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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B.M. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Secret Service, Washington, DC
Board orders three related back injury claims combined (ECAB 23-0426, 23-0427, 23-0428)
A Secret Service investigator filed three claims involving lower back symptoms after required fitness activities. OWCP denied the claims in separate files. The Board found that the files needed to be combined because each concerned a lumbar condition and the evidence could affect all three. It set…
B.M. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Secret Service, Washington, DC
Board orders three related back injury claims combined (ECAB 23-0426, 23-0427, 23-0428)
A Secret Service investigator filed three claims involving lower back symptoms after required fitness activities. OWCP denied the claims in separate files. The Board found that the files needed to be combined because each concerned a lumbar condition and the evidence could affect all three. It set…
S.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing & Distribution Center/Facility, Milan, IL
Board finds mail processing shoulder incident occurred (ECAB 23-0363)
A mail processing clerk reported shoulder and arm pain while pulling mail containers with a pallet jack. She reported the incident promptly and sought emergency treatment the next day. The Board found that her account established the workplace incident and reversed OWCP’s denial. It returned the…
R.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Ringgold Post Office, Ringgold, GA
Board upholds refusal to reopen postal injury claim (ECAB 23-0033)
A postal rural carrier associate sought reconsideration of an injury claim. The disputed issue was whether the reported April 2020 incident occurred, a factual question. Her new medical evidence did not address that factual issue, and her request offered no qualifying new legal argument. The Board…
R.F. and U.S. Postal Service, Middlesex Essex Processing & Distribution Center, North Reading, MA
Board denies higher right leg schedule award (ECAB 22-0052)
A retired postal truck driver sought a larger schedule award for right hip and knee impairment. His physician supplied range of motion findings, but OWCP’s medical adviser used the required diagnosis based impairment method and found no rating above the existing 36 percent. The Board found no…
United States Department of Veterans Affairs and American Federation of Government Employees, National Veterans Affairs Council #53
Department of Veterans Affairs and AFGE National VA Council 53 (FLRA 0-AR-5883): Authority upholds dues-processing remedies
A 2017 settlement required the Department of Veterans Affairs to send transferred employees' union dues to the correct local and reimburse double deductions. AFGE later grieved continued processing errors, including double deductions and withholding from employees no longer in the bargaining unit…
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and National Treasury Employees Union, Chapter 335
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and NTEU Chapter 335 (FLRA 0-AR-5873): Authority upholds reduced discipline for exam order
A Consumer Financial Protection Bureau bank examiner was exempt under a memorandum from a commissioning-program requirement but initially volunteered to take its exam. After conflicting travel instructions, the examiner did not travel or sit for the test, and the agency included failure to obey…
Rachel S. Nelson (Widow of Henry Nelson) v. Bee Tree Coals, Incorporated
Nelson v. Bee Tree Coals (BRB 22-0494): survivor's benefit denial affirmed
Rachel Nelson sought Black Lung survivor's benefits after the death of her husband, Henry Nelson, who had worked underground for 25 years. The judge found that he had clinical pneumoconiosis but denied the claim because the evidence did not show that it caused or hastened his death. The Board held…
Mary June Boren (on behalf of Burl R. Boren) v. Consolidation Coal Company
Boren v. Consolidation Coal (BRB 22-0008): Black Lung award affirmed
Mary June Boren pursued her late husband's Black Lung claim against Consolidation Coal after an earlier remand. The judge found that medical opinions established total respiratory disability and that the employer had not rebutted the 15-year presumption of disability due to pneumoconiosis. The…
Brochu v. Dominion Energy Nuclear Connecticut, Inc.
