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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Howard T. Cordle v. Apple Jacks Coal Company
Cordle v. Apple Jacks Coal (BRB 25-0103): benefits denial vacated and remanded
Howard Cordle appealed without a representative after an administrative law judge again denied his black lung claim. The judge found at least fifteen years of qualifying coal mine work and total respiratory disability, which triggered a presumption of disability due to pneumoconiosis. The Board…
Miroslava A. Toscano v. NSC Technologies, Incorporated and American Longshore Mutual Association
Toscano v. NSC Technologies (BRB 24-0165): attorney fee orders vacated for further review
Miroslava Toscano was injured when a metal sheet fell on her at work. Her employer authorized shoulder treatment and began paying temporary disability benefits within 30 days of receiving notice of her claim. A district director later ordered the employer to pay her former counsel's fees and costs…
T.E. and Department of the Navy, Military Sealift Command
Board upholds refusal to reopen Navy worker's injury claim (ECAB 26-0050)
A Navy engine department worker sought reconsideration of a denied claim involving a foot infection. OWCP had denied the injury claim because the alleged workplace incident was not established. The Board found that the new medical reports did not address whether that incident happened. They…
K.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Painesville Post Office
Board upholds end of postal carrier's injury benefits (ECAB 26-0031)
A postal carrier received benefits for spinal and arm sprains after a vehicle collision at work. OWCP terminated her wage loss and medical benefits after its second opinion physician found that the accepted sprains had resolved and she could perform her original job. The Board found his examination…
W.L. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Carl Vinson VA Medical Center
Board returns VA worker's leg impairment claim for medical report (ECAB 26-0029)
A VA medical center clerk sought a larger schedule award for leg impairment from an accepted back condition. OWCP requested a supplemental opinion to clarify different left leg ratings from its physicians, but denied the award before receiving that report. The Board found the denial premature. It…
V.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Pleasant Ridge Annex Post Office
Board returns postal carrier's shoulder claim for medical clarification (ECAB 25-0836)
A rural postal carrier attributed a right shoulder condition to her work duties. OWCP denied the claim after its second opinion physician said the current condition was unrelated to work, but also said he could not determine whether work aggravated it. The Board found that OWCP needed to resolve…
G.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Houston Post Office
Board upholds postal worker's arm impairment ratings (ECAB 24-0838)
A postal rural carrier associate sought a larger schedule award for both arms and reconsideration of an earlier termination of benefits. The Board found no medical evidence supporting more than the 20 percent right arm and 24 percent left arm impairment already awarded. It also found his…
P.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Forest Park Post Office
Board dismisses late appeal of postal worker's OWCP decision (ECAB 26-0242)
A postal worker appealed an OWCP 2025 nonmerit decision dated April 28, 2025. The Board calculated the 180-day appeal deadline as October 25, 2025, but the appeal arrived on January 13, 2026. It found no supported compelling circumstances explaining the late filing. The Board dismissed the appeal…
P.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Forest Park Post Office
Board dismisses late appeal of postal worker's OWCP decision (ECAB 26-0241)
A postal worker appealed an OWCP 2024 merit decision dated October 8, 2024. The Board calculated the 180-day appeal deadline as April 6, 2025, but the appeal arrived on January 13, 2026. It found no supported compelling circumstances explaining the late filing. The Board dismissed the appeal for…
B.F. and U.S. Postal Service, Watsonville Post Office
Board dismisses late appeal of postal worker's OWCP decision (ECAB 26-0208)
A postal worker appealed an OWCP 2022 merit decision dated April 18, 2022. The Board calculated the 180-day appeal deadline as October 15, 2022, but the appeal arrived on December 31, 2025. It found no supported compelling circumstances explaining the late filing. The Board dismissed the appeal for…
D.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Ville Platte Post Office
Board dismisses late appeal of postal worker's OWCP decision (ECAB 26-0171)
A postal worker appealed an OWCP 2025 merit decision dated March 24, 2025. The Board calculated the 180-day appeal deadline as September 20, 2025, but the appeal arrived on November 15, 2025. It found no supported compelling circumstances explaining the late filing. The Board dismissed the appeal…
G.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Santa Clarita Post Office
Board returns postal carrier's heat exposure claim for fact finding (ECAB 26-0073)
A postal city carrier reported heat related symptoms in an unairconditioned vehicle on a day the employer said she did not work. OWCP denied the claim without asking the employer for specific information about her duties and possible heat exposure that day. The Board found the record insufficient…
S.S. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, LaGuardia Airport
Board returns airport worker's sprinkler exposure claim for medical review (ECAB 26-0055)
A transportation security inspector reported symptoms after a malfunctioning airport sprinkler sprayed him with liquid of unknown composition. His physician linked respiratory and neck conditions to that incident, describing possible inhalation and forceful neck movement from the spray. The Board…
