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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J.P. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Overton Brooks VA Medical Center
Board upholds VA worker’s retirement offset debt and denies added injuries (ECAB 23-0975)
A VA housekeeping aide had an accepted right shoulder injury and received FECA wage loss compensation. Overlapping Social Security retirement benefits attributable to federal service created a $2,151.35 overpayment. The Board upheld the debt and denial of waiver, although he was without fault. It…
HVAC Services
In re HVAC Services (EAB CAA Appeal No. 24-05C): bulk HFC import settlement approved
HVAC Services provides heating and air conditioning services in Mission, Texas. EPA alleged that the company imported R-410A, R-407C, and R-404A from Mexico in April and May 2022 without expending the required allowances. The shipments totaled 10,920 kilograms of HFCs and entered the United States…
C.F. and Department of the Army, California National Guard
Board dismisses National Guard employee’s appeal of informational letter (ECAB 24-0481)
A California National Guard employee appealed a September 2010 OWCP letter. The Board found that the letter merely supplied information and did not finally decide a claim against him. With no final adverse OWCP decision within its jurisdiction, it dismissed the appeal without reaching any benefit…
D.S. and Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation
Board denies FBI technician’s motor vehicle injury claim (ECAB 24-0305)
An FBI electronics technician reported whiplash after a work vehicle accident in June 2023. OWCP accepted that the accident occurred but denied the injury claim. The Board found the submitted diagnosis came from a nurse practitioner, who was not a physician under FECA for this purpose, and no…
C.B. and Department of the Navy, Naval Sea Systems Command, Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
Board upholds shipyard worker’s retirement offset debt and repayment rate (ECAB 24-0285)
A former Navy shipyard welder received FECA wage loss compensation while also receiving Social Security retirement benefits attributable to federal service without the required offset. The Board upheld OWCP’s $5,703.61 overpayment calculation for two periods and found that she was without fault…
E.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Detroit Processing and Distribution Center
Board confirms late reconsideration but remands clear-error review (ECAB 24-0279)
A postal training technician sought reconsideration of an older decision concerning an accepted knee injury. Her September 2023 request came more than one year after the last merit decision, so the Board upheld OWCP’s timeliness ruling. OWCP had not addressed counsel’s arguments or conducted the…
V.J. and Social Security Administration, Region IV
Board orders further medical review of Social Security worker’s disability claim (ECAB 24-0171)
A Social Security Administration specialist sought wage loss compensation for a period she said was caused by an accepted 2016 fall and sacroiliac injury. OWCP denied the claimed recurrence after obtaining a second opinion. The Board found that the second opinion did not address the dates of…
N.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Highland Post Office
Board requires postal service account of parking lot injury (ECAB 24-0118)
A postal city carrier assistant said a vehicle lift gate struck her forehead as she retrieved her work satchel after arriving at the post office. OWCP denied the claim on the ground that the injury did not occur in the performance of duty. The Board found the record lacked necessary information…
D.F. and U.S. Postal Service, Anson Jones Post Office
Board upholds denial of postal carrier’s knee condition claim (ECAB 24-0078)
A postal city carrier assistant claimed that repetitive duties caused a bilateral knee condition. The Board found the submitted medical opinion did not adequately explain how specific work duties caused the diagnosed condition. It therefore upheld OWCP’s denial of the claim. The carrier’s…
M.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Monongahela Post Office
Board reverses termination of postal carrier’s wage loss benefits (ECAB 24-0025)
A rural postal carrier received benefits after a vehicle crash caused accepted injuries, including a right shoulder condition. OWCP ended her wage loss compensation after she declined a temporary, sedentary assignment. The Board found the medical reports did not establish she could perform that…
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2338 and United States Department of Veterans Affairs, John J. Pershing VA Medical Center
AFGE Local 2338 and John J. Pershing VA Medical Center (FLRA 0-AR-5895): Authority upholds nonselection grievance denial
A union steward applied for two VA labor-specialist vacancies, but the agency selected someone else for one and cancelled the other. The union alleged that anti-union animus caused both outcomes. Applying the Letterkenny discrimination framework, an arbitrator found protected activity and agency…
Secretary of Labor v. Vulcan Construction Materials, LLC
Frozen eyewash station violated first-aid rule
Cold weather froze the water supply to the eyewash station in Vulcan's quarry maintenance shop, where miners handled battery acid, oils, and aerosol chemicals. Vulcan pointed to bottled drinking water in an adjacent office and small eyewash bottles stored on vehicles outside. The judge held that…
Parker Engineering and Mechanical, Inc.
