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.
No decisions match these filters
Try fewer or different words, check the spelling, or clear the filters to browse everything.
L.F. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Louisville, KY
Board upholds denial of postal carrier's right eye claim (ECAB 22-0886)
L.F., a postal letter carrier, reported that debris entered her right eye at work in February 2021. She later received treatment for a retinal detachment. OWCP accepted the February incident but denied the injury claim. The Board found that the physicians either gave no reasoned explanation linking…
M.M. and Department of the Navy, Expeditionary Medical Support Command, Williamsburg, VA
Board upholds denial of Navy worker's late surgery reconsideration request (ECAB 21-1203)
M.M., a Navy inventory specialist, had an accepted ankle injury and sought approval for later ankle surgery. After OWCP denied the surgery, he requested reconsideration more than a year after its last merits decision. The Board found that his argument and additional records did not show clear…
C.W. and Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service, San Bernardino, CA
Board orders impartial review of Forest Service analyst's shoulder claim (ECAB 20-1582)
C.W., a Forest Service management analyst, claimed that years of workstation duties caused or aggravated right shoulder conditions. Her physicians described ways that repetitive typing, sitting, and reaching could affect her shoulder. OWCP's consulting physician disagreed and attributed the…
H.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, San Diego, CA
Board upholds denial of postal clerk's right foot wage claim (ECAB 20-1555)
H.A., a postal mail clerk, had an accepted right foot condition and sought wage-loss compensation for time away from work beginning in September 2019. His physician restricted standing and walking and said he needed seated work. The Board found that the medical reports did not adequately explain…
Univar Solutions USA Inc.
In re Univar Solutions USA Inc. (EAB MM 22-01C): chemical-safety and reporting settlement approved
EPA alleged that Univar Solutions USA Inc. violated Clean Air Act chemical accident prevention and general-duty requirements at facilities in Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and Colorado, and failed to retain records supporting 2015 toxic-chemical release reports at its Denver facility. The alleged…
Greasy Greg's, LLC, Posey's Mech-Elec Repair, LLC, and Greg S. Posey
In re Greasy Greg's, LLC, Posey's Mech-Elec Repair, LLC, and Greg S. Posey (EAB CAA Appeal No. 22-(03)): EAB declines sua sponte review
The Presiding Officer issued an Initial Decision and Default Order in the matter of Greasy Greg's, LLC, Posey's Mech-Elec Repair, LLC, and Greg S. Posey on November 16, 2022. Neither party appealed. The Environmental Appeals Board declined to review the case on its own initiative, so the Initial…
Oscar A. McKendrick v. Swisher Contracting Company, Incorporated, and Rockwood Casualty Insurance Company
McKendrick v. Swisher Contracting (BRB 21-0561 BLA): black lung benefits award affirmed
Oscar McKendrick filed a new black lung claim after an earlier claim was denied. The judge found no more than twelve and one-half years of coal mine work, so McKendrick could not use the statutory fifteen-year presumption. Instead, the judge found his disabling chronic obstructive pulmonary disease…
Carl R. Sigley v. Eastern Associated Coal Company and Peabody Energy Corporation
Sigley v. Eastern Associated Coal (BRB 21-0222 BLA): benefits award and operator finding remanded
Carl Sigley sought black lung benefits after sixteen years of qualifying coal mine work. The Board upheld the judge's finding that medical opinions established total disability and triggered the statutory presumption of pneumoconiosis. It sent the responsible-operator issue back because the judge…
Johnny E. Greene v. Trojan Mining and Old Republic Insurance Company
Greene v. Trojan Mining (BRB 21-0218 BLA): black lung benefits award affirmed
Johnny Greene worked in underground coal mines and sought federal black lung benefits. The judge found 18.43 years of qualifying mine work and a totally disabling respiratory impairment, then applied the statutory presumption that his disability was due to pneumoconiosis. The Board upheld Trojan…
Michael R. Sargent v. Cumberland River Coal Company
Sargent v. Cumberland River Coal (BRB 21-0051 BLA): benefits award vacated for further review
