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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Carole L. Lewis v. Ceres Gulf, Incorporated
Lewis v. Ceres Gulf (BRB 20-0313, 20-0313A): disability compensation ruling affirmed
Carole Lewis injured her shoulder after falling while exiting a truck at work for Ceres Gulf. A judge awarded temporary total disability compensation for a period before surgery and temporary partial disability compensation after a later return-to-work offer. Lewis argued that the equipment cleaner…
D.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Pekin Post Office, Pekin, IL
Board dismisses appeal from proposed compensation change (ECAB 21-0469)
D.C. appealed after OWCP sent a notice proposing to modify a wage-earning capacity determination. The notice offered time to submit evidence before OWCP made a final decision. The Board held that an advisory proposal was not a final adverse OWCP decision over which it had jurisdiction. It dismissed…
T.H. and Department of the Army, Red River Army Depot, Texarkana, TX
Board upholds suspension for incomplete earnings form (ECAB 21-0362)
T.H., an Army depot mechanic receiving wage-loss compensation for an accepted injury, was asked to complete an EN1032 form reporting employment and earnings information. He returned an incomplete form. OWCP identified the missing answers, gave him another 30 days, and warned that benefits would be…
J.K. and U.S. Postal Service, South Jersey Processing & Distribution Center, Bellmawr, NJ
Board orders clearer medical opinion on left knee claim (ECAB 21-0007)
J.K., a postal mail handler, sought to add a left knee condition to an accepted claim involving his right knee. OWCP obtained an impartial examination to resolve conflicting physician opinions. The Board found that the examiner did not adequately explain the causation finding and could not receive…
K.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Lauderridge Carrier Annex Post Office, Oakland Park, FL
Board recognizes customer threat as a work factor (ECAB 20-1504)
K.W., a postal letter carrier, said a customer threatened her over a missing package while she was working. A witness statement and police report supported the account. OWCP denied the emotional condition claim because it found no compensable work factor. The Board held that the credible bodily…
B.W. and Department of the Army, Provost Marshal Office, Fort Stewart, GA
Board reverses arm award overpayment and orders new rating (ECAB 20-1441)
B.W., an Army employee, sought a higher schedule award for impairment of both arms. OWCP's medical adviser rated no current impairment and OWCP declared an overpayment of $13,221.97 based on awards already paid. The Board found that the adviser had not adequately explained the rating and had…
A.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, San Antonio, TX
Board upholds refusal to reopen increased impairment claim (ECAB 20-1417)
A.M., a postal letter carrier with accepted hand conditions, sought reconsideration of an earlier schedule award decision. His new submissions included therapy notes, a referral for a functional capacity evaluation, and wrist strength findings. The Board found that none evaluated increased…
L.F. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Coppell, TX
Board orders new impartial review of claimed back disability (ECAB 20-1021)
L.F., a postal carrier assistant, had an accepted back injury after loading packages into a mail truck. She claimed wage-loss compensation beginning September 1, 2018; OWCP addressed disability from October 13, 2018. OWCP obtained an impartial examiner to resolve conflicting medical opinions, but…
Q.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Main Post Office, Oakland, CA
Board dismisses appeal filed too late (ECAB 20-0299)
Q.J. sought Board review on November 25, 2019 of a purported November 12, 2019 OWCP decision, but that decision was absent from the record. The last final adverse OWCP decision in the record was dated March 26, 2019, more than 180 days before the appeal. She provided no documented compelling…
Secretary of Labor obo Jason Hargis v. Vulcan Construction Materials, LLC
Economic reinstatement granted
The Secretary sought temporary reinstatement for Jason Hargis at Vulcan Construction Materials. Vulcan did not request a hearing, and the parties agreed to economic reinstatement terms. Judge Michael G. Young found that the discrimination complaint was not frivolously brought and ordered economic…
Secretary of Labor obo Darcy White v. Prairie State Generating Co.
