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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G.H. and Department of the Air Force, Tinker Air Force Base, OK
G.H. (ECAB 10-1170): Eleven percent left ear award upheld
G.H., an Air Force machinist supervisor, sought a greater award for accepted hearing loss. One physician rounded an intermediate audiogram result and reached 12 percent, while OWCP rounded only the final result and reached 11 percent. The Board found OWCP’s method matched its procedures. It also…
L.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Oakland Park Branch, Fort Lauderdale, FL
L.G. (ECAB 10-1027): Overpayment fact upheld; amount sent back
L.G., a postal letter carrier, received extra wage-loss compensation during a suspension that was later reversed with back pay. The Board held that the retroactive restoration created an overpayment. OWCP excluded insurance deductions but treated alimony deductions differently without explaining…
C.C. and Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Fairmont, WV
C.C. (ECAB 10-0979): Slip injury denial upheld for lack of causation evidence
C.C., an FBI criminal history examiner, reported neck and back problems after slipping on a wet floor. The Board found the medical record lacked a reasoned physician opinion explaining how the incident caused or aggravated a diagnosed condition. Test results and symptom reports did not supply that…
P.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Littleton, CO
P.C. (ECAB 10-0858): Collector wage-capacity reduction upheld
P.C., a former postal distribution clerk, received compensation for accepted back conditions. OWCP selected a collector position to represent his wage-earning capacity. The Board found the position within the work restrictions supported by an impartial physician and reasonably available in the…
J.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Montclair, NJ
J.D. (ECAB 10-0847): Three percent right leg award upheld
J.D., a postal letter carrier, sought a larger award for an accepted right knee condition. Both his physician and OWCP’s medical adviser calculated three percent impairment under the sixth edition of the impairment guides. The Board found the calculation supported and held that the sixth edition…
R.O. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, White Plains, NY
R.O. (ECAB 10-0819): Nineteen percent left leg award upheld
R.O., a postal letter carrier, sought a larger award for accepted left knee conditions. The Board accepted the 19 percent rating for patellar tendinitis under the sixth edition of the impairment guides. It rejected an additional meniscus rating for the same knee region and an unsupported hip…
D.C. and Department of Commerce, Dallas, TX
D.C. (ECAB 10-0582): Receptionist wage-capacity reduction upheld
D.C., a Commerce Department enumerator, received compensation after an accepted motor vehicle injury. OWCP determined that a receptionist job represented her earning capacity. The Board found her medical restrictions compatible with the position and found later disability certificates…
W.S. and Department of State, Peace Corps, Washington, DC
W.S. (ECAB 10-0220): Vocational rehabilitation reduction upheld
W.S., a former Peace Corps volunteer, had an older wage-earning capacity determination based on a management trainee job. He later held an administrator position with substantially different duties and far higher pay. The Board found the current pay exceeded the rated position’s current pay by the…
R.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Charlotte, NC
R.B. (ECAB 10-0132): Eight-hour wage-capacity finding reversed
R.B., a postal clerk with accepted neck and shoulder conditions, had worked an eight-hour modified job. New restrictions reduced that work to four hours a day before OWCP formally based her wage capacity on the former eight-hour earnings. The Board found the determination ignored the changed…
Secretary of Labor v. Highland Mining Company
Renewed reopening request denied with prejudice
Highland Mining failed to contest an MSHA penalty assessment after its safety director marked the form but left it on his desk, where it became mixed with other papers. The Commission had already denied an earlier reopening request without prejudice and told Highland to fully explain the missed…
Secretary of Labor v. Highland Mining Company
Two final assessments reopened
Highland Mining renewed requests to reopen two MSHA penalty assessments after the Commission had denied its earlier motions without prejudice and demanded fuller explanations. One assessment was lost in internal mail between a secretary and the mine's safety director. For the other, the safety…
United States Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Hampton, Virginia (Activity) and American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO (Petitioner/Union)
Hampton VA Medical Center and AFGE (FLRA WA-RP-09-0062): Night nurse officers remain in bargaining unit
The Hampton VA Medical Center sought to exclude four evening and night nurse officers from a bargaining unit, arguing that they were supervisors. A regional director found that the nurses directed and assigned staff but did not spend most of their working time exercising supervisory authority. The…
The American Coal Company
Fourteen safeguard notices held valid