In re Parker Engineering and Mechanical, Inc. (EAB CAA 24-04C): expedited settlement ratified
The Environmental Appeals Board issued a Final Order for Parker Engineering and Mechanical, Inc. on April 23, 2024. The order says that the Board ratified an Expedited Settlement Agreement and Consent Agreement under 40 C.F.R. § 22.18(b)-(c), and ordered the company to comply with that agreement…
J.G. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Board upholds denial of border officer’s cardiac condition claim (ECAB 24-0265)
A Customs and Border Protection officer attributed heart rhythm conditions and a stroke to stressful and physically demanding work. The Board found that his physicians diagnosed and treated several conditions but did not give an opinion connecting them to accepted work factors. Diagnostic studies…
K.K. and U.S. Postal Service, Westfield Post Office
Board denies postal carrier’s claimed disability period and late record review (ECAB 24-0205)
A postal city carrier sought wage loss compensation for time off work associated with an accepted knee condition. The Board found that the medical evidence did not adequately establish disability for the specific dates from December 20, 2019 through February 7, 2022. The carrier also requested a…
D.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Philly Metro District Post Office
Board upholds end of postal carrier’s injury benefits (ECAB 24-0201)
A postal city carrier assistant received FECA benefits after an accepted left ankle injury. OWCP ended the benefits after a second opinion found no remaining effects from the accepted injury. The Board found that opinion sufficiently supported the termination. It also gave weight to a later…
J.Q. and U.S. Postal Service, Grand Rapids Processing & Distribution Center
Board recognizes mail handler’s back strain diagnosis and orders causation review (ECAB 24-0142)
A mail handler reported hurting his back while attempting to move a container that slipped from a forklift. OWCP rejected the claim because it found no diagnosed condition linked to the accepted incident. The Board found that a physician had diagnosed an acute low back strain in connection with the…
J.N. and U.S. Postal Service, Fort Worth Post Office
Board reverses termination after conflicting medical opinions on work capacity (ECAB 24-0136)
A postal occupational health nurse received FECA compensation for accepted shoulder, hand, and wrist conditions. OWCP ended wage loss and schedule award entitlement after she declined an offered job. The Board found an unresolved conflict between OWCP’s examiner and her treating physician about how…
A.G. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Board upholds denial of analyst’s workplace stress claim (ECAB 24-0113)
A retired immigration enforcement investigative analyst attributed depression and stress to workplace duties, leave disputes, performance reviews, and alleged harassment. The Board found that her account did not sufficiently establish a compensable work duty or error or abuse in the administrative…
S.J., claiming as widow of B.J., and Department of Agriculture, Inspections Operations Program
Board orders more employer evidence in widow’s work related death claim (ECAB 23-0903)
A widow claimed that an Agriculture Department compliance investigator’s fatal heart condition was caused or aggravated by stressful job duties. The Board had previously directed OWCP to obtain employer evidence about those duties, including travel and hurricane response work. OWCP sent questions…
Kermit Phillips v. Clinchfield Coal Company
Phillips v. Clinchfield Coal (BRB 23-0072): Black lung benefits denial affirmed
Kermit Phillips sought black lung benefits after years of underground coal mine work. The judge found the evidence did not establish complicated pneumoconiosis or total respiratory disability and denied benefits. The Board majority upheld her assessment of conflicting x-rays, CT scans, and medical…
Andreski v. United States Marshals Service
CAARA appeal dismissed for failure to prosecute
Christopher Andreski filed a retaliation complaint against the United States Marshals Service under the Criminal Antitrust Anti-Retaliation Act. An administrative judge dismissed the OSHA complaint as outside the 180-day filing period. Andreski petitioned the Board for review, but he did not file…
L.E. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Reagan-Washington National Airport
Board upholds TSA officer’s retirement offset debt and repayment schedule (ECAB 24-0294)
A transportation security officer received FECA wage loss compensation while also drawing Social Security retirement benefits attributable to federal service. OWCP determined that the missing offset created an $18,230.74 overpayment from July 2022 through July 2023. The Board upheld the…
J.P. and Department of Agriculture, Specialty Crops Program
Board orders review of omitted medical reports in agricultural grader’s disability claim (ECAB 24-0263)
An Agriculture Department grader sought disability benefits after a golf cart struck the platform on which he stood, causing accepted injuries. OWCP denied compensation for time off work beginning October 27, 2022. The Board found that OWCP had failed to address several timely submitted medical…
C.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Cheyenne Processing and Distribution Center
