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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Kreb v. Integra Aviation, LLC
Untimely interlocutory petition not accepted
Robert Kreb asked the Board to review an administrative judge's denial of his motion to disqualify Integra Aviation's counsel in an AIR21 case. He filed 18 days after the judge's order, outside the regulation's ten-business-day deadline for a petition. The Board therefore did not accept the case…
J.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Westside Post Office
Postal worker's continuation of pay denial reversed (ECAB 23-1038)
A postal mail handler assistant sprained his right ankle while walking down a steep driveway at work. OWCP accepted the injury but denied continuation of pay because he filed the injury form on March 6, 2023, more than 30 calendar days after the February 2 incident. The Board found that the 30th…
B.Y. and U.S. Postal Service, Benton Harbor Post Office
Postal carrier's bilateral thumb claim denial affirmed (ECAB 23-0950)
A rural postal carrier developed triggering in both thumbs and attributed it to lifting packages, sorting, and casing mail. OWCP accepted the reported work activities but denied the occupational disease claim for lack of medical causation evidence. The Board found that the treating physician…
E.L. and Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service
Forest Service employee's appeal dismissed after earlier remand (ECAB 23-0458)
A Forest Service firefighter technician challenged OWCP's denial of his injury claim. In a companion appeal, the Board directed OWCP to give him the written-record review he had requested. That remand made a later OWCP reconsideration denial on the same claim null and void. The Board therefore…
R.Y. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Border patrol agent's impairment claim returned for medical review (ECAB 23-0385)
A border patrol agent sought an additional schedule award for permanent right arm impairment after a work-related shoulder injury. OWCP denied the claim, but a later referral physician measured impairment and the case had a prior award involving both arms. The Board found that OWCP should have sent…
A.R. and Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation
FBI investigator's hearing claim returned for medical clarification (ECAB 23-0338)
An FBI investigator reported hearing problems after firearm training at work, and OWCP accepted a claim for tinnitus. It denied a schedule award because the audiometric measurements yielded no ratable hearing loss. The Board found that the examining physician's statement about hearing loss was…
I.S. and Government Publishing Office
Publishing Office worker's injury claim returned for combined file review (ECAB 23-1012)
A Government Publishing Office materials handler reported falling backward from a chair at work. OWCP accepted that the March 2021 incident occurred but denied her injury claim for lack of medical causation evidence. The Board found that she had earlier claims involving the same arm and shoulder…
B.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Logan Post Office
Postal carrier's injury claim returned after x-ray supported diagnosis (ECAB 23-0932)
A postal carrier slipped on icy steps while carrying a package at work and reported back and neck symptoms. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred but denied the injury claim because the medical reports came from a chiropractor. The Board found that the chiropractor had diagnosed spinal…
F.N. and Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service
IRS employee's $2,513.52 compensation overpayment upheld (ECAB 23-0921)
An IRS employee received FECA wage loss compensation while also receiving Social Security retirement benefits partly attributable to federal service. OWCP had not applied the required offset, creating a $2,513.52 overpayment for July 2022 through January 2023. The Board agreed that she was without…
N.A. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Puget Sound Healthcare System, Seattle VA Medical Center
VA employee's appeal dismissed for lack of a reviewable OWCP decision (ECAB 23-0894)
A VA employee appealed what the filing identified as a June 14, 2023 OWCP decision. That date actually belonged to an earlier Board decision, and the record contained no final adverse OWCP decision within the appeal period. The Board dismissed this new appeal for lack of jurisdiction. It said any…
J.P. and Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Federal Correctional Complex, Petersburg
Board orders further review of correctional officer's wage loss claim (ECAB 23-0810)
A federal correctional officer sought wage loss compensation for December 6, 2020 through October 9, 2021 after an accepted left Achilles injury. OWCP denied the claim because it found insufficient medical proof of disability during that period. The Board found that OWCP's second opinion physician…
R.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Dominick V. Daniels Processing & Distribution Center
Board upholds denial of continuing benefits for postal worker's back injury (ECAB 23-0754)
A postal mail handler sought continuing disability and medical benefits after OWCP ended them in September 2021 for his accepted 2004 back sprain. The Board had already upheld that termination in an earlier appeal. In this appeal, it considered a later report from his treating surgeon that…
