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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R.R. and Department of Labor, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, Jacksonville, FL
Board accepts overwork factor and remands DOL employee's emotional condition claim (ECAB 20-0954)
R.R., an administrative officer in the Department of Labor's Jacksonville OWCP office, claimed that added duties after a coworker's retirement contributed to anxiety and other emotional symptoms. OWCP denied the claim because it found no compensable work factor. The Board held that R.R.'s account…
UHS of Denver, Inc., d/b/a Highlands Behavioral Health System
Workplace-violence case remanded for economic-feasibility findings
OSHA cited the operator of a psychiatric hospital under the general duty clause for failing to protect employees from patient violence. The administrative law judge affirmed the citation and an $11,934 penalty after treating the economic feasibility of OSHA's proposed safeguards as established…
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2076, National Citizenship and Immigration Service Council and United States Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
AFGE Local 2076 and USCIS (FLRA 0-AR-5800): Authority upholds dismissal filed in wrong office
AFGE Local 2076 grieved a new U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services training program, alleging that the agency failed to bargain before implementing it. The arbitrator found that the program affected about 4,000 employees nationwide, making the dispute a national grievance under the parties'…
United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Federal Correctional Institution, Ashland, Kentucky and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1286, Council of Prison Locals #33
FCI Ashland and AFGE Local 1286 (FLRA 0-AR-5782): Authority upholds award-compliance jurisdiction
An arbitrator had found that FCI Ashland failed to compensate employees properly under the Fair Labor Standards Act and retained jurisdiction over implementation of the make-whole remedy. After the agency contacted employees directly about settlements, payments, and waivers, the arbitrator ordered…
Social Security Administration and Association of Administrative Law Judges, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers
Social Security Administration and AALJ (FLRA 0-AR-5772): Authority remands eyewear-reimbursement award
The Social Security Administration stopped reimbursing administrative law judges for certain eye exams and prescription glasses or contacts used for screen-intensive work. An arbitrator found the reimbursements lawful, held that ending them violated the agreement and federal labor law, and ordered…
United States Department of the Army, Army Materiel Command, Army Security Assistance Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama and National Federation of Federal Employees, Local 1332
Army Security Assistance Command and NFFE Local 1332 (FLRA 0-AR-5665): Authority narrows interlocutory review
NFFE Local 1332 alleged that the Army Security Assistance Command misclassified employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act and owed them overtime. Before reaching the merits, the arbitrator found the grievance procedurally arbitrable. The Authority revised its interlocutory-review standard and…
Secretary of Labor v. Bluestone Oil Corporation
S&S removal authority accepted for review
A judge denied a proposed settlement because the Secretary did not provide factual support for removing the significant and substantial designations from two citations. The judge certified the denial for interlocutory review. The Commission granted review to decide whether the Secretary has…
Jerry Piercy v. Eastern Associated Coal LLC and Peabody Energy Corporation
Piercy v. Eastern Associated Coal (BRB 20-0323 BLA): carrier liability and benefit award affirmed
Jerry Piercy received black lung benefits after a judge found complicated pneumoconiosis arising from at least nineteen years of qualifying coal mine work. Eastern Associated Coal and Peabody Energy did not contest the benefit award on appeal, but challenged Peabody's designation as the liable…
M.K. and U.S. Postal Service, Woodbury Post Office
Board requires clearer ruling on postal carrier's disability and surgery claims (ECAB 22-1093)
M.K., a postal letter carrier with an accepted left foot ligament condition, sought compensation for intermittent disability and authorization for surgery. OWCP denied the requests but addressed the wrong starting date for the disability period and did not analyze the supporting medical evidence…
K.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Nobles Station
Board narrows postal worker's compensation forfeiture period (ECAB 22-1088)
K.W., a Pensacola postal carrier receiving compensation for an accepted knee injury, sold handmade tumblers while reporting no employment or earnings on OWCP forms. The Board found that the sales and her signed forms supported a knowing failure to report the activity, even though she described it…
A.H. and Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Marketing Service, Poultry Grading Branch, Austin, TX
Board reverses Agriculture worker's benefit termination over unsuitable job offer (ECAB 22-0681)
A.H., an Agriculture Department poultry grader, was offered a modified administrative assistant job after accepted back and knee injuries. OWCP ended his benefits when he declined the position. The Board found that the offered job included bending even though OWCP's second opinion physician had…
A.H. and Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Marketing Service, Poultry Grading Branch, Austin, TX
Board dismisses Agriculture worker's appeal without a final OWCP decision (ECAB 22-0583)
A.H. appealed after OWCP sent a letter saying it intended to end wage loss compensation and a schedule award because he had refused an offer of suitable work. The Board found that the letter was informational and did not include appeal rights, so it was not a final adverse decision. Without such a…
