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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T.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Washington, DC
T.B. (ECAB 12-1636): Emotional condition claim denial affirmed
T.B., a postal employee, attributed an emotional condition to her supervisor's handling of leave, duties, discipline, and other workplace interactions. The Board found that the challenged personnel actions required proof of error or abuse to qualify as compensable workplace factors. It concluded…
J.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Fort Monmouth, NJ
J.B. (ECAB 12-1626): Three percent impairment of each leg affirmed
J.B., a postal employee with accepted lower back conditions, sought a larger schedule award for both legs. The Board gave weight to OWCP's medical adviser, who rated the sensory effects of a spinal nerve injury at three percent for each leg under the designated extremity method. It found that a…
T.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Taylor, PA
T.P. (ECAB 12-1192): Limits on shoulder treatment benefits affirmed
T.P., a postal carrier with accepted left shoulder conditions, contested the end of medical benefits for an accepted brachial plexus lesion and the denial of more acupuncture and aqua therapy. The Board found that the evidence supported resolution of the lesion as of August 2011. It gave special…
A.F. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Philadelphia International Airport, Philadelphia, PA
A.F. (ECAB 12-0713): Compensation reduction based on information clerk job upheld
A.F., a former TSA screener with accepted shoulder and back injuries, could not return to her prior job. OWCP reduced her compensation after a vocational counselor identified information clerk work she could perform. The Board found that the position fit the medical restrictions, her skills, and…
Secretary of Labor v. Cactus Canyon Quarries of Texas, Inc.
Simplified procedure ended but hearing tightly limited
Cactus Canyon contested two $100 machine-guarding penalties and sought broader discovery than the Commission's simplified-proceedings rules ordinarily allow. Judge David F. Barbour agreed to discontinue simplified proceedings because an unwilling party's insistence on additional discovery defeated…
M.W. and Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Washington, DC
M.W. (ECAB 13-0167): Late hearing request denial affirmed
M.W., a Bureau of Prisons employee, requested a telephone hearing after OWCP denied compensation for intermittent disability. He made the request more than 30 days after OWCP's decision, so he had no hearing right under the statutory deadline. The Board found that OWCP also considered whether to…
T.L. and Department of the Navy, Marine Corps Logistics Base, Albany, GA
T.L. (ECAB 13-0163): Refusal to reopen back injury claim affirmed
T.L., a Marine Corps Logistics Base painter, asked OWCP to reconsider a denial of his July 2011 back injury claim. The new medical reports addressed a different forklift incident in January 2011 or did not discuss the July incident. The Board found that they did not supply relevant new evidence, a…
S.C. and Social Security Administration, Personnel Operations Team, Jamaica, NY
S.C. (ECAB 13-0160): Chest injury and reconsideration denials affirmed
S.C., a Social Security Administration telephone representative, reported chest pain after pushing a slow moving door at work. The Board accepted that the incident occurred but found that her physician's forms did not adequately explain a diagnosis or how the incident caused it. Later reports added…
V.W. and Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Washington, DC
V.W. (ECAB 13-0060): Knee injury claim returned for medical causation decision
V.W., a National Park Service maintenance worker, reported a right knee injury after jumping down from a wall while handling trashcans at work. OWCP had denied the claim on the ground that he was outside the performance of duty. On appeal, OWCP acknowledged that the activity was reasonably…
S.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Central Facility, Chicago, IL
S.J. (ECAB 13-0004): Withdrawn limited duty position claim remanded
S.J., a postal employee with accepted wrist conditions, claimed wage loss after her limited duty hours were reduced under the National Reassessment Program. OWCP denied modification of an earlier wage earning capacity determination using its ordinary criteria. The Board found that OWCP had not…
L.C. and Department of the Navy, Naval Health Clinic, Goose Creek, SC
L.C. (ECAB 12-1962): Wrist condition claim denial affirmed
L.C., a Navy medical support assistant, claimed that repetitive desk duties caused a left wrist condition. OWCP accepted her description of the duties and the record documented wrist diagnoses. The Board found that her physicians did not give a reasoned opinion connecting those conditions to the…
H.G. and Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, Brownsville, TX