J.K. and U.S. Postal Service, Michigan City Post Office
Board returns postal worker's back and leg claim for specialist opinion (ECAB 26-0015)
A postal lobby monitor claimed hip, knee, leg, and back problems after repeatedly sitting on and rising from a stool at work. His physician linked lumbar radiculopathy to altered movement from earlier accepted injuries and the later incident. The Board found that explanation insufficient to prove…
Micheal Mazuno v. Triple Canopy and Starr Indemnity & Liability Company
Mazuno v. Triple Canopy (BRB 24-0173): former counsel's fee denial affirmed
Micheal Mazuno was injured while working for Triple Canopy in Afghanistan. His employer began paying temporary disability benefits, later stopped payment after he missed medical appointments, and eventually settled the claim after he hired new counsel. His former attorney sought $13,187.18 in fees…
V.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Birmingham Post Office
Board directs OWCP to combine postal carrier’s two wrist claims (ECAB 26-0126)
A postal city carrier filed one claim for hand and wrist conditions tied to repetitive duties and another for injuries attributed to a work vehicle accident. OWCP denied both claims on medical causation grounds. The Board found that both files concerned bilateral wrist conditions and needed to be…
V.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Birmingham Post Office
Board combines postal worker's related hand claims (ECAB 26-0125 and 26-0126)
A postal city carrier filed separate claims for hand and wrist conditions, one based on repetitive work and the other on a vehicle accident. OWCP denied both for insufficient medical causation evidence. The Board found that the files involved similar bilateral wrist conditions and should be…
S.P. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration
Board reverses denial of airport worker's hearing request (ECAB 26-0095)
A transportation security officer sought review of OWCP's decision suspending her medical benefits. OWCP rejected the request as late, measuring the 30 days from its original mailing. The Board found that the mailed decision had been returned undelivered, rebutting the presumption that she received…
D.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Ashford Post Office
Board upholds denial of postal carrier's continuation of pay (ECAB 26-0084)
A rural postal carrier sought continuation of pay after reporting injuries from a work vehicle accident. He filed his traumatic injury form about five months after the accident. The Board held that continuation of pay required written notice on an approved form within 30 days and found no other…
K.Y. and U.S. Postal Service, Dominick V. Daniels Processing and Distribution Center
Board reverses termination of postal worker's injury benefits (ECAB 26-0070)
A postal clerk received benefits for arm, shoulder, and back conditions after a workplace fall. OWCP ended her benefits based on an impartial medical examiner's opinion that the work conditions had resolved. The Board found that the examiner addressed only the accepted arm contusion and failed to…
J.F. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Board reverses termination of customs worker's benefits (ECAB 26-0068)
A former customs inspector received benefits for an accepted ankle fracture and post-traumatic stress disorder. OWCP ended his wage loss and medical benefits based on separate orthopedic and psychiatric second opinions. The Board found neither opinion adequately explained why the accepted…
L.K. and Department of Veterans Affairs, John J. Cochran VA Medical Center
Board affirms denial of VA nurse's shoulder claim (ECAB 26-0052)
A VA emergency room nurse attributed a left shoulder condition to years of patient handling and other work duties. The Board credited the impartial medical examiner's opinion that her diagnosed tendinitis was not caused or worsened by those duties. It found a later report from a treating physician…
United States Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration and Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO
Federal Aviation Administration and PASS (FLRA 0-AR-5733): Authority upholds nine-hour rest awards
Two Federal Aviation Administration technical specialists received only five to five-and-a-half hours off between regular work and overtime assignments, despite a memorandum requiring nine consecutive off-duty hours between shifts. An arbitrator found violations and awarded each employee excused…
C.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Detroit Post Office
Board declines to add back condition to postal worker's claim (ECAB 26-0093)
A postal city carrier sought to add a lumbar condition to a claim accepted for knee, hip, and leg injuries after a workplace fall. The Board found that her physician attributed worsening back symptoms to the fall without enough medical explanation, particularly given earlier back problems. Other…
Matter of F-B-A-
Asylum grant vacated on reconsideration
The respondent, an adult woman from Russia who feared persecution by Muslim family members after converting to Russian Orthodox Christianity, had received an Immigration Judge's grant of asylum. On reconsideration, the Board held that the special barriers to reporting harm that can apply to…
Meraki Group LLC
In re Meraki Group LLC (EAB CAA Appeal No. 26-01C): late HFC-import reporting settlement approved
Meraki Group LLC imported bulk HFC blends, including R-410A and R-407C, through eight shipments between November 2022 and October 2025. EPA alleged that Meraki failed to submit required advance notification reports on time for those shipments, including one report submitted after importation…
Robles v. Mr. Bults, Inc.
