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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H.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Coupeville, WA
H.R. (ECAB 12-1419): Additional right leg award denied
H.R., a postal rural carrier associate, received a schedule award after an accepted right hip fracture from a work vehicle accident. She sought a rating above eight percent right leg impairment. The Board reviewed the impartial physician's examination and OWCP medical adviser's application of the…
S.C. and Department of the Army, Watervliet Arsenal, Watervliet, NY
S.C. (ECAB 12-1366): Part-time clerk job rejected as measure of earning capacity
S.C., an Army arsenal employee, had worked full time when injured and later returned to a part-time identification clerk position. OWCP used earnings from that part-time job to set his wage-earning capacity. The Board found that its procedures did not permit using part-time reemployment as the…
J.E. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Morrisville, NC
J.E. (ECAB 12-1154): Briefing fall established, medical evidence returned for review
J.E., a transportation security employee, fell during a work shift briefing and claimed neck and back injuries. The Board found the fall established by his account and a coworker's statement, contrary to OWCP's finding. It found the medical evidence before the original denial did not establish an…
S.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing & Distribution Center, Coppell, TX
S.C. (ECAB 12-0801): Benefit termination upheld, earlier disability claim remanded
S.C., a postal employee, challenged termination of his ongoing benefits and denial of wage-loss compensation for July through November 2009. The Board credited an impartial physician's opinion that the accepted injury no longer caused disability or required treatment by July 2011. It found a…
T.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Chicago, IL
T.B. (ECAB 12-0285): Termination of compensation benefits upheld
T.B., a postal employee, disputed termination of compensation for accepted work-related conditions. OWCP referred the hand and wrist dispute to an impartial hand surgeon and the cervical dispute to a separate impartial orthopedic surgeon. The Board gave special weight to both opinions and found…
E.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Bellmawr Carrier Annex, Bellmawr, NJ
E.L. (ECAB 12-0259): Leg impairment award denied after impartial examination
E.L., a postal employee with an accepted lumbar disc condition, sought schedule awards for impairment of both legs. His physician and an OWCP referral physician gave conflicting ratings, so OWCP obtained an impartial examination. The impartial specialist found no objective leg impairment…
New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC, et al.
In re New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC, et al. (EAB MM 12-01C): consent agreement ratified
New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC, and related respondents were parties to enforcement matters under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Clean Air Act. The Environmental Appeals Board incorporated the attached Consent Agreement into its Final Order and…
Billington Contracting, Inc.
Late reopening motion denied with prejudice
Billington Contracting asked the Commission to reopen three penalty cases that had become final after it failed to answer the Secretary's petitions. The company filed its reopening motion more than one year after the default orders became effective. The Commission explained that motions based on…
River View Coal, LLC
Penalty assessment reopened after staffing lapse
River View Coal asked the Commission to reopen a penalty assessment that became final before the operator mailed its contest. The mine had been idle over the holidays, its regular clerk was on maternity leave, and temporary staff did not understand the contest deadline. The Secretary did not oppose…
Ohio County Coal Company, LLC
Late penalty contests reopened
Ohio County Coal asked the Commission to reopen two penalty assessments after it mailed its contests six and seven days after the assessments became final. The operator said unexplained failures in its internal mail system delayed delivery to its safety manager, and it acted after receiving…
Joseph J. Piscazzi, Trustee, Joseph J. Piscazzi Revocable Trust (Cleveland Trencher Site)
In re Joseph J. Piscazzi, Trustee, Joseph J. Piscazzi Revocable Trust (Cleveland Trencher Site) (EAB CERCLA 106(b) Petition No. 12-03): reimbursement petition dismissed after settlement
Joseph J. Piscazzi, as trustee of the Joseph J. Piscazzi Revocable Trust, filed a petition for reimbursement concerning the Cleveland Trencher Site. The trustee later filed a notice withdrawing the petition and reported that the parties had entered a consent agreement settling all matters related…
Joseph J. Piscazzi, Trustee, Joseph J. Piscazzi Revocable Trust
