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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I.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Melville, NY
Board corrects overpayment period and upholds postal worker's repayment (ECAB 22-0088)
A postal mail handler received FECA wage-loss compensation and Social Security retirement benefits without the required offset. OWCP found a $57,952.58 overpayment, for which he was without fault, and set deductions from continuing compensation. The Board upheld the amount but shortened the stated…
D.S. and Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Irving, TX
Board reverses denial of census worker's dog bite injury claim (ECAB 21-1315)
A census worker reported that a dog bit her right thigh while she was gathering census information. OWCP accepted that the incident happened but denied the injury claim. A physician documented three penetrating wounds and diagnosed a dog bite on the day of the incident. The Board held that this…
R.C. and Department of Defense, Defense Logistics Agency, Stockton, CA
Board upholds termination of benefits after suitable work offer (ECAB 21-1272)
A Defense Logistics Agency materials handler received compensation for a work injury affecting his shoulder and neck. The agency offered him a motor vehicle operator job, and an OWCP second opinion physician found that the job fit his physical restrictions. Although the worker accepted the offer…
J.H. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs & Border Protection, Southwest Laredo Sector, Laredo, TX
Board seeks explanation of border agent's right knee impairment rating (ECAB 21-1215)
A border patrol agent sought a greater schedule award for an accepted right knee injury. OWCP awarded five percent permanent impairment of his right leg. The Board agreed that his meniscus condition should be rated using the diagnosis-based method, rather than the range-of-motion method yielding…
S.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Elizabethtown Post Office, Elizabethtown, KY
Board orders review of possible earlier injury form for postal carrier (ECAB 21-1202)
A rural postal carrier sought continuation of pay for an accepted COVID-19 claim. OWCP denied it as late based on a CA-1 injury form dated February 17, 2021. The postmaster had reported that the worker filed a CA-1 on February 12, which could put her within 30 days of the accepted January 13 injury…
S.B. and U.S. Postal Service, North Metro Post Office, Duluth, GA
Board upholds denial of carrier's back injury claim (ECAB 21-1022)
A rural postal carrier reported back pain after lifting heavy parcels from her vehicle. OWCP accepted that the work incident occurred but denied the injury claim. The Board found that the medical reports did not adequately explain how the incident caused her diagnosed back conditions. Some reports…
O.D. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs & Border Protection, Albuquerque, NM
Board upholds border officer's overpayment and recovery schedule (ECAB 21-0897)
A former border patrol officer received FECA wage-loss compensation and Social Security retirement benefits without the required offset. OWCP found a $25,600.91 overpayment and found him without fault for receiving it. It denied waiver because he had not provided the requested financial records…
H.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Southeastern, PA
Board returns left arm impairment claim for medical clarification (ECAB 21-0761)
A postal clerk sought a greater schedule award for a left shoulder and arm injury. OWCP relied on an impartial medical examiner to resolve conflicting impairment opinions. The Board found that the examiner did not provide an impairment rating under the required medical guide methods for the…
D.L. and Department of Homeland Security, Federal Air Marshal Service, Orlando, FL
Board returns air marshal's knee therapy request for full response period (ECAB 20-1299)
A federal air marshal with accepted knee conditions requested physical and massage therapy. In an April 14, 2020 letter to her, OWCP said it needed more evidence from her treating physician. OWCP denied the therapy request on April 29, before the response period expired. The Board held that OWCP…
C.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Soundview Station Post Office, Bronx, NY
Board orders fuller medical review of postal carrier's disability claim (ECAB 20-0353)
A postal carrier had accepted knee strains after a work injury and sought wage-loss compensation for a longer period of disability. OWCP allowed an initial period but denied compensation for July 12, 2016 through September 27, 2017, relying on a second opinion physician who said he could have…
D.K. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Boston, MA
Board upholds refusal to reopen postal worker's collision claim (ECAB 21-1330)
A postal worker sought benefits after her mail truck was struck from behind at work. OWCP denied the injury claim and later refused to reopen it on reconsideration. The Board found that the medical reports she submitted largely repeated evidence already considered, while a physician assistant's…
J.K. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Border & Customs Patrol, Santee, CA