Michael Sargent sought federal black lung benefits after working in coal mines. The judge found he qualified for the statutory presumption of total disability due to pneumoconiosis and awarded benefits. The Board upheld Cumberland River Coal as the responsible operator because the record did not…
D.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Richmond, VA
Board upholds denial of postal carrier's foot and ankle claim (ECAB 20-1410)
D.H., a city letter carrier, said returning to delivery duties after years of modified work worsened his preexisting foot and ankle conditions. OWCP denied his occupational disease claim. The Board found that a physician attributed the conditions to walking, standing, and driving but did not…
B.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing & Distribution Center, Edison, NJ
Board upholds refusal to reopen postal handler's wage claim (ECAB 20-1365)
B.D., a former postal mail handler, sought wage-loss compensation for several periods after an accepted lumbar sprain. OWCP denied those periods and later refused to reconsider. The Board found that his new request repeated earlier arguments and included no new medical evidence addressing…
United States Department of Defense, Education Activity, Alexandria, Virginia and Federal Education Association
DOD Education Activity and Federal Education Association (FLRA 0-AR-5509): Authority restores appraisal-system award
The Department of Defense Education Activity replaced a negotiated educator appraisal system with the Defense Performance Management and Appraisal Program. An arbitrator found the change violated the agreement and 5 U.S.C. § 7116(a)(1) and (7), and ordered the agency to restore the prior system…
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC
Lifeline over hoses violated the escape standard
Consol operated the Harvey Mine, where an emergency lifeline ran directly above nine hydraulic hoses in a longwall escapeway. The hoses extended as much as 43 inches into the route and rose as high as 38 inches above the floor. The Commission held that a lifeline is not located for effective escape…
Jerry L. Lusk v. Eastern Associated Coal, LLC, and Peabody Energy Corporation
Lusk v. Eastern Associated Coal (BRB 21-0016 BLA): complicated pneumoconiosis award affirmed
Jerry Lusk sought black lung benefits after twenty-four years of qualifying coal mine work. The judge found complicated pneumoconiosis based largely on recent chest X-rays, triggering an irrebuttable presumption of total disability due to the disease. The Board majority held that the judge…
Danny R. Hoover v. Hobet Mining, Incorporated, and Arch Resources
Hoover v. Hobet Mining (BRB 20-0491 BLA): benefits award and Arch carrier liability affirmed
Danny Hoover worked for more than twenty-one years at surface coal mines. The Board upheld the judge's finding that his regular coal dust exposure made that work substantially similar to underground mine work for the statutory presumption. Qualifying blood gas studies and credited medical opinions…
Paul W. Vance v. Eastern Associated Coal LLC and Peabody Energy Corporation
Vance v. Eastern Associated Coal (BRB 20-0442 BLA): benefits award and carrier liability affirmed
Paul Vance worked in underground coal mines and received a benefits award after the judge found complicated pneumoconiosis from mine work. That finding triggered the statutory irrebuttable presumption of total disability due to pneumoconiosis, which the employer did not challenge on appeal. The…
Ricky Gene Prince v. Rivers Edge Mining, Incorporated, and Peabody Energy Corporation
Prince v. Rivers Edge Mining (BRB 20-0403 BLA): complicated pneumoconiosis award affirmed
Ricky Prince filed a subsequent black lung claim after an earlier claim was denied for lack of pneumoconiosis. The judge found at least twenty-seven years of underground coal mine employment and complicated pneumoconiosis, which carries an irrebuttable presumption of total disability due to the…
Sharon Torain, on behalf of the Estate of Wendell E. Torain, v. Heritage Coal Company, LLC, and Peabody Energy Corporation
Torain v. Heritage Coal (BRB 20-0330 BLA): estate's black lung benefits award affirmed
Sharon Torain pursued her deceased parent's subsequent black lung claim on behalf of the estate. The judge credited twenty years of underground coal mine employment and medical opinions finding a totally disabling respiratory impairment, which triggered the statutory presumption that the disability…
M.F. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Loma Linda VA Medical Center, Loma Linda, CA