American Coal sought summary decision vacating 73 citations by arguing that all 14 underlying mine-specific safeguard notices were legally invalid. Judge Richard W. Manning held that each notice identified a transportation hazard and the corrective action with enough precision to provide fair…
M.V. and Department of the Army, Army Depot, Corpus Christi, TX
M.V. (ECAB 10-1169): Work-related hearing loss claim denied
M.V., an Army Depot pipefitter, had bilateral hearing loss and reported years of noisy work. A second-opinion physician compared earlier and later hearing tests and attributed the loss to preemployment military exposure and age rather than depot work. The supporting physicians did not adequately…
W.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing & Distribution Center, Cleveland, OH
W.B. (ECAB 10-1090): Shoulder recurrence and reconsideration denials upheld
W.B., a postal mail handler with an accepted right shoulder sprain, stopped light-duty work and claimed total disability beginning October 13, 2009. The medical reports did not explain why the accepted sprain prevented that work after more than two years in the position. A later report mentioned a…
R.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Phoenix, AZ
R.B. (ECAB 10-0948): Leg injury denial upheld with medical-expense review
R.B., a postal worker, reported a leg condition after a July 28, 2009 work incident. His physicians diagnosed a calf problem but did not explain how the incident caused or aggravated it, so the Board upheld the injury denial. He had received emergency treatment the same day, and OWCP had not…
J.S. and General Services Administration, Office of Federal Supplies & Services, Duluth, GA
J.S. (ECAB 10-0878): PTSD resolution upheld; back benefits termination reversed
J.S., a General Services Administration employee, had accepted PTSD and low back conditions. A reasoned second opinion supported that the PTSD no longer caused disability or required treatment. OWCP lacked comparable evidence that his accepted low back strain, sciatica, and disc condition had…
J.D. and Department of Agriculture, Office of the Inspector General, Washington, DC
J.D. (ECAB 10-0640): Overpayment, fault, and recovery findings upheld
J.D., an Agriculture Department employee, received augmented compensation after the period in which her son qualified as a dependent. The Board upheld the overpayment amount and OWCP’s finding that she was at fault, which barred waiver. It also found the recovery rate appropriate because she had…
L.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Raleigh, NC
L.H. (ECAB 10-0550): Benefits termination reversed; aneurysm claim denied
L.H., a postal mail expeditor, had accepted back and leg injuries after a heavy mail bin struck him. OWCP relied on an impartial physician to deny a claimed aneurysm and embolic condition, but that physician did not address whether the accepted back and leg injuries had resolved. The Board…
J.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Seattle, WA
J.L. (ECAB 10-0335): Shoulder and neck benefits termination reversed
J.L., a postal mail processing clerk, had accepted right shoulder and cervical conditions. OWCP’s referral physician said they had resolved, while the treating physician said symptoms were controlled by continuing work restrictions. The Board found an unresolved conflict over whether the accepted…
S.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Anaheim, CA
S.S. (ECAB 10-0042): Knee and shoulder claim and wage-loss denial upheld
S.S., a postal mail handler, claimed right knee and left shoulder conditions from his duties and sought wage-loss compensation for April 26 to June 27, 2009. The Board found he had not established an employment-related injury and therefore could not obtain wage-loss benefits on that claim. Its…
United States Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (Agency) and National Treasury Employees Union (Union)
Customs and Border Protection and NTEU (FLRA 0-AR-4602): Auditors' overtime award upheld
Customs and Border Protection classified about 300 auditors as exempt from overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act. An arbitrator found that their work followed detailed audit manuals and underwent extensive supervisory review, so they lacked the discretion and independent judgment needed for…
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Division of Supervision and Consumer Protection, Dallas Regional Office (Agency) and National Treasury Employees Union, Chapter 275 (Union)
FDIC Dallas and NTEU Chapter 275 (FLRA 0-AR-4106): Employee award remedy upheld
An FDIC employee was nominated for a Corporate Success Award but was passed over. An arbitrator found that the agency had not used the fair and objective process required by its agreements and ordered reconsideration. The agency again denied the award without showing an objective comparison or an…
Secretary of Labor on behalf of Okey Sartin v. Kiah Creek Transport, LLC
Safety-report retaliation claim dismissed
Haul-truck driver Okey Sartin was fired during an argument after reporting that his trailer leaned dangerously while dumping coal. Judge Michael E. Zielinski found that conveying the safety concern was protected activity and that the firing was an adverse action. He nevertheless credited the…
Secretary of Labor v. Aracoma Coal Company, Inc.
