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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B.K. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Saint Cloud VA Medical Center
Board dismisses late appeal and reconsideration petition (ECAB 26-0109)
A VA worker appealed an April 10, 2023 OWCP decision in September 2025, well after the 180-day deadline. He also sought review of a May 2023 Board order from the earlier docket after its 30-day reconsideration window had passed. The Board dismissed both requests as untimely without deciding the…
S.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Mid-Island Processing and Distribution Center
Board dismisses late compensation appeal (ECAB 26-0099)
The employee appealed a May 7, 2025 OWCP decision on November 6, 2025. The Board found the appeal came after the 180-day filing period and dismissed it for lack of jurisdiction. The order does not resolve the underlying compensation merits.
K.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Kilmer New Jersey Sorting and Delivery Center
Board dismisses late compensation appeal (ECAB 26-0064)
The employee appealed a March 4, 2025 OWCP decision on November 3, 2025. The Board found the appeal came after the 180-day filing period and dismissed it for lack of jurisdiction. The order does not resolve the underlying compensation merits.
A.F. and Department of Veterans Affairs, San Francisco VA Medical Center
Board dismisses late compensation appeal (ECAB 26-0041)
The employee appealed a April 17, 2025 OWCP decision on October 16, 2025. The Board found the appeal came after the 180-day filing period and dismissed it for lack of jurisdiction. The order does not resolve the underlying compensation merits.
K.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Knoxville Main Post Office
Board dismisses appeal from informational OWCP letter (ECAB 25-0455)
A postal worker sought Board review, but the record contained no final adverse OWCP decision within the applicable appeal period. OWCP’s March 31, 2025 development letter only requested information. The Board dismissed the appeal because that letter was not appealable.
Matter of E-M-F-S-, et al.
Matter of E-M-F-S- (BIA ID 4154): death-threat asylum claim denied
The respondents, a Peruvian news broadcaster, her producer husband, and their children, received harassment, physical pushing, and two anonymous written death threats after political tensions at their workplace. The Board held that death threats alone rarely establish persecution and do so only…
Buster Woods, Jr. v. Blackjewel, LLC and Rockwood Casualty Insurance Company
Woods v. Blackjewel (BRB 25-0097): black lung benefits award affirmed
Buster Woods, Jr. sought black lung benefits after forty-one years of underground coal mine work. The administrative law judge found complicated pneumoconiosis from the x-ray, medical opinion, and treatment evidence and applied the irrebuttable presumption of total disability due to pneumoconiosis…
C.M. and Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Philadelphia International Airport
Board returns fire alarm hearing claim for another opinion (ECAB 25-0911)
An air traffic controller reported muffled hearing and ringing after a nearby fire alarm sounded. OWCP’s referral physician called her hearing normal but also described a temporary acoustic injury, leaving the diagnosis unresolved. The Board directed OWCP to obtain a consistent medical opinion and…
E.L. and Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service
Board upholds overpayment but reverses fault finding (ECAB 25-0833)
An IRS employee continued receiving total disability wage loss after returning to work, creating a $2,432.84 overpayment for December 2024 through January 2025. The Board upheld the overpayment but found OWCP had wrongly concluded she was at fault. It returned the waiver question for review under…
R.S. and Department of Labor, Employment Standards Administration
Board returns retirement offset overpayment for recalculation (ECAB 24-0068)
A DOL worker received FECA wage loss and Social Security benefits, raising an offset question. The Board found the record did not establish whether the Social Security payments in part of 2019 were disability or age related retirement benefits. It directed OWCP to obtain clarification, recalculate…
Carrier InterAmerica Corporation
In re Carrier InterAmerica Corporation (EAB CAA Appeal No. 25-14C): bulk HFC-import settlement approved
Carrier InterAmerica Corporation is an HVAC equipment, parts, and supplies distributor headquartered in Miami, Florida. EPA alleged that the company imported bulk HFCs from China and South Korea into Miami in five shipments during 2022 without expending required allowances, obtaining a…
V.I. and Federal Judiciary, U.S. Probation Office and Pretrial Services Agency, District of New Jersey
Board returns probation worker’s vaccine reaction claim (ECAB 23-0555)
A federal probation worker reported symptoms after a COVID-19 vaccination received in the course of work. An emergency physician diagnosed conditions following the accepted incident. The Board found a diagnosis had been established and directed OWCP to decide whether the vaccination caused the…
L.G. and Department of the Army, Installation Management Command, Joint Base Lewis-McChord
Board returns vaccine claim for combined file review (ECAB 23-0477)
An Army worker’s vaccine reaction claim and accepted COVID-19 claim involved related conditions but were kept in separate files. OWCP’s own hearing representative had called for combining them. The Board directed OWCP to do so and decide the vaccine claim using the full record.