In re Joseph J. Piscazzi, Trustee, Joseph J. Piscazzi Revocable Trust (EAB CERCLA 106(b) Petition No. 12-03): reimbursement petition dismissed with prejudice
Joseph J. Piscazzi, Trustee, Joseph J. Piscazzi Revocable Trust, filed a petition for reimbursement concerning the Cleveland Trencher Site. The petitioner later withdrew the petition and reported that the parties had entered into a consent agreement settling all matters related to it. The…
L.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, San Diego, CA
L.C. (ECAB 12-1949): Emotional condition accepted, disability periods remanded
L.C., a postal window clerk, claimed an emotional condition arising from her work duties. The Board had previously identified compensable work factors and ordered further medical development. It found that the resulting specialist opinion adequately connected her anxiety and depressive conditions…
G.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Venice, FL
G.H. (ECAB 12-1520): Customer service capacity reduction upheld
G.H., a postal employee with an accepted lumbar injury, challenged reduction of his compensation based on a selected customer service job. The Board credited an impartial physician's opinion that he could perform sedentary duties. It found the position matched his abilities and was reasonably…
C.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Fort Lauderdale, FL
C.H. (ECAB 12-1511): Receptionist capacity reduction upheld
C.H., a postal employee with accepted shoulder and neck conditions, challenged reduced disability compensation after her modified job was withdrawn. Her treating surgeon found she could work full time within physical restrictions. The Board found the selected receptionist or clerk job fit those…
J.O. and Department of the Navy, Air Systems Command, Cherry Point, NC
J.O. (ECAB 12-1482): Hearing award denied, hearing aid question returned
J.O., a Navy employee, had accepted work-related hearing loss that did not reach a ratable level for a schedule award. The Board upheld denial of the cash award. It found that a physician recommended hearing aids while OWCP and its medical adviser rejected them without adequate explanation. Because…
F.M. and Department of Transportation, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Renton, WA
F.M. (ECAB 12-1335): Twenty-six percent hearing loss award upheld
F.M., a federal motor carrier safety inspector, received a schedule award for 26 percent hearing loss in both ears due to occupational noise exposure. He sought a higher impairment rating. The Board found that OWCP's medical adviser correctly calculated 21 percent binaural loss from the audiogram…
M.A. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Arlington, VA
M.A. (ECAB 12-1329): Refusal to reopen hypertension claim upheld
M.A., a transportation security employee, sought another review of whether her continuing hypertension was related to an earlier work incident. The Board had jurisdiction only over OWCP's refusal to reopen. It found that her arguments and referenced medical evidence had already been considered, and…
T.B. and Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Clayton, MO
T.B. (ECAB 12-1102): Disability hours and additional attendant allowance denied
T.B., an Internal Revenue Service employee, sought compensation for 864 hours of claimed work disability and a further allowance for attendant services. The Board found that the medical evidence did not establish disability caused by his accepted injuries on the requested dates. It also found no…
C.K. and Department of the Army, Army Research Laboratory, Adelphi, MD
C.K. (ECAB 12-1083): Refusal to reopen seizure disorder claim upheld
C.K., an Army research employee, sought reconsideration of a denial finding that her seizure disorder was not shown to result from an earlier work injury. The Board could review only OWCP's later refusal to reopen. It found that her arguments about the case file and the fairness of the earlier…
M.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Philadelphia, PA
M.G. (ECAB 12-0312): Earlier wage-loss period returned for a definite medical opinion
M.G., a postal letter carrier, sought wage-loss compensation for several weeks before returning to full-time work in 2010. OWCP relied on an impartial physician's later report to deny the claim. The Board found that the physician had not clearly determined whether M.G. could perform her full duties…
Dyno Nobel East-Central Region
Stay denied while individual-liability investigation continued
MSHA sought a $47,716 penalty against Dyno Nobel while a related investigation considered possible individual liability under section 110(c) of the Mine Act. Dyno Nobel requested a stay so any individual case could be consolidated with the operator's case and duplicate litigation could be avoided…
B.G. and Department of Homeland Security, Border & Customs Protection, Richford, VT
B.G. (ECAB 12-1661): Dual-benefit overpayment and fault finding upheld