Economic reinstatement approved
Darcy White and Prairie State Generating reached an agreement for temporary economic reinstatement while her discrimination complaint was investigated. Judge Thomas P. McCarthy found the agreement fair, reasonable, and consistent with the Mine Act's purpose. He ordered Prairie State to provide…
Johnny Michaelphine v. Pernix Group Company
Michaelphine v. Pernix Group (BRB 21-0025): overseas apartment injury covered; claim remanded
Johnny Michaelphine worked as an electrician at the United States Embassy in Mozambique and lived in an apartment selected by his employer. On a day off, he was locked on its balcony while stove burners were on inside; after unsuccessful attempts to get back in, he jumped down and injured his foot…
Randall K. Shrader v. Consol Buchanan Mine
Shrader v. Consol Buchanan Mine (BRB 20-0343 BLA): black lung benefits award affirmed
Randall Shrader sought black lung benefits after 18.47 years of qualifying coal mine work and a totally disabling respiratory impairment. An administrative law judge applied the statutory presumption connecting the impairment to pneumoconiosis and found that Consol Buchanan Mine had not rebutted…
Clarence M. Johnson v. Ruby Coal Company of London, Incorporated
Johnson v. Ruby Coal (BRB 20-0328 BLA): benefits denial affirmed despite disease finding
Clarence Johnson appealed a black lung benefits denial without a lawyer. An administrative law judge credited 7.06 years of coal mine employment, below the fifteen years needed for the statutory presumption, but found clinical pneumoconiosis and total respiratory disability. The Board majority…
Alma Watts (Widow of Vennis Watts) v. B & B Coal Sales, Incorporated
Watts v. B & B Coal Sales (BRB 20-0280 BLA): survivor benefits award affirmed
Alma Watts sought survivor benefits after her husband, Vennis Watts, died. An administrative law judge credited more than twenty-five years of underground coal mine work and a totally disabling respiratory impairment, then applied the presumption that the miner's death was due to pneumoconiosis. B…
William R. Branham v. Estep Coal Company, Incorporated
Branham v. Estep Coal (BRB 20-0257 BLA): black lung benefits award affirmed without presumption
William Branham sought black lung benefits after 12.52 years of underground coal mine work, fewer than the fifteen years needed for the statutory presumption. An administrative law judge nevertheless found that medical evidence established a disabling respiratory impairment due in part to coal dust…
Henry Lee Dawson v. Griffith Construction Company
Dawson v. Griffith Construction (BRB 20-0256 BLA, 20-0256 BLA-A): benefits denial affirmed
Henry Dawson appealed a black lung benefits denial without a lawyer. X-ray readings suggested complicated pneumoconiosis, which can trigger an irrebuttable presumption of disability, but the judge found that biopsy, CT scan, and medical opinion evidence more strongly supported sarcoidosis as the…
Henry Lee Dawson v. Griffith Construction Company
Dawson v. Griffith Construction (BRB 20-0256 BLA, 20-0256 BLA-A): benefits denial affirmed
Henry Dawson appealed a black lung benefits denial without a lawyer. X-ray readings suggested complicated pneumoconiosis, which can trigger an irrebuttable presumption of disability, but the judge found that biopsy, CT scan, and medical opinion evidence more strongly supported sarcoidosis as the…
Clarence W. Jones, Jr. v. Huntington Ingalls, Incorporated (Ingalls Operations)
Jones v. Huntington Ingalls (BRB 16-0690): claimant may choose treating audiologist
Clarence Jones sought medical care for work-related hearing loss after Huntington Ingalls accepted responsibility for hearing aids. The Board had previously ruled that he could not choose his audiologist because audiologists were absent from a regulatory list of physicians. On reconsideration, a…
Clarence W. Jones, Jr. v. Huntington Ingalls, Incorporated (Ingalls Operations)
Jones v. Huntington Ingalls (BRB 16-0690): claimant may choose treating audiologist
Clarence Jones sought medical care for work-related hearing loss at Huntington Ingalls. The Board had previously denied disability benefits but recognized the employer's liability for medical benefits, including hearing aids, while holding that Jones could not choose his own audiologist. On…
Heyward v. Benore Logistic System, Inc.
Drug-test refusal not protected by STAA
Truck driver Brian Heyward was selected for a random drug test and refused to provide a urine sample at his employer's testing area. He later offered to provide a sample at a medical facility, but Benore Logistic System terminated him for the refusal. Heyward argued that he declined because the…
Nevada Chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America, Inc.