C.B. and U.S. Postal Service, New Kensington Post Office
Board reverses postal carrier's one day retirement overpayment (ECAB 22-0539)
C.B., a retired postal letter carrier, received FECA wage loss compensation through July 17, 2021. OWCP said he also received federal retirement benefits that day and assessed a $116.96 overpayment. An OPM email showed that retirement payments began July 18, the following day. The Board found no…
S.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Nauvoo, AL
Board upholds denial of rural carrier's right shoulder claim (ECAB 21-1318)
S.S., a rural postal carrier, claimed that repetitive mail handling and opening a jammed mailbox caused or aggravated a right shoulder rotator cuff tear. Her physicians diagnosed shoulder conditions and linked them to work, but the Board found their causal opinions lacked sufficient medical…
Secretary of Labor v. Greenbrier Minerals, LLC
S&S removal authority accepted for review
A judge denied a proposed settlement because the Secretary did not provide enough information to support removing a significant and substantial designation. The judge certified the denial for interlocutory review. The Commission granted review to decide whether the Secretary has unreviewable…
Secretary of Labor v. Perry County Resources, LLC
Settlement-document dispute accepted for review
A judge denied a proposed settlement after the Secretary refused to provide a related section 104(b) order. The judge also declined to certify the settlement denial for immediate review, so the Secretary petitioned the Commission directly. The Commission granted interlocutory review to decide…
Carl Stepp v. Sturgeon Mining Company, Incorporated and Kentucky Employers Mutual Insurance
Stepp v. Sturgeon Mining (BRB 21-0488 BLA): denial vacated for modification request
Carl Stepp challenged a judge's renewed denial of his black lung benefits after an earlier Board remand. While the claim was pending, Stepp, representing himself, had submitted a letter asking for modification and asserting a longer mine work history. The judge denied that request as untimely and…
William H. Whitaker v. Heritage Coal Company, LLC and Peabody Energy Corporation
Whitaker v. Heritage Coal (BRB 21-0469 BLA): benefit award and carrier liability affirmed
William Whitaker sought black lung benefits after twenty-eight 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 Peabody Energy challenged Peabody's carrier liability and the…
Thomas B. Campbell v. Heritage Coal Company, LLC and Peabody Energy Corporation
Campbell v. Heritage Coal (BRB 20-0576 BLA): benefits and Peabody carrier liability affirmed
Thomas Campbell sought black lung benefits after twenty-five years of underground coal mine work. A judge found total respiratory disability, applied the fifteen-year presumption, and awarded benefits. Heritage Coal and Peabody Energy challenged Peabody's carrier liability and the judge's…
M.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Baton Rouge General Mail Facility
Board dismisses attempt to appeal its earlier decision (ECAB 22-1217)
M.C. filed an appeal from an August 5, 2022 decision, but that decision was issued by the Board itself in an earlier case. The Board's appeal jurisdiction covers final adverse OWCP decisions, and there was no such decision within the relevant 180-day period. It dismissed this appeal. The Board said…
D.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Lubbock Post Office
Board dismisses appeal after OWCP voided postal worker's termination (ECAB 22-0910)
D.M., a postal worker, appealed an OWCP decision ending wage loss compensation and schedule award entitlement for refusing suitable work. Before she filed the appeal, OWCP had declared its termination decision void because it lacked a required supervisor signature. It also reinstated wage loss…
B.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Milwaukee Post Office
Board upholds postal clerk's claim denial over unclear incident account (ECAB 22-0898)
B.J., a postal mail processing clerk, reported chest pain after a towel dispenser cover broke off while she dried her hands at work. OWCP asked her to clarify how the incident happened, but she supplied no further factual account. The Board found her brief statement too vague to establish the…
D.K. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Honolulu, HI
Board confirms TSA worker's dual benefit overpayment but orders recalculation (ECAB 22-0736)
D.K., a TSA screener, received FECA wage loss compensation while also receiving Social Security retirement benefits attributable to federal service. The Board found that the overlapping benefits created an overpayment for which she was without fault. OWCP's notices and final decision, however, gave…
J.N. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Newark Liberty International Airport
Board reverses Customs inspector's compensation termination (ECAB 22-0682)
J.N., a former customs inspector, received FECA benefits for accepted left arm and shoulder conditions after an on duty luggage injury. OWCP ended wage loss and medical benefits after a second opinion physician said the accepted conditions had resolved. The physician also said the records supplied…
K.D., widow of L.D., and Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Aurora, IL
Board upholds FAA employee's wage capacity determination (ECAB 22-0485)
K.D., the widow of a former FAA air traffic controller, sought to change OWCP's determination that he could earn wages as an associate chiropractor after a work related anxiety condition. She submitted medical reports and statements about his psychological symptoms before his death. The Board found…
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC
Slurry citation reduced to non-S&S
CONSOL's Bailey Mine preparation plant had wet coal slurry and fine magnetite covering a walkway near a step, with a leaking pipe overhead and a missing light. CONSOL conceded that the accumulation violated the travelway standard. Judge Sullivan found that the material could obscure the step, but…
Scott v. E.O. Habhegger Co.