Board remands $8,025 overpayment decision for findings on waiver (ECAB 21-1282)
A border patrol agent received a schedule award for a work related shoulder injury. OWCP later said an extra payment created an $8,025.06 overpayment and, although it found him without fault, denied waiver of recovery. The Board found that OWCP had not adequately explained its calculation or made…
A.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Peter Stuyvesant Post Office, New York, NY
Board upholds denial of postal carrier's 2019 wage-loss claim (ECAB 21-1211)
A postal carrier had an accepted jaw contusion after a mailbox door struck her face at work. She later sought wage-loss compensation for two months in 2019. The Board found that a doctor's report saying she was totally disabled did not explain why the accepted injury prevented her from performing…
K.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Westmont Post Office, Westmont, IL
Board upholds denial of carrier's left knee tendinitis claim (ECAB 21-1173)
A postal carrier claimed that extensive walking on uneven surfaces at work caused left patellar tendinitis. The Board had previously found his earlier medical evidence insufficient. With his June 17, 2021 reconsideration request, he submitted a physician’s June 7 report linking the condition to his…
M.F. and Department of Transportation, U.S. Coast Guard, Fifth District Housing Branch
M.F. (ECAB 21-0759 and 21-1037): Impairment award and $14,371 overpayment upheld
A Coast Guard worker sought an additional schedule award for a right leg injury after receiving awards totaling 37 percent impairment. The Board accepted a medical adviser’s 29 percent impairment rating and found no basis for a further award. It also upheld OWCP’s refusal to reopen the impairment…
M.F. and Department of Transportation, U.S. Coast Guard, Fifth District Housing Branch, Portsmouth, VA
Board upholds leg award and related overpayment in consolidated appeals (ECAB 21-0759, 21-1037)
A Coast Guard housing worker challenged the rating of an accepted right leg injury and an overpayment tied to an earlier schedule award. The Board found that the medical evidence did not establish more than 37 percent permanent impairment of her right leg and that her reconsideration request did…
M.K. and City of New York Police Department, New York, NY
Board requires a proper cervical claim rescission decision (ECAB 21-0001)
A former New York City police officer sought a schedule award for impairment linked to a cervical condition. OWCP's records had listed the condition as accepted, but OWCP later said that listing was an error and denied the award. The Board had already directed OWCP to follow its procedures for…
R.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Main Post Office, St. Louis, MO
Board upholds three percent right arm impairment award (ECAB 20-1278)
A postal clerk sought a greater schedule award for accepted right carpal tunnel syndrome. His treating physician's later rating found three percent permanent impairment, and OWCP's medical adviser agreed. The Board found no current medical evidence using the required impairment guide that supported…
J.K. and U.S. Postal Service, Bellmawr Post Office, Bellmawr, NJ
Board orders further review of postal worker's disability and additional conditions (ECAB 20-0816)
A postal mail handler sought compensation for disability beginning April 23, 2018 and asked OWCP to accept additional neck and back conditions. OWCP had accepted several arm and foot conditions but denied both the disability claim and the requested expansion. The Board found that OWCP needed…
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2142 and United States Department of the Army, Corpus Christi Army Depot, Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi Army Depot and AFGE Local 2142 (FLRA 0-AR-5759): Authority upholds two-day suspension
Corpus Christi Army Depot suspended a senior mechanic for two days after a verbal altercation with a junior mechanic. An arbitrator credited testimony that the senior employee provoked the confrontation and directed demeaning and abusive language at the other employee. He found no disparate…
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 906 and United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Member Services, Health Resource Center
VA Member Services and AFGE Local 906 (FLRA 0-AR-5730): Authority sets aside disabled-veteran leave award
The VA and AFGE Local 906 had settled a dispute over medical leave for disabled veterans. The VA later required an employee to show that the disability was connected to military service, although the settlement agreement did not state that requirement. An arbitrator upheld the requirement by…
J.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Madison, WI
Board upholds denial of postal carrier's shoulder claim (ECAB 22-0146)
A rural postal carrier said repeated casing and delivery of mail caused her right shoulder condition. OWCP accepted the work activities but denied the injury claim because it found no adequately supported medical link. Her orthopedic surgeon diagnosed rotator cuff and biceps injuries and attributed…
V.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Heritage Station, San Antonio, TX