H.G. (ECAB 12-1922): Hearing loss award returned because record was incomplete
H.G., a Customs and Border Protection employee, appealed an OWCP schedule award for six percent binaural hearing loss. The Board found that the record sent for appeal did not include the award decision itself. It could not fairly review the award on that incomplete record. The Board set aside the…
J.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Portland, ME
J.A. (ECAB 12-1902): Back injury claim returned for review of medical evidence
J.A., a postal mail handler, claimed a back injury after bending to attach a tow hook at work. OWCP first rejected the incident as unproven, then accepted that it occurred but denied the claim on medical causation. The Board found that OWCP had never evaluated the medical reports: it had set them…
T.W. and Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, Washington, DC
T.W. (ECAB 12-1882): Radiation exposure claim returned for employer records
T.W., a Customs and Border Protection employee, claimed that radiation exposure at work contributed to a thyroid disease. OWCP accepted that a source door unexpectedly opened during one incident but lacked measurements and other employer records needed to assess exposure. The Board found that the…
W.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Macon, GA
W.P. (ECAB 12-1677): Facial disfigurement award denial affirmed
W.P., a postal window clerk, sustained an accepted facial laceration when a board fell at work. He sought a schedule award for serious facial disfigurement. The Board found that he had not supplied the required photographs or medical documentation showing a permanent disfigurement likely to affect…
G.A. and Department of Defense, Defense Logistics Agency, Fort Belvoir, VA
G.A. (ECAB 12-1582): Emotional condition claim denial affirmed
G.A., a Defense Logistics Agency employee, sought compensation for an emotional condition she attributed to work. After earlier appeals and record reconstruction, OWCP again denied the claim. The Board found that the additional medical reports described depression and disability but did not…
W.S. and Department of the Navy, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, WA
W.S. (ECAB 12-1502): Wage loss reduction returned because counsel was not served
W.S., a Navy shipyard employee, appealed a reduction of compensation based on his supposed capacity to work as a security guard. OWCP had learned his lawyer's new address and used it for one letter, but sent the reduction decision to the old address. The Board held that a decision must be mailed to…
Y.K. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Information and Technology, Austin, TX
Y.K. (ECAB 12-1282): Late reconsideration request denial upheld
Y.K., a Veterans Affairs IT security officer, sought reconsideration of an earlier emotional condition claim denial. Her request came after the one year limit for ordinary reconsideration. The Board found that the position description and additional emails repeated or failed to address the issue…
L.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Transportation Operations, Dallas, TX
L.H. (ECAB 12-0878): Overpayment finding set aside for lack of proof of receipt
L.H. worked for the Postal Service in Dallas and returned to work on August 1, 2011. OWCP found that he had received a $2,877.53 overpayment after it issued a compensation check in November 2011. The Board found no evidence that L.H. had negotiated, deposited, or otherwise accepted that payment. It…
J.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Chicago, IL
J.M. (ECAB 12-0543): Claim remanded because OWCP mailed its decision to the wrong address
J.M., a Postal Service employee in Chicago, appealed OWCP’s refusal to reconsider the denial of her occupational disease claim. She had given OWCP a corrected mailing address, but OWCP sent its August 2010 decision to her previous address. She told OWCP she had never received it. The Board held…
W.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Los Angeles, CA
W.L. (ECAB 12-0054): Representative's fee approval set aside
W.L., a former Postal Service city carrier, challenged OWCP’s approval of a $855.50 fee for work on her occupational disease claim. Her representative submitted an itemized bill, but the application did not include her signed agreement or disagreement with the fee. The Board found that OWCP had not…
K.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Bluebell, PA
K.S. (ECAB 12-0043): Arm award upheld; leg impairment sent back for medical review
K.S., a Postal Service employee, sought a larger schedule award for injuries affecting her right arm and leg. OWCP awarded two percent impairment of the arm and found no ratable leg impairment. The Board upheld the selection of the impartial medical examiner and his two percent arm rating. It found…
G.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Lenoir, NC
G.L. (ECAB 13-0100): Right arm impairment award increased to six percent