ERA settlement approved and case dismissed
Daniel Brochu appealed dismissal of his nuclear-industry retaliation complaint, then moved to withdraw after reaching a settlement with Dominion Energy Nuclear Connecticut. The Board required the agreement because an ERA settlement pending on review must receive Board approval. It explained that…
A.F. and U.S. Postal Service, Myrtle Beach Post Office, Myrtle Beach, SC
Board upholds benefits suspension and late hearing denial (ECAB 23-0661)
A postal worker with an accepted COVID claim missed a scheduled second opinion examination. OWCP warned him of the appointment and consequences, and he did not establish good cause for missing it. The Board upheld suspension of wage loss and medical benefits. It also affirmed denial of his oral…
C.E. and U.S. Postal Service, Geneseo Post Office, Geneseo, NY
Board upholds refusal to reopen shoulder claim (ECAB 23-0615)
A postal rural carrier sought reconsideration of a right shoulder claim after a mailbox incident. He argued that OWCP should have treated his case as an occupational disease claim, but the Board found no qualifying new legal argument. His new materials also did not satisfy the rule for reopening…
B.L. and U.S. Postal Service, San Antonio Processing & Distribution Center, San Antonio, TX
Board upholds denial of requested lumbar fusion surgery (ECAB 23-0574)
A postal employee requested authorization for lumbar surgery after an accepted work injury. OWCP’s referral physician reviewed the examination and imaging evidence and explained why the proposed fusion was not needed for the accepted injury. The Board found that the medical record did not establish…
T.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Charlotte, NC
Board orders related shoulder injury files combined (ECAB 23-0550)
A postal employee challenged denial of a right shoulder and neck injury claim. She had two additional claims involving right shoulder conditions. The Board found that OWCP needed to combine the three files to assess the overlapping evidence fairly. It ordered a new decision after review of the…
T.S. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Alexandria Health Care System, Alexandria, LA
Board denies nurse’s travel related injury claim (ECAB 23-0539)
A VA registered nurse attributed spinal and leg conditions to her work travel and other accepted employment factors. Her physician supplied diagnoses but did not give an opinion explaining a causal connection to the work factors. Imaging reports alone also did not address causation. The Board…
B.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Westchester Vehicle Maintenance Facility, White Plains, NY
Board denies automotive mechanic’s back condition claim (ECAB 23-0465)
A postal automotive mechanic attributed lumbar radiculitis and stenosis to bending and twisting while repairing vehicles. His physician described symptoms and offered a work connection but did not adequately explain how the duties caused or aggravated the diagnoses. The Board found the medical…
L.J. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center, Long Beach, CA
Board orders impartial review of nurse’s disability claim (ECAB 23-0270)
A VA nurse sought compensation for disability after an accepted lumbar injury. Her physicians and OWCP’s second opinion physicians disagreed about her ability to perform limited duty during the claimed period. The Board found an unresolved medical conflict. It set aside the denial and ordered…
National Treasury Employees Union, Chapter 46 and United States Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Dallas, Texas
NTEU Chapter 46 and IRS Dallas (FLRA 0-AR-5863): Authority upholds denial of advanced annual leave
An IRS employee requested 63.5 hours of advanced annual leave after exhausting her approved Family and Medical Leave Act leave. The agency denied the request and granted leave without pay instead. An arbitrator found that the employee's medical materials did not support the specific two-week…
Secretary of Labor obo John Collins v. Crimson Oak Grove Resources, LLC
Secretary of Labor obo John Collins v. Crimson Oak Grove Resources (FMSHRC SE 2023-0235): Temporary reinstatement ordered
John Collins repeatedly told his supervisor that he was uncomfortable using a Komatsu 250 loader to lift a heavy pan line onto a truck. He followed the instruction, and the loader tipped forward while lifting the second piece, causing the rear to rise and then slam down and resulting in back pain…
Larry W. Horton v. Dickenson-Russell Coal Company, LLC
Horton v. Dickenson-Russell Coal (BRB 23-0060): Black Lung award affirmed
Larry Horton sought Black Lung benefits after 12.81 years of coal mine work. The judge awarded benefits after finding that x-rays established complicated pneumoconiosis, which triggered an irrebuttable presumption of total disability due to the disease. The employer argued that the judge had…
S.K. and Department of Transportation, Office of the Inspector General, Washington, DC
Board denies workplace harassment emotional condition claim (ECAB 23-0655)
A Department of Transportation information technology manager attributed an emotional condition to alleged bullying, retaliation, and harassment by supervisors. The Board found that she had not established a compensable employment factor under FECA. It affirmed OWCP’s denial without reaching…
B.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Bennettsville Post Office, Bennettsville, SC
Board orders review of omitted ankle fracture records (ECAB 23-0644)
A postal letter carrier fractured his left ankle after slipping while delivering mail. OWCP denied compensation for a claimed disability period without addressing an emergency report that reviewed the ankle x-ray or the later operative report. The Board held that OWCP must consider relevant…