Board upholds denial of VA nurse's COVID-19 continuation of pay (ECAB 22-1373)
M.F., a VA nurse, tested positive for COVID-19 and stopped work on July 25, 2022. She filed her injury form on August 25. The Board treated July 25 as the injury date under OWCP's COVID-19 guidance and found that the 30-day continuation-of-pay deadline expired August 24. It upheld OWCP's denial…
R.C. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs & Border Protection, Santee, CA
Board upholds denial of border agent's injury claim (ECAB 22-1162)
R.C., a border patrol agent, reported knee, shoulder, and arm symptoms after apprehending people at work. OWCP accepted the incident but denied the injury claim because the submitted physician records lacked a firm diagnosis. The Board agreed that referrals to rule out possible conditions and work…
M.K. and U.S. Postal Service, San Ramon Post Office, San Ramon, CA
Board upholds refusal to reopen postal worker's stress claim (ECAB 22-1132)
M.K., a postal carrier technician, reported stress after a shop steward yelled and used profanities at her. OWCP accepted that workplace event as a compensable factor but denied the claim for lack of medical causation. She requested reconsideration without submitting new evidence or a new relevant…
M.H. and Department of the Army, U.S. Army Armament Research Development & Engineering Center, Picatinny Arsenal, Picatinny, NJ
Board orders review of Army engineer's workplace stress claim (ECAB 21-1297)
M.H., an Army product assurance engineer with severe hearing loss, claimed that stress from difficulty communicating at work caused an emotional condition. The Board found that his difficulty communicating with supervisors and coworkers while performing assigned duties was a compensable work…
T.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Athens, GA
Board upholds denial of postal carrier's shoulder disease claim (ECAB 20-1460)
T.M., a city letter carrier, said repeated use of her delivery vehicle door and parking brake caused or worsened a right shoulder and biceps condition. OWCP denied the occupational disease claim. Her surgeon said frequent arm use and lifting could aggravate the condition, but the Board found he had…
Alice Marie Mullens v. Island Creek Kentucky Mining and Consol Energy, Incorporated
Mullens v. Island Creek Kentucky Mining (BRB 21-0640 BLA): survivor claim remanded
Alice Mullens sought survivor benefits after her husband, a coal miner with twenty-one years of qualifying work, died. The judge denied benefits after finding no total respiratory disability and no sufficient proof that pneumoconiosis caused his death. The Board upheld the finding that the death…
Robert R. Benamati, Sr. v. Helvetia Coal Company and Rochester & Pittsburgh Coal Company
Benamati v. Helvetia Coal (BRB 21-0458 BLA): benefits award affirmed after remand
Robert Benamati sought black lung benefits after thirty years of coal mine work. The Board had previously returned his claim because the judge had not properly assessed pulmonary function studies and medical opinions. On remand, the judge found total respiratory disability based on reasoned medical…
Mary Caltagarone, on behalf of the Estate of William M. Caltagarone, v. Kniseley Coal Company, Incorporated, and American Mining Insurance Company
Caltagarone v. Kniseley Coal (BRB 21-0226 BLA): estate's claim reassigned for autopsy review
Mary Caltagarone pursued her deceased husband's black lung claim for his estate. The judge again denied modification after finding the autopsy evidence did not establish complicated pneumoconiosis. The Board found that the judge had repeated errors from an earlier remand: he had not followed…
Wilma Jean Honeycutt, on behalf of Ronald D. Honeycutt, v. Hondo Coal Company and Old Republic Insurance Company
Honeycutt v. Hondo Coal (BRB 21-0125 BLA): reconsideration of benefits affirmance denied
Hondo Coal and Old Republic Insurance asked the Board to reconsider its June 2022 decision affirming benefits for Ronald Honeycutt's claim. The Director opposed the motion, and the employer replied. After reviewing the request, no member of the panel voted to grant reconsideration. The Board denied…
Aaron A. Mitchem v. Eastern Associated Coal LLC and Peabody Energy Corporation
Mitchem v. Eastern Associated Coal (BRB 20-0331 BLA): benefits and carrier liability affirmed
Aaron Mitchem filed a subsequent black lung claim after an earlier denial. The judge found twenty-one years of underground mine work and complicated pneumoconiosis, which triggered an irrebuttable presumption of total disability due to the disease. The employer did not challenge those merits…