Late STAA complaints remain dismissed
Sergio Robles alleged that Mr. Bults, Teamsters 731, and Waste Management retaliated against him for raising safety and health concerns. He received notice of his termination in October 2023 but filed his OSHA complaints in January 2025, about nine months after the 180-day deadline. The Board held…
J.B. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration
Board affirms denial of airport screener's shoulder claim (ECAB 26-0090)
An airport security officer reported right shoulder pain after lifting a bag during screening. OWCP accepted the incident but denied the injury claim. The Board found that one physician attributed shoulder conditions to the incident without explaining the medical connection, while other physicians…
J.S. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Board rejects retired customs officer's late hearing loss claim (ECAB 26-0074)
A retired customs officer claimed work related hearing loss from firearms and vehicle noise. The Board found that his 2024 claim was filed more than three years after he was aware, or reasonably should have been aware, of a possible work connection by February 2021. It also found no evidence that a…
S.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Windham Post Office
Board orders clearer findings on postal carrier's shoulder claim (ECAB 26-0069)
A rural postal carrier attributed a torn rotator cuff to years of repetitive work. OWCP's hearing representative said she was injured in the performance of duty but did not explain the factual basis for that conclusion, then addressed medical causation. The Board held that OWCP had to state its…
Matter of L-S-C-R-
Background-check remand limited
The respondent, a Nicaraguan national, appealed the denial of his asylum application while the Immigration Judge's grant of withholding of removal was not challenged by the Department of Homeland Security. The Board granted the respondent's request to withdraw the asylum appeal and remanded the…
J.M. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Illiana Healthcare System
Board confirms CPR training incident and returns VA worker's claim (ECAB 26-0097)
A VA health aide reported back pain after performing chest compressions during required CPR training. OWCP denied the claim at the incident stage. The Board found her accounts consistent and noted that her supervisor corroborated the training incident. It reversed OWCP's finding that the incident…
S.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Boggs Road Post Office
Board affirms denial of postal carrier's shoulder claim (ECAB 26-0088)
A postal carrier technician reported a right shoulder reinjury while moving large mail containers. OWCP accepted the work incident but denied the claim for lack of a medical causal link. The Board found her physician's statement that repetitive work could have caused or worsened the pain too…
M.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Dover Main Post Office
Board affirms denial of postal manager's stress claim (ECAB 26-0013)
A postal customer services manager claimed emotional distress after her supervisor told her to leave the workplace when she reported at a time different from the one directed. The Board classified the scheduling and removal directions as administrative actions. It found no evidence that the…
P.F. and Department of the Army, Aberdeen Proving Ground
Board upholds suspension of Army worker's compensation (ECAB 25-0913)
A former Army management assistant missed an OWCP second opinion examination concerning accepted conditions. She cited medical problems and concerns about the statement of accepted facts. The Board found that the nurse practitioner's note did not establish a medical reason to miss the exam and that…
Reginald Belle v. Fluor Conops and Insurance Company of the State of Pennsylvania
Belle v. Fluor Conops (BRB 24-0270): interim appeal dismissed while benefits case continues
Reginald Belle sought Defense Base Act benefits for alleged psychological injuries from work in Afghanistan. While his case remained before an administrative law judge, he appealed orders setting a conference call and denying requests to speed the case and restrict opposing counsel's statements…
Cristobal Valqui Garcia v. Constellis Group/Triple Canopy, Incorporated and Continental Insurance Company
Valqui Garcia v. Triple Canopy (BRB 24-0251): denial of psychological injury benefits affirmed
Cristobal Valqui Garcia sought benefits for a psychological condition he attributed to security work in Iraq. An administrative law judge accepted that he invoked the statutory presumption connecting the alleged condition to work, but found that the employer rebutted it with a psychologist's…
R.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office
Board upholds denial of mail handler’s left hip claim (ECAB 26-0053)
