Hidden Splendor penalty assessments. It affirmed a $4,000 penalty for sending two untrained miners underground, holding that the foreman's immediate removal of the crew could mitigate the penalty even though the violation remained S&S, high-negligence, and…
Secretary of Labor v. C. S. & S. Coal Corporation
Second incorrect-address default reopened
C. S. & S. Coal had already obtained reopening after proposed assessments were sent to an incorrect address. The later penalty petition and show-cause order were again delivered to that same wrong address, causing another default. The operator said it had monitored the case and first learned of the…
Secretary of Labor v. Bluestone Quarries, Inc.
Default remanded to determine whether answer was mailed
Bluestone Quarries claimed it timely answered an order to show cause by certified mail and supplied a copy of the answer plus an email confirming mailing, but it lacked the certified-mail receipt proving delivery. The Secretary opposed reopening because the Commission had no record of the answer…
J.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Fords Post Office, Fords, NJ
J.M. (ECAB 14-1809): Knee injury claim lacked a clear account of the incident
J.M., a postal carrier assistant, said he hurt his right knee when he landed badly after running and jumping off a sidewalk. OWCP asked him to describe what happened and why he was running and jumping, but he did not provide the requested account. The Board found that the record did not establish…
J.W. and Department of the Army, Bluegrass Army Depot, Richmond, KY
J.W. (ECAB 14-1762): Knee injury medical benefits ended after recovery
J.W., an Army depot security officer, had accepted right and left knee conditions after a training injury. OWCP later ended his medical benefits, finding no remaining effects of those accepted conditions. The Board credited a physician who examined him twice and reviewed the record before…
R.M. and Department of Agriculture, Food Safety Inspection Service, Greeley, CO
R.M. (ECAB 14-1749): Impairment claim not reopened for merit review
R.M., a food inspector with accepted right arm nerve conditions, disputed the percentage used for his schedule award. He argued that an older impairment guide should have applied and challenged OWCP’s medical adviser. The Board found that the applicable guide edition depended on the date of the…
R.B. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Independence, OH
R.B. (ECAB 14-1693): Back and neck claim lacked a diagnosis tied to work
R.B., a Veterans Affairs procurement worker, said he injured his back and neck while moving furniture after an office luncheon. He submitted records describing pain and later diagnoses of spinal conditions. The Board found that the reports did not diagnose a specific condition in connection with…
A.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Detroit, MI
A.J. (ECAB 14-1617): Timely reconsideration request returned to OWCP
A.J., a postal mail processing clerk, sought reconsideration of OWCP’s denial of his carpal tunnel claim. OWCP treated his request as late and required clear evidence of error. The Board found that OWCP received a written, identifiable reconsideration request within one year of the earlier merit…
J.G. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Albany, NY
J.G. (ECAB 14-1558): Back claim returned to combine related case files
J.G., a Veterans Affairs nurse, claimed a recurrence of a lower back injury after returning to work. OWCP treated her claim as a new occupational disease claim and denied it for lack of medical evidence. The Board found that a separate file for a recent accepted back injury might contain evidence…
Q.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Merrifield, VA
Q.D. (ECAB 14-1468): Arm injury account lacked enough support
Q.D., a postal truck driver and equipment handler, said he hurt his right arm while lifting a heavy hamper of metal with a coworker. The coworker confirmed that they lifted the hamper but said Q.D. did not report being hurt at the time. Q.D. waited four days to seek treatment and did not answer…
K.S. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Perry Point, MD
K.S. (ECAB 14-1148): Wage loss and back surgery questions returned for medical review
K.S., a Veterans Affairs practical nurse, had an accepted herniated lumbar disc after slipping at work. She sought wage loss compensation for July 26 through December 17, 2011 and authorization for lumbar surgery. The Board found that OWCP’s medical reviewers had addressed her current ability to…
W.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Old Hammond Station, Baton Rouge, LA
W.W. (ECAB 14-1018): Work-related emotional conditions established
W.W., a postal city carrier, claimed that work stress caused an emotional condition. OWCP had accepted overtime and assignments to parts of different routes as compensable work factors but denied a medical link. The Board credited a second opinion psychiatrist who explained how those work factors…
S.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Petoskey, MI
S.S. (ECAB 14-0946): Shoulder compensation termination upheld
S.S., a postal clerk, had an accepted aggravation of right shoulder tendinitis and had received compensation for many years. OWCP ended his benefits as of April 27, 2012 after a second opinion found the work related aggravation had resolved. The Board agreed OWCP met its burden to end benefits and…
Secretary of Labor v. M-Class Mining, LLC
Narrow-escapeway citation affirmed and extinguisher citation vacated
M-Class Mining stored a transformer, cable tub, and water pump beside a conveyor in the alternate escapeway, narrowing the route from the required 6 feet to as little as 15 inches. A four-person stretcher team had to line up, lift the stretcher overhead, and slide it across equipment, which did not…
Magruder Limestone Co., Inc. v. Secretary of Labor
EAJA fees denied despite reduced citation and vacated order
Magruder Limestone sought attorney fees after an underlying decision reduced a fall-protection citation from unwarrantable failure and high negligence to moderate negligence, cut its penalty from $52,500 to $16,509, and vacated a lockout order. Judge Thomas P. McCarthy denied the Equal Access to…
R.M. and Department of Agriculture, Food Safety & Inspection Service, Chino, CA
R.M. (ECAB 14-1791): Hip injury medical benefits termination upheld
R.M., an Agriculture Department consumer safety inspector, had an accepted work aggravation of avascular necrosis in his right hip. He underwent a total hip replacement and later disputed the end of medical benefits for the accepted condition. The Board credited an impartial physician who found…
K.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Reynoldsburg, OH
K.S. (ECAB 14-1646): Life insurance premium overpayment recovery upheld
K.S., a postal letter carrier receiving compensation after a back injury, was overpaid $487.37 because OWCP had not withheld the full life insurance premiums. He sought waiver and disputed recovery from his ongoing benefits. The Board upheld the overpayment calculation and found that OWCP properly…
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.