I.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing and Distribution Annex, Cleveland, OH
Board upholds denial of postal clerk's four-day wage claim (ECAB 22-0990)
I.C., a postal clerk with an accepted right ankle injury, sought wage-loss compensation for four days in February 2021. She said modified work was unavailable, but OWCP denied the claim. The Board found that her physician's records did not explain why the accepted injury prevented her from working…
W.C. and Department of Defense, Department of Defense Education Activity, Fort Knox, KY
Board upholds refusal to reopen Defense teacher's stress claim (ECAB 22-0938)
W.C., a Defense Department special education teacher, claimed an emotional condition after an accusation of child abuse and the workplace investigation that followed. OWCP denied the claim and later refused to reconsider it. The Board found that her new materials about disability retirement and…
J.N. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Sayre, PA
Board upholds denial of postal carrier's late reconsideration request (ECAB 22-0899)
J.N., a rural carrier, sought compensation for neck and back symptoms after reaching for a stuck package in a postal vehicle. OWCP denied the injury claim, and she requested reconsideration after the one-year deadline. The Board found that her disability retirement and Social Security disability…
T.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Coppell, TX
Board orders fresh review of postal handler's COVID-19 pay claim (ECAB 22-0830)
T.S., a postal mail handler, claimed COVID-19 after working near a coworker who tested positive. OWCP denied continuation of pay because it treated January 11, 2022 as the injury date and found the February 19 injury form late. The Board found that OWCP had not applied guidance using the last work…
S.P. and Department of the Air Force, March Air Reserve Base, CA
Board upholds Air Force carpenter's $15,542.18 overpayment (ECAB 20-1523)
S.P., an Air Force carpenter, received FECA wage-loss compensation and Social Security retirement benefits attributable to federal service during the same period. OWCP found a $15,542.18 overpayment and determined that he was without fault. The Board upheld that calculation and the denial of waiver…
J.A. and Department of the Army, Fort A.P. Hill, Bowling Green, VA
Board orders reasons for denial of Army firefighter's reconsideration (ECAB 20-1483)
J.A., an Army firefighter, sought reconsideration of a denied back injury claim after the one-year deadline. The Board agreed that his August 2019 request was untimely. It found, however, that OWCP had not discussed the new medical evidence when it rejected the request under the…
E.P. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI
Board orders further review of VA nurse's knee claim (ECAB 20-0272)
E.P., a VA nurse, had an accepted knee injury after slipping and falling at work. She sought recognition of additional left knee conditions and compensation for a later period of disability. The Board found that she had also twisted her left knee during the falls. Her physician explained how a…
Secretary of Labor v. Appalachian Resource West Virginia, LLC
Settlement-document review request was premature
The Secretary moved to approve settlements in two proceedings involving Appalachian Resource West Virginia. The judge certified for immediate review whether the Secretary had to provide related section 104(b) orders when requested. The Commission noted that the judge had not yet granted or denied…
Timothy S. Clovis v. The Monongalia Coal Company and Murray Energy Corporation
Clovis v. Monongalia Coal (BRB 22-0189 BLA): black lung benefits award affirmed
Timothy Clovis worked forty-one years in underground coal mines and was found to have a totally disabling respiratory impairment. Those findings triggered the statutory presumption of disability due to pneumoconiosis. The employer's doctor diagnosed lung fibrosis but said its cause was uncertain…
Ronnie D. Pack v. Eastern Associated Coal LLC and Peabody Energy Corporation
Pack v. Eastern Associated Coal (BRB 22-0173 BLA): Peabody carrier liability affirmed
Ronnie Pack's widow continued his black lung claim after his death. The Board had already affirmed the benefits award based on complicated pneumoconiosis but had sent the case back for consideration of carrier evidence and arguments. The judge admitted the requested depositions and again found…