Nevada Chapter of Associated General Contractors (DOL ARB 2020-0058): highway wage determinations upheld
Three Nevada contractor and trucking associations challenged Davis-Bacon Act wage determinations for highway work in several counties. They argued that the Wage and Hour Division should have used state wage information and should not have relied on data from distant Clark County when northern…
B.R. and Social Security Administration, Office of Hearings Operations, Falls Church, VA
Board upholds denial of shoulder injury claim after fall (ECAB 21-0461)
B.R., a Social Security Administration administrative law judge, fell after tripping on a threshold strip at work. Her physicians documented a right shoulder tear and later treatment. The Board found that those records did not provide a reasoned medical opinion explaining how the accepted fall…
N.S. and U.S. Agency for Global Media, Voice of America, Washington, DC
Board upholds denial of emotional condition claim (ECAB 21-0355)
N.S., a Voice of America broadcaster, attributed an emotional condition to alleged discrimination, harassment, and personnel actions at work. The Board examined whether her allegations involved covered work duties or supported misconduct in administrative matters. It found that she had not…
S.C. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Community Based Outpatient Clinic, Jackson, TN
Board orders correct review of late reconsideration request (ECAB 21-0340)
S.C. sought reconsideration of a denied traumatic injury claim. A prior request went to OWCP’s London, Kentucky office rather than its San Antonio, Texas district office and the representative argued that rerouting delayed it. OWCP reviewed the request under the rules for a timely reconsideration…
E.Z. and Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Southern Pueblos Agency, Albuquerque, NM
Board dismisses appeal without an adverse decision (ECAB 21-0269)
E.Z. appealed from what was described as a later OWCP decision, but that decision was not in the record. The latest documented OWCP action accepted right knee instability as part of the claim. The Board held that the favorable action was not a final adverse decision it could review. It dismissed…
M.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Charlotte, NC
Board upholds denial of intermittent wage-loss claim (ECAB 21-0144)
M.A., a postal mail handler, had accepted back and related conditions after pushing a mail container. He sought compensation for intermittent disability from January 2017 through October 2018. The Board had already reviewed the older evidence in a prior decision. Later reports addressed disability…
D.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing & Distribution Center, Philadelphia, PA
Board upholds denial of intermittent disability recurrence (ECAB 21-0102)
D.H., a postal mail handler equipment operator, had accepted shoulder and upper back strains from a 2017 work incident. He sought compensation for intermittent disability in a later period. A second-opinion physician found that he could perform full-time restricted work, and the Board gave that…
J.T. and Social Security Administration, Yuba, CA
Board orders merit review of pressure ulcer claim (ECAB 20-1301)
J.T., a Social Security Administration claims assistant who used a wheelchair, attributed a pressure ulcer to prolonged sitting at work. OWCP denied reconsideration without reviewing the claim on its merits. Her physician had supplied a new report explaining that the workday's required sitting and…
G.W. and Internal Revenue Service, St. Louis, MO
Board upholds denial of late reconsideration request (ECAB 20-0879)
G.W., an IRS employee with an earlier accepted injury, sought reconsideration of a decision on continuing disability. OWCP received the request one day after the adjusted one-year deadline. The Board therefore applied the stricter clear-evidence-of-error standard. Her additional medical reports did…
D.B. and Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Office of the Chief Counsel, Washington, DC
Board upholds denial of work-related thumb and wrist claim (ECAB 20-0775)
D.B., an Internal Revenue Service management assistant, attributed a thumb sprain and wrist ganglion cyst to repetitive printing and handling work. His physician diagnosed those conditions but said the cyst's cause was unknown and only probably related to repetitive activity. The Board found the…
R.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Roanoke, VA
Board upholds retirement offset overpayment and collection (ECAB 20-0128)
R.T., a postal employee, received FECA wage-loss compensation and Social Security retirement benefits attributable to federal service for overlapping periods. OWCP calculated a $39,539.87 overpayment and found him without fault. The Board upheld the calculation and found that his income and…
Allen B. Flores v. Pacific Crane Maintenance Company, L.P.
Flores v. Pacific Crane Maintenance (BRB 21-0356): modification proceedings wait for court appeal
Allen Flores, representing himself, sought to modify an earlier denial of Longshore Act benefits while his appeal of that denial was pending in the Ninth Circuit. An administrative law judge suspended action on the modification request until the court appeal was resolved or stayed, then denied…
Kelly Zaradnik v. The Dutra Group, Incorporated
Zaradnik v. The Dutra Group (BRB 16-0128, 16-0128A): request to declare earlier ruling final denied
Kelly Zaradnik had obtained a Longshore Act benefits award, and the Board earlier upheld the finding that her injuries were work related while sending the nature of her disability back to the judge. After the parties resolved the remaining issues by stipulation, the employer asked the Board to…
R.S. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Secret Service, Communications Center, Washington, DC
Board dismisses late compensation appeal (ECAB 21-1091)
The appellant sought Board review of an OWCP decision dated July 13, 2020. The appeal was filed on July 12, 2021, after the applicable 180-day deadline of January 9, 2021. The appellant supplied no supported reason establishing compelling circumstances for the delay. The Board found that it lacked…
W.B. and Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Philadelphia, PA
Board dismisses late compensation appeal (ECAB 21-1042)
The appellant sought Board review of an OWCP decision dated December 29, 2020. The appeal was filed on June 29, 2021, after the applicable 180-day deadline of June 28, 2021. Because the 180th day fell on a Sunday, the deadline extended to the next Monday. The appellant supplied no supported reason…
J.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Springfield Post Office, Springfield, OH
Board grants request to dismiss postal worker appeal (ECAB 21-0762)
J.H., a postal worker, appealed a March 24, 2021 OWCP decision on April 22, 2021. Counsel sent a letter dated and received June 16, 2021 asking the Board to dismiss the appeal. The Board granted that request and dismissed the case without reviewing the compensation claim's merits.
