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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T.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Warwick, RI
Board upholds refusal to reconsider a postal worker's reconsideration denial (ECAB 21-1041)
A postal letter carrier sought benefits for a 2017 neck injury, but OWCP denied the claim and later denied a reconsideration request as late. He then asked OWCP to reconsider that nonmerit denial. The Board held that OWCP's regulation bars another reconsideration request directed at a decision…
S.C. and Department of Defense Dependents Schools, Lakenheath Middle School, Feltwell, Norfolk, U.K.
Board reverses overpayment decision against former Defense school teacher (ECAB 21-0404)
A former Defense school teacher received FECA wage-loss compensation and Social Security retirement benefits based partly on federal service. OWCP charged her with a $27,428.36 overpayment and found her at fault. The Board found conflicting Social Security figures in the record and said OWCP had…
L.C. and Department of the Army, Materiel Command, Anniston, AL
Board upholds denial of Army mechanic's disability recurrence claim (ECAB 20-1679)
An Army equipment mechanic had an accepted right shoulder tendon condition after using a jackhammer at work. He sought compensation for a later claimed recurrence of total disability. The Board found that his medical reports did not adequately explain how the accepted condition caused inability to…
Nemeckay's Roofing and Home Improvement Company
Four roofing citations vacated for lack of employee proof
OSHA cited a sole-proprietor roofing business for alleged head, eye, fall, and ladder protection violations observed at a two-story house. The judge rejected the proprietor's claim that OSHA's observations and brief entry onto the property violated the Fourth Amendment. OSHA still had to prove that…
Secretary of Labor on behalf of George Rice v. Nally & Hamilton Enterprises
Temporary economic reinstatement ended with Secretary's case
The Secretary obtained temporary reinstatement for miner George Rice while MSHA investigated his discrimination claim against Nally & Hamilton Enterprises. The parties then agreed to temporary economic reinstatement and provided that the operator could seek dissolution if the Secretary declined to…
P.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Kansas City Main Post Office, Kansas City, MO
Board orders medical causation review of postal handler's shoulder claim (ECAB 22-0599)
A postal mail handler reported right shoulder pain after pulling heavy mail trays at work. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred but denied the claim because it found no diagnosed condition connected to it. The Board found that an orthopedic surgeon's report diagnosed a partial-thickness right…
J.S. and Department of the Navy, Naval District Washington Security Police, Washington, DC
Board upholds reduction of former Navy officer's benefits over rehabilitation (ECAB 22-0386)
A former Navy police officer received wage-loss compensation for accepted spine conditions. OWCP referred him to vocational rehabilitation after an examiner found he could perform restricted work. The Board found that an information clerk position fit those restrictions and that he did not complete…
E.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Bonner Springs, KS
Board orders independent rating of postal carrier's knee impairment (ECAB 21-0069)
A postal carrier had an accepted right knee injury and a schedule award for two percent permanent impairment of her right leg. She sought an increased award after further medical evaluation. One physician rated her impairment at nine percent, while another maintained a two percent rating after…
Secretary of Labor v. Genesis Alkali, LLC
Thirteen-cent-on-the-dollar settlement rejected
Genesis Alkali operated a large Wyoming trona mine where two dockets covered 25 citations involving unsecured raised loads, missing berms, obstructed passageways, and other alleged hazards. The parties proposed reducing the combined penalties from $120,909 to $15,424, vacating several citations…
Secretary of Labor v. Genesis Alkali, LLC
Hydrogen-sulfide ventilation settlement rejected
Genesis Alkali operated a Wyoming trona mine where nine citations carried proposed penalties totaling $34,483. The parties sought to reduce that total to $9,494, including cutting a ventilation citation from $12,007 to $729 and removing its significant-and-substantial designation. The citation…
Judith A. Holliday v. Helvetia Coal Company
Holliday v. Helvetia Coal Company (BRB 22-0085 BLA): miner's benefit award affirmed
Judith Holliday pursued her late husband Kenneth's claim for black lung benefits. The judge found that he had at least 15 years of underground coal mine work and a disabling respiratory impairment, invoking the 15-year presumption. Helvetia Coal argued that his emphysema arose from smoking and that…
Ruby R. Taylor v. Adena Fuels, Incorporated
Taylor v. Adena Fuels (BRB 21-0647 BLA): miner and survivor benefit awards affirmed
Ruby Taylor sought black lung benefits on behalf of her late husband, Roger, and in her own survivor claim. A labor judge reopened an earlier denial after finding a factual mistake in the calculation of Roger Taylor's coal mine work. The Board upheld the finding that he had at least 15 years of…
Ruby R. Taylor v. Adena Fuels, Incorporated
Taylor v. Adena Fuels (BRB 21-0646 BLA): miner and survivor benefit awards affirmed
Ruby Taylor sought black lung benefits on behalf of her late husband, Roger, and in her own survivor claim. A labor judge reopened an earlier denial after finding a factual mistake in the calculation of Roger Taylor's coal mine work. The Board upheld the finding that he had at least 15 years of…
Curtis L. Tressler v. G.M. & W. Coal Company, Incorporated
Tressler v. G.M. & W. Coal Company (BRB 21-0361 BLA): black lung benefits award affirmed