Board upholds knee claim denial and changes basis for refusing record review (ECAB 24-0212)
A postal custodian claimed a left knee injury while pushing a heavy container into a compactor. The Board found the medical evidence did not adequately connect a diagnosed knee condition to that accepted incident, so it upheld the claim denial. It also upheld OWCP’s refusal to provide a written…
S.R. and U.S. Postal Service, West Carrollton Post Office
Board denies postal carrier’s hip tear and disability claims (ECAB 24-0146)
A postal city carrier sought to expand an accepted injury claim after tripping on an uneven driveway while delivering mail. He alleged a right hip tear and disability from work beginning December 31, 2022. The Board found that the medical evidence did not adequately establish that the accepted fall…
C.G. and Department of the Navy, Military Sealift Command
Board orders specialist review of seaman’s exposure claim (ECAB 24-0132)
A Navy seaman claimed several health conditions after alleged shipboard exposure to heavy metals and other hazards. OWCP denied the claim for insufficient medical proof of causation. The Board agreed that the submitted physicians’ reports did not establish entitlement, but found them substantial…
J.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Landover
Board remands postal attorney’s reconsideration request for a reasoned decision (ECAB 24-0044)
A postal attorney requested reconsideration of an earlier denial of her workplace emotional condition claim. OWCP said the request was late and failed to show clear evidence of error, but did not explain how it assessed the submitted evidence. The Board found that OWCP’s decision lacked the…
K.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Minneapolis Post Office
Board upholds shoulder claim denial but remands reconsideration refusal (ECAB 23-0613)
A rural postal carrier claimed shoulder, neck, and upper back problems from repeated mail handling duties. The Board upheld OWCP’s initial denial because the medical evidence did not establish a diagnosed condition in connection with the accepted work factors. It separately found that OWCP had not…
D.M. and Department of the Navy, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
Board orders further review of hearing aids for Navy worker (ECAB 24-0288)
A former Navy shipyard worker with accepted work related hearing loss sought hearing aids. OWCP denied authorization without sending the newer audiology evidence to a district medical adviser or arranging another evaluation. The Board found the record needed development before deciding whether…
A.E. and U.S. Postal Service, Fairhope Post Office
Board declines to change postal carrier’s wage earning capacity determination (ECAB 24-0231)
A postal rural carrier associate sought to change a prior wage earning capacity determination arising from an accepted ankle injury. The Board found that her physician’s reports did not adequately explain how her present condition or disability related to the work injury. It also found no evidence…
S.U. and U.S. Postal Service, North Las Vegas Post Office
Board upholds rejection of postal clerk’s late reconsideration request (ECAB 24-0213)
A postal window clerk sought reconsideration of an earlier denial arising from a lifting injury. His request came too late for ordinary reconsideration. The Board found that the submitted material also did not demonstrate clear evidence that OWCP’s earlier decision was wrong. It upheld the nonmerit…
D.B. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Syracuse-Hancock International Airport
Board upholds ten percent leg impairment award for TSA employee (ECAB 24-0168)
A TSA personnel manager injured her right ankle and lower leg in a fall at work. OWCP awarded compensation for 10 percent permanent impairment of the right lower extremity. The Board found the medical evidence did not establish a higher impairment under the applicable schedule award method. It…
J.M. and Department of the Navy, Norfolk Naval Shipyard
Board finds retired shipyard worker’s hearing loss claim timely (ECAB 24-0144)
A retired Navy pipefitter supervisor filed a hearing loss claim after years of workplace noise exposure. OWCP found the claim outside the usual three year filing period. The Board found that the Navy’s hearing conservation records showed the employer had actual knowledge of hearing loss within the…
A.A. and U.S. Postal Service, West New York Post Office
Board reverses termination of postal carrier’s injury benefits (ECAB 23-0547)
A postal letter carrier received benefits for an accepted 2018 injury after falling during delivery work. OWCP ended her wage loss and medical benefits based on a second opinion that she no longer had injury related effects. The Board found that opinion internally contradictory and inadequately…
T.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Coppell
Board denies continuation of pay for late reported COVID claim (ECAB 22-0830)
A postal mail handler said she contracted COVID-19 at work on January 11, 2022 and missed work. She submitted a traumatic injury claim on February 19, more than 30 days after the alleged injury. The Board upheld OWCP’s denial of continuation of pay under the statutory notice deadline. It stated…
Secretary of Labor v. Bradley T. Wiley, et al. and Vulcan Materials Company v. Secretary of Labor