E.J. and Department of the Navy, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, San Diego, CA
Board orders combined knee claim files for schedule award (ECAB 20-1556)
E.J., a Navy verifying official, sought a schedule award for permanent impairment involving her knees. OWCP denied the claim, although it had accepted knee conditions in two separate injury files. The Board held that the files needed to be combined for a full review of the same body parts. It set…
J.K. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Citrus Heights, CA
Board confirms insurance overpayment but orders amount recalculated (ECAB 20-1545)
J.K., a postal employee receiving FECA benefits, had life insurance premiums that OWCP failed to deduct from her compensation. The Board agreed that this created an overpayment. OWCP stated an amount of $11,451.43 but did not give enough information to reproduce its calculation. The Board also…
B.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Brentwood Post Office, Brentwood, TN
Board orders further review of carrier's lumbar injury claim (ECAB 20-1501)
B.C., a rural letter carrier, attributed lumbar conditions to repeated lifting, bending, twisting, and driving. A treating physician explained how those duties caused cumulative injury and distinguished the current claim from earlier back injuries. The Board found that this reasoned opinion…
K.M. and Department of Homeland Security, Immigration & Customs Enforcement, Charleston, SC
Board orders further review of deportation officer's occupational disease claim (ECAB 20-1373)
K.M., a deportation officer, attributed back and other symptoms to prolonged sitting and repetitive office duties. OWCP handled his filing as a traumatic injury claim. The Board found that the described exposure over years made it an occupational disease claim. A physician supplied a reasoned…
R.L. and Department of Homeland Security, Customs & Border Protection, San Diego, CA
Board orders combined claim files for impairment review (ECAB 20-0901)
R.L., a border patrol agent, appealed a decision finding no additional left arm impairment beyond a prior schedule award. OWCP had relied on decisions from earlier knee injury claims when considering impairment across several limbs, but the current record lacked the medical evidence underlying…
L.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Medford Post Office, Medford, MA
Board upholds denial of knee osteoarthritis claim (ECAB 20-0518)
L.A., a postal letter carrier, attributed osteoarthritis in both knees to extensive walking on her route. Physicians diagnosed knee degeneration, but their reports did not explain how the accepted work duties caused or aggravated it. Other evidence came from a physician assistant who could not…
S.L. and Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Lompoc, CA
Board orders further review of leg schedule award claim (ECAB 20-0188)
S.L., a correctional officer, injured his left thigh and knee while running to assist at work. He sought a schedule award supported by physicians who found that his condition had reached maximum medical improvement and rated leg impairment. OWCP's medical adviser disagreed but had not reviewed the…
Matter of A-C-A-A-
Rigid asylum review rule vacated
The Attorney General reviewed a prior decision that required the Board to examine every element of an asylum claim even when the Department of Homeland Security did not challenge some elements on appeal. The Attorney General vacated that decision, instructed immigration judges and the Board not to…
J.R. and Department of Defense, Defense Contract Audit Agency, Lexington, MA
Board dismisses late compensation appeal (ECAB 21-1067)
The appellant sought Board review of an OWCP decision dated November 16, 2020. The appeal was filed on June 24, 2021, after the applicable 180-day deadline of May 15, 2021. The appellant supplied no supported reason establishing compelling circumstances for the delay. The Board found that it lacked…
B.P. and Department of Veteran Affairs, Birmingham VA Medical Center, Birmingham, AL
Board dismisses late compensation appeal (ECAB 21-1013)
The appellant sought Board review of an OWCP decision dated November 8, 2019. The appeal was filed on June 24, 2021, after the applicable 180-day deadline of May 6, 2020. The appellant supplied no supported reason establishing compelling circumstances for the delay. The Board found that it lacked…
J.G. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, Washington, DC
Board dismisses late compensation appeal (ECAB 21-0973)
The appellant asked the Board to review an OWCP decision dated December 3, 2020. The appeal was filed on June 8, 2021, after the 180-day deadline of June 1, 2021. His appeal form named a later decision that was absent from the case record. The appellant gave no documented explanation showing…
R.C., widow of H.C., and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services, Los Angeles, CA
Board dismisses late compensation appeal (ECAB 21-0966)