K.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Spring Lake Post Office, Spring Lake, MI
Board upholds denial of late carbon monoxide claim review (ECAB 23-0604)
A postal postmaster sought reconsideration of a claim involving carbon monoxide exposure from a workplace boiler. His request arrived after the one year filing period. The Board found that the submitted material did not demonstrate clear evidence of error in the earlier decision. It affirmed OWCP’s…
J.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Newark Post Office, Newark, NJ
Board denies right wrist schedule award (ECAB 23-0439)
A postal worker sought a schedule award for right arm impairment from accepted carpal tunnel syndrome. Her physician rated a five percent impairment, but OWCP’s medical adviser found that the nerve studies did not meet the rating guide’s criteria for that method. The Board gave weight to the…
S.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Youngstown Post Office, Youngstown, OH
Board denies back condition claim after mail delivery slip (ECAB 23-0436)
A postal letter carrier reported lower back pain after slipping while carrying mail. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred. The Board found that the medical reports did not adequately explain how the incident caused the diagnosed back conditions. It affirmed the claim denial for insufficient…
D.A. and Department of the Air Force, 61st Security Forces Squadron, Los Angeles Air Force Base, CA
Board denies police officer’s bilateral shoulder claim (ECAB 23-0423)
An Air Force police officer attributed shoulder problems to years of wearing a heavy tactical vest and other duties. His physician suggested that the work could contribute to rotator cuff damage. The Board found the causal opinion too speculative and the right shoulder diagnosis insufficiently…
J.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Albany Post Office, Albany, NY
Board denies higher awards for both knees (ECAB 23-0271)
A postal carrier with bilateral knee osteoarthritis sought schedule awards above the 16 percent impairment previously awarded for each leg. Physicians gave differing ratings, and the Board reviewed the impairment calculations under the applicable guide. It found no sufficient evidence establishing…
National Association of Government Employees, Local R1-134 and United States Department of the Navy, Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Newport, Rhode Island
NAGE Local R1-134 and Naval Undersea Warfare Center (FLRA 0-NG-3571, 0-NG-3580, 0-NG-3602): Authority splits incentive-pay proposals
NAGE Local R1-134 submitted seven proposals governing incentive-pay pools and employee awards in the Naval Undersea Warfare Center's demonstration personnel system. The Authority found that proposals setting minimum or maximum funding levels affected management's right to determine its budget, and…
Northeast Nebraska Economic Development District v. Administrator, Wage and Hour Div., USDOL
Premature wage appeal dismissed
The Northeast Nebraska Economic Development District sought a $25.00 hourly wage and $6.30 in fringe benefits for a glazier classification on a Davis-Bacon project. A Wage and Hour Division section chief instead approved $37.26 per hour and $17.76 in fringe benefits. The district petitioned the…
G.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Twin Falls, ID
Board orders fuller medical opinion on carrier’s knee claim (ECAB 23-0689)
A rural carrier attributed right knee osteoarthritis to repetitive work duties. OWCP’s second opinion physician called the condition preexisting and genetic, but did not explain how the cited medical literature applied to this worker. The Board found the opinion inadequate after OWCP undertook…
L.G. and Department of the Interior, Fish & Wildlife Service, Ashland, WI
Board orders OWCP to address reconsideration evidence (ECAB 23-0637)
A Fish and Wildlife Service employee asked OWCP to reconsider a claim decision and submitted evidence before OWCP ruled. OWCP did not address that evidence in its February 2023 decision. The Board held that all timely submitted evidence must be considered. It set aside the decision and ordered a…
L.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Indiana Occupational Health Claims Office, Indianapolis, IN
Board denies later disability after accepted COVID claim (ECAB 23-0573)
A postal human resources clerk sought wage loss compensation months after an accepted August 2022 COVID injury. Her physician’s report about not returning to work predated the claimed disability period and did not explain a causal link for that later period. The Board found the evidence…
W.P. and Department of Justice, U.S. Attorneys Office, Newport News, VA
Board upholds untimely federal prosecutor claim (ECAB 23-0544)
A former Assistant U.S. Attorney attributed Meniere’s disease to stress from his prosecutor work. The Board had previously found that he missed the three year claim filing period. New material did not show that his supervisor knew of a claimed work related injury within the relevant 30 days. The…
S.S. and Department of Veterans Affairs, West Los Angeles VA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
Board denies continuation of pay after late COVID notice (ECAB 23-0524)
A VA nurse sought continuation of pay for a May 2022 COVID illness. She filed her traumatic injury notice in December, more than 30 days after the May 2 last exposure date used under OWCP’s COVID guidance. The Board held that the filing was too late for continuation of pay and affirmed the denial.