Premature appeals dismissed while damages remain unresolved
Angelo Scott alleged that E.O. Habhegger Company retaliated against him in violation of the Surface Transportation Assistance Act. An administrative law judge found unlawful retaliation and ordered reinstatement but left the record open for evidence about back pay and other damages. Both parties…
C.A. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Blythe Border Patrol Station
Board grants border patrol employee's request to withdraw appeal (ECAB 22-1044)
C.A., an employee at the Blythe Border Patrol Station, appealed a January 7, 2022 OWCP merit decision. C.A. later asked to withdraw the appeal. The Board granted the request and dismissed the case without deciding the underlying claim.
S.D. and U.S. Postal Service, South Downey Post Office
Board orders more medical review of postal carrier's back claim (ECAB 22-1006)
S.D., a city letter carrier in Downey, claimed that repetitive lifting, bending, and other duties aggravated her lower back condition. OWCP denied the occupational disease claim. The Board found that her physician explained how the work could affect her lumbar spine, although the opinion was not…
S.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Minneapolis Post Office
Board upholds denial of postal carrier's fall injury claim (ECAB 22-0973)
S.S., a Minneapolis postal carrier, tripped over a threshold and fell while working. OWCP accepted the incident but denied her injury claim because the record lacked a medical diagnosis from a qualified physician. The Board found that the only reports were from a physician assistant and a physical…
H.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Cliffside Park Post Office
Board reverses postal carrier's benefit termination after vehicle injury (ECAB 22-0900)
H.A., a postal city carrier, received FECA benefits after a vehicle struck him while delivering mail, causing leg, arm, shoulder, facial, and dental injuries. OWCP ended wage loss and non-dental medical benefits after a second opinion physician said the accepted conditions had resolved. The Board…
L.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Grand Rapids Post Office
Board upholds postal carrier's short period wage loss denial (ECAB 22-0879)
L.R., a postal carrier, sought wage loss benefits for several days after an accepted right wrist fracture. Her doctor allowed her to work with restrictions before and after the disputed dates. The Board found that the medical reports did not address whether the injury disabled her from work on…
D.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Albany Processing and Distribution Center
Board upholds refusal to reopen postal handler's wage loss claim (ECAB 22-0875)
D.H., a postal mail handler with an accepted knee injury, sought wage loss compensation for intermittent time away from limited duty work. OWCP denied the claimed periods and later declined to reopen the claim for reconsideration. The Board found that her new medical reports did not address whether…
J.S. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, North Chicago, IL
Board orders new review of VA worker's COVID continuation of pay claim (ECAB 22-0854)
J.S., a VA motor vehicle operator, filed a claim after a positive COVID-19 test. OWCP denied continuation of pay because he had filed his injury form more than 30 days after the reported injury date. The Board found that OWCP had not applied its COVID-19 guidance, which treats the last exposure…
H.C. and Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Washington, DC
Board upholds Treasury officer's recurrence claim denial (ECAB 22-0844)
H.C., a Bureau of Engraving and Printing police officer, sought compensation for a 2015 work stoppage that he attributed to an accepted 1998 neck injury. The Board found that his new medical report did not adequately explain how that injury caused a spontaneous recurrence in 2015, as opposed to a…
A.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Wakefield Post Office
Board dismisses postal worker's appeal of informational letter (ECAB 22-0782)
A.L. appealed an October 25, 2021 letter from OWCP. The Board found that the letter only provided information and was not a final adverse decision. Because there was no final decision for it to review, the Board dismissed the appeal for lack of jurisdiction. The order does not resolve an underlying…
Rene Silverio Gonzalez/RG Roofing
Late contest dismissed and relief from final order denied
OSHA issued RG Roofing three serious citations involving head protection, residential fall protection, and ladder use, with a proposed penalty of $8,097. The company received the citation but did not submit a written notice of contest within 15 working days, so the citation became a final…
C.W. and Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service
Board orders IRS worker's injury files combined before disability ruling (ECAB 22-1105)
C.W., an IRS employee with accepted ankle and lower back conditions, sought compensation for intermittent time away from work. OWCP denied the disability claims without combining her current file with an earlier accepted lower back injury file. The Board found that both files were needed for a fair…