Settlement order corrected and remanded
After the Commission affirmed Aracoma Coal's settlement, the parties asked it to correct clerical errors in the underlying ALJ order and attached docket lists. The Commission granted reconsideration, changed the count from 1,302 to 1,281 citations and orders, and corrected the total proposed…
Secretary of Labor v. Aracoma Coal Company, Inc.
Fatal-fire settlement and voluntary POV plan affirmed
Aracoma Coal agreed to accept 1,281 citations and orders and pay $1.7 million in civil penalties, down from $2.8 million proposed, after an Alma No. 1 Mine fire killed two miners. The Commission directed review only of provisions allowing the Alma and Hernshaw mines to use voluntary plans to reduce…
Secretary of Labor v. B & S Trucking Company, Inc.
Final assessment reopened
B & S Trucking asked the Commission to reopen an MSHA penalty assessment that had become final after the statutory contest period passed. The Secretary did not oppose the request. The official order does not state the reason the company missed the deadline. After reviewing the request and…
Secretary of Labor v. Highland Mining Co., LLC
Belt and ventilation violations bring $118,340
Highland Mining settled 36 of 39 cited violations for $78,340 and tried three citations involving a rubbing belt component, mining direction, and ventilation. Judge Gary Melick affirmed an S&S equipment-maintenance citation because a broken roller chair was smoking against the belt and could ignite…
L.H. and Department of Veterans Affairs, G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery Veterans Administration Medical Center, Jackson, MS
L.H. (ECAB 10-1316): Overpayment and waiver denial upheld
L.H., a VA practical nurse, returned to modified work while wage-loss compensation continued, creating a $926.39 overpayment. OWCP found she was not at fault but denied waiver based on her income and allowable expenses. The Board found that even excluding her husband’s disputed Social Security…
G.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, New Port Richey, FL
G.T. (ECAB 10-1156): Back aggravation benefits termination upheld
G.T., a postal rural carrier, received benefits for aggravation of preexisting lumbar disc disease. An impartial physician concluded the work-related aggravation had resolved and current findings reflected the underlying disease’s natural course. The Board found his opinion reasoned and based on…
V.M. and Social Security Administration, Greensboro, NC
V.M. (ECAB 10-1056): Finger condition wage-loss denial upheld
V.M., a Social Security claims representative, had accepted temporary aggravations of finger arthritis and trigger fingers. She sought wage-loss compensation beginning September 24, 2009. The medical reports did not clearly explain that those accepted conditions caused inability to work during the…
F.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Los Angeles, CA
F.D. (ECAB 10-0863): Shoulder occupational disease denial upheld
F.D., a retired postal letter carrier, attributed right shoulder problems to his work. The physician notes identified symptoms and periods away from work but did not explain how specific duties caused or aggravated a diagnosed shoulder condition. Some reports concerned unrelated conditions or…
N.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Hicksville, NY
N.C. (ECAB 10-0778): Additional conditions and continuing benefits denied
N.C., a postal employee, sought acceptance of further diagnoses and continued benefits after her accepted neck and lumbar strains. The Board found insufficient medical evidence linking the added conditions to the work injury. It found OWCP’s medical evidence sufficient to show the accepted strains…
B.Q. and Department of the Navy, Air Systems Command Headquarters Office, Patuxent River, MD
B.Q. (ECAB 10-0729): Left foot schedule award denial upheld
B.Q., a Navy financial management analyst, had an accepted left plantar fascia tear. Her physician proposed a 20 percent impairment rating but did not derive it from the impairment guides or explain which findings came from the accepted tear rather than unaccepted neuropathy and other conditions…
C.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing & Distribution Center, Allentown, PA
C.C. (ECAB 10-0717): Two percent right arm award upheld
C.C., a postal employee, challenged a two percent right arm impairment rating. Her physician proposed a higher rating using grip and pinch strength and a different sensory-loss grade, but did not adequately explain those choices under the impairment guides. OWCP’s medical adviser gave a reasoned…
M.B. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Newark, NJ
M.B. (ECAB 10-0564): Overpayment fact upheld; amount and waiver sent back
M.B., a TSA employee, received total disability compensation after returning to nonfederal work and later received compensation based on understated earnings. The Board found an overpayment but held OWCP had used incorrect period boundaries in calculating its amount. It found her without fault for…
Latite Roofing and Sheet Metal LLC, the Successor to Latite Roofing and Sheet Metal Co., Inc.