Curtis Tressler sought black lung benefits after about 10 years of coal mine work in Pennsylvania. Because he had fewer than 15 years of qualifying work, the judge considered whether he proved each element of his claim without the 15-year presumption. The judge credited three doctors who attributed…
David M. Howard v. Apogee Coal Company
Howard v. Apogee Coal (BRB 20-0229 BLA): black lung award affirmed
David Howard sought black lung benefits after at least 15 years of underground coal mine work. A judge found a totally disabling respiratory impairment, applied the fifteen-year presumption, and found that Apogee Coal and its carrier had not rebutted it. The Board rejected challenges to the judge's…
R.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Carol Stream, IL
Board upholds denial of further treatment for postal clerk's finger injury (ECAB 22-0980)
A postal mail distribution clerk had an accepted left ring finger contusion from a 2001 workplace incident. He later sought additional medical treatment for continuing finger problems. The Board found that the submitted physician reports diagnosed other finger conditions but did not explain how the…
J.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Nashville, TN
Board upholds denial of postal mechanic's knee injury claim (ECAB 22-0919)
A postal maintenance mechanic reported a pop in his left knee while walking between work buildings. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred, and an MRI showed a displaced medial meniscus tear. The Board found that the physician's reports did not explain how the walking incident caused the tear…
P.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Birmingham, AL
Board upholds denial of postmaster's vehicle collision injury claim (ECAB 22-0800)
A postmaster reported head, neck, and back symptoms after another vehicle struck her postal vehicle. OWCP accepted that the collision occurred. The Board found that her physician's reports identified pain and only a possible post-concussion condition, without a firm medical diagnosis. Other notes…
T.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Cleveland, OH
Board finds postal carrier's fall during dog chase established (ECAB 22-0792)
A postal carrier said he fell while fleeing a loose dog during mail delivery. OWCP denied his traumatic injury claim after finding that he had not established the incident. The Board found his account supported by the employer's acknowledgment and medical imaging obtained soon afterward. It set…
B.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Milwaukee, WI
Board upholds denial of postal carrier's intermittent wage-loss claim (ECAB 22-0680)
A rural postal carrier had accepted neck and lower-back sprains after a work vehicle accident. She sought compensation for intermittent work loss from December 2020 through February 2021. The Board found that her physician's report did not link that work loss to the accepted injuries, while other…
M.S. and U.S. Postal Service, John F. Kennedy Station, Boston, MA
Board upholds postal carrier's benefit forfeiture and overpayment (ECAB 22-0505)
A postal carrier receiving wage-loss compensation also received pay for adult foster care services. On four required reporting forms, she stated that she had no employment or earnings during the covered periods. The Board found that the signed forms and documented payments supported OWCP's finding…
E.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing & Distribution Center, Hamilton, NJ
Board orders a reasoned decision on mail processor's repetitive injury claim (ECAB 21-1154)
A postal mail processor sought compensation for neck, shoulder, and hand conditions she attributed to repeated lifting and reaching. OWCP denied the claim and later refused to change its decision without explaining its assessment of evidence in her combined claim files. The Board held that OWCP had…
D.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Elmer, NJ
Board orders medical development in postal worker's parcel impact claim (ECAB 21-1080)
D.S. reported that an oversized parcel struck her at work, causing her to fall and injure her right side, back, and extremities. OWCP denied the claim. Dr. Vernon supplied a pathophysiological explanation connecting the incident to several diagnosed conditions, but the Board found his reports were…
M.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Roger P. McAuliffe Post Office, Chicago, IL
Board orders combined review of postal carrier's left shoulder claims (ECAB 21-0769)
A postal carrier sought wage-loss compensation after he stopped work because of left shoulder problems. OWCP denied his claim for a recurrence of disability linked to a 2018 injury. The record also included a separate 2019 claim involving the same shoulder. The Board found that OWCP needed both…
L.W. and Department of Veterans Affairs, West Los Angeles VA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
Board upholds denial of additional conditions, wage loss, and cervical surgery (ECAB 21-0607)
A VA health aide injured her shoulder while transferring a patient and sought to add other shoulder and neck conditions to her accepted claim. She also sought wage-loss compensation for December 1 through 8, 2020 and authorization for cervical surgery. The Board found that the medical evidence did…
National Association of Independent Labor, Local 11 and United States Department of the Air Force, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Fort Eustis, Virginia
NAIL Local 11 and Joint Base Langley-Eustis (FLRA 0-AR-5808): Authority upholds bargaining-unit pay increases
NAIL Local 11 challenged Joint Base Langley-Eustis for giving bargaining-unit employees smaller performance-based percentage increases than non-unit employees with the same ratings. The agreement guaranteed unit employees at least a one percent increase for satisfactory performance and two percent…
United Parcel Service, Inc.
