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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United States Department of the Air Force, Randolph Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas (Respondent) and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1840 (Charging Party/Union)
Randolph Air Force Base and AFGE Local 1840 (FLRA DA-CA-09-0109): Bargaining complaint dismissed
AFGE Local 1840 sought to renegotiate its collective bargaining agreement with Randolph Air Force Base. The agreement required a party requesting renegotiation to submit written substantive proposals with its notice. The union sent a request but did not provide those proposals. An administrative…
D.H. and Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Klamath Falls, OR
D.H. (ECAB 10-0697): Request to reopen emotional condition claim denied
D.H., a Bureau of Reclamation clerk, asked OWCP to reconsider its denial of an emotional condition claim. He submitted his supervisor's deposition and a psychologist's report. The Board found that the deposition repeated information already in the record and did not establish supervisory error or…
V.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Central Parcel Post Facility, New York, NY
V.R. (ECAB 10-0609): Occupational disease claim lacked job-duty evidence
V.R., a postal parcel carrier, claimed that her job caused carpal tunnel syndrome and bicipital tendinitis. She submitted a physician's short note diagnosing those conditions but did not identify the specific job duties she believed caused them. OWCP asked for more factual and medical evidence, and…
M.T. and U.S. Postal Service, North Texas Processing & Distribution Center, Coppell, TX
M.T. (ECAB 10-0600): New witness statements require a merits review
M.T., a postal custodian, sought compensation for an emotional condition she attributed to workplace incidents during her pregnancy. OWCP denied the claim and later refused to reopen it, saying her reconsideration evidence had already been submitted. The Board found that several witness and union…
L.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, New Castle, DE
L.H. (ECAB 10-0485): Compensation restored after improper reduction
L.H., a postal letter carrier, received compensation after an accepted injury to her left arm, shoulder, and wrist. OWCP cut her compensation to zero because she had not signed a consent form allowing its field nurse to contact her physician. The Board found that the nurse's assignment concerned…
G.M. and Department of the Navy, Naval Air Depot, Cherry Point, NC
G.M. (ECAB 10-0418): Five percent awards for each arm upheld
G.M., a Navy aircraft mechanic, received schedule awards for five percent permanent impairment of each arm after accepted carpal tunnel and other upper-extremity conditions. He argued that the awards did not adequately compensate his continuing pain. The Board found that his treating surgeon and…
C.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Detroit, MI
C.H. (ECAB 10-0338): Late reconsideration request rejected
C.H., a postal letter carrier, sought reconsideration of a 2005 OWCP merits decision denying disability benefits. She argued that her request was timely because the Board had issued a decision in 2009. The Board explained that its earlier decision concerned untimely reconsideration requests and was…
J.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Philadelphia, PA
J.W. (ECAB 10-0198): Claimed consequential condition not established
J.W., a postal employee, had an accepted back injury and had previously received schedule awards for impairment of both legs. He claimed that erectile dysfunction was a consequence of the back injury and sought a separate award. The Board found that a new urologist's report did not adequately…
R.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Aliquippa, PA
R.B. (ECAB 09-2267): Injury claim and late hearing request denied
R.B., a postal letter carrier, said carrying mail on September 24, 2008 aggravated her neck, back, and leg symptoms. The Board found that the medical reports did not explain how that work incident caused or aggravated a diagnosed condition. It therefore upheld OWCP's denial of the injury claim. Her…
J.H. and Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons, Jonesville, VA
J.H. (ECAB 09-1830): Insurance premium overpayment must be repaid
J.H., a Bureau of Prisons employee, received too much compensation because his life insurance premiums had been calculated using an incorrect pay rate. The Board upheld OWCP's $6,336.87 overpayment calculation and agreed that J.H. was not at fault. He had not supplied the financial records OWCP…
Vulcan Construction Materials, LP
Final assessment reopened and remanded
Vulcan Construction Materials asked the Commission to reopen a penalty assessment that had become a final order after the contest period expired. The Secretary did not oppose the request. After reviewing the circumstances, the Commission reopened the assessment and remanded it for further…
Dayton Tire, Bridgestone/Firestone
Ninety-nine willful lockout violations affirmed
OSHA cited Dayton Tire after a fatal machine accident at its Oklahoma City tire plant, alleging widespread failures under the lockout and tagout standard. The Commission rejected Dayton's vagueness, applicability, minor-servicing, and infeasibility arguments. It also held that separate violations…