A.T. and Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, New York Regional Office
Board accepts Census worker's reported fall and orders medical review (ECAB 22-1103)
A.T., a Census Bureau worker, reported falling on a damaged stair while working and injuring her knees and ankle. OWCP doubted that the fall occurred at work and denied the claim. The Board found her account, photographs, immediate treatment, and supporting statements sufficient to establish that…
G.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Granite City Post Office
Board confirms postal carrier's work fall and orders medical review (ECAB 22-0876)
G.H., a postal city carrier, reported falling onto her knees while stepping onto a sidewalk during mail delivery. OWCP denied the claim because it doubted that the incident occurred as described. The Board found her accounts consistent and noted that her supervisor acknowledged an on duty injury…
C.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Canal Street Station, New York, NY
Board orders review of postal carrier's injury claim type (ECAB 22-0180)
C.M., a postal city carrier assistant, filed a traumatic injury claim after reporting arm and shoulder pain from parcel deliveries. OWCP denied the claim because the reported injury date and time conflicted with work records. C.M. later explained that he intended to file an occupational disease…
S.W. and Department of Veterans Affairs, John J. Pershing VA Medical Center, Poplar Bluff, MO
Board orders combined review of VA worker's mold exposure claims (ECAB 21-1395)
S.W., a medical technologist at a VA medical center, filed related claims involving reported mold exposure and physical and emotional symptoms. OWCP had denied the occupational-disease claim and later refused to change that decision. The Board found that three related claim files needed to be…
W.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Philadelphia, PA
Board orders medical-adviser review of postal worker's right arm award (ECAB 21-0728)
W.M., a postal tractor trailer operator, had received a schedule award for ten percent permanent impairment of his right arm after a shoulder injury. OWCP later issued an amended nine percent rating based on a second-opinion physician's report and found no further award due. The Board found that…
J.D. and U.S. Postal Service, North Metro Post Office, Duluth, GA
Board upholds denial of postal carrier's vehicle collision injury claim (ECAB 21-0470)
J.D., a rural postal carrier associate, was rear-ended while delivering mail, and OWCP accepted that the collision occurred at work. OWCP denied the claim because it found insufficient medical evidence of an injury connected to that incident. The Board held that a preliminary CT report only…
E.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Aurora, CO
Board reverses termination of Aurora postal worker's physical and psychiatric benefits (ECAB 21-0072)
E.W., a postal carrier, had an accepted claim for neck and upper-back strains and temporary aggravation of depression and panic disorder after a 2001 work injury. OWCP later ended her wage-loss and medical benefits, relying on medical opinions that the accepted conditions had resolved. The Board…
C.M. and Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Colville National Forest, Curlew Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center
Board upholds denial of late request to revisit compensation suspension (ECAB 20-0374)
C.M., a Forest Service cook instructor, sought to revisit a 2009 decision suspending her wage loss compensation after she missed a second opinion examination. Her reconsideration request arrived more than one year after that decision. The Board found that her argument about the examining…
Secretary of Labor obo Jason Hargis v. Vulcan Construction Materials, LLC and Secretary of Labor v. Vulcan Construction Materials, LLC
Secretary of Labor obo Jason Hargis v. Vulcan Construction Materials, LLC (FMSHRC SE 2022-0013): Injury reporting affirmed and discrimination complaint dismissed
Jason Hargis injured his back while handling crusher liner plates at Vulcan's Wilson County Quarry and was placed on restricted duty. Judge Young held that the injury was reportable because Hargis could not perform all his duties and management knew of that limitation, and he assessed a $300…
Matter of Policarpo TRIANA
Approved visa petition did not foreclose the approvable-when-filed inquiry
The Board reviewed a Mexican respondent’s request for adjustment of status under section 245(i) and cancellation of removal. It held that USCIS approval of a visa petition filed by the statutory deadline does not prevent an Immigration Judge from deciding whether the petition was approvable when…
D.M. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol
Board orders new review of border agent's late reconsideration request (ECAB 22-1194)
D.M., a Border Patrol agent, sought reconsideration of an emotional condition claim denial. OWCP received her request more than a year after its last merits decision but evaluated it under the standard for timely requests. The Board found that OWCP needed to apply the clear evidence of error…