Safety-monitoring violation affirmed with a $5,000 penalty
Latite Roofing used a safety-monitoring system while three employees worked on a three-story residential roof. OSHA alleged that the designated monitor could not always see or orally communicate with the other roofers and had roofing duties that distracted him from monitoring. The judge found that…
United States Department of the Navy, Navy Exchange, San Diego, California (Agency) and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 3723 (Union)
San Diego Navy Exchange and AFGE Local 3723 (FLRA 0-AR-4668): Barber backpay set aside
The San Diego Navy Exchange changed its barbers' shifts from 11:30 a.m. to noon starts while the shop continued to close at 8 p.m. An arbitrator found that the change harmed a barber who earned commissions and that the Exchange had violated the parties' agreement. He ordered backpay and directed…
Social Security Administration (Agency) and American Federation of Government Employees, Council 220 (Union)
Social Security Administration and AFGE Council 220 (FLRA 0-AR-4485): Annual leave guideline remains rescinded
The Social Security Administration imposed nationwide limits on when its teleservice representatives could take annual leave. AFGE Council 220 argued that the limits violated their agreement, which required reasonable efforts to allow the maximum number of employees to use leave. An arbitrator…
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1228 (Union) and United States Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Central Iowa Health Care System, Des Moines, Iowa (Agency)
AFGE Local 1228 and VA Central Iowa Health Care System (FLRA 0-AR-4409): Retroactive promotion denied
A therapist at the VA Central Iowa Health Care System took on additional duties and was later promoted from GS-9 to GS-11. AFGE Local 1228 sought retroactive higher pay for the period before that promotion. The arbitrator found no evidence that the therapist had been detailed to a higher graded…
Social Security Administration, Office of Disability Adjudication and Review, Region 1 (Agency) and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1164 (Union)
Social Security Administration Region 1 and AFGE Local 1164 (FLRA 0-AR-4370): Flexiplace bargaining ordered, commuting award set aside
The Social Security Administration's shift to electronic disability files reduced senior case technicians' opportunities to work from alternate duty stations. An arbitrator found that the agency had failed to bargain with AFGE Local 1164 as their flexiplace agreement required. She ordered…
E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
In re E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (EAB TSCA Docket No. TSCA-HQ-2010-5002): $3.3 million penalty settlement ordered
EPA and E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company signed and consented to entry of an attached Consent Agreement. The Environmental Appeals Board incorporated that agreement into its Final Order. The Board ordered DuPont to comply with the agreement and pay a $3.3 million civil penalty within thirty days…
Secretary of Labor v. East Tennessee Zinc Company
Administrative-oversight reopening request denied
East Tennessee Zinc sent two penalty assessments to counsel, but counsel contested only one and attributed the omission of the other to administrative oversight. The Secretary did not oppose reopening. The Commission majority found the explanation too general and emphasized that the company had not…
Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority
In re Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (EAB NPDES Appeal No. 10-18): petition dismissed after permit conditions withdrawn
Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority and EPA Region 2 jointly asked the Environmental Appeals Board to authorize withdrawal of PREPA's petition for review. Region 2 agreed to withdraw the contested permit conditions and prepare new draft conditions under the permitting procedures in 40 C.F.R. §§…
Secretary of Labor v. B & W Resources, Inc.