Secretary of Labor v. Bradley T. Wiley, et al. (FMSHRC SE 2023-0013): MSHA jurisdiction attached before quarry production began
Vulcan was preparing a Georgia property for a future stone quarry when a Terra Excavating employee died in a compactor rollover before extraction or processing had begun. Vulcan, Terra, and contractor Bradley Wiley argued that MSHA lacked jurisdiction because the site was still in development. The…
Edward B. Remines v. Doss Fork Coal Company, Incorporated
Remines v. Doss Fork Coal (BRB 23-0351 BLA): black lung benefits award affirmed
Edward Remines sought black lung benefits after working in coal mines. The administrative law judge found that x-ray evidence established complicated pneumoconiosis arising from that work and awarded benefits under an irrebuttable presumption. Doss Fork Coal challenged the judge's weighing of the…
Kathy A. Owens (on behalf of and widow of Gloy Wyman Owens) v. Drummond Company, Incorporated
Owens v. Drummond (BRB 23-0275 and 23-0276): miner and survivor benefits award affirmed
Kathy A. Owens pursued a subsequent black lung claim for her late husband, Gloy Wyman Owens, and a survivor's claim for herself. The administrative law judge found that the miner had at least fifteen years of qualifying coal mine employment, a totally disabling respiratory or pulmonary impairment…
Kathy A. Owens, on behalf of and widow of Gloy Wyman Owens, v. Drummond Company, Incorporated
Owens v. Drummond (BRB 23-0275 and 23-0276 BLA): miner and survivor benefits affirmed
Kathy Owens pursued her late husband's black lung claim and her own survivor claim against Drummond. The judge found that his coal mine work included at least fifteen years of qualifying dust exposure and that medical opinions established a totally disabling respiratory impairment. The Board upheld…
Everett Hounshell v. Diamond May Mining Company
Hounshell v. Diamond May Mining (BRB 23-0273 BLA): disability evidence sent back for review
Everett Hounshell appealed without a lawyer after an administrative law judge denied his subsequent black lung claim for lack of total disability. A Board majority found that the judge overlooked notes supporting the reliability of a qualifying treatment test and incorrectly described one doctor's…
Julien B. Gourdin v. Chevron Mining, Incorporated
Gourdin v. Chevron Mining (BRB 23-0264 BLA): benefits award and operator liability affirmed
Julien Gourdin sought black lung benefits after coal mine work in New Mexico. The judge found that Chevron Mining was the responsible operator because its predecessor employed him for more than a year and Chevron was his most recent coal mine employer. The Board upheld that finding and rejected…
Jackie D. Yates v. Dominion Coal Corporation
Yates v. Dominion Coal (BRB 23-0176 BLA): black lung award and February 2013 start date affirmed
Jackie Yates received a black lung benefits award after the judge found complicated pneumoconiosis caused by his coal mine work. Dominion Coal argued that a February 2013 medical examination made the claim untimely and that it was not the operator responsible for payment. The Board upheld the…
Kenneth McIntosh v. Locust Grove, Incorporated
McIntosh v. Locust Grove (BRB 23-0084 BLA): December 2014 benefits start date affirmed
Kenneth McIntosh had already won a black lung benefits award, but the Board had sent the case back for an explanation of when payments should begin. The judge found that the precise date of total disability could not be determined and again started benefits in December 2014, when McIntosh filed his…
Roger D. Gallion v. New Ridge Mining Company and Brickstreet Mutual Insurance Company
Gallion v. New Ridge Mining (BRB 23-0079 BLA): disability finding vacated for medical opinion review
Roger Gallion sought black lung benefits after more than 32 years of qualifying coal mine employment. The administrative law judge denied benefits because he found Gallion had not established a totally disabling respiratory impairment. The Board held that the judge had not adequately explained why…
Teddy M. Gibson v. Greenbrier Mineral Holdings
Gibson v. Greenbrier Mineral Holdings (BRB 23-0062): Earlier benefits date and employer liability affirmed
Teddy Gibson received black lung benefits for complicated pneumoconiosis. On modification, the judge moved the start of payments from May 2018 to February 2007 after an older x-ray established the disease. Greenbrier Mineral Holdings did not challenge that earlier date but argued it could not be…
Antonio Martinez v. National Steel & Shipbuilding Company
Martinez v. National Steel & Shipbuilding (BRB 22-0451 and 22-0451A): attorney fee order affirmed
Antonio Martinez settled a Longshore Act injury and hearing loss claim against National Steel & Shipbuilding for guaranteed monthly payments over ten years. After the settlement, a district director awarded fees and costs for his lawyer's work before the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs…
A.S. and U.S. Postal Service, McDonough Post Office
Board dismisses postal worker’s appeal at her request (ECAB 24-0246)
A postal worker appealed a July 2023 OWCP decision. Before the Board decided the merits, she asked to withdraw the appeal. The Board granted that request and dismissed the docket. This order does not resolve the underlying compensation question.