O.L. and Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, U.S. Penitentiary Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
Board orders further review of estate insurance premium debt (ECAB 23-0316)
OWCP sought to recover unpaid postretirement life insurance premiums from a deceased prison employee’s estate. The record showed a debt referral to the Treasury, but did not show whether Treasury returned the matter to OWCP or why. The Board found that OWCP needed to follow its estate debt…
M.F. and Tennessee Valley Authority, Tupelo Office, Tupelo, MS
Board denies electrician’s low back condition claim (ECAB 22-0513)
A Tennessee Valley Authority electrician reported back and leg pain after a workplace incident. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred. The Board found that the medical evidence did not adequately explain how it caused the claimed low back condition. It affirmed the denial for lack of reasoned…
Secretary of Labor v. Cranesville Aggregates
Personnel transition excused late contest
Cranesville received a proposed assessment while its safety department was in transition. Its safety director had semi-retired and was working from home, no replacement had been hired, and its safety manager was on leave. The company contested the assessment promptly after the department learned…
Secretary of Labor v. Two Rivers Sand & Gravel, Inc.
Combined assessment paperwork caused late contest
Two Rivers combined the pages of one proposed assessment with paperwork for another assessment that had a later due date. It processed both together and filed the contest for the earlier assessment too late. The company moved to reopen about two weeks after the assessment became final. The…
Trivedi v. General Electric
SOX appeal dismissed after petition deadline missed
An administrative judge dismissed Madhuri Trivedi's SOX complaint after finding that she had not suffered an adverse action. Trivedi asked the Board for more than four months to prepare a petition for review. The Board instead granted ten additional days, warned that no further extensions would be…
May v. AGL Services Co.
Pipeline safety retaliation dismissal affirmed
Thomas May, a natural-gas distributor's fire investigator, raised concerns that new battery-powered gas meters might pose a fire risk. The administrative judge found that his concerns were protected and that his suspension and termination were adverse actions, but that the protected activity did…
A.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Planetarium Post Office, New York, NY
Board denies back condition claim after accepted incident (ECAB 23-0747)
A postal worker sought benefits for a back condition after a workplace incident OWCP accepted as occurring. Physicians checked boxes linking their diagnoses to work but did not explain how the incident caused or aggravated the condition. The Board found that those forms did not establish medical…
R.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Great Bridge Post Office, Chesapeake, VA
Board dismisses appeal from void reconsideration decision (ECAB 23-0712)
A postal worker appealed an OWCP refusal to reconsider a claim. He had already appealed the underlying merit decision to the Board, and that earlier appeal was still pending when OWCP issued the refusal. The Board held that OWCP lacked concurrent jurisdiction, making the later decision null and…
H.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Lewisburg Post Office, Lewisburg, OH
Board orders related shoulder claims combined (ECAB 23-0607)
A postal worker filed another claim involving shoulder conditions after an earlier shoulder claim had been accepted. OWCP decided the newer claim without combining the related files. The Board found that review of both files was needed for fair adjudication. It ordered the records combined and a…
B.S. and Tennessee Valley Authority, Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Athens, AL
Board orders more notice review in hearing loss claim (ECAB 23-0582)
A retired Tennessee Valley Authority worker filed a hearing loss claim years after his last workplace noise exposure. The filing was outside the ordinary three year period. The Board found that OWCP had not adequately addressed whether a supervisor had timely knowledge or notice of a possible work…
J.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Templeton Post Office, Colorado Springs, CO
Board upholds carrier’s wage earning capacity finding (ECAB 23-0457)
A postal city carrier sought to change an earlier finding that his modified position eliminated wage loss. The Board found the position fit his medical restrictions and that his actual earnings exceeded the wages of his preinjury job. He had not met the criteria for modifying the prior capacity…
R.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Great Bridge Post Office, Chesapeake, VA
Board denies left shoulder expansion of accepted claim (ECAB 23-0361)
A postal letter carrier sought to add a left shoulder condition as a consequence of an accepted work injury. The Board found the medical evidence insufficient to explain how the accepted injury caused the additional condition. It affirmed OWCP’s refusal to expand the claim.