R.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, New Orleans, LA
R.C. (ECAB 10-0545): Hernia claim lacked medical evidence of work causation
R.C., a postal letter carrier, claimed that lifting mail trays and packages caused a right inguinal hernia. He submitted an operative report documenting repair of the hernia. The report did not address what caused the condition. OWCP requested a reasoned medical opinion connecting the diagnosis to…
S.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing & Distribution Facility, New Castle, PA
S.S. (ECAB 10-0519): Recurrence claim denied after referee review
S.S., a postal clerk, had accepted contusions and an elbow abrasion after a 2007 fall. She claimed that the injury caused disability when she underwent lumbar surgery in July 2008. Her surgeon linked the surgery to the fall, while an OWCP medical adviser attributed it to preexisting spinal changes…
C.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Duluth, GA
C.T. (ECAB 10-0487): Schedule award claim returned for medical review
C.T., a postal mail handler, sought a schedule award for impairment of her legs after accepted bilateral plantar fasciitis and left peripheral neuropathy. OWCP's medical adviser found no ratable impairment and OWCP denied the claim. The Board found that the adviser had discussed an unaccepted…
T.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Lincoln, NE
T.G. (ECAB 10-0289): Stress claim denied after management meeting
T.G., a postal mail carrier, said a stressful meeting with his station manager caused heart fibrillation. The meeting concerned his work performance and leave use. The Board found that the stress arose from a personnel matter, which required proof of management error or abuse to be compensable…
D.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Southeastern, PA
D.H. (ECAB 10-0284): Ankle award claim returned for referee examination
D.H., a postal processing clerk, sought a schedule award after an accepted left ankle fracture. Her physician rated a three percent impairment based on pain, while OWCP's medical adviser found no ratable impairment. OWCP relied on its adviser and denied the award. The Board found a medical opinion…
K.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Jackson, MS
K.W. (ECAB 10-0098): Additional back conditions not linked to accepted incident
K.W., a postal letter carrier, reported back and leg symptoms after pushing a mail buggy up a ramp. OWCP accepted a lumbar strain but denied her request to add failed back syndrome and other lumbar or leg conditions. The Board found that the medical reports did not adequately explain how the 2007…
M.J. and Department of Homeland Security, Citizenship & Immigration Service, Hartford, CT
M.J. (ECAB 10-0027): Reconsideration denied without merits review
M.J., an immigration service records clerk, had an accepted lumbar muscle spasm claim but sought acceptance of other back conditions and compensation for past disability. OWCP denied those requests and later refused to reopen the case. The Board found that much of her reconsideration evidence…
C.R. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Lyons, NJ
C.R. (ECAB 10-0018): Compensation termination for refusing suitable work upheld
C.R., a Veterans Affairs kinesiotherapist, received compensation after an accepted back injury. Her employer offered modified work in New Jersey, and her treating physician approved the position's duties. She declined it, arguing that her medical restrictions and residence in Virginia made it…
F.B. and Department of the Air Force, Luke Air Force Base, AZ
F.B. (ECAB 09-1945): Overpayment waiver returned for income findings
F.B., a retired Air Force firefighter, received an $11,694.37 compensation overpayment because Social Security retirement payments linked to federal service had not been offset. OWCP found him without fault and waived part of the debt, but denied waiver of the remainder. The Board found that OWCP…
T.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Lexington, KY
T.P. (ECAB 09-1730): Emotional condition claim lacked a proven work factor
T.P., a postal mail handler, attributed an emotional condition to management actions, alleged harassment, and work he said exceeded his medical restrictions. The Board found that the record did not establish error or abuse in the personnel and claim-processing matters he described. It also found…
Secretary of Labor v. Knox Creek Coal Corporation
Default entered after unanswered petition and show-cause order
MSHA sought $25,996 for 11 citations at Knox Creek's Tiller No. 1 Mine. Knox Creek did not answer the October 2008 penalty petition and did not respond to a November 2009 show-cause order that warned default would follow, even though its safety director received that order. The company filed an…
Freedom Energy Mining Company v. Secretary of Labor, MSHA
Production records ordered for individual-liability investigation
MSHA requested Freedom Energy's contemporaneous coal-production reports while investigating possible individual liability connected to three unwarrantable-failure orders. Freedom produced some time and attendance information but refused the production reports, arguing they were not required…
Black Energy, Inc.