B.G., a federal border employee, received both OWCP wage-loss benefits and federal retirement benefits for the first two weeks of January 2012. OWCP found a $1,962.08 overpayment. The Board found that she had elected retirement benefits effective January 1 and should have known that accepting OWCP…
H.C. and Department of the Navy, Naval Hospital, Pensacola, FL
H.C. (ECAB 12-1650): Increased knee award request returned for merits review
H.C., a naval hospital employee, previously received a left leg schedule award and later asked for an increase based on additional accepted knee conditions. OWCP treated her request as an untimely attack on the old award. The Board found she was seeking a new award for progression of her condition…
P.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, New York, NY
P.S. (ECAB 12-1601): Postal clerk’s traumatic injury claim denied
P.S., a postal clerk, reported falling over webbing on the postal floor before lunch and injuring her knees, ribs, back, and stomach. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred but denied her injury claim. The Board found that her physician's reports described pain without a firm diagnosis or a…
M.B. and Department of the Navy, Norfolk, VA
M.B. (ECAB 12-1535): Rescission of off-duty injury claim upheld
M.B., a Navy freight loader, injured his knee on the employer's premises hours before his shift while stopping by a former colleague's farewell event. OWCP had accepted the claim but later rescinded acceptance. The Board found that attendance was neither required nor a regular incident of his work…
T.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Trenton, NJ
T.H. (ECAB 12-1516): Schedule award pay rate returned for findings
T.H., a former postal employee, appealed the pay rate used for schedule awards in two administratively combined claims. She did not contest the percentages of arm impairment. The Board found that OWCP had not explained the date or evidence used to calculate a weekly rate of $654.44, while the…
M.O. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Lubbock, TX
M.O. (ECAB 12-1486): Overpayment recovery and waiver denial upheld
M.O., a transportation security officer, received too much wage-loss compensation because OWCP used incorrect night differential and Sunday premium amounts in her pay rate. The Board upheld the resulting $1,924.56 overpayment for July through September 2011. Although OWCP found her without fault…
J.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Cincinnati, OH
J.M. (ECAB 12-1334): Left leg schedule award denial upheld
J.M., a postal maintenance mechanic, sought a schedule award for permanent left leg impairment after an accepted occupational condition. Physicians disagreed about the extent of any work-related impairment. The Board gave special weight to the impartial examiner, who found no objective signs of a…
O.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Baltimore, MD
O.S. (ECAB 12-1145): Right foot injury claim denied
O.S., a postal carrier, reported right foot pain after stepping from her delivery vehicle onto the pavement. OWCP denied her traumatic injury claim. The Board found that she described no fall, slip, impact, or other specific trauma and did not establish an incident causing an injury. It affirmed…
L.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Santa Clarita, CA
L.R. (ECAB 12-0952): Claimed shoulder disability period denied
L.R., a postal distribution clerk, sought wage-loss compensation after OWCP accepted a left shoulder condition. Her physicians recorded periods of restricted work and disability. The Board found that their reports did not adequately explain how the accepted injury caused her inability to work…
Highland Mining Company, LLC
Equipment and ventilation citations assessed at $7,153
Highland Mining contested six citations involving diesel exhaust systems, a conveyor pull cord, a damaged mantrip canopy, and compliance with its ventilation plan. Judge William B. Moran found two defective mini-track exhaust systems S&S because leaking exhaust exposed miners to carbon monoxide. He…
United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, New Orleans, Louisiana (Agency) and American Federation of Government Employees (Petitioner/Labor Organization) and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 3457 (Labor Organization)
Interior ocean energy bureaus and AFGE (FLRA DA-RP-11-0022): Unit case returned for more findings
A reorganization split employees of the former Minerals Management Service between two Interior Department bureaus. A regional director divided two existing bargaining units into four separate units, relying on a court decision about a different agency's statutory division of authority. The…
KyKenKee, Inc.
Settlement approved after sawmill guarding decision
KyKenKee operated an Alabama sawmill where a worker was fatally struck by a log that fell from a debarker conveyor. An administrative law judge found that the company should have fenced or posted the hazardous area around the ring barker and its conveyors. The judge reduced the violation from…
All American Concrete, Inc.