In re United Parcel Service, Inc. (EAB RCRA 3008 22-02C): hazardous-waste compliance settlement approved
United Parcel Service, Inc. operated 1,158 small-package distribution and transportation facilities that generated hazardous waste. EPA alleged that the company failed in some instances to file accurate hazardous-waste notifications, meet generator requirements, complete land-disposal…
S.O. and U.S. Postal Service, Honolulu Post Office, Honolulu, HI
Board orders new review of Honolulu mail handler's COVID-19 pay claim (ECAB 22-0760)
A Honolulu mail handler sought continuation of pay for time away from work after a positive COVID-19 test. OWCP denied the request because he filed his injury claim more than 30 days after the date it used for the injury. The Board found that OWCP had not applied its COVID-19 guidance, which uses…
C.V. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Dallas, TX
Board orders explanation of postal clerk's reconsideration denial (ECAB 22-0626)
A former postal clerk asked OWCP to reconsider earlier decisions involving her compensation and schedule award claim. OWCP rejected the request as untimely and said she had not shown clear evidence of error. The Board found that OWCP had not addressed her contentions or discussed the evidence she…
P.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Brooklyn, NY
Board orders merit review of postal carrier's benefit termination (ECAB 22-0544)
A postal letter carrier requested reconsideration of OWCP's termination of his wage-loss and medical benefits. He argued that the second opinion report supporting the termination was stale and overlooked accepted conditions. OWCP denied reconsideration without reopening the merits. The Board found…
L.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing & Distribution Center, Greenville, SC
Board orders new review of postal worker's COVID-19 continuation-of-pay claim (ECAB 22-0510)
A postal mail processing clerk sought continuation of pay after reporting a COVID-19 exposure at work. OWCP denied the request because he filed his injury claim more than 30 days after the reported exposure date. The Board found that OWCP had not applied its COVID-19 guidance, which uses the last…
B.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing & Distribution Center, Carol Stream, IL
Board reverses cut in postal worker's wage-loss compensation (ECAB 21-1301)
A postal mail processing clerk received wage-loss compensation for an accepted back condition. OWCP reduced her compensation to zero, finding that she had failed to cooperate with vocational rehabilitation. Her treating physician and OWCP's second opinion physician disagreed about whether she could…
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 3254 (Union) and United States Department of the Air Force, 434th Air Refueling Wing, Grissom Air Reserve Base (Agency)
AFGE Local 3254 and Grissom Air Reserve Base (FLRA 0-AR-5783): Union directed to sign negotiated agreement
The Air Force and the union negotiated a revised collective bargaining agreement after agency head review rejected seven provisions. An arbitrator found that they had resolved those provisions and reached agreement by December 2020, so the union had to sign the revised agreement. The union argued…
National Treasury Employees Union and United States Department of Health and Human Services
NTEU and HHS (FLRA 0-AR-5721): Authority adds bargaining violation and remands fees
HHS implemented 19 contract articles imposed by the Federal Service Impasses Panel while six other articles in the successor agreement remained under negotiation. An arbitrator found that the prior 2010 agreement remained in force, held that the early implementation violated the agreement and 5…
T.S. and Department of the Navy, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, WA
Board upholds denial of shipyard mechanic's wage-loss claim (ECAB 22-1098)
A Navy shipyard mechanic sought wage-loss compensation after OWCP accepted her claim for adverse effects of a viral vaccine. She claimed she could not work from November 29, 2021 through January 10, 2022. The Board found that the physicians' reports did not address whether the accepted injury…
L.F. and U.S. Postal Service, Bulk Mail Center, Capitol Heights, MD
Board reverses termination of postal worker's wage-loss and medical benefits (ECAB 22-0754)
A postal bulk mail worker received benefits for accepted back and right wrist conditions after a 1992 injury. OWCP ended her wage-loss and medical benefits based on a second opinion physician's report. The Board found that the statement of accepted facts given to the physician omitted her accepted…
A.E. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Federal Way, WA
Board orders new review of postal custodian's COVID-19 pay claim (ECAB 22-0633)
A postal custodian sought continuation of pay after a positive COVID-19 test and time away from work. OWCP denied the request because he filed his injury form more than 30 days after the date it used for the injury. The Board found that OWCP had not applied its COVID-19 guidance, which treats the…
R.H. and Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management Emergency Firefighters, Susanville, CA
Board upholds denial of firefighter's late pay-rate reconsideration request (ECAB 22-0547)
A Bureau of Land Management hotshot crewman challenged the pay rate OWCP used to calculate his compensation after a work injury. He asked OWCP to reconsider its 2004 pay-rate decision in 2021, well beyond the one-year filing period. The Board found that his employment forms and other evidence did…
P.C. and Department of the Navy, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, San Diego, CA
Board upholds denial of dental hygienist's right arm condition claim (ECAB 22-0810)
A Navy dental hygienist sought FECA benefits for right shoulder and arm conditions she attributed to repetitive work with her arms and hands. Medical reports identified shoulder abnormalities, but the Board found that they did not adequately explain how her specific work movements caused or…
K.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Seminole Processing & Distribution Center, Orlando, FL
Board orders merit review of postal clerk's shoulder injury claim (ECAB 22-0607)
A postal processing clerk claimed that he injured his right shoulder while lifting a package at work. OWCP denied the claim after finding that he had not established the incident as described, then refused to reopen it on reconsideration. The Board found that newly submitted medical reports…
J.T. and Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Fort Washakie, WY
Board orders review of correctional officer's omitted shoulder injury evidence (ECAB 22-0549)
A Bureau of Indian Affairs correctional officer claimed a left shoulder injury after an inmate struck him at work. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred but denied the injury claim for lack of medical proof linking the shoulder condition to it. The Board found that OWCP had not addressed a…
S.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Charlotte, NC
Board upholds denial of postal carrier's hip and back injury claim (ECAB 22-0438)
A Charlotte postal carrier reported worsened back and leg pain after she turned away from a dog while delivering mail. OWCP accepted that the February 18, 2020 incident occurred but did not accept a resulting medical condition. The Board found that the medical reports did not give a sufficiently…
K.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Austin, TX
Board upholds denial of postal carrier's remaining intermittent wage-loss claim (ECAB 22-0357)
An Austin postal carrier had accepted lumbar disc and nerve conditions related to his work. OWCP paid intermittent wage-loss compensation for part of his claim, but denied the remaining periods from November 12, 2014 through August 15, 2017 and March 20 through May 1, 2018. The Board found that the…
J.K. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Kailua-Kona, HI
Board upholds denial of postal carrier's late emotional condition review (ECAB 21-1130)
A postal letter carrier sought FECA compensation for stress and anxiety that he attributed to interactions with a supervisor. OWCP denied the original claim, and he later asked for reconsideration. The Board had already found his request untimely. In this decision, it found that his allegations and…
L.G. and Department of Defense, National Security Agency, Fort Meade, MD
Board upholds denial of additional conditions and continuing disability claim (ECAB 21-0770)
A National Security Agency desk officer injured her neck, shoulder, hip, and back in a fall at work. She later sought acceptance of additional conditions, including fibromyalgia and mental health conditions, and claimed continuing disability after her benefits ended. The Board found that the…
J.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Ridgewood Post Office, Ridgewood, NY
Board upholds refusal to reopen postal carrier's wage-loss claim (ECAB 21-0291)
A postal letter carrier sought wage-loss compensation after an accepted left knee contusion from a fall at work. OWCP denied the wage-loss claim, and the worker later asked it to reconsider. His reconsideration request repeated a physician's report already in the record and offered no new, relevant…
Southern Hydro Vac, LLC
Tailgate crushing-hazard citation vacated
A Southern Hydro Vac employee died after being caught between a hydro-vacuum truck's closing tailgate and tank body during dumping and washout work. OSHA cited the company under the general duty clause and proposed a $13,494 penalty. The judge found that the tailgate presented a serious crushing…
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 515 and United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Miami VA Medical Center, Miami, Florida
AFGE Local 515 and Miami VA Medical Center (FLRA 0-AR-5770): Authority denies arbitration exceptions
AFGE Local 515 filed exceptions to an arbitration award involving the Miami VA Medical Center. The Authority chose its expedited, abbreviated format and did not describe the underlying dispute or award. After reviewing the record and governing precedent, it found that the Union had not established…
American Federation of Government Employees, National ICE Council 118 (Union) and United States Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations (Agency)
ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations and AFGE Council 118 (FLRA 0-AR-5755): Training policy did not require new bargaining
ICE implemented a field-delivered training policy after discussing it with the union. The union argued that ICE had to bargain before putting the policy in place. An arbitrator found that the parties' agreement already covered training programs and gave the union a role in making recommendations…
S.M. and Department of the Navy, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, VA
Board upholds refusal to reopen naval electrician's wage-loss claim (ECAB 22-0723)
A naval shipyard electrician sought wage-loss compensation for a period after an accepted right leg injury. OWCP denied the underlying claim, and he later asked it to reconsider. The Board found that his new medical evidence did not address whether the accepted injury disabled him during the…
C.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Bakersfield Processing & Distribution Center, Bakersfield, CA
Board orders corrected medical review of postal carrier's wage-loss claim (ECAB 22-0460)
A postal carrier sought wage-loss compensation for disability attributed to accepted back conditions. OWCP denied her claim after obtaining second opinion and impartial medical reports. The Board found that the statement of accepted facts given to both physicians omitted the accepted conditions in…
B.L. and Department of Labor, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, New York, NY
Board upholds existing shoulder impairment awards and denies leg award (ECAB 22-0068)
A Department of Labor claims examiner received schedule awards for permanent impairment of both shoulders after an accepted work injury. She sought higher awards for her arms and an award for her legs. The Board found no evidence of more than the previously awarded 12 percent right and 8 percent…
M.M. and Department of the Navy, Naval Air Systems Command, China Lake, CA
Board upholds denial of additional conditions after Navy worker's fall (ECAB 22-0037)
A Navy information technology specialist had an accepted right knee and wrist injury after a fall at work. She later sought to add further conditions, including complex regional pain syndrome, to that claim. The Board found that the medical reports did not adequately explain how the accepted 2005…
K.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Troy Post Office, Troy, PA
Board upholds denial of postal carrier's right knee injury claim (ECAB 21-0953)
A rural postal carrier reported twisting his right knee after stepping into a hole while pushing a mail cart at work. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred but denied his injury claim. The Board found that the medical reports did not explain how the incident caused or aggravated a diagnosed knee…
G.A. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Mountain Home VA Medical Center, Mountain Home, TN
Board orders review of overlooked medical report in VA nurse's claims (ECAB 21-0329)
A VA practical nurse asked OWCP to reconsider denials of recurrence and wage-loss claims tied to an accepted back injury. He submitted a physician's report about his condition and work restrictions. OWCP issued two reconsideration denials saying the report was absent, even though it was in the…
Mack v. Union Pacific Railroad Co.
Appeal dismissed after district court election
Charles Mack appealed an administrative law judge's decision in his Federal Railroad Safety Act case against Union Pacific Railroad Company. While the appeal was pending, he filed an action in the federal district court for the Central District of California seeking a fresh review of his claim. He…
H.M. and Department of the Air Force, Tinker Air Force Base, OK
Board orders medical review of Air Force worker's bladder and disability claims (ECAB 22-0097)
An Air Force equipment cleaner sought to add a neurogenic bladder condition to her accepted back injury claim and claimed a recurrence of disability beginning January 26, 2021. Her physician offered a medical explanation linking the bladder condition and worsening work limitations to the injury…
W.M. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Loma Linda VA Medical Center, Loma Linda, CA
Board upholds denial of VA nurse's total-disability claim (ECAB 21-1217)
A VA nurse sought compensation for total disability during a period after accepted back injuries. His treating physician said he could not work, but the Board found that the reports did not adequately explain how the accepted conditions caused total disability throughout the claimed period. Other…
D.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Cincinnati, OH
Board upholds denial of additional foot impairment award for postal clerk (ECAB 21-0954)
A postal window clerk sought a larger schedule award for permanent impairment of her feet and legs after accepted work-related foot conditions and surgeries. Her treating physician proposed higher ratings by combining range-of-motion and diagnosis-based methods. The Board found that he had not…
United States Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Agency) and American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO (Union/Petitioner)
ICE, AFGE, and Council 118 (FLRA WA-RP-22-0051): Individual intervention denied
AFGE filed a petition to disclaim representational interest in a unit of ICE employees. The president of an AFGE council sought to intervene as an individual, but the regional director refused. The Authority denied his application for review, holding that the regulation specifically governing…
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.