A postal mail handler attributed left hip osteoarthritis to standing, walking, pushing, and lifting at work. Her doctor linked the condition to repetitive duties but did not explain medically how those duties caused it; an earlier statement that work might worsen pain was speculative. The Board…
M.C. and Department of Veterans Affairs, William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans’ Hospital
Board returns VA clerk’s hamstring claim for causation review (ECAB 26-0006)
A VA medical clerk reported injuring his left hamstring while lifting printer paper at work. The Board found that physicians had diagnosed a hamstring injury linked in time to the accepted incident. It reversed OWCP’s finding that no diagnosed condition had been established and sent the claim back…
T.K. and U.S. Postal Service, Jenison Post Office
Board upholds denial of postal carrier's 2014 wage loss claim (ECAB 26-0004)
A postal city carrier sought wage loss compensation for early 2014 after OWCP accepted a September 2013 leg injury and related conditions. His physicians documented symptoms and work restrictions, but the Board found no reasoned medical opinion connecting inability to work on the claimed dates to…
D.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Michigan Metroplex Processing and Distribution Center
Board returns postal worker's wage loss claim for medical review (ECAB 25-0909)
A postal mail processing clerk claimed wage loss for several months after an accepted back injury. OWCP's second opinion physician examined her and cleared her for full duty, but had not been asked whether the injury caused disability during the earlier claimed period. The Board found that gap left…
J.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Bellmawr Post Office
Board declines to add right ankle condition to postal claim (ECAB 25-0874)
A postal rural carrier associate sought to add a right ankle condition as a consequence of an accepted left ankle injury. Treating and OWCP physicians disagreed, so OWCP obtained an impartial medical examination. The Board credited the impartial examiner's explanation that the left ankle injury did…
Seth Sutton v. SSA Atlantic and Homeport Insurance Company
Sutton v. SSA Atlantic (BRB 26-0063): hearing stay denied and interim appeal dismissed
Seth Sutton's employer sought to postpone a Longshore Act benefits hearing after he identified a vocational expert on the day discovery closed. The administrative law judge refused another continuance but allowed the employer to cross examine the expert and submit a later rebuttal report or…
Timothy Sansone v. Ports America, Incorporated and Ports Insurance Company, Incorporated
Sansone v. Ports America (BRB 24-0452): medical benefits appeal dismissed as late
Timothy Sansone appealed an administrative law judge's medical benefits order one day after the deadline to seek Board review. His lawyer said an office move disrupted mail and internet access and asked that the deadline be extended. The Board held that the 30 day period ran from the district…
J.C. and U.S. Postal Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service
Board returns postal police officer’s lumbar claim for further review (ECAB 26-0051)
A postal police officer attributed lumbar and leg conditions to vibration from patrol driving and the weight of his gear. A new physician’s report described a possible mechanism connecting those duties to disc and nerve conditions. The Board found the report insufficient to establish entitlement…
L.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Cardiss Collins Post Office
Board upholds denial of postal worker’s shoulder claim (ECAB 26-0047)
A postal worker reported injuring her right shoulder while moving a mail truck door. Her physician diagnosed a labral tear and associated it with the incident, but did not explain how the incident medically caused the condition. Other medical reports supplied diagnoses without a causation opinion…
J.G. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Board upholds schedule award overpayment and denial of waiver (ECAB 24-0786)
A border patrol agent received a schedule award calculated with an incorrect pay rate. The Board upheld a $1,347.84 overpayment for May 5 through July 24, 2023 and found he was without fault. It also upheld OWCP’s denial of waiver of recovery.
Ocean Era, Inc.
In re Ocean Era, Inc. (EAB NPDES Appeal Nos. 25-01 and 25-02): Review denied in part and permit remanded for pathogen and microplastics analysis
Environmental organizations challenged EPA Region 4's modification of Ocean Era's permit for an offshore aquaculture facility. The modification changed the fish species from almaco jack to red drum and the net pen material from copper to plastic. The Environmental Appeals Board denied review of the…
Ocean Era, Inc.