Reopening request denied pending fuller explanation
B & W Resources said an office move, inexperienced mail staff, and a change in safety directors delayed delivery of an MSHA penalty assessment to the person responsible for contests. The Secretary opposed reopening, calling the explanation conclusory and pointing to more than $100,000 in alleged…
C.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Chicago, IL
C.M. (ECAB 10-1142): Reconsideration denial upheld
C.M., a postal employee, sought reconsideration after OWCP denied a recurrence claim related to an earlier head injury. Her appeal reached the Board too late for review of the underlying merits decision. The Board found her reconsideration request raised no new relevant legal argument or evidence…
S.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Bulk Mail Center, Hazelwood, MO
S.M. (ECAB 10-0928): Sixteen percent left arm award upheld
S.M., a postal worker, sought a larger award for left arm impairment. Her physician proposed 22 percent using an older edition of the impairment guides and motion findings the medical adviser found unreliable. The adviser applied the edition then in effect and produced a lower rating than the 16…
R.O. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Hines, IL
R.O. (ECAB 10-0872): One percent leg awards and late review denial upheld
R.O., a VA employee, challenged schedule awards of one percent impairment in each leg. The Board found no medical basis for higher ratings. Although his written-record review request bore an earlier date, its postmark showed it was mailed after the 30-day deadline. The Board found OWCP reasonably…
P.T. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Central Arkansas Health Care System, Little Rock, AR
P.T. (ECAB 10-0846): Willful misconduct exclusion upheld
P.T., a VA nursing assistant, claimed a shoulder injury during an encounter with workplace police. The Board credited the investigating officer’s account that she resisted escort by stopping, screaming, and pulling away after her companion was arrested. It found the injury resulted from deliberate…
S.R. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA
S.R. (ECAB 10-0794): Two overpayments upheld; first-deposit fault reversed
S.R., a VA employee, received a $1,242.72 overpayment from underwithheld family health insurance premiums and a $5,503.81 overpayment after returning to work. The Board upheld both amounts and denial of waiver for the insurance-premium overpayment. It found she could not know the first erroneous…
C.M. and Department of the Air Force, Tinker Air Force Base, OK
C.M. (ECAB 10-0753): Bowling injury sent back for work-connection inquiry
C.M., an Air Force aircraft painter, injured his knee while bowling on base. The record did not establish that he was on official time, but contained some evidence that a labor-management partnership council approved the outing. The Board directed OWCP to investigate whether employer authorization…
G.M. and Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons, Atlanta, GA
G.M. (ECAB 10-0604): Compensation and medical benefits termination upheld
G.M., a former correctional officer, received benefits for an accepted emotional condition from a workplace incident. An updated second-opinion psychiatrist found no remaining work-related condition or disability and explained why current symptoms were unrelated. The Board found his opinion…
J.W. and Department of Defense, Defense Contract Management Agency, Carlsbad, CA
J.W. (ECAB 10-0358): Low back claim denial upheld
J.W., a Defense Department employee with a long history of lumbar problems, attributed a back injury to a July 2, 2001 work incident involving a compact car. His physicians diagnosed spinal conditions but did not adequately explain how entering and leaving the car caused or aggravated them. The…
Ben Hur Construction Co.
Crane-operation and training allegations vacated
A Ben Hur Construction apprentice was killed while helping disassemble a crawler crane after he attached his fall-protection lanyard to a live crane cable. OSHA alleged that Ben Hur failed to follow the manufacturer's crane specifications and failed to train the employee to recognize and avoid…
United States Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration (Agency) and National Air Traffic Controllers Association (Union)
FAA and National Air Traffic Controllers Association (FLRA 0-AR-4556): Interest on corrected pay set aside
The FAA corrected an employee's pay and gave her backpay but declined to pay interest. An arbitrator awarded interest after finding that the parties' agreement incorporated the Back Pay Act. The Authority held that Congress had excluded the FAA's personnel system from that Act and that the agency…
Elk Run Coal Company
Failed fax leads to reopening despite repeat defaults
Elk Run intended to contest a proposed penalty assessment and faxed it to counsel, but counsel never received the fax. The company sought reopening promptly after discovering the failure, and the Secretary did not oppose relief. A Commission majority reopened the assessment in the interest of…
DMC Mining Services
Final assessment is reopened without opposition
DMC Mining Services asked the Commission to reopen a proposed penalty assessment that had become a final order when it was not contested within 30 days. The Secretary did not oppose reopening. The Commission explained that Rule 60(b) principles permit relief from a final order for reasons including…
Quality Sand & Gravel
One assessment reopened, older request denied
Quality Sand & Gravel sought to reopen two final penalty assessments. The Commission denied relief for Assessment No. 000179350 because the company waited more than a year after the assessment became final and nearly a year after collection was referred to the Treasury Department. Rule 60(b)…
National Labor Relations Board, Washington, D.C. (Respondent) and National Labor Relations Board, Professional Association (Charging Party)
NLRB and NLRB Professional Association (FLRA WA-CA-09-0326): Consolidated unit bargaining complaint dismissed
The NLRB declined to bargain with the NLRB Professional Association in a unit combining employees from its Board and General Counsel offices. An FLRA administrative law judge found that the refusal violated federal labor law because the Authority had certified the combined unit. In a related case…
Appalachian Stone Company
Unopposed final assessment is reopened
Appalachian Stone asked the Commission to reopen a proposed penalty assessment that had become a final order when it was not contested within 30 days. The Secretary did not oppose the request. The Commission noted that it may use the principles of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 60(b) to reopen a…
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.