S.H. and Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service
Board upholds denial of late hearing request by Forest Service worker (ECAB 23-0742)
A Forest Service helicopter crewmember sought an oral hearing after OWCP denied his injury claim. He submitted the request more than 30 days after OWCP's decision, so he had no right to a hearing under the statutory deadline. The Board also found that OWCP reasonably declined to grant a…
R.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Edinburg Post Office
Board upholds postal worker's $11,435.92 benefit overpayment (ECAB 23-0719)
A postal rural carrier received workers' compensation wage loss benefits while also receiving Social Security retirement benefits tied to his federal service. The Board upheld OWCP's calculation that this overlap caused an $11,435.92 overpayment from February 1 through July 16, 2022. Although the…
M.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Boggs Road Post Office
Board upholds denial of postal worker's shoulder injury claim (ECAB 23-0693)
A postal equipment operator said a pallet jack incident injured her shoulder, elbow, back, and hip. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred and that medical conditions had been diagnosed, but denied compensation because the evidence did not adequately connect those conditions to the incident. The…
J.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Edison
Board upholds denial of continuation of pay after late COVID-19 injury report (ECAB 23-0412)
A postal mail handler assistant said he contracted COVID-19 at work on November 30, 2022 and sought continuation of pay for missed work. He filed his injury form on January 8, 2023. The Board held that this was more than 30 days after the stated exposure date, missing the deadline for continuation…
S.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Detroit Post Office
Board upholds denial of postal carrier's wage loss claim (ECAB 23-0407)
A postal carrier sought wage loss compensation after OWCP accepted a left lower leg strain from an August 2022 work incident. Her orthopedic surgeon recommended time off for knee conditions but did not explain whether the accepted strain prevented her from working during the claimed period. Another…
M.B. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Jerry L. Pettis Memorial Veterans' Hospital
Board returns VA worker's claim after OWCP mailed decision to wrong address (ECAB 22-1244)
A VA hospital housekeeping worker sought reconsideration of OWCP's denial of his occupational disease claim and provided a new mailing address. OWCP sent its response to a different address, and the letter was returned as undeliverable. The Board found that OWCP had not properly issued the…
A.S. and U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Federal Correctional Institution, Terminal Island
Board upholds finding that prison employee abandoned hearing request (ECAB 23-0947)
A federal prison employee requested a hearing after OWCP ended his wage loss benefits. OWCP mailed notice of a telephone hearing to his address of record, but he did not call in. He also did not request another hearing or explain his absence within 10 days. The Board held that OWCP properly treated…
D.Y. and U.S. Postal Service, Wausau Post Office
Board upholds denial of postal carrier's knee injury claim (ECAB 23-0757)
A rural postal carrier fell on black ice while leaving her vehicle and reported a left knee injury. OWCP accepted that the fall occurred but denied the claim because medical causation was not established. A physician stated that the fall caused several knee conditions, including a meniscus tear…
K.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Mar Vista Post Office
Board upholds four percent hand impairment award for postal carrier (ECAB 23-0500)
A postal carrier sought a larger schedule award after a work injury to her right little finger. Her physician rated whole person impairment using an older edition of the AMA impairment guides. OWCP's second opinion physician and medical adviser used the required sixth edition and calculated 37…
F.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Tallahassee
Board upholds recovery of postal worker's $17,473.89 overpayment (ECAB 23-0490)
A postal carrier received workers' compensation wage loss payments alongside Social Security retirement benefits attributable to federal service. The Board upheld OWCP's finding of a $17,473.89 overpayment from June 2019 through January 2021. The carrier was not at fault, but his reported assets…
K.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Melville
Board upholds denial of postal worker's carpal tunnel claim (ECAB 23-0488)
A postal sales and distribution associate attributed carpal tunnel syndrome in both wrists to typing, sorting, and delivering mail. Her orthopedic surgeon diagnosed the condition but did not give an opinion on what caused it. The Board held that the medical record therefore did not connect the…
G.T. and Department of the Army, Madigan Army Medical Center, Joint Base Lewis-McChord
Board upholds suspension of Army employee's benefits after missed examination (ECAB 23-0123)
An Army medical center employee was receiving benefits for accepted upper extremity conditions and depression. OWCP scheduled a second opinion examination in July 2020 while she was in Greece. She cited pandemic travel advisories and restrictions to explain why she could not attend. The Board found…