In re Ocean Era, Inc. (EAB NPDES Appeal Nos. 25-01 and 25-02): Permit remanded for pathogen and microplastics analysis
Ocean Era, Inc. sought to modify its NPDES permit for an offshore aquaculture facility, including changes to the fish species and net-pen material. Environmental organizations challenged the modification under the Clean Water Act and other environmental statutes. The Board remanded the permit…
Matter of Zihao JIN, Beneficiary of a visa petition filed by Hanfei Xiong
Matter of JIN (BIA ID 4163): marriage-fraud allegations remanded to USCIS
The U.S. citizen petitioner appealed after USCIS approved her visa petition for her husband, a Chinese national, and she later submitted extensive evidence alleging that he had entered the marriage to obtain an immigration benefit. The Board explained that it is an appellate body and cannot conduct…
R.C. and U.S. Postal Service, North Torrance Post Office
Board upholds denial of city carrier’s injury claim (ECAB 26-0037)
A city carrier reported neck, back, and shoulder symptoms after loading heavy packages into a postal vehicle. A physician offered preliminary sprain diagnoses and said they were consistent with the incident. The Board found the medical explanation insufficient to establish that the accepted…
L.D. and Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Board returns wage loss pay rate dispute for calculation (ECAB 25-0924)
An Agriculture Department technician disputed the pay rate used for her wage loss compensation after an accepted knee injury. OWCP cited several weekly pay figures and a general wage earning capacity formula without showing the actual calculation. The Board set aside the decision and directed OWCP…
K.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Boys Town Post Office
Board upholds denial of rural carrier’s shoulder claim (ECAB 25-0921)
A rural mail carrier attributed a right shoulder condition to repetitive mail handling. Her surgeon diagnosed a recurrent rotator cuff tear and other shoulder conditions but did not give a causation opinion linking them to the accepted work duties. The Board upheld the claim denial and OWCP’s…
D.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office
Board upholds denial of postal carrier’s foot injury claim (ECAB 25-0919)
A postal carrier assistant reported twisting his right foot while carrying a package down stairs. Medical records diagnosed plantar fasciitis but did not explain whether the accepted incident caused it. The Board upheld the claim denial and found that the later reconsideration request did not meet…
L.P. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center
Board partly upholds and partly returns VA worker’s vaccine injury claim (ECAB 24-0440)
A VA worker sought compensation for continuing symptoms after an accepted reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine received at work. The Board upheld OWCP’s finding that the accepted transient condition had resolved and declined to add other conditions to the claim. It also upheld denial of continuation of…
Secretary of Labor v. Bourbeau Aggregate, LLC
Conference-request default left final
Bourbeau received a proposed assessment but sent a conference request through a trade association instead of filing the required penalty contest. It waited for an MSHA response and sought reopening after a Treasury collection letter arrived. The Commission majority held that the motion did not…
Albert R. Schindler v. Kellogg, Brown, and Root Services and Insurance Company of the State of Pennsylvania
Schindler v. KBR Services (BRB 23-0323, 23-0323A): disability period and wage calculation remanded
Albert Schindler worked near burn pits in Iraq and later developed lung cancer that required removal of his left lung. After an earlier Board remand, the administrative law judge found the condition work related and awarded temporary total disability benefits for the period from the surgery until…
M.G. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Martinez VA Medical Center
Board upholds denial of VA dental assistant’s COVID-19 claim (ECAB 26-0030)
A VA dental assistant reported a workplace exposure to COVID-19 and submitted a positive laboratory test. The Board found that the test established infection but did not address whether the accepted workplace exposure caused it. With no medical causation evidence, it upheld the claim denial.
C.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office
Board upholds wage loss overpayment and denial of waiver (ECAB 24-0401)
A postal worker kept receiving total disability wage loss benefits after returning to work in the private sector. The Board upheld a $4,421.92 overpayment for October 2 through December 2, 2023 and found she was without fault. It also upheld OWCP’s denial of waiver of recovery.
A.F. and U.S. Postal Service, Wakefield Station
Board upholds suspension of wage loss benefits for missing form (ECAB 26-0081)
A postal worker receiving wage loss compensation did not return a completed Form EN-1032 after OWCP mailed it to her address of record and warned that benefits would be suspended. The Board applied the presumption that properly mailed correspondence was received. It upheld suspension effective…
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.