G.L., a Postal Service rural carrier, injured his right elbow in a work vehicle accident. OWCP awarded a schedule benefit for five percent right arm impairment. The Board found that OWCP’s medical adviser had applied the impairment adjustment formula incorrectly. Using that adviser’s findings, the…
R.L. and Department of the Air Force, Tinker Air Force Base, OK
R.L. (ECAB 13-0003): Wage loss claim denied for lack of medical proof
R.L. worked at Tinker Air Force Base and sought wage loss benefits for two periods after an accepted right elbow condition. The Board had already rejected a claim for an earlier period. For the new periods, the medical records did not establish that the accepted condition prevented him from…
N.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Houston, TX
N.C. (ECAB 12-1934): Wage loss benefits suspended for incomplete earnings report
N.C., a Postal Service letter carrier receiving compensation, was asked to complete a form reporting his work and earnings. He sent OWCP part of the form but omitted its employment section. OWCP told him what was missing and gave him time to supply it, but he did not respond before the suspension…
I.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Paterson Post Office, Paterson, NJ
I.G. (ECAB 12-1925): Left knee claim denied for insufficient medical explanation
I.G., a Postal Service letter carrier, said standing on a hard floor while casing mail aggravated an earlier work related left knee injury. OWCP accepted that he performed those duties but denied the new claim. The Board found that his doctor described knee conditions and connected them to work…
K.M. and Department of the Navy, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, WA
K.M. (ECAB 12-1918): Reconsideration refusal upheld on knee claims
K.M., a Navy shipyard employee, sought reconsideration after OWCP denied claims for bilateral knee injuries. His request cited medical reports from his treating physician. The Board found that the new reports did not address what caused the knee conditions and largely repeated earlier evidence…
R.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Austin, TX
R.B. (ECAB 12-1881): Duplicate schedule award overpayment and waiver denial upheld
R.B., a Postal Service mail carrier, received a second left arm schedule award for an impairment already covered by an earlier award. OWCP found a $15,955.70 overpayment and denied waiver. The Board agreed that the second award duplicated the first and that the payment evidence supported the…
S.N. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Decatur, GA
S.N. (ECAB 12-1814): Elbow injury claim returned for medical review
S.N., a VA pharmacy technician, reported elbow pain while bagging and packaging mail at work. OWCP denied his traumatic injury claim because it questioned whether the incident happened as reported. The Board found that his account was consistent and supported by a supervisor and coworker. It held…
C.K. and Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons, Petersburg, VA
C.K. (ECAB 12-1557): Two percent left leg schedule award upheld
C.K., a Bureau of Prisons correctional officer, sought a larger schedule award after a work related left knee injury and surgeries. His physicians rated 13 percent impairment, while OWCP awarded a total of two percent. The Board found that the higher ratings did not follow the applicable methods in…
J.L. and Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Mena, AR
J.L. (ECAB 12-0947): Fitness activity counted as duty; knee claim still denied
J.L., a Forest Service law enforcement officer, injured his right knee while using an exercise machine at an approved fitness center during his work shift. OWCP denied his claim on the ground that he was outside the performance of duty. The Board disagreed because the agency strongly encouraged the…
Matter of Agustin ORTEGA-LOPEZ, Respondent
Animal fighting offense was a crime involving moral turpitude
The Board reviewed a Mexican respondent’s appeal from an order of removal and the denial of cancellation of removal. The respondent had been convicted under federal law of knowingly sponsoring or exhibiting an animal in an animal-fighting venture. The Board held that the offense is categorically a…
Eller-ITO Stevedoring Company, LLC
Ro-Ro struck-by item affirmed
Eller-ITO assigned a longshore gang to unload chassis-mounted cargo containers from a ship at the Port of Miami. A lasher and team leader was struck by a container after signaling the mule operator to move while a rear securing chain remained attached and he was positioned in a narrow walkway…
Mast Climber Manufacturing, Inc., d/b/a American Mast Climbers
Scaffold items split, design violation willful
Mast Climber Manufacturing erected and serviced a mast-climbing work platform on a 21-story construction project. Four contractor employees fell when one side of the platform collapsed, and three died. The judge held that the system was a scaffold, not an aerial lift, because it was not…
Secretary of Labor v. TRC Mining Corp.