W.W. and Department of the Navy, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, Commander, Navy Installations Command
Board upholds denial of Navy employee's request to reopen injury claim (ECAB 23-0008)
A Navy information technology analyst asked OWCP to reconsider its denial of a claim involving carpal tunnel syndrome and other conditions. The Board reviewed only whether his latest request met the rules for reopening the claim. It found no new legal argument or relevant medical evidence; the…
Andy Yates v. Clinchfield Coal Company
Board sends coal miner’s benefits award back for another disability review (BRB 22-0406)
Clinchfield Coal Company appealed a benefits award to former coal miner Andy Yates. The judge found total respiratory disability based on a doctor’s opinion, while also finding that the record did not establish the complicated pneumoconiosis on which that doctor appeared to rely. The Board held…
Jerry W. Owens v. Clinchfield Coal Company
Board sends coal miner’s benefits award back for review of medical opinions (BRB 22-0331)
Clinchfield Coal Company appealed a benefits award to former coal miner Jerry Owens. The Board majority found that the judge had summarized conflicting medical opinions about total respiratory disability without explaining why she credited them, so it vacated the award and sent the claim back for…
C.G. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Portland VA Medical Center
Board returns VA clerk's wrist claim for combined file and new medical review (ECAB 23-0642)
A VA medical clerk attributed right wrist and thumb conditions to repetitive use of modified computer equipment after earlier accepted arm injuries. OWCP denied her claim using medical opinions that did not consider all of her related claim files. The Board found that OWCP had failed to combine…
D.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Johns Island Post Office
Board reverses idiopathic fall finding and returns postal worker's injury claim (ECAB 23-0640)
A postal worker fell at work and sustained a left elbow fracture. OWCP denied her claim as an idiopathic fall caused by a personal condition. The Board found no clear evidence that a medical condition caused the fall and treated it as an unexplained workplace fall. It reversed OWCP's performance of…
E.L. and Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service
Board restores Forest Service worker's right to written record review (ECAB 23-0049)
A Forest Service firefighter technician sought review of a new OWCP decision denying his injury claim. OWCP rejected his request for written record review because he had received a hearing branch decision on an earlier ruling. The Board found that OWCP's new decision followed a Board remand and…
C.F. and Department of the Army, U.S. Army Aviation & Missile Command, Corpus Christi Army Depot
Board upholds two percent arm impairment award for Army depot worker (ECAB 22-1271)
An Army depot aircraft repair worker sought a larger schedule award for accepted nerve conditions in both arms. His physicians offered higher ratings, but OWCP's medical adviser found that the preoperative nerve tests met the impairment criteria only for the right median nerve. The Board found that…
General Motors Company and Ultium Cells LLC
In re General Motors Company and Ultium Cells LLC (EAB TSCA 23-04C): TSCA penalty settlement approved
General Motors Company and Ultium Cells LLC voluntarily disclosed potential violations involving three confidential chemical substances that were imported, processed, used, or distributed before the required TSCA notices and certifications were complete. The Consent Agreement describes alleged…
Thomas William Vance v. Island Creek Coal Company and CONSOL Energy, Incorporated
Board sends miner’s benefits award back for a clearer work history calculation (BRB 22-0464)
Island Creek Coal Company and its carrier appealed an award of black lung benefits to Thomas William Vance. The judge had credited Vance with 15.31 years of underground coal mine work, enough with his established total disability to invoke a presumption that he was disabled by pneumoconiosis. The…
Charlie G. Meade v. Eastover Mining Company
Board sends miner’s benefits claim back to resolve employer liability and medical evidence (BRB 22-0381)
The Director challenged a judge’s decision to remove Eastover Mining Company as the employer responsible for Charlie G. Meade’s black lung benefits and shift liability to the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund. The Board found that the judge had not addressed a letter bearing on how long Meade worked…
Kreb v. Integra Aviation, LLC
Judge-disqualification appeal denied
Robert Kreb sought immediate Board review of an administrative judge's refusal to recuse himself and certify that ruling for interlocutory appeal in an AIR21 case. Kreb alleged bias, case-assignment errors, erroneous rulings, and a constitutional defect in the judge's appointment. The Board…
E.W. and Department of Veterans Affairs, James J. Peters Medical Center
Board upholds denial of VA technician's wage loss claim with correction (ECAB 23-0873)
A VA library technician sought wage loss compensation for October 7, 2021 through November 8, 2022 after OWCP accepted a left shoulder rotator cuff tear. The Board found that his physicians' reports did not address whether the accepted injury prevented work on the specific claimed dates. It upheld…
