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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Naser Zabid v. VHB Global, Incorporated
Zabid v. VHB Global (BRB 24-0201): Defense Base Act benefits denial affirmed
Naser Zabid sought Defense Base Act benefits for physical and psychological conditions he attributed to an altercation while working as a linguist in Iraq. The judge found that the work injury presumption applied initially, but that the employer rebutted it and that Zabid did not prove the claimed…
Danny R. Dickens v. Marfork Coal Company
Dickens v. Marfork Coal (BRB 24-0144): Complicated pneumoconiosis finding returned for review
Danny Dickens received a black lung benefits award after the judge found complicated pneumoconiosis and applied the irrebuttable presumption of disability. Marfork Coal challenged the medical evidence supporting that finding. The Board held that the judge had counted two medical opinions diagnosing…
Arias v. NICE Actimize, LTD.
Untimely SOX complaint dismissed
Luis Horatio Arias alleged that NICE Actimize retaliated against him in violation of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act after he raised concerns about sales practices and compliance. He filed his OSHA complaint about eleven months after his April 2023 termination, beyond SOX’s 180-day deadline. The Board…
A.S. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Olin E. Teague Veterans' Center
Board sends shoulder claim expansion back for review (ECAB 26-0153)
A Veterans Affairs worker sought to add further right-shoulder conditions to an accepted injury claim. OWCP's medical review addressed several shoulder diagnoses, but the Board found the record inadequate for a final expansion decision. It returned the case for additional development and a new…
H.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Santa Ana Processing & Distribution Center
Board upholds denial of neck condition claim (ECAB 26-0129)
A postal mail handler attributed neck conditions to moving and cleaning mail containers. An impartial examiner reviewed the record and found his cervical conditions were not caused by the accepted work factors. The Board found the medical evidence insufficient to establish work causation and…
L.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Cardiss Collins Post Office
Board orders further review of knee-related disability (ECAB 25-0862)
A postal worker sought wage-loss benefits after an accepted left-knee injury. Her physician linked knee findings to the fall and said she could not work, but the explanation did not by itself establish the claim. The Board found it enough to require a fuller medical assessment and directed OWCP to…
A.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Bakersfield Processing & Distribution Center
Board orders review of medication evidence (ECAB 24-0100)
A postal worker sought approval for fluoxetine in connection with an accepted injury. Her physician linked the prescription to depression resulting from accepted complex regional pain syndrome, but OWCP did not address that report. The Board returned the case for OWCP to consider the evidence and…
B.V. and Department of the Air Force, Keesler Air Force Base
Board upholds denial of codeine prescription (ECAB 23-0906)
An Air Force employee sought approval for a codeine-containing pain medication. Her physician reported that the medication eased pain but did not explain how it treated the accepted work conditions or a related condition. The Board found the medical explanation insufficient and upheld the denial.
Matter of E-N-N-
Withholding decision remanded
The Department of Homeland Security appealed an Immigration Judge's decision granting withholding of removal to a Cameroonian respondent. The Board found clear error in the Immigration Judge's credibility analysis because the decision did not address inconsistencies and implausibilities in the…
Kevin Woolum v. Arma Aviation
Woolum v. Arma Aviation (BRB 24-0064, 25-0164, 25-0193): Benefits and attorney fees affirmed
Kevin Woolum sought Defense Base Act benefits after developing persistent nasal and sinus problems while working as an aircraft mechanic in Kabul, Afghanistan. The judge found that exposure to burn pit fumes aggravated his conditions and prevented him from returning to that work. The Board upheld…
Kevin Woolum v. Arma Aviation
Woolum v. Arma Aviation (BRB 24-0064, 25-0164, 25-0193): Benefits and attorney fees affirmed
Kevin Woolum sought Defense Base Act benefits after developing persistent nasal and sinus problems while working as an aircraft mechanic in Kabul, Afghanistan. The judge found that exposure to burn pit fumes aggravated his conditions and prevented him from returning to that work. The Board upheld…
Kevin Woolum v. Arma Aviation
Woolum v. Arma Aviation (BRB 24-0064, 25-0164, 25-0193): Benefits and attorney fees affirmed
Kevin Woolum sought Defense Base Act benefits after developing persistent nasal and sinus problems while working as an aircraft mechanic in Kabul, Afghanistan. The judge found that exposure to burn pit fumes aggravated his conditions and prevented him from returning to that work. The Board upheld…
Rupp v. West Starr Aviation, LLC
AIR21 settlement approved
Daniel Rupp alleged that West Starr Aviation retaliated against him in violation of AIR21. After an ALJ dismissed the claim and Rupp appealed, the parties reached a settlement and asked the Board to approve it. The ARB found the agreement fair, adequate, reasonable, and consistent with the public…
Conrad Lester v. Blackhawk Mining LLC
Lester v. Blackhawk Mining (BRB 24-0390): Complicated pneumoconiosis award affirmed
Conrad Lester received a black lung benefits award after 27 years of underground coal mine work. The judge found complicated pneumoconiosis from the x-ray, CT scan, and other medical evidence, invoking an irrebuttable presumption of disability due to the disease. Blackhawk Mining and its insurer…
R.E. and U.S. Postal Service, Santa Clarita Post Office
Board rejects shoulder claim lacking a valid diagnosis (ECAB 26-0184)
A postal worker reported a work incident and submitted a visit summary mentioning left shoulder pain. The document was unsigned, and pain alone did not establish a diagnosed medical condition. The Board found no probative diagnosis tied to the accepted incident and affirmed OWCP's denial.