Board upholds duplicate schedule payment recovery (ECAB 22-0086)
A postal sales associate received an extra schedule award payment for part of a period already covered by her award. OWCP found a $3,096.46 overpayment and found her without fault for receiving it. The Board upheld that amount and the denial of waiver. Her reported assets of $8,123 exceeded the…
C.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing & Distribution Center, Boston, MA
Board orders impartial rating of postal worker's left knee impairment (ECAB 21-1363)
A postal mail handler sought a greater schedule award after an accepted left knee injury and knee replacement. Her treating physician rated permanent impairment of the left leg at 37 percent, while OWCP's medical adviser rated it at 31 percent. The Board found the opinions were of nearly equal…
L.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Phoenix, AZ
Board upholds denial of postal worker's ankle and foot claim (ECAB 21-1325)
A postal worker reported twisting her left foot and ankle while stepping out of a mail vehicle. OWCP accepted that the incident happened but denied the injury claim. The Board found that the sprain diagnoses came from a nurse practitioner and a physician assistant, whose reports did not qualify as…
M.D. and Department of Homeland Security, Customs & Border Patrol, San Francisco, CA
Board reverses vaccine injury denial and remands for benefits review (ECAB 21-1289)
A Customs and Border Patrol employee appealed OWCP's denial of a claim arising from a COVID-19 vaccination obtained away from the workplace. OWCP's Director asked the Board to reverse the denial, acknowledging that the vaccination benefited the agency and was arranged with its encouragement at a…
R.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Fort Worth Processing & Distribution Center, Fort Worth, TX
Board returns postal worker's hearing loss award for medical review (ECAB 21-1219)
OWCP accepted a former postal worker's binaural hearing loss claim, then denied a schedule award after medical reviewers questioned whether her hearing loss was work related. The Board held that the supposed conflict between two OWCP-selected physicians was not a true conflict requiring an…
R.H. and Department of the Navy, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, CA
Board reverses reduction of Marine Corps worker's wage-loss benefits (ECAB 21-0145)
A former Marine Corps materials handler received wage-loss benefits for accepted back conditions. OWCP reduced those benefits after finding he could earn wages as a customer complaint clerk. The Board found the medical record did not clearly establish that he could perform that job alongside his…
L.F. and Department of Defense, Defense Logistics Agency, Jacksonville, FL
Board upholds denial of late reconsideration in head injury claim (ECAB 20-1431)
A Defense Logistics Agency technician reported that a metal door struck her head at work. OWCP denied her injury claim, and she later sought reconsideration of its last merits decision. The Board found the request was filed beyond the one-year deadline. It also found that the additional materials…
S.K. and U.S. Postal Service, Riverdale Branch, Riverdale, IL
Board upholds denial of repeat diagnostic tests for postal worker (ECAB 20-1348)
A postal carrier with accepted shoulder and back strains sought authorization for additional x-rays and nerve tests. She had undergone earlier diagnostic testing, and her doctor later reported worsening symptoms. The Board found that the doctor did not link the change in symptoms to the accepted…
S.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Morrison, IL
Board upholds denial of carrier's left ankle condition claim (ECAB 20-1179)
A postal carrier attributed left ankle problems to walking and quick movements on uneven surfaces at work. OWCP accepted the described work factors but denied the occupational disease claim. Her podiatrist firmly attributed the ankle problems to work, but the Board found that he had not explained…
Secretary of Labor v. Stony Creek Quarry Corporation
One-year limit barred reopening
Stony Creek Quarry Corporation did not contest a proposed penalty within 30 days, so the assessment became a final Commission order on April 9, 2020. The company said it left MSHA a message about the assessment and assumed the agency's operations had been disrupted by the pandemic. MSHA later…
Secretary of Labor v. Warrior Met Coal Mining, LLC
Filing errors justified reopening a default
Warrior Met Coal Mining LLC attempted to answer the Secretary's penalty petition, but the Commission's electronic filing system rejected the submission because the caption contained a typographical error. The company believed the answer had been accepted and also said it did not receive the later…
Secretary of Labor v. Richmond Material Company
Prompt motion after a missing assessment supported reopening
Richmond Material Company did not contest a proposed penalty within 30 days, so the assessment became a final Commission order. The company said it never received the assessment and first learned of it through a delinquency letter it received on November 17, 2021. It also said mail at the listed…
Vimalraj Manoharan v. HCL America, Inc.