L.N. and Department of the Navy, Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, Point Mugu, CA
Board orders complete foot impairment evaluation (ECAB 22-0497)
A Navy administrative officer sought a schedule award after a workplace fall injured her left foot. OWCP’s second opinion physician assessed only one accepted condition and omitted another listed in the accepted facts. The Board found that opinion inadequate to resolve impairment. It ordered a…
Secretary of Labor v. Terra Excavating, LLC
Prompt filing after duplicate assessment supported reopening
Terra said it never received the proposed assessment. Its counsel contacted MSHA to ask about the assessment's status and obtained a duplicate copy. Terra promptly attempted to contest it, then moved to reopen after MSHA said the contest was late. The Commission found good cause based on Terra's…
Secretary of Labor v. Lehigh Cement Company, LLC
Counsel promptly corrected assessment mistake
Lehigh's counsel mistakenly believed that an earlier assessment contest covered all citations from the same inspection. When counsel recognized that 13 citations had not been contested, she moved to reopen them the next day. The Commission found that the missed deadline resulted from a mistake and…
Secretary of Labor v. Prairie State Generating Company, LLC
Four citation contests reopened after filing mistake
Prairie paid 19 of 23 penalties and intended to contest the other four. It said that it mailed the contest on the payment date but used the wrong address or otherwise made a mailing mistake. After MSHA sent a delinquency notice, Prairie moved to reopen the four citations. The Secretary did not…
Secretary of Labor v. Cooper Stone
Pandemic staff illnesses supported reopening
Cooper Stone said its normal practice was to contest proposed penalties immediately after receiving them. Staff illnesses during the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted that process and caused it to miss the deadline. The Commission found good cause, reopened the assessment, and remanded the case. It also…
C.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Gilbert Val Vista Station, Gilbert, AZ
Board orders two related hand claim files combined (ECAB 23-0688)
A rural carrier reported renewed hand and thumb pain after years of mail delivery. OWCP converted her recurrence report to a new occupational disease claim and denied it without combining an earlier accepted hand injury file. The Board found that the overlapping files needed combined review. It…
S.P. and Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Medical Center, Jackson, MS
Board denies renewed treatment claim and reopening (ECAB 23-0622)
A VA employee sought renewed medical treatment for an accepted 2012 injury. The Board found that the medical evidence did not establish a work related recurrence of the need for treatment beginning in August 2022. It also found that her reconsideration request did not meet the requirements for…
D.P. and U.S. Postal Service, City of Industry Post Office, City of Industry, CA
Board upholds overpayment but orders fault and waiver review (ECAB 23-0590)
A postal worker continued receiving wage loss compensation for several weeks after returning to work. The Board upheld OWCP’s $5,406.89 overpayment finding. It found that OWCP improperly held her at fault for the overpayment, so waiver of recovery still had to be considered. The case was remanded…
L.P. and Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Sacramento, CA
Board denies larger left knee schedule award (ECAB 23-0570)
An FBI investigator sought a larger schedule award for a left knee injury sustained during a fitness test. The Board found that the impairment evidence did not establish more than the one percent left leg rating already awarded. It affirmed OWCP’s denial of an increase.
D.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Struthers, OH
Board orders two right foot injury files combined (ECAB 22-0948)
A postal carrier reported a new right foot injury while descending steps. He had an earlier accepted right foot fracture claim. OWCP denied the newer claim without combining the two files. The Board ordered combined review and a new decision based on both records.
T.B. and Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Federal Correctional Institution Herlong, Herlong, CA
Board orders new left hand impairment rating (ECAB 22-0046)
A prison education trainer sought a larger schedule award for an accepted left hand vascular injury. OWCP’s second opinion physician and medical adviser gave differing ratings but neither adequately explained the measurements under the applicable impairment table. The Board found the record…
K.V. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Chino, CA
Board confirms dual benefits but remands overpayment amount (ECAB 21-0429)
A retired postal worker received FECA wage loss compensation and Social Security retirement benefits without the required federal service offset. The Board found that an overpayment occurred for November 2014 through March 2020 and that she was without fault. It found the $61,656.36 amount was not…
Sami Ajdini v. Fluor ConOps, Ltd. and Insurance Company of the State of Pennsylvania
Ajdini v. Fluor ConOps (BRB 22-0265): Defense Base Act denial affirmed
Sami Ajdini worked at military camps in Afghanistan and later sought Defense Base Act benefits for reported post-traumatic stress disorder. The judge found that Ajdini had invoked the presumption linking an injury to work, but that the employer had rebutted it with a psychiatrist's opinion…
J.J. and Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Medical Center, Loma Linda, CA
Board upholds denial of late written record review (ECAB 23-0647)
A VA nurse requested written record review years after the OWCP decision she challenged. The Board found the request was outside the 30 day period for review as of right. OWCP reasonably declined to grant a discretionary review because reconsideration was available. The Board affirmed the denial of…
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.