One excavation citation vacated and one affirmed as serious
All American Concrete was upgrading a storm-water system when an excavator bucket rolled into an excavation and broke an employee's ankle. OSHA cited the contractor for materials or equipment near the excavation edge and for inadequate cave-in protection. The judge vacated the falling-materials…
American Federation of Government Employees, Council 243 (Union) and United States Department of the Navy, Commander Naval Region Southeast, Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, Florida (Agency)
AFGE Council 243 and Naval Air Station Jacksonville (FLRA 0-AR-4865): Fee exception dismissed as late
A union asked an arbitrator for attorney fees, but his award's fee paragraph applied a contract provision requiring each party to pay its own process expenses. Months after the deadline for exceptions expired, the union asked for clarification and the arbitrator said the award needed none. The…
United States Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, St. Louis, Missouri (Agency) and National Treasury Employees Union, Chapter 14 (Union)
IRS St. Louis and NTEU Chapter 14 (FLRA 0-AR-4836): Overtime limits remedy upheld
The IRS imposed limits of ten overtime hours per week and two per day without first contacting the union. An arbitrator found that the limits violated the parties' agreements and reduced overtime earnings for senior employees, and he ordered a make-whole remedy for affected employees. The Authority…
G.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Hayes, VA
G.B. (ECAB 12-1643): Right arm and shoulder condition claim denied
G.B., a rural mail carrier, claimed that her work caused right carpal tunnel syndrome and shoulder conditions. Her physician listed several diagnoses and suggested that repetitive mail handling probably contributed to them. The Board found that the reports did not explain how specific work duties…
B.R. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Tampa, FL
B.R. (ECAB 12-1620): Computer work carpal tunnel claim denied
B.R., a medical records technician, claimed that daily computer work caused bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome. OWCP accepted her description of her duties but denied the claim. The Board found that the physicians' reports did not explain a causal link between those duties and the claimed condition…
P.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, San Diego, CA
P.W. (ECAB 12-1561): Receptionist wage capacity reduction reversed
P.W., a postal employee receiving compensation, challenged OWCP's reduction of benefits based on the wages of a selected receptionist job. The Board found that her part-time actual earnings did not fairly represent wage capacity and that OWCP's constructed job finding used inconsistent wage figures…
R.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Portland, ME
R.L. (ECAB 12-1383): Social Security offset recalculation ordered
R.L., a postal employee, received both federal workers' compensation and Social Security retirement benefits attributable to federal service. The Board agreed that overlapping disability benefits created an overpayment. It found that OWCP had included periods covered by schedule awards, which may…
C.Y. and U.S. Postal Service, Orlando Processing and Distribution Center, Orlando, FL
C.Y. (ECAB 12-1333): Workplace emotional condition claim denied
C.Y., a postal employee, attributed an emotional condition to leave disputes, an investigative interview, and discipline at work. The Board treated these as administrative personnel matters. It found that the record did not establish employer error or abuse that would make those matters compensable…
L.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Oakland, CA
L.A. (ECAB 12-1193): Untimely reconsideration refusal upheld
L.A., a postal employee, sought reconsideration of a prior decision terminating compensation after she refused suitable work. OWCP denied her request as late. The Board found that she filed more than one year after the last merits decision and had not shown clear evidence that the earlier decision…
M.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Massena Post Office, Massena, NY
M.S. (ECAB 12-1091): Injury denial upheld; medical expense reimbursement remanded
M.S., a rural postal carrier, claimed left shoulder and hip injuries while loading mail into a vehicle. The Board accepted that the work incident occurred but found insufficient medical evidence connecting diagnosed injuries to it. It affirmed the denial of the injury claim. The Board separately…
R.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Detroit, MI
R.B. (ECAB 12-1070): Wage loss and recurrence claims denied
R.B., a postal employee, sought compensation for two short periods of total disability in 2010 and a recurrence beginning November 24, 2010. She attributed the lost work to an accepted 2003 injury. The Board found that the medical evidence did not establish total disability for the specified dates…
A.C. and Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Miami, FL
A.C. (ECAB 12-1050): Air traffic incident accepted as work factor
A.C., an air traffic controller, reported an emotional condition after managing a potential conflict between two aircraft on radar. OWCP found no compensable work factor because the aircraft did not lose separation and were still in another center's airspace. The Board found that A.C. was…
Secretary of Labor on behalf of Lawrence L. Pendley v. Highland Mining Company, LLC
Discrimination complaint dismissed on remand
On remand from the Commission after appellate review, Judge David F. Barbour reconsidered whether Highland Mining discriminated against Lawrence Pendley by firing him and by changing his work after temporary reinstatement. The judge found that mine management honestly and reasonably believed…