Ronald E. Runyon v. Pine Ridge Coal Company and Peabody Energy Corporation
Runyon v. Pine Ridge Coal (BRB 22-0051 BLA): benefits and carrier liability affirmed
Ronald Runyon worked nineteen years in underground coal mines and was found to have a totally disabling respiratory impairment. Those findings triggered the statutory presumption of disability due to pneumoconiosis. The judge rejected employer medical opinions attributing Runyon's severe lung…
Charles Lindsay v. S&H Mining, Incorporated, and Arrowood Indemnity
Lindsay v. S&H Mining (BRB 21-0566 BLA): benefits affirmed, carrier issue remanded
Charles Lindsay received a black lung benefits award after more than nineteen years of qualifying coal mine work. The employer did not challenge the benefit findings or S&H Mining's designation as the responsible operator, so the Board affirmed them. The dispute concerned whether Arrowood insured…
Adam H. Smith v. Sequoia Energy, LLC, and New Hampshire Insurance/AIG
Smith v. Sequoia Energy (BRB 21-0502 BLA): denial of subsequent black lung claim affirmed
Adam Smith sought black lung benefits after twenty years of qualifying coal mine work and two earlier claims. The judge found the evidence did not establish complicated pneumoconiosis or a totally disabling respiratory impairment. The Board upheld the judge's weighing of conflicting chest X-ray…
Ruth D. Kennedy v. Olga Coal Company
Kennedy v. Olga Coal (BRB 21-0473 BLA and 21-0472 BLA): Miner and survivor benefits affirmed
Ruth Kennedy pursued her late husband's later black lung claim and her own survivor's claim after his underground coal mine employment. The judge credited 19.5 years of mine work and found a totally disabling respiratory impairment, triggering the statutory presumption that pneumoconiosis caused…
Ruth D. Kennedy, on behalf of and widow of Carl Kennedy, v. Olga Coal Company and West Virginia Coal Workers' Pneumoconiosis Fund
Kennedy v. Olga Coal (BRB 21-0472 and 21-0473 BLA): miner and survivor benefits affirmed
Ruth Kennedy pursued her late husband's subsequent black lung claim and her own survivor claim. The judge found nineteen and one-half years of underground coal mine work and total respiratory disability, triggering the statutory presumption that the miner's disability was due to pneumoconiosis. The…
Terry McAllister v. Island Creek Coal Company
McAllister v. Island Creek Coal (BRB 21-0201 BLA): benefits award remanded for test review
Terry McAllister sought benefits on a subsequent black lung claim after twenty-two years of qualifying mine work. The judge found total respiratory disability from pulmonary function tests and medical opinions, then awarded benefits under the fifteen-year presumption. The Board found that the judge…
Tony P. Owens v. Clinchfield Coal Company
Owens v. Clinchfield Coal (BRB 21-0187 BLA): denial remanded for blood gas review
Tony Owens worked at least thirty-two years in coal mines, more than fifteen of them underground. The judge found legal pneumoconiosis but denied benefits because he found no total respiratory disability. The Board upheld the finding that Owens had not proved complicated pneumoconiosis and that…
Dwight A. Jones v. Shenandoah Coal Company and Travelers Insurance Company
Jones v. Shenandoah Coal (BRB 21-0123 BLA): reconsideration of remand denied
The Board had previously vacated a judge's denial of Dwight Jones's black lung benefits and sent the claim back for further review. Shenandoah Coal and Travelers Insurance asked the Board to reconsider that decision. Neither Jones nor the Director responded. After reviewing the motion, a majority…
Donald C. Cook v. Peabody Coal Company and Peabody Energy Corporation
Cook v. Peabody Coal (BRB 20-0577 BLA): black lung benefits award affirmed
Donald Cook worked underground for Armco and Peabody Coal. A judge awarded black lung benefits after crediting him with 17.05 years of qualifying mine employment and finding that Peabody had not rebutted the presumption that his disabling respiratory impairment was caused by pneumoconiosis. Peabody…
Joe Robert Divine v. Heritage Coal Company, LLC and Peabody Energy Corporation
Divine v. Heritage Coal (BRB 20-0553 BLA): carrier liability and benefits award affirmed
Joe Robert Divine sought black lung benefits after at least fifteen years of underground coal mine work. A judge found a totally disabling respiratory impairment, applied the fifteen-year presumption, and awarded benefits. Heritage Coal and its former parent and self-insurer, Peabody Energy…
Perkins v. Cavicchio Greenhouses, Inc.