Repeated reconsideration arguments denied
Vimalraj Manoharan challenged H-1B wage and retaliation rulings involving his former employer, HCL America. The Board had affirmed the ALJ's back-wage summary decision, denial of two recusal motions, and dismissal of the retaliation claim for failure to prosecute. Manoharan sought reconsideration…
A.F. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Cheyenne, WY
Board dismisses late appeal of Postal Service claim (ECAB 22-0689)
A.F. appealed an OWCP decision dated December 18, 2020. The Board's 180-day deadline for that decision fell on June 16, 2021, but A.F. filed the appeal on March 30, 2022. The Board found no supported explanation establishing compelling circumstances for the late filing. It dismissed the appeal for…
M.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Brick Post Office, Brick, NJ
Board dismisses postal worker's late appeal (ECAB 22-0688)
M.S. sought Board review of an OWCP decision issued in October 2017 but filed the appeal in March 2022. The Board's appeal period was 180 days from the OWCP decision. M.S. did not provide a supported explanation establishing compelling circumstances for the late filing. With no recent final adverse…
B.A. and Defense Finance & Accounting Service, Rome, NY
Board dismisses late appeal of workers' compensation decisions (ECAB 22-0687)
B.A. appealed OWCP decisions issued in March and April 2019, but filed the Board appeal in March 2022. The Board's rules generally require an appeal within 180 days of an OWCP decision. B.A. provided no supported explanation establishing compelling circumstances for the late filing. The Board found…
K.N. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Barre, VT
Board dismisses postal worker's appeal at appellant's request (ECAB 22-0027)
A postal worker filed an appeal from purported OWCP decisions. Before the Board decided the appeal, the appellant asked that it be dismissed. The Board granted the request and dismissed the appeal. The order does not describe the underlying claim or decide its merits.
S.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Pomona, CA
Board orders specialist review of carrier's cervical condition claim (ECAB 21-1431)
A postal carrier said years of sorting and delivering mail caused or worsened her neck conditions. OWCP denied the occupational disease claim. The Board found that two physicians had described her work and supplied medical explanations linking it to her cervical diagnoses. Their reports did not yet…
P.T. and Department of Transportation, Office of the Secretary, Office of Personnel & Training, Washington, DC
Board splits termination of worker's psychiatric and migraine benefits (ECAB 21-0328)
A Department of Transportation worker had accepted claims for recurrent depression, anxiety, and migraines. OWCP terminated his wage-loss and medical benefits based on medical reviews. The Board found that the psychiatric examiner did not adequately explain why the accepted depression and anxiety…
Knock Out Homes Incorporated
Default reinstated and citations affirmed
OSHA issued Knock Out Homes seven citation items involving housekeeping, tools, electrical safety, ladders, fall protection, and training, with proposed penalties totaling $41,349. The company timely contested but did not file an answer or respond to a show-cause order and default motion, leading…
S.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Mill Valley, CA
Board upholds denial of carrier's emotional condition claim (ECAB 21-0240)
A postal carrier attributed an emotional condition to interactions with a supervisor about his route, work performance, and health. The Board treated the route and supervisory issues as personnel matters that required evidence of employer error or abuse. It found no sufficient evidence of such…
Bergelectric Corp.
Wet-cement eyewash citation vacated
Bergelectric employees watched another contractor pour wet cement over electrical conduit at a casino construction project. OSHA cited the electrical contractor for allegedly lacking a suitable emergency eyewash where employees could be exposed to corrosive cement. The compliance officer did not…
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC
Runaway rail cars showed safeguard violations
Six fully loaded supply cars separated from a brakeman car at Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company's Bailey Mine and traveled about 1,600 feet down a slope before crashing at the bottom. Two safeguards issued after a similar 2011 accident required properly maintained safety chains and couplers, along…
Helen Kendrick on behalf of Hassel Kendrick v. Cimaron Minerals, Incorporated
Kendrick v. Cimaron Minerals (BRB 21-0111 BLA): miner benefits from July 2012 affirmed
Helen Kendrick pursued her late husband's black lung claim after several earlier denials and modification requests. The administrative law judge found that Hassel Kendrick had 19.03 years of qualifying coal mine work and a totally disabling respiratory impairment, triggering the fifteen-year…
Eliza Bentley, widow of Larry F. Bentley v. Prospect Coal Company, Incorporated
Bentley v. Prospect Coal (BRB 20-0559 and 20-0565 BLA): miner and survivor benefits affirmed
Eliza Bentley pursued her late husband's miner claim and her own survivor claim after both had been denied. On a later modification request, the administrative law judge found that autopsy evidence established complicated pneumoconiosis, triggering an irrebuttable presumption of total disability…
Eliza Bentley, widow of Larry F. Bentley v. Prospect Coal Company, Incorporated