S.F. and U.S. Postal Service, Pleasant Ridge Annex
Board upholds denial of postal clerk’s parking lot condition claim (ECAB 23-1145)
A postal mail processing clerk attributed ankle and sciatica symptoms to walking from parking to work and asserted that accessible parking and a ramp were unavailable to her. The Board found that the medical evidence did not adequately connect a diagnosed condition to accepted employment factors…
T.C. and Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency
Board orders medical opinion on FEMA worker’s claimed disability period (ECAB 23-1036)
A FEMA employee sought wage loss compensation for intermittent time off after an accepted 2021 injury. OWCP later added left ankle conditions to the accepted claim but had not asked the impartial examiner to address the particular disability dates. The Board found that gap prevented a decision on…
Williams Brothers Construction Co., Inc.
Highway work-zone citation vacated
Williams Brothers Construction was preparing new traffic lanes at the I-69 and I-610 interchange in Houston during an overnight highway closure. A vehicle entered the closed work zone and struck three workers, including a Williams Brothers employee who suffered hip and rib fractures and other…
C.B. and Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration
Board finds FAA worker’s hotel stair incident occurred on duty travel (ECAB 21-0323)
An FAA specialist reported hurting his knee and ankle while climbing hotel stairs during a temporary duty assignment. OWCP denied the claim as outside the performance of duty. The Board found that this hotel activity was reasonably incidental to his authorized travel and therefore an employment…
Phyllis Hobbs, on behalf of George Hobbs, Jr., v. Clinchfield Coal Company
Hobbs v. Clinchfield Coal (BRB 23-0345 BLA): benefits denial affirmed for lack of disability causation
Phyllis Hobbs pursued George Hobbs's black lung claim after his death and appealed the denial without a lawyer. The judge found that Hobbs had simple clinical pneumoconiosis and a disabling respiratory impairment, but the evidence did not show that pneumoconiosis substantially contributed to the…
M.C. and Social Security Administration
Board denies supervisor’s injury claim after workplace assault (ECAB 24-0276)
A Social Security Administration supervisor reported neck and chest symptoms and anxiety after an employee pulled her hair during a workplace confrontation. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred but denied compensation for lack of medical causation evidence. The Board found that the treating…
J.C. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol
Board upholds border agent’s retirement offset debt (ECAB 24-0264)
A retired Border Patrol agent received FECA wage loss benefits and Social Security retirement payments attributable to federal service during an overlapping period. OWCP calculated a $40,614.15 overpayment because it had not applied the required offset. The Board upheld the amount, found the agent…
K.C. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration
Board recognizes TSA inspector’s knee incident and orders causation review (ECAB 24-0187)
A TSA compliance inspector said his left knee popped while he walked to renew a security badge at work. OWCP rejected the claim because it found no specific traumatic incident. The Board found his account consistent with medical and employer records and held that the incident factually occurred in…
J.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Blue Island Post Office
Board denies postal carrier’s left arm clot claim (ECAB 24-0069)
A postal city carrier developed a left arm deep vein thrombosis and attributed it to repetitive work, including holding and carrying mail. The Board found that the medical statements linking the clot to work were conclusory and did not explain how the accepted duties caused it. Because the record…
C.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing & Distribution Center, Tukwila
Board finds home test insufficient to establish COVID diagnosis (ECAB 23-0985)
A postal mail handler claimed that she contracted COVID-19 at work in August 2022. She submitted a photograph of a positive home test, but the record did not show professional monitoring or verification of that test. The Board found the evidence insufficient to establish a COVID-19 diagnosis under…
J.I. and Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Board denies Army boat operator’s recurrence of disability claim (ECAB 23-0659)
An Army Corps small craft operator had an accepted back and leg injury after falling from a boat during work. He sought compensation for a later recurrence of total disability. The Board found that the submitted medical evidence did not adequately explain how the accepted injury caused total…
L.M. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington VA Medical Center
Board denies VA nurse’s later COVID disability period (ECAB 23-0025)
A VA nurse had an accepted October 2021 COVID-19 claim after workplace exposure. She sought wage loss compensation for a later period in June 2022. The Board found the medical evidence did not adequately connect her inability to work on those specific dates to the accepted infection. It upheld…
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.