Four coal-mine citations modified and penalties cut to $14,500
The case addressed combustible accumulations along a belt, an inadequate belt examination, inoperable mantrip sanders, and accumulations on a working section. Judge Michael E. Zielinski affirmed all four violations but modified several enforcement findings. The belt accumulations remained S&S and…
W.T. and Department of the Interior, Fish & Wildlife Service, Arlington, VA
W.T. (ECAB 12-1965): Back condition recurrence denial upheld
W.T., a Fish and Wildlife Service employee, had an accepted back fracture from a 1998 workplace fall. She later claimed that renewed back symptoms were a recurrence of that injury. The Board found that her treating records did not adequately connect the current condition to the 1998 injury. It…
Chevron Michigan, LLC of Traverse City, Michigan
In re Chevron Michigan, LLC of Traverse City, Michigan (EAB UIC Appeal No. 12-01): Permit remanded for administrative-record defects
EPA Region 5 issued Chevron Michigan, LLC a permit for a Class II injection well used for noncommercial brine disposal in Antrim County, Michigan. A petitioner challenged the permit's timing, the Region's handling of public comments, and several substantive permit issues. The Board treated the…
Secretary of Labor v. Highland Mining Company, LLC
Missed penalty contest reopened after prompt discovery
Highland Mining's safety manager asked a new compliance specialist to deliver a penalty-contest form to counsel, but the specialist missed the deadline. The specialist discovered the error on June 6, 2012 and emailed the form to counsel that afternoon; Highland sought reopening the next day, and…
W.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Jersey City, NJ
W.G. (ECAB 13-0205): Shoulder disability recurrence denial upheld
W.G., a Postal Service mail handler, had an accepted right shoulder injury and returned to full duty after surgery. He later claimed a recurrence of disability when heavy lifting at work caused pain and new restrictions. The Board held that his account described new work exposure, rather than a…
L.B. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Greensboro, NC
L.B. (ECAB 13-0124): Late oral hearing request properly denied
L.B., a Transportation Security Administration officer, sought a hearing after OWCP denied her back injury claim. Her hearing request was postmarked more than 30 days after the denial. The Board held that she was no longer entitled to a hearing as of right and found no abuse of discretion in OWCP’s…
M.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Sheridan, WY
M.W. (ECAB 13-0026): Back injury claim denied for lack of medical causation evidence
M.W., a Postal Service city carrier, reported back pain after loading mail trays into her vehicle. OWCP accepted that the loading occurred but denied her injury claim. The Board found that the physician’s report described pain and repeated her account without explaining how the work caused a…
G.W. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Montgomery, AL
G.W. (ECAB 12-1951): Emotional condition claim returned for medical review
G.W., a VA ultrasound technician, attributed an emotional condition to several workplace events. OWCP denied her claim after finding no compensable work factor. The Board found evidence that she had been required to work overtime beyond medical restrictions and had to manage confused patients as…
C.B. and Central Intelligence Agency, Herndon, VA
C.B. (ECAB 12-1940): Hydrocephalus claim and reconsideration refusal upheld
C.B., a CIA project manager, claimed that a fall during a 1990 training course caused hydrocephalus diagnosed years later. OWCP accepted that the fall happened but denied the claim. The Board found that her neurologist called the connection plausible while also saying he could not rule out other…
V.W. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Houston Veterans Administration Center, Houston, TX
V.W. (ECAB 12-1901): Late reconsideration request did not show clear error
V.W., a VA employee, sought to reopen a claim concerning injuries she reported after a patient assaulted her at work. OWCP had accepted that the incident occurred but denied the original injury claim for insufficient medical evidence. The Board found her later reconsideration request was filed more…
D.E. and U.S. Postal Service, Main Post Office, Baltimore, MD
D.E. (ECAB 12-1850): Right shoulder occupational disease denial upheld
D.E., a retired Postal Service clerk, attributed a right shoulder condition to her work at a computer and with mail. The Board had previously sent the claim back for more medical development. On this appeal, it found that her treating physician’s earlier opinion did not accurately match the duties…
M.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, West Sacramento, CA
M.M. (ECAB 12-1750): Neck injury claim denied for lack of medical causation proof
M.M., a Postal Service mail handler, reported neck pain after lifting a priority package at work. He had also reported a neck injury from an earlier work incident. The Board accepted that he lifted the package but found the medical reports did not explain how that event caused or aggravated a neck…
R.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Atlanta, GA
R.W. (ECAB 12-1747): Joint disease claim and reconsideration denial upheld
R.W., a Postal Service city carrier, said prolonged walking and stair climbing aggravated degenerative joint disease in his knees and hips. OWCP accepted those duties but denied the claim. The Board found that his doctor said the work very likely contributed to the condition without explaining the…
P.N. and Department of the Army, 910th Quartermaster Company, Ardmore, OK
P.N. (ECAB 12-1732): Injury denial upheld; reconsideration returned for evidence review