Bentley v. Prospect Coal (BRB 20-0559 and 20-0565 BLA): miner and survivor benefits affirmed
Eliza Bentley pursued her late husband's miner claim and her own survivor claim after both had been denied. On a later modification request, the administrative law judge found that autopsy evidence established complicated pneumoconiosis, triggering an irrebuttable presumption of total disability…
Stanley Vires v. Miller Brothers Construction, Incorporated
Vires v. Miller Brothers Construction (BRB 19-0529 BLA): reconsideration denied
Miller Brothers Construction and its insurer asked the Board to reconsider its September 2020 decision in Stanley Vires's black lung benefits case. The order does not describe the arguments in the motion or restate the earlier decision's outcome. No member of the panel voted to vacate or modify…
Ruth Griffith v. Eastern Associated Coal Company
Griffith v. Eastern Associated Coal (BRB 19-0441 BLA): reconsideration denied and attorney fee awarded
Eastern Associated Coal and its carrier asked the Board to reconsider an earlier decision affirming Ruth Griffith's black lung benefits award. The employer challenged the finding that it was liable for the benefits, but the Board said its earlier decision had already affirmed an alternative basis…
Harold Teaster v. Jim Walter Resources, Incorporated
Teaster v. Jim Walter Resources (BRB 19-0320 BLA): reconsideration denied
Jim Walter Resources filed a timely motion asking the Board to reconsider its August 2020 order in Harold Teaster's black lung benefits case. Neither Teaster nor the Director opposed the motion. A majority of the panel did not vote to vacate or modify the earlier order, so the Board denied…
Trillis H. Mullins v. M & M Coal Company, Incorporated
Mullins v. M & M Coal (BRB 19-0042 BLA): en banc reconsideration denied
M & M Coal and its insurer asked the full Board to reconsider a February 2020 decision affirming Trillis Mullins's black lung benefits award. The Director opposed the request. The order does not describe the employer's arguments. No Board member voted to grant the motion, so the Board denied en…
Administrator, Wage and Hour Division, USDOL v. Broadgate, Inc.
Administrator, Wage and Hour Division v. Broadgate, Inc. (DOL ARB 2022-0009): 14 willful H-1B posting violations affirmed
Broadgate placed H-1B workers at client sites but failed to post labor-condition application notices at the places where they actually worked. The Board held that the failures were willful because Broadgate knew the rule and had received repeated legal advice about client-site posting, while the…
J.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Hartford, CT
Board dismisses J.C.'s late appeal (ECAB 22-0684)
OWCP issued a merit decision on March 11, 2021. J.C. appealed to the Board on March 16, 2022, after the 180-day deadline of September 7, 2021. The Board found the appeal untimely and said the appellant had not shown compelling circumstances for the delay with supporting documentation. It dismissed…
W.F. and U.S. Postal Service, North Texas Processing & Distribution Center, Coppell, TX
Board dismisses W.F.'s late appeal (ECAB 22-0675)
OWCP issued a merit decision on February 19, 2021. W.F. appealed to the Board on February 20, 2022, after the 180-day deadline of August 18, 2021. The Board found the appeal untimely and said the appellant had not shown compelling circumstances for the delay with supporting documentation. It…
R.G. and Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Plantation, FL
Board dismisses R.G.'s late appeal (ECAB 22-0653)
OWCP issued a merit decision on March 23, 2021. R.G. appealed to the Board on March 21, 2022, after the 180-day deadline of September 19, 2021. The Board found the appeal untimely and said the appellant had not shown compelling circumstances for the delay with supporting documentation. It dismissed…
D.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Clinton Post Office, Clinton, MD
Board dismisses D.P.'s late appeal (ECAB 22-0652)
OWCP issued a merit decision on July 21, 2021. D.P. appealed to the Board on March 23, 2022, after the 180-day deadline of January 17, 2022. The Board found the appeal untimely and said the appellant had not shown compelling circumstances for the delay with supporting documentation. It dismissed…
R.L. and Department of the Army, Fort Sam Houston, TX
Board dismisses R.L.'s late appeal (ECAB 22-0646)
OWCP issued a merit decision on May 14, 2020. R.L. appealed to the Board on March 28, 2022, after the 180-day deadline of November 10, 2020. The Board found the appeal untimely and said the appellant had not shown compelling circumstances for the delay with supporting documentation. It dismissed…
A.J. and Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Medical Center, Battle Creek, MI
Board dismisses A.J.'s appeal at counsel's request (ECAB 22-0581)
A.J. appealed from a purported March 8, 2022 OWCP decision. Counsel filed the appeal on March 10, 2022 and requested dismissal on April 7, 2022. The Board granted the request and dismissed the appeal. It did not reach the underlying claim.
M.F. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Sutter Creek, CA
Board dismisses M.F.'s appeal at counsel's request (ECAB 22-0406)
M.F. appealed from a November 3, 2021 OWCP decision. Counsel filed the appeal on January 24, 2022 and requested dismissal on March 25, 2022. The Board granted the request and dismissed the appeal. It did not reach the underlying claim.
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.