Reconsideration denied, whistleblower claim returns for a hearing
Stephen Perkins alleged that Cavicchio Greenhouses fired him for conduct protected by the Affordable Care Act. The Board had vacated the dismissal of his claim and ordered further proceedings, but the company asked it to reconsider. The Board held that the company repeated arguments already…
V.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Ferndale Post Office
Board upholds denial of postal carrier's late hearing request (ECAB 22-1325)
V.S., a Ferndale rural carrier with an accepted back injury, requested a hearing about a later compensation decision. She submitted the request more than 30 days after OWCP's December 21, 2021 decision. The Board found that the request was too late for a hearing as of right. It also found no abuse…
H.E. and U.S. Postal Service, Detroit Post Office
Board upholds denial of postal carrier's neck condition claim (ECAB 22-1129)
H.E., a Detroit rural mail carrier, claimed that years of twisting, turning, and handling parcels caused his neck conditions. OWCP accepted the work factors but denied the claim for lack of adequate medical proof linking them to the cervical diagnoses. The Board found that his surgeon supported a…
T.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Miami Post Office
Board accepts postal worker's heel contusion and rejects additional conditions (ECAB 22-0955)
T.A., a Miami postal mail handler, caught her left heel under equipment and fell at work. OWCP accepted the incident but denied her injury claim. The Board found that a physician's countersigned note and the visible nature of a contusion established a work-related left heel contusion. It found no…
J.K. (nee R.) and U.S. Postal Service, Pittsburgh Performance Cluster
Board upholds denial of postal carrier's fall injury claim (ECAB 22-0945)
J.K., a rural mail carrier, tripped on a sidewalk while delivering a package and reported hip and leg injuries. OWCP accepted the March 15, 2021 fall but denied her injury claim because the medical evidence did not establish a causal link to a diagnosed condition. The Board found that one…
J.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Murphy Road Carrier Annex
Board upholds denial of postal worker's right arm injury claim (ECAB 22-0935)
J.D., a Hartford postal mail handler, reported that a falling pallet struck her right hand, wrist, and forearm at work. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred but denied her injury claim for lack of medical proof linking it to a diagnosed condition. The Board found her surgeon's causal opinion…
A.C. and Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security, Arlington, VA
Board orders State Department worker's related claims combined (ECAB 22-0696)
A State Department security worker filed multiple emotional condition claims arising from incidents and work in Baghdad. OWCP denied two claims while other related claim files remained separate. The Board found that the files involved the same claimed conditions and needed to be combined so OWCP…
A.C. and Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security, Arlington, VA
Board orders combined review of State Department worker's related claims (ECAB 22-0695 and 22-0696)
A.C., a State Department security officer, filed several related claims involving emotional conditions linked to his work in Baghdad. OWCP denied two of the claims, and he appealed both denials. The Board found that five related claim files should be combined so OWCP could consider their evidence…
F.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Mail Recovery Center, Atlanta, GA
Board denies postal clerk's wage loss claim but orders new arm rating review (ECAB 22-0167)
F.A., a postal mail recovery clerk, sought wage loss benefits for five days in June 2021 and an increase to her six percent right arm schedule award. The Board upheld denial of wage loss because the medical reports did not explain whether her accepted work injury caused disability on the claimed…
A.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Milwaukee, WI
Board upholds denial of postal carrier's elbow condition claim (ECAB 21-1375)
A.L., a Milwaukee mail carrier, reported right elbow and forearm swelling that he attributed to repetitive pushing and pulling at work. OWCP accepted the described work factors but denied his occupational-disease claim for insufficient medical evidence. The only clinical report in the record was…
G.H. and Department of Veterans Affairs, W.G. (Bill) Hefner VA Medical Center, Salisbury, NC
Board reverses VA worker's benefit termination but upholds two other denials (ECAB 20-1214)
G.H., a nursing assistant at a VA medical center, appealed several decisions arising from an accepted neck and shoulder injury. The Board upheld denial of wage-loss compensation for September 3, 2014 through October 11, 2017 because the medical opinions did not adequately explain disability for…
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.