P.N., an Army unit administrator, claimed injuries after a fall at work. The Board found that conflicting accounts of when and how she fell prevented it from finding the incident established as alleged, and it affirmed the injury denial on the existing record. P.N. had submitted a corrected medical…
G.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Swedesboro, NJ
G.L. (ECAB 12-1727): Wrist claim returned to resolve conflicting medical opinions
G.L., a Postal Service mail handler, claimed that repetitive work caused bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome. His treating physician linked the diagnosed condition to repetitive hand movements. OWCP’s referral physician disagreed about both the diagnosis and its connection to work. The Board found…
D.C. and Smithsonian Institution, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
D.C. (ECAB 12-1721): Eye injury claim denied for insufficient medical explanation
D.C., a security guard at the National Gallery of Art, reported burning eyes after a power outage interrupted the building’s air handling system. OWCP accepted that the workplace incident occurred but denied his injury claim. The Board found that his optometrist diagnosed eye burning after reported…
M.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Old Chelsea Station, New York City, NY
M.C. (ECAB 12-1720): Compensation termination for refusing suitable work affirmed
M.C., a postal letter carrier, received compensation after a fall at work injured her head, neck and back. OWCP offered her a modified carrier technician assignment and later terminated her compensation when she refused it. Her treating physician and OWCP’s second opinion physician disagreed about…
C.A. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, West Palm Beach, FL
C.A. (ECAB 12-1531): Two percent right leg impairment award affirmed
C.A., a Veterans Affairs biomedical engineering technician, sought a larger schedule award for his work-related right knee injury. OWCP had awarded a total of two percent right leg impairment, and medical opinions gave higher ratings. The Board found that the first two impartial examiners did not…
A.S. and Department of Homeland Security, TSA-Federal Air Marshal Service, Egg Harbor, NJ
A.S. (ECAB 12-1509): Termination of air marshal’s injury benefits affirmed
A.S., a federal air marshal, received benefits for an ear injury and aggravation of an underlying eustachian tube condition associated with flying. OWCP terminated wage-loss and medical benefits after an impartial physician found no remaining effects of the accepted work injury. The Board found…
G.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Aurora, CO
G.G. (ECAB 12-1387): Disability recurrence claim returned for impartial medical review
G.G., a postal letter carrier with accepted arm conditions, worked in a modified position until the Postal Service withdrew it under the National Reassessment Process. He sought total disability compensation after that withdrawal. His treating physician reported continuing work-related…
M.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Philadelphia, PA
M.R. (ECAB 12-1310): Back surgery authorization returned for medical review
M.R., a postal surgical health technician, injured her lower back while lifting a patient at work. OWCP accepted a lumbar sprain but denied authorization for back surgery performed in March 2011. Her treating neurosurgeon related the need for surgery to her condition after the injury, while an OWCP…
T.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Lexington, KY
T.B. (ECAB 12-0845): Knee claim accepted but medical benefit termination reversed
T.B., a retired postal carrier, had an accepted aggravation of a left knee meniscus tear. OWCP accepted the claim but found that the work-related condition had resolved and ended his medical benefits effective August 1, 2011. An OWCP referral physician attributed the remaining knee findings to age…
D.F. and Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Garden City, KS
D.F. (ECAB 12-0755): Late emotional condition claim denial affirmed
D.F., a retired Internal Revenue Service agent, filed an emotional condition claim in 2009 concerning work stress he associated with his job in 1985. The Board had previously found that he filed outside FECA’s three-year period. In this appeal, he relied on later witness statements to argue that…
L.W. and Department of the Navy, Naval Weapons Station Earle, Colts Neck, NJ
L.W. (ECAB 12-1966): Left leg injury claim denial affirmed
L.W., a Navy security assistant, reported left leg pain after moving boxes in a workplace attic and suspected an insect bite. OWCP accepted that she moved boxes there but denied her claim for a work-related leg injury. The Board noted that her first medical report did not mention a bite or leg…
R.H. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT
R.H. (ECAB 12-1923): Shoulder claim denial affirmed with factual findings changed
R.H., a Veterans Affairs nurse, reported left shoulder pain after moving operating room instrument trays at work. OWCP denied her injury claim, questioning whether the incident and diagnosis were established. The Board accepted her account of moving the trays and found that an imaging study…
D.H. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, North Chicago, IL
D.H. (ECAB 12-1908): Refusal to reopen wrist claim affirmed
D.H., a Veterans Affairs housekeeping aide, claimed that repeated cutting of paper at work caused wrist conditions. OWCP denied the claim because her medical evidence did not explain how that work caused the diagnosed conditions. She then requested reconsideration, saying additional medical reports…
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.