A.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Forest Park
Board returns postal clerk's shoulder award for review of prior claim file (ECAB 23-0821)
A postal clerk sought a schedule award for lasting impairment of her left shoulder. OWCP granted an additional one percent impairment after subtracting an earlier award for the same arm. The Board found that the earlier claim file had not been included in the record it received. It set aside the…
Z.P. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans' Hospital
Board orders further medical review of VA mechanic's emotional condition claim (ECAB 23-0692)
A VA hospital mechanic said an incident involving unwelcome touching during a work meeting worsened his preexisting psychiatric symptoms. OWCP accepted the incident as a compensable work factor but denied the claim for insufficient medical proof of causation. The Board found that a psychiatrist's…
J.C. and U.S. Postal Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service
Board upholds denial of postal program specialist's wage loss claim (ECAB 23-0669)
A Postal Inspection Service program specialist sought wage loss compensation during a period after OWCP accepted a depressive disorder as work related. Her psychiatrists recorded that she could not work during parts of the claimed period. The Board found that the reports did not explain how the…
K.P. and Department of the Army, U.S. Army Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command, Anniston Army Depot
Board upholds two percent right ear hearing award for Army depot painter (ECAB 23-0041)
An Army depot painter sought a larger schedule award for work related hearing loss and tinnitus. The Board checked the audiogram calculation and found 1.875 percent right ear impairment, rounded to two percent, and no ratable left ear impairment. The combined hearing loss rounded to zero, so the…
S.J. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Seattle VA Medical Center
Board restores VA technician's continuation of pay and returns COVID-19 claim (ECAB 22-1321)
A VA medical technician filed a COVID-19 injury form and sought continuation of pay. OWCP treated the form as late, but the Board found that she had submitted it to her supervisor within 30 days and reversed that denial. The Board also found that OWCP had failed to address a physician's report…
L.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Jacksonville Mowu My Po Post Office
Board orders specialist review of postal worker's hip injury claim (ECAB 22-1176)
A postal rural delivery worker said lifting heavy packages at work worsened her preexisting left hip osteoarthritis. OWCP accepted that the lifting incident occurred but denied the injury claim for insufficient proof of medical causation. The Board found that her treating physician explained a…
J.M. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Board upholds denial of hearing loss award for border protection officer (ECAB 22-1173)
A customs and border protection officer had accepted work related hearing loss and tinnitus and sought a schedule award. The Board found that his audiogram produced zero percent ratable hearing loss in each ear. Under the applicable guide, tinnitus could not add an impairment award without ratable…
Mar-Jac Poultry MS, LLC
Eviscerator guarding and warning-sign violations affirmed
Mar-Jac operated poultry eviscerators at its Hattiesburg, Mississippi processing plant. An employee cleaning chicken parts and viscera around an operating eviscerator was caught in the machine and suffered fatal injuries. The judge found that the machine was unguarded, lacked safety-instruction…
Secretary of Labor v. Warrior Met Coal Mining, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Warrior Met Coal Mining (FMSHRC SE 2023-0146): Summary decision denied and amended answer allowed
The Secretary alleged that Warrior Met interfered with Mine Act walkaround rights by pursuing state-court contempt sanctions connected to union representatives' efforts to accompany MSHA inspections during a strike. She sought summary decision based largely on facts stated in the pleadings. The…
Gary L. Short v. The Marion County Coal Company and Murray Energy Corporation Trust
Board upholds miner’s benefits award based on complicated pneumoconiosis (BRB 23-0239)
The Marion County Coal Company and its carrier challenged a black lung benefits award to former coal miner Gary L. Short. The judge found that X-rays and a doctor’s opinion established complicated pneumoconiosis arising from his coal mine work, which invoked an irrebuttable presumption of total…
Mark D. Wilder v. Onyx Energy, LLC
Board upholds denial of miner’s benefits for lack of total disability proof (BRB 23-0225)
Mark D. Wilder appealed the denial of his black lung benefits claim without a lawyer. His 29 years of coal mine work included enough qualifying employment for a statutory presumption, but he still had to prove a totally disabling respiratory or pulmonary impairment to invoke it. The Board found…
James V. Stanley v. Clinchfield Coal Company
Board upholds miner’s benefits denial because total disability was unproven (BRB 23-0179)
James V. Stanley appealed the denial of his black lung benefits claim without a lawyer. The judge found pneumoconiosis and credited him with 26.16 years of coal mine work, but found the evidence did not establish a totally disabling breathing impairment. The Board upheld the judge’s weighing of…