Late-received assessment treated as timely contested
Black Energy did not receive its proposed assessment when MSHA issued it. Months later, the contractor saw on MSHA's website that the penalties were listed as delinquent, requested a copy, and immediately filed a contest. The Secretary did not oppose relief. The Commission held that the assessment…
Fulton Fuel Company
In re Fulton Fuel Company (EAB CWA Appeal No. 10-03): default and $32,176 penalty affirmed
Fulton Fuel Company was charged after an oil spill from its facility reached Fred and George Creek in Montana and after the company failed to maintain an SPCC Plan. Fulton did not timely answer the complaint and did not give good cause for its repeated missed deadlines. The Environmental Appeals…
Frost Crushed Stone Company
Civil-suit consequences do not justify late reopening
Frost Crushed Stone paid an assessment after an MSHA conference because it believed strict liability left no further way to contest the citations. After a related civil suit was filed, the company sought reopening and argued that an MSHA representative had misled it about its rights. The Secretary…
Petra Materials
Address disputes produce remand, denial, and timely contest
Petra Materials sought relief involving four assessments amid disputes over old addresses, receipt by people who may not have been its agents, and earlier misunderstandings about contest procedures. For the assessments in CENT 2008-735-M and CENT 2008-736-M, the Commission found the service record…
R.N. and Department of the Navy, Aviation Supply Office, Philadelphia, PA
R.N. (ECAB 10-0470): Wrist award pay rate returned for fact finding
R.N., a Navy carpenter, received a schedule award for 30 percent impairment of his right arm after an accepted wrist injury. OWCP calculated it using his 1989 pay rate. R.N. sought a later rate tied to recurrent disability after wrist surgery in 2006. The Board found that the record did not…
N.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing & Distribution Center, Hartford, CT
N.T. (ECAB 10-0347): Fibromyalgia claim lacked medical evidence of work causation
N.T., a postal mail handler, attributed fibromyalgia and chronic pain to her work duties. OWCP accepted that she performed the described duties but denied the claim. The Board found that her physicians documented conditions and work limitations without explaining how the duties caused or aggravated…
G.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Newport, TN
G.H. (ECAB 10-0227): Two percent knee impairment award upheld
G.H., a postal carrier, injured his left knee and underwent meniscus and ligament surgery. His treating surgeon rated nine percent impairment of the left leg, while OWCP's medical adviser rated two percent. The Board found that the surgeon had not explained the extra rating for the ligament injury…
M.A. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Fire Department, Tuskegee, AL
M.A. (ECAB 10-0172): Rescission of recurrence acceptance upheld
M.A., a Veterans Affairs firefighter, had an accepted lumbar sprain after lifting a patient in April 2000. OWCP later stated that it accepted a recurrence and that he was entitled to wage-loss compensation from his May 2000 retirement, then rescinded that acceptance. The Board found that the…
R.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Memphis, TN
R.H. (ECAB 10-0097): Medical evidence did not link conditions to postal work
R.H., a postal mail processing clerk, attributed carpal tunnel syndrome and leg and knee conditions to repetitive work and prolonged standing. The Board found that she had established the described work activities, despite OWCP's contrary view. It nevertheless upheld the claim denial because her…
L.N. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Sacramento, CA
L.N. (ECAB 10-0032): Blower incident lacked a medical causal link
L.N., a postal custodian, reported pain after operating a blower for about 90 minutes at work. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred but denied his injury claim. The Board found that the physicians who diagnosed neck, back, and nerve conditions did not explain how operating the blower caused or…
K.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Manchester, NH
K.B. (ECAB 10-0019): Mail lifting incident established, injury claim denied
K.B., a postal letter carrier, reported neck and left shoulder pain after lifting mail tubs at work. OWCP denied her claim because it did not believe the incident had been established. The Board found her account and the contemporaneous medical histories consistent enough to establish that the…
M.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Jersey City, NJ
M.H. (ECAB 10-0011): Fall established, but injury claim lacked medical link
M.H., a postal carrier, slipped and fell while delivering mail and later sought treatment for neck and back symptoms. OWCP accepted that the fall occurred but denied her injury claim. The Board found that physicians documented diagnoses and treatment without explaining whether the fall caused or…
J.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Kearny, NJ
J.L. (ECAB 09-2367): Late reconsideration request denied