Secretary of Labor v. Rulon Harper Construction, Inc.
Unsupported settlement reductions rejected
The Secretary and Rulon proposed settlements covering ten citations and orders, with large reductions in gravity, negligence, significant-and-substantial designations, and penalties. The proposed total penalties would have fallen from $22,944 to $3,936 in one docket and from $22,134 to $7,227 in…
Matter of Z-R-C-N-, et al.
Matter of Z-R-C-N- (BIA ID 4175): motion to reopen denied
The respondents, natives and citizens of Ecuador, asked the Board to reopen their removal proceedings after an earlier appeal was dismissed. They claimed ineffective assistance from a nonattorney who prepared their asylum applications and failed to pursue the appeal. The Board denied reopening…
F.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Philadelphia Post Office
Board dismisses appeal filed seven days late (ECAB 26-0342)
A postal worker appealed an August 2025 OWCP decision on February 24, 2026. The 180-day Board filing period ended February 17, 2026. The Board found no documented compelling circumstances for the delay and dismissed the appeal for lack of jurisdiction.
C.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Joint Base San Antonio Post Office
Board dismisses late postal worker appeal (ECAB 26-0329)
A postal worker appealed a July 2025 OWCP decision on February 24, 2026. The 180-day filing period had ended January 12, 2026. The Board found no documented compelling circumstances for the delay and dismissed the appeal for lack of jurisdiction.
N.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Richmond Post Office
Board rejects left-knee occupational claim (ECAB 26-0136)
A postal worker attributed a left-knee condition to federal work factors. His medical records described knee findings, including osteoarthritis, but did not adequately establish that the accepted work factors caused the claimed condition. The Board affirmed OWCP's denial.
B.J., claiming as son of W.H., and Department of the Army, Red River Army Depot
Board upholds late reconsideration denial (ECAB 26-0130)
A claimant acting as the worker's son requested reconsideration of a March 2020 merit decision. OWCP received the request in June 2025, well beyond its one-year period. The Board found that the submission did not show clear evidence of error and upheld the refusal to reopen.