F.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing and Delivery Center, Jacksonville, FL
F.L. (ECAB 12-1623): Left knee injury claim denied
F.L., a postal employee, claimed a left knee injury from a May 2011 workplace incident. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred but denied the claim. The Board found that the medical records did not establish a diagnosed knee condition caused or aggravated by that event. It affirmed the denial for…
M.L. and Department of the Navy, Marine Corps Stations, Camp Lejeune, NC
M.L. (ECAB 12-1378): Hearing loss schedule award denied
M.L., a Marine Corps maintenance inspector, developed work-related bilateral hearing loss from noise exposure. OWCP accepted the hearing loss but denied a schedule award. The Board found that the medical adviser applied the impairment guides to the audiogram and correctly determined that the loss…
L.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Pompano Beach, FL
L.M. (ECAB 12-1363): Information clerk wage capacity finding upheld
L.M., a postal employee with accepted work injuries, challenged OWCP's finding that she could earn wages as an information clerk. The Board reviewed the job's physical requirements against her medical restrictions and the vocational evidence. It found the sedentary position medically suitable and…
M.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Ocean City, NJ
M.M. (ECAB 12-1271): Left leg schedule award denied
M.M., a postal clerk, sought a schedule award for permanent left leg impairment after an accepted knee injury. Physicians disagreed about the impairment rating, and OWCP obtained an impartial examination. The Board found that the impartial evidence did not establish ratable permanent impairment…
R.V. and Department of Homeland Security, Border Patrol
R.V. (ECAB 12-1223): Weightlifting injury claim denied
R.V., a Border Patrol trainee, reported wrist and elbow symptoms while lifting weights after his shift. OWCP accepted that the event occurred in the performance of duty. The Board found that his physician's reports did not adequately explain how the activity caused the diagnosed conditions. It…
A.M. and Smithsonian Institution, National Zoo, Washington, DC
A.M. (ECAB 12-1217): Right arm impairment rating returned for independent review
A.M., a National Zoo employee, received a schedule award for 21 percent right arm impairment after accepted wrist and hand injuries. She sought a larger award. The Board found that her treating physician and OWCP's medical adviser disagreed on significant impairment grade modifiers. It set aside…
C.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, St. Louis, MO
C.D. (ECAB 12-1115): Two percent right leg award affirmed with corrections
C.D., a postal employee, sought more than the two percent right leg schedule award granted after a work-related quadriceps injury. The Board found that his physician's higher rating did not properly apply the impairment guides, while OWCP's medical adviser supported the two percent rating. It found…
S.J. and Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons, New York, NY
S.J. (ECAB 12-1087): Claimed recurrence of total disability denied
S.J., a federal corrections officer, had returned to full duty after accepted back and shoulder injuries. He later claimed that renewed pain made him totally disabled beginning September 30, 2010. The Board found no sufficient medical showing of a spontaneous change caused by the accepted injury or…
P.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Hartford, CT
P.M. (ECAB 12-0472): Greater left leg schedule award denied
P.M., a postal employee, sought a larger schedule award than the nine percent left leg impairment already recognized for her work-related condition. She relied on a treating physician's higher rating and a claimed worsening. The Board found that the medical evidence did not support a greater…
Thomas Cathey v. Service Employees International, Incorporated
Cathey v. Service Employees International (BRB 12-0228): federal medical payment administration upheld
Thomas Cathey was injured while working in Iraq, and his employer paid Defense Base Act benefits before settling disability compensation. The federal government later accepted a War Hazards Compensation Act reimbursement claim and took over direct administration of his ongoing medical payments…
Lucky Plastering Corporation
Late scaffold contest dismissed
OSHA cited Lucky Plastering for four scaffold violations at a Florida construction site and proposed $12,000 in penalties. The company filed its notice of contest more than seven weeks after the 15-working-day deadline. Its president cited a family emergency, difficulty reading English, reduced…
Sierra Pacific Industries
In re Sierra Pacific Industries (EAB PSD Appeal No. 12-03): petition dismissed without prejudice as prematurely filed
Citizens for Clean Air petitioned the Environmental Appeals Board over a proposed PSD permit modification for Sierra Pacific Industries' cogeneration plant in Anderson, California. Citizens for Clean Air challenged the Region's denial of a request for a public hearing and filed before the…
V.H. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Atlanta Veterans Administration Medical Center, Decatur, GA
V.H. (ECAB 12-1621): Neck injury claim and late hearing request denied
V.H., a Veterans Affairs pharmacy technician, claimed neck and back injuries from pushing a cart at work. The Board found inconsistencies in her accounts and insufficient proof of the alleged incident. It also found that her hearing request was postmarked more than 30 days after OWCP's claim…
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.