The appellant asked the Board to review an OWCP decision dated August 6, 2018. The appeal was filed on June 9, 2021, after the 180-day deadline of February 2, 2019. Her appeal form named a later decision that was absent from the case record. The appellant gave no documented explanation showing…
K.K. and U.S. Postal Service, Westside Post Office, Montgomery, AL
Board dismisses late compensation appeal (ECAB 21-0960)
The appellant asked the Board to review an OWCP decision dated May 15, 2019. The appeal was filed on June 10, 2021, after the 180-day deadline of November 11, 2019. The appellant gave no documented explanation showing compelling circumstances for the delay. The Board found that it lacked…
J.T. and Department of Justice, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Syracuse, NY
Board dismisses late compensation appeal (ECAB 21-0959)
The appellant asked the Board to review an OWCP decision dated September 4, 2020. The appeal was filed on June 10, 2021, after the 180-day deadline of March 3, 2021. The appellant gave no documented explanation showing compelling circumstances for the delay. The Board found that it lacked…
C.M. and Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Valley Stream, NY
Board orders combined files for wildlife inspector back injury claim (ECAB 20-1451)
C.M., a wildlife inspector, reported a back injury after a tool slipped while she opened a container. She also linked the condition to an earlier accepted back injury. OWCP denied the new claim without combining the two files, and the earlier file's evidence was absent from the Board's record. The…
K.K. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Barnegat, NJ
Board upholds denial of carrier shoulder injury claim (ECAB 20-1394)
K.K., a rural letter carrier, said she hurt her right shoulder when she stumbled on a rocky walkway while delivering mail. The Board had previously found the medical evidence insufficient to connect a rotator cuff tear to that incident. New physician reports did not account for shoulder symptoms…
V.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Dallas Network Distribution Center, Dallas, TX
Board orders combined files for custodian knee claim review (ECAB 20-1122)
V.G., a postal maintenance custodian, reported injuring his left knee while pivoting on steps at work. The employer had filed an occupational disease claim for the same injury, while V.G. filed a traumatic injury claim. Medical reports and tests from the first file were missing from the current…
J.R. and Department of Homeland Security, Customs & Border Protection, Panama City, FL
Board declines to expand accepted accident injury claim (ECAB 20-0878)
J.R., a Customs and Border Protection law enforcement officer, was injured in a work related vehicle accident. He asked OWCP to add conditions involving his left arm, lower back, neck, and left knee and leg to the accepted claim. The medical reports described symptoms and imaging findings but did…
Terrell v. J-Max Transportation Services, Inc.
Complainant withdrew appeal
An ALJ granted summary decision in Aundre Terrell's Surface Transportation Assistance Act case against J-Max Transportation Services. Terrell petitioned the Administrative Review Board to review that ruling. He then moved to withdraw his petition before the ALJ decision became final. The Board…
F.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Revere, MA
Board grants request to dismiss postal worker appeal (ECAB 21-0993)
The appellant appealed an OWCP decision dated December 18, 2020 on June 17, 2021. Counsel subsequently sent a letter dated July 1, 2021 asking the Board to dismiss the appeal. The Board granted the request and dismissed the case. It did not decide whether OWCP had correctly resolved the underlying…
D.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Vitilas “Vito” Reid Post Office, Normandy, MO
Board grants request to dismiss postal worker appeal (ECAB 21-0799)
The appellant appealed an OWCP decision dated March 19, 2021 on April 29, 2021. Counsel subsequently sent a letter dated June 21, 2021 asking the Board to dismiss the appeal. The Board granted the request and dismissed the case. It did not decide whether OWCP had correctly resolved the underlying…
J.D. and Department of Veteran Affairs, Tennessee Valley Healthcare Systems, Murfreesboro, TN
Board grants veteran affairs worker request to dismiss appeal (ECAB 21-0722)
J.D. appealed a March 19, 2021 OWCP decision on April 13, 2021. In a letter dated April 22, 2021, J.D. asked the Board to dismiss the appeal. The Board granted that request and dismissed the case. It did not decide the merits of the underlying compensation claim.
W.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Vehicle Maintenance Facility, Pittsburgh, PA
Board confirms overpayment but remands fault finding (ECAB 21-0316)
W.M., a postal vehicle repair worker, returned to full-time work but continued receiving total disability payments. The Board confirmed an overpayment of $3,087.71 for June 22 through July 18, 2020. OWCP had found him at fault without discussing his timely response and financial form. The Board set…
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.