J.L., a postal mail handler, asked OWCP to reconsider its denial of her carpal tunnel claim. Her request came more than one year after the last merits decision. She submitted a physician's report linking her condition to repetitive work, but the Board found that it did not meet the stricter…
K.P. and U.S. Postal Service, South Jersey Processing & Distribution Center, Bellmawr, NJ
K.P. (ECAB 09-1967): Termination of benefits reversed
K.P., a postal clerk, received benefits for accepted shoulder and neck injuries. OWCP terminated those benefits based on a referral physician's view that her injuries had resolved. The Board found that the physician had not received a complete account of K.P.'s earlier accepted right-arm…
Tidewater Virginia Federal Employees Metal Trades Council (Union) and United States Department of the Navy, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic (NAVFAC MIDLANT) (Agency)
Tidewater Metal Trades Council and Navy Facilities Command (FLRA 0-AR-4659): Arbitration exceptions denied
The Tidewater Virginia Federal Employees Metal Trades Council challenged an arbitration award involving the Navy's Mid-Atlantic facilities command. The Authority found no basis to disturb the award under the standards for a fair hearing or interpretation of the parties' agreement. It did not…
Stuart E. Thompson v. Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, Incorporated
Thompson v. Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding (BRB 10-0168): attorney fee liability remanded
Stuart Thompson injured his right knee while working for Northrop Grumman and later sought additional temporary disability compensation after starting work for another employer. The district director awarded his counsel $7,024.61 in fees and costs, finding that Northrop Grumman had rejected a…
M.C. and Department of Agriculture, Food Safety & Inspection Service, Minneapolis, MN
M.C. (ECAB 10-0571): Wrist injury claim denied for lack of medical causation
M.C., a Department of Agriculture food inspector, claimed that repeated knife work caused conditions in his right wrist and hand. OWCP accepted that he performed the described work but denied the claim because the medical evidence did not establish causation. One physician diagnosed carpal tunnel…
K.L. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Baltimore, MD
K.L. (ECAB 10-0416): Neck and back injury claim denied for lack of medical causation
K.L., a medical center housekeeping aid, claimed neck and low back injuries after a coworker grabbed his neck at work. OWCP accepted the June 5, 2009 incident but denied the claim because the medical evidence did not establish that it caused an injury. An emergency physician recorded K.L.'s history…
D.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, San Francisco, CA
D.L. (ECAB 10-0318): Denial of requested physician change upheld
D.L., a postal letter carrier with accepted shoulder and cervical injuries, sought a new treating physician after her longtime physician retired. She requested a neurologist she had seen before, about 102 miles from her home. OWCP denied the transfer because neurologists were available near her…
G.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Cincinnati Performance Cluster, Cincinnati, OH
G.T. (ECAB 10-0315): Late hearing request denial upheld
G.T. received compensation for an accepted aggravation of a back condition. OWCP terminated his benefits in April 2009, and his attorney requested a hearing in September. The Board found that the request came more than 30 days after the benefits decision, so G.T. had no right to a hearing. It also…
M.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Parsipanny, NJ
M.B. (ECAB 10-0059): Thumb claims and surgery request denied
M.B., a postal letter carrier, had an accepted right thumb contusion after a hand truck struck her hand. She later sought acceptance of a thumb ligament rupture, surgery for that condition, and compensation for renewed disability. The Board found that her surgeon did not explain the ligament…
M.M. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Anchorage, AK
M.M. (ECAB 10-0013): Emotional condition claim denied despite accepted workplace incident
M.M., a Veterans Health Administration voucher examiner, claimed an emotional condition after a coworker shouted at and intimidated her in a supervisor's office. OWCP initially found no compensable work factor, but its hearing representative accepted the incident as harassment while still denying…
T.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Melville, NY
T.G. (ECAB 10-0005): Recurrence of disability claim denied
T.G., a postal driver, had an accepted left ankle fracture and other injuries after a truck struck him at work. He later claimed that his ankle condition prevented him from working during two periods in 2008. The Board found that his doctors did not explain how the accepted injury had worsened…
R.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Hartford, CT
R.C. (ECAB 09-2217): Eleven percent right leg impairment award upheld
R.C., a postal mail handler, injured his right knee after slipping on ice at work and later sought a schedule award for permanent leg impairment. OWCP awarded compensation for 11 percent impairment, which R.C. argued was too little given his continuing pain. The Board found that OWCP had…
B.N. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Southeastern, PA