E.N. and Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Lompoc Federal Correctional Complex
Board orders prison employee's knee injury files combined (ECAB 22-1190)
E.N., a federal prison training instructor, claimed a right knee injury while running to an emergency call. OWCP accepted the incident but denied the injury claim for lack of medical proof linking the diagnosed conditions to it. The Board found that OWCP had not combined this file with two earlier…
B.V. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Central California Health Care System, Fresno, CA
Board dismisses VA worker's appeal of a decision absent from the record (ECAB 22-0853)
B.V., a VA health system worker, appealed a purported April 5, 2022 OWCP decision. The Board found no such final adverse decision in the record. It noted a March 29 decision but said counsel had not appealed that one. Without an appealed final decision to review, the Board dismissed the case. It…
K.Y. and U.S. Postal Service, Mount Pleasant Post Office
Board orders review of omitted medical record in postal crash claim (ECAB 22-0743)
K.Y., a postal rural carrier, reported back pain after a motor vehicle accident while working. OWCP denied her injury claim, saying she had provided no medical evidence establishing a related diagnosis. The Board found that OWCP had failed to review a timely submitted emergency department summary…
R.A. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, Truth or Consequences, NM
Board orders reasoned review of Border Patrol agent's reconsideration request (ECAB 22-0634)
R.A., a Border Patrol agent, claimed injuries after an on duty exchange of gunfire and care of a wounded person. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred but denied the injury claim for lack of medical evidence establishing a diagnosed condition. It later refused his reconsideration request as…
B.E. and U.S. Postal Service, Lexington Post Office
Board upholds postal carrier's wage capacity and benefit overpayment decisions (ECAB 22-0423)
B.E., a postal city carrier, challenged the amount she was deemed able to earn as a receptionist after a work related neck injury. The Board found that her medical records did not establish a material change in the accepted condition that would justify changing that wage earning capacity…
C.L. and Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Chamblee, GA
Board rejects biceps claim but remands IRS worker's lumbar claim expansion (ECAB 21-0729)
C.L., an IRS tax compliance officer, had accepted elbow, knee, and lumbar conditions after falling on a lobby floor at work. She sought to add a right biceps tendon finding and several degenerative lumbar conditions to the accepted claim. The Board rejected the biceps request because the cited…
K.S. and U.S. Postal Service, St. Louis Post Office
Board upholds postal driver disability denial and late hearing ruling (ECAB 20-0304)
K.S., a St. Louis postal tractor trailer operator, sought compensation for time away from work after an accepted injury involving his elbows, back, and shoulder. The Board found that his medical reports did not adequately explain why that injury kept him from working during the claimed period of…
Norman J. Fleeman v. Eastern Associated Coal Company and Peabody Energy Corporation
Fleeman v. Eastern Associated Coal (BRB 22-0086 BLA): carrier liability and benefit award affirmed
Norman Fleeman received black lung benefits after a judge found complicated pneumoconiosis arising from 27.29 years of coal mine work. Eastern Associated Coal and Peabody Energy did not challenge those entitlement findings on appeal. They argued that liability should pass to the Black Lung…
Brenda Phipps v. Eastern Associated Coal Company
Phipps v. Eastern Associated Coal (BRB 22-0001 BLA and 21-0650 BLA): Miner and survivor benefits affirmed
Brenda Phipps pursued her late husband's black lung claim and her own survivor's claim after his underground coal mine employment. The judge found that the miner's disabling obstructive lung disease was caused in part by coal dust exposure and awarded benefits. Eastern Associated Coal and its…
Brenda Phipps, on behalf of and widow of Bernard Phipps, v. Eastern Associated Coal Company and Peabody Energy Corporation
Phipps v. Eastern Associated Coal (BRB 21-0650 and 22-0001 BLA): miner and survivor awards affirmed
Brenda Phipps pursued her late husband's black lung claim and her own survivor claim. With thirteen years of underground mine work, Bernard Phipps could not use the fifteen-year presumption, so the judge considered direct evidence of pneumoconiosis and disability causation. The judge credited a…
Ralph H. Lockard v. Aracoma Coal Company, Incorporated and ANR Incorporated
Lockard v. Aracoma Coal (BRB 21-0494 BLA): complicated pneumoconiosis award affirmed
Ralph Lockard sought black lung benefits after at least nineteen years of underground coal mine work. A judge found complicated pneumoconiosis and awarded benefits under the irrebuttable presumption. Aracoma Coal challenged the judge's weighing of x-rays, CT scans, and medical opinions, pointing to…
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.