J.R. and Department of Transportation, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Board upholds vaccine reaction denial but returns reconsideration request (ECAB 23-0141)
A transportation employee claimed an adverse reaction to a COVID-19 vaccination as a work injury. The Board upheld OWCP’s denial of the injury claim on the existing record. It found OWCP should have reopened the merits on a later reconsideration request and returned that issue for a new decision.
Matthew C. Davidson v. Vigor-Cascase General, Incorporated and Signal Mutual Indemnity Association Limited
Davidson v. Vigor-Cascase General (BRB 23-0374): back injury award affirmed
Matthew Davidson injured his lower back while lifting stairs at a shipyard. The judge awarded temporary total disability and medical benefits for the back injury but found that Davidson had not proved a work related aggravation of his left shoulder condition. Davidson appealed the shoulder ruling…
C.N. and Department of Veterans Affairs, West Palm Beach VA Healthcare System
Board grants VA employee’s request to withdraw appeal (ECAB 25-0907)
A VA employee timely appealed an August 20, 2025 OWCP merits decision. She later asked to withdraw the appeal, and the Clerk confirmed the request. The Board granted withdrawal and dismissed the appeal without addressing the underlying claim.
M.A. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center
Board dismisses appeal for lack of a recent OWCP decision (ECAB 25-0886)
The employee appealed a September 2024 OWCP decision in August 2025, but the Board had already dismissed an appeal of that decision as untimely. The other August 2025 decision identified by the employee was a Board decision, not an OWCP decision. The Board dismissed this appeal because no final…
L.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Los Angeles Post Office
Board orders impartial assessment of postal worker’s wrist impairment (ECAB 25-0771)
A retired postal worker sought an additional schedule award for impairments of both wrists. His physician rated the right wrist at 28 percent and the left at 3 percent, while OWCP's medical adviser gave different ratings and found no additional award due. The Board found a conflict in the medical…
Secretary of Labor v. Warrior Met Coal Mining, LLC
Returned assessment held nonfinal
Warrior Met said it did not receive the proposed assessment before the contest deadline. Postal tracking showed that the assessment went out for delivery but was marked for return to sender the same day and later returned to the post office. The Secretary could not confirm delivery and did not…
Secretary of Labor v. Rush County Stone Co., Inc.
One-day deadline typo excused
Rush County decided to contest an assessment, but its attorney mistyped the deadline in the firm's scheduling system as May 29 instead of May 28. Counsel filed on the mistaken date and sought reopening 21 days after MSHA reported the one-day default. The Secretary did not oppose relief. The firm…
Secretary of Labor v. Mountain Stone Aggregate
Wrong-address assessment held nonfinal
Mountain Stone said MSHA mailed its proposed assessment to an address different from the current address shown on the company's official form. The Secretary could not confirm that the assessment was delivered to or received by the operator and did not oppose relief. The Commission held that the…
Secretary of Labor v. National Lime and Stone Company
Late imminent-danger contest reopened
National Lime sought an MSHA conference on an imminent-danger withdrawal order and believed that request also contested the order before the Commission. It learned one week after the statutory deadline that imminent-danger orders require a separate contest filing. The company sought reopening the…
Secretary of Labor v. Patton Mining LLC
Misplaced assessment reopened
A proposed assessment was placed on the safety manager's desk while he was away and apparently fell between the desk and wall. The manager found it four days after the contest deadline, and the company received a delinquency notice several days later. Patton investigated the handling failure…
M.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Grand Rapids Post Office
Board upholds denial of postal carrier’s knee injury claim (ECAB 25-0864)
A postal carrier said she twisted her right knee on an uneven, snowy sidewalk while delivering mail. The Board found that her medical reports did not adequately explain how the accepted December 2024 incident caused a diagnosed knee condition. Some reports offered no causation opinion, while others…
J.P., Jr. and U.S. Postal Service, Lynchburg Post Office
Board upholds injury claim denial and late review request (ECAB 25-0860)
A rural postal carrier reported slipping on ice and injuring his left ankle during a delivery. The Board found that the submitted evidence did not establish a medical condition caused by the accepted work incident. It also upheld OWCP's denial of written-record review because the request came more…
D.O. and Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Metropolitan Correctional Center
Board upholds denial of added conditions and spine injections (ECAB 25-0722)
A federal correctional officer sought to add several conditions to an accepted injury claim and obtain lumbar spine injections. The Board found that the medical reports did not adequately explain how the additional conditions resulted from the accepted December 2020 injury. Because OWCP had not…
A.S. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Ann Arbor VA Medical Center
Board upholds suspension after incomplete earnings disclosure (ECAB 25-0920)
A VA nursing assistant receiving wage-loss compensation