B.N. (ECAB 09-1769): Right leg impairment award sent back for a clearer medical report
B.N., a postal mail handler, sought a larger schedule award than OWCP's two percent rating for his right leg. The Board found that conflicting physician reports required an impartial examination and that the examiner had been selected under OWCP's rotational system. His report, however, lacked…
D.K. and Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons, Glynco, GA
D.K. (ECAB 09-1361): Benefit termination reversed; cervical claim sent back
D.K., a Bureau of Prisons corrections officer, had an accepted right shoulder injury and sought coverage for a cervical condition. OWCP used an impartial examiner's report to deny the cervical claim and end her compensation benefits. The Board found that the case record did not adequately document…
Hawaiian Cement Maui, Concrete & Aggregate Division
Two-year reopening delay is untimely
Hawaiian Cement contested four citations but mistakenly believed it did not also need to contest the corresponding proposed penalties. The assessments were delivered by certified mail, delinquency notices followed, and the company paid the other penalties while leaving the four disputed amounts…
D.B. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Chicago, IL
D.B. (ECAB 10-0398): Late reconsideration request did not show clear error
D.B., a medical supply technician at a VA medical center, claimed compensation for disability after an accepted work injury. OWCP denied that claim in April 2008, and she sought reconsideration in October 2009. The Board found that her request missed the one-year filing period applied to the April…
P.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Dover, DE
P.B. (ECAB 10-0383): Mail pallet incident established, injury claim denied
P.B., a postal mail handler, reported back, right hip, and pelvic symptoms after pulling heavy mail pallets. OWCP ultimately accepted that the work incident occurred but denied his injury claim. The Board found that his physician recorded his own belief about the cause without giving an…
L.E. and Department of Defense, Defense Information Services Agency, Indianapolis, IN
L.E. (ECAB 10-0378): Compensation and medical benefit termination reversed
L.E., a Defense Department systems analyst, received compensation for work-related aggravation of major depression. OWCP ended her compensation and medical treatment authorization after a second-opinion psychologist said he could not identify remaining work-related effects. The Board found that…
D.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Los Angeles, CA
D.W. (ECAB 10-0372): Wage-loss claim denied and ankle treatment authorization ended
D.W., a postal city carrier, injured her right ankle after encountering dogs while delivering mail, and OWCP accepted an ankle strain and sprain. She sought wage-loss compensation beginning June 20, 2009. The Board found that notes excusing her from work had illegible signatures, no diagnosis, and…
K.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Wichita Remote Encoding Center, Wichita, KS
K.D. (ECAB 10-0366): Repetitive typing disease claim denied for lack of medical explanation
K.D., a postal data conversion operator, attributed arm, wrist, shoulder, and neck symptoms to repeated typing and key entry. OWCP accepted that she performed those duties but denied the occupational disease claim. The Board found that her physician's report described wrist and arm pain without a…
R.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Mayfield, OH
R.G. (ECAB 10-0362): Injury claim denied despite accepted heavy mail work
R.G., a postal distribution clerk, reported back and right shoulder injuries after pushing a heavy mail container beyond his work restriction. OWCP accepted that the September 24, 2008 work event occurred. The Board found that two chiropractors' reports did not qualify as physician evidence for…
D.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Washington, D.C.
D.W. (ECAB 10-0350): Fall injury claim sent back for specific findings
D.W., a postal employee, lost consciousness and fell during a meeting at work, reporting injuries to his left hand and shoulder. OWCP's hearing representative accepted the fall as an unexplained workplace incident but denied the injury claim for lack of medical proof. The Board found that the…
S.E. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Pearland, TX
S.E. (ECAB 10-0261): $1,229.30 overpayment upheld without waiver
S.E., a postal distribution clerk, returned to full-time limited duty on August 18, 2009 but received a compensation payment covering days after that return. OWCP calculated an overpayment of $1,229.30 for 12 days when he received wages and temporary total disability compensation for the same…
M.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Spokane, WA
M.G. (ECAB 10-0230): Hip claim sent back for merits review
M.G., a postal letter carrier, claimed that repeated lifting, twisting, and other work duties contributed to right hip osteoarthritis. OWCP denied her claim and later refused to reconsider it without reviewing the merits. The Board found that a later report from her physician added a new…
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.