Judy C. Griffith v. Clinchfield Coal Company
Griffith v. Clinchfield Coal (BRB 23-0054 BLA and 23-0053 BLA): Miner and survivor benefits affirmed
Judy Griffith pursued her late husband's black lung claim and her own survivor's claim after his coal mine employment. The administrative law judge found at least 20 years of qualifying surface mine work, a totally disabling respiratory impairment, and an unrebutted presumption that pneumoconiosis…
Judy C. Griffith, on behalf of and widow of Richard L. Griffith v. Clinchfield Coal Company
Board upholds miner’s and widow’s black lung benefits awards (BRB 23-0053 and 23-0054)
Judy C. Griffith pursued her late husband’s black lung benefits claim and her own survivor claim against Clinchfield Coal Company. The judge found that Richard Griffith’s qualifying surface mine work and total respiratory disability invoked the statutory presumption that his disability was due to…
Raleigh Fields v. Cook & Sons Mining, Incorporated and American International South/AIG
Board upholds miner’s benefits award after employer fails to rebut presumption (BRB 22-0383)
Cook & Sons Mining and its carrier appealed a benefits award to Raleigh Fields, who had 31 years of underground coal mine work and a totally disabling respiratory impairment. Those findings invoked a presumption that his disability was due to pneumoconiosis. The Board held that the judge could…
Jackie Puckett v. Island Creek Pocahontas
Puckett v. Island Creek Pocahontas (BRB 22-0317 BLA and 22-0316 BLA): Miner and survivor benefits affirmed
Jackie Puckett pursued her late husband's black lung claim and her own survivor's claim after his coal mine employment. Because the miner had 14.4 years of mine work, the judge decided the claim without the statutory 15-year presumption. The judge credited a physician who explained that coal dust…
Jackie Puckett, on behalf of and widow of Terry Puckett v. Island Creek Pocahontas
Board upholds miner’s and widow’s black lung benefits awards (BRB 22-0316 and 22-0317)
Jackie Puckett pursued her late husband’s black lung benefits claim and her own survivor claim against Island Creek Pocahontas. Terry Puckett had 14.4 years of coal mine work, less than the 15 years needed for the statutory presumption, so the judge assessed the medical evidence directly. The Board…
Jewell Mullins on behalf of Gerald B. Kincaid v. Island Creek Coal Company
Mullins for Kincaid v. Island Creek (BRB 22-0024 BLA): disability finding remanded
Gerald Kincaid had 45 years of underground coal mine work and sought modification of an earlier benefits denial. After his death, his daughter Jewell Mullins continued the appeal for his estate. The judge denied benefits because he found no totally disabling respiratory impairment. A two-judge…
Frantz v. Hoselton Automotive Group
MAP-21 dismissal upheld on same-action defense
Laurie Frantz, a warranty processor at an automotive dealership, alleged that she was fired after objecting to warranty claims for corrosion-prevention work performed by technicians who lacked Toyota certification. The Board held that Toyota's private safety requirements were not federal…
B.J. and Department of the Army, Red River Army Depot
Board returns Army depot worker's reconsideration request for proper findings (ECAB 23-1002)
A retired Army depot forklift operator asked OWCP to reconsider an earlier denial of his occupational disease claim. OWCP found the request untimely and said it did not show clear error, but its decision did not address the medical and factual materials he submitted. The Board held that the…
Z.Y. and U.S. Postal Service, Roy Royall Post Office
Board upholds denial of postal carrier's late hearing request (ECAB 23-0942)
A postal carrier requested a hearing after OWCP denied compensation for time spent receiving medical care. Her request was postmarked more than 30 days after OWCP's decision. The Board held that she had no right to a hearing after that deadline and that OWCP had reasonably declined to grant one in…
R.S. and Department of Veterans Affairs, John J. Pershing VA Medical Center
Board upholds denial of VA worker's knee injury claim (ECAB 23-0668)
A VA hospital housekeeping worker said a heavy container struck his right knee during work. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred but denied the injury claim for insufficient medical proof of causation. His orthopedic surgeon diagnosed a meniscus tear and other knee conditions and attributed…
B.B. and Department of the Army, Fort Hamilton
Board upholds denial of nonformulary seizure medication coverage (ECAB 23-0648)
An Army mechanic with an accepted traumatic seizure condition had been taking Tegretol XR. OWCP's pharmacy program classified the medication as outside its covered formulary and repeatedly asked for a prior authorization request from a prescriber or a change to a covered drug. The Board found that…
C.C. and U.S. Postal Service, North Houston Post Office
Board upholds denial of postal carrier's shoulder injury claim (ECAB 23-0496)
A postal rural carrier associate reported shoulder pain after lifting a package during delivery. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred but denied the injury claim for lack of a qualifying medical diagnosis. The Board found that the submitted shoulder sprain diagnosis came from a nurse…
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.