M.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Los Angeles Processing & Distribution Center
Board rejects neck claim for lack of reasoned medical link (ECAB 26-0018)
A postal worker attributed a neck strain to an accepted May 2025 work incident. Her physician diagnosed cervical strain and described a pulling action, but did not sufficiently explain how the incident caused or aggravated the condition. The Board affirmed OWCP's denial for lack of reasoned medical…
R.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Lexington Post Office
Board dismisses late appeal of postal worker's compensation decisions (ECAB 26-0361)
R.L. appealed two OWCP decisions concerning a claim against the U.S. Postal Service. The later decision was issued May 6, 2025, and the Board calculated November 2, 2025 as the last day to file an appeal within 180 days. R.L. filed on March 4, 2026 and supplied no documentation establishing…
C.Q. and Department of Homeland Security, Federal Air Marshal Services
Board dismisses appeal filed three days after its deadline (ECAB 26-0346)
C.Q. appealed an August 28, 2025 nonmerit decision by OWCP. The Board calculated February 24, 2026 as the last day to appeal within 180 days, but C.Q. filed on February 27. C.Q. supplied no documentation establishing compelling circumstances for the late filing. The Board dismissed the appeal…
D.W. and Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation
FBI officer's wage-loss denial upheld; claim expansion returned to OWCP (ECAB 26-0100)
An FBI police officer sought wage-loss compensation after an accepted workplace fall injured her left knee. The Board upheld denial of compensation for work absence beginning March 11, 2025 because her physician's work slips did not explain how the accepted knee injury caused disability during the…
C.W. and Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service
IRS tax technician's benefit termination upheld after medical review (ECAB 26-0091)
An IRS tax technician had received wage-loss and medical benefits after a 2003 workplace fall. OWCP ended those benefits in April 2024 after a referral physician concluded that the accepted injuries had resolved. The Board found that physician's detailed examination and explanation sufficient to…
L.S. and Department of the Army, U.S. Military Entrance Processing Command
Army worker's spine claim returned for a specialist opinion (ECAB 26-0085)
An Army personnel clerk claimed that repetitive work aggravated conditions in her neck and back, alongside effects of an earlier accepted workplace fall. OWCP denied the occupational disease claim for lack of medical proof linking those conditions to her work. The Board found that a physician's…
R.B. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Benefits Administration
VA analyst's work-stress compensation denial upheld (ECAB 25-0534)
A Veterans Benefits Administration analyst claimed that work duties, management actions, harassment, and retaliation caused or aggravated emotional conditions. The Board found his account of the work duties too vague to establish a compensable work factor. It also found insufficient evidence that…
Matter of Audencio AREVALO-VARGAS
Matter of AREVALO-VARGAS (BIA ID 4174): cancellation order vacated
The Board reviewed the Department of Homeland Security's appeal from an Immigration Judge's grant of cancellation of removal to a citizen of Mexico. The Board held that the respondent's children had aged out and were no longer qualifying relatives because they were over 21. It also held that the…
D.H. and Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration
FAA worker gains hearing on 2016 benefit termination (ECAB 26-0076)
An FAA secretary requested a hearing after OWCP ended her wage-loss and medical benefits in August 2016. OWCP later treated that hearing request as late, then rejected a 2025 challenge to its ruling. The Board found that OWCP's own acknowledgment showed it received the hearing request on the 30th…
Pooler Enterprises
Excavation cave-in citation vacated for lack of exposure proof
Pooler Enterprises performed utility and site work at a construction project in Penfield, New York. OSHA amended its original citation to allege that Pooler failed to protect employees from cave-ins in an excavation measuring more than six feet deep, with a proposed penalty of $4,662. The judge…
Matter of Terisita MEDINA MADRID
Matter of MEDINA MADRID (BIA ID 4173): proceedings recalendared and remanded
The Department of Homeland Security appealed an Immigration Judge's refusal to recalendar removal proceedings that had been administratively closed for more than 13 years. The respondent wanted more time to pursue a provisional unlawful presence waiver after marrying a lawful permanent resident and…
Jerry W. Hill v. CLD Pacific Grain
Hill v. CLD Pacific Grain (BRB 24-0269): Attorney fee sent back for delay adjustment
Jerry Hill's lawyer sought fees for work on a successful Longshore Act claim arising from a workplace injury in 2008. His fee petition, originally filed in 2012, remained before the administrative law judges on remand for seven years. A judge allowed higher hourly rates for delay but used rates…
J.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Dominick V. Daniels Processing & Distribution Center
Postal worker's brand-name medication request returned for medical review (ECAB 24-0586)
A postal mail handler sought coverage for brand-name Percocet to treat accepted neck and back conditions. His treating physicians reported itching after he tried a generic version, but OWCP's medical adviser concluded there were no known drug allergies and recommended alternatives. The Board found…
Matter of Karen Paola ARANA CASTILLO, et al.
Matter of ARANA CASTILLO (BIA ID 4187): termination vacated and proceedings remanded
The respondents appeared at an initial master calendar hearing, but DHS did not. The Immigration Judge terminated the removal proceedings without taking the respondents' pleadings to the notices to appear or asking whether they sought termination. The Board held that the Immigration Judge was…
Matter of Z-N-L-
Bond order vacated for flight risk
The Department of Homeland Security appealed an Immigration Judge's decision releasing a Chinese respondent from custody on a $7,500 bond. The record gave conflicting information about whether he lived in Oklahoma, where he was apprehended, or California, where his asylum application and proposed…
Global Infection Control Consultants, LLC
In re Global Infection Control Consultants, LLC (EAB FIFRA Appeal No. 26-01C): unregistered antimicrobial pesticide settlement approved
Global Infection Control Consultants, LLC, a Florida company, sold Path-Away antimicrobial products in 116 transactions between January 26, 2020 and February 14, 2024. EPA alleged that the products were unregistered pesticides because their labels and marketing claimed they could control bacteria…
D.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Beaumont Post Office
Postal carrier's overpayments and repayment deductions upheld (ECAB 24-0502)
A postal carrier received wage-loss benefits from which OWCP had not deducted the correct life insurance premiums or offset Social Security retirement benefits attributable to federal service. The Board upheld overpayments of $2,030.00 and $14,286.61, while agreeing that the carrier was not at…
Matter of Julian Santiago PINZON ROZO
Matter of PINZON ROZO (BIA ID 4171): grant of continuance overturned and case remanded
The Department of Homeland Security appealed an Immigration Judge's decision continuing removal proceedings for a Colombian respondent who had an approved petition for special immigrant juvenile classification. The respondent's priority date was nearly four years later than the date currently…
Shannon Belcher v. CAM Mining, LLC
Belcher v. CAM Mining (BRB 25-0132): Complicated pneumoconiosis award affirmed
Shannon Belcher received black lung benefits after the judge found complicated pneumoconiosis and applied the irrebuttable disability presumption. CAM Mining and its insurer challenged the judge's weighing of CT scans, x-rays, and medical opinions. The Board held that the judge explained why the…
James Massie v. Island Creek Coal Company
Massie v. Island Creek Coal (BRB 25-0109): Disability evidence returned for review
James Massie sought black lung benefits after at least fifteen years of qualifying coal mine work. The judge denied benefits after finding that he had not shown a totally disabling respiratory impairment, so the fifteen-year presumption did not apply. The Board found that the judge had not resolved…
Sheffield v. Tyson Foods, Inc.
Appeal dismissed after federal filing
Marcus Sheffield alleged that Tyson Foods fired him after he reported food-safety and workplace-safety concerns. More than 210 days after filing his OSHA complaint, he filed a federal lawsuit asserting the same Food Safety Modernization Act retaliation claim and seeking remedies including lost…
Fields v. Super Ego Holdings
Default judgment affirmed
Marcus Fields alleged that Super Ego Holdings fired him for reporting commercial-vehicle safety concerns protected by the Surface Transportation Assistance Act. The company repeatedly ignored orders to submit a status report and discovery plan, provide initial disclosures, and respond to an order…
K.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Atlanta Old National Station
Postal worker's appeal dismissed after withdrawal request (ECAB 26-0273)
A postal worker appealed a January 8, 2026 OWCP decision. Through counsel, the worker later asked to withdraw the appeal. The Board granted that request and dismissed the case. It made no ruling on the underlying compensation claim.
F.W. and Department of the Army, U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command, Red River Army Depot
Army depot worker's hearing-loss claim returned for 60-day evidence period (ECAB 26-0160)
An Army depot materials expediter claimed that years of workplace noise caused hearing loss and tinnitus. OWCP denied the claim after a referral specialist attributed the hearing loss to age rather than occupational noise. The Board did not decide medical causation. It found that OWCP had promised…
B.F. and U.S. Postal Service, Minneapolis Post Office
Postal carrier's overlapping disability claims returned for combined review (ECAB 26-0154)
A Minneapolis postal carrier sought compensation for periods of missed work under a claim involving an accepted left trapezius strain. He had a separate claim involving his left leg, and the two files covered overlapping periods of claimed disability. OWCP denied compensation without…
J.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Chicago Center Carrier Annex
Postal clerk's late reconsideration request remains denied (ECAB 26-0096)
A postal mail processing clerk sought reconsideration of OWCP's December 2023 denial of wage-loss compensation for a back injury. Her request reached OWCP in April 2025, after the one-year deadline. The Board found that later MRI scans and physician reports did not clearly show error in the earlier…
N.M. and Department of Veterans Affairs, VA New York Harbor Health Care System, Margaret Cochran Corbin VA Campus
VA nurse's shoulder and elbow claim expansion and surgery request denied (ECAB 26-0021)
A VA nurse sought to add left shoulder and elbow conditions to a claim arising from an October 2019 patient-handling incident and to obtain authorization for shoulder surgery. Treating and referral physicians disagreed about whether those conditions were related to the accepted injury. The Board…
Hudson Technologies, Inc.
In re Hudson Technologies, Inc. (EAB CAA Appeal No. 26-02C): advance-notification settlement approved
Hudson Technologies, Inc. operates a refrigerant services company in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey. EPA alleged that Hudson failed to timely submit advance notification reports for 75 HFC import entries between May 18, 2022, and January 30, 2024. The alleged violations concerned the reporting…
Elio Avila Giron v. Triple Canopy
Avila Giron v. Triple Canopy (BRB 24-0238): Attorney fee award affirmed
Elio Avila Giron's lawyers sought $92,915.98 in fees and costs after a Defense Base Act award for psychological injury and hearing loss. The judge awarded $52,710.98 after setting lower hourly rates and excluding time he found excessive, clerical, duplicative, or related to work before another…
R.R. and Department of Labor, Mine Safety & Health Administration, Beckley District
Mine inspector's request for a larger hearing-loss award denied (ECAB 26-0142)
A mine safety inspector sought a larger schedule award for accepted work-related hearing loss. Earlier medical evaluations rated his loss at about 49 percent across both ears, including awards for 19 percent before the latest award. The Board found that OWCP correctly applied its hearing-loss…
J.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Santa Clarita Post Office
Postal worker's elbow claim returned after premature denial (ECAB 26-0119)
A postal mail handler claimed a right elbow injury after handling oversized parcels at work. OWCP asked her for more medical evidence on May 8, 2025 and gave her 60 days to respond, but denied the claim on June 30, before that period ended. The Board found that the 60th day was July 7 and that OWCP…
M.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Detroit Post Office
Detroit mail carrier's foot and ankle injury claim denied (ECAB 26-0089)
A Detroit mail carrier reported injuring her left foot or ankle when she slipped while delivering mail. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred but denied the injury claim for lack of sufficient medical causation evidence. The Board found that one physician's notes did not give an independent…
Z.H. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Miami International Airport
TSA worker's request to reopen knee claim denied (ECAB 25-0805)
A TSA employee sought compensation after reporting a right knee injury during a workplace pat-down. OWCP denied the claim, and the employee later asked it to reconsider. The Board found that the latest request repeated arguments already considered and supplied no relevant new evidence or new legal…
Secretary of Labor v. Kalamazoo Materials, Inc.
Unexplained reopening request denied
Kalamazoo did not contest a proposed penalty assessment within 30 days, and MSHA later sent both a delinquency letter and a warning about escalating unpaid penalties. The company eventually forwarded the warning letter and a list of citations to the Commission, which treated the submission as a…
Secretary of Labor v. Smart Sand, Inc.
Calendaring-error contest reopened
Smart Sand and its counsel decided to contest one citation, but the deadline was not calendared after a paralegal's recent departure. Counsel discovered the missed contest while proactively reviewing MSHA's data system and moved to reopen within two weeks. An affidavit documented the error, and the…
Secretary of Labor v. Trap Rock & Granite Quarries, LLC
Personnel-transition default reopened
Trap Rock defaulted after the site superintendent handling the penalty case left the company and the replacement superintendent did not know about the proceeding. The Secretary did not oppose reopening and could not confirm that another company representative received the show-cause order. Trap…
Secretary of Labor v. Leroy's Excavating, Inc.
Unsupported non-receipt claim denied
Leroy's Excavating defaulted after its attorney did not answer the Secretary's penalty petition or the Commission's order to show cause. The company later asserted that neither it nor its attorney received the show-cause order. Commission records showed that the order was sent to the company's…
Lattimore v. Alaska Airlines, Inc.
Interlocutory appeal denied
Manonda Grace Lattimore asked the ARB to review an order that paused discovery and further filings until a presiding ALJ was assigned to her AIR21 case. She did not respond to the Board’s order requiring her to explain why the appeal should proceed, which independently supported dismissal. The…
A.D. and Department of the Air Force, Tinker Air Force Base
Air Force worker's continuation of pay denied after late injury form (ECAB 26-0146)
An Air Force inventory specialist was injured in a work-related vehicle accident on February 27, 2025. OWCP accepted sprains of her shoulder, neck, and upper back but denied continuation of pay. The Board found that the required Form CA-1 was filed on April 2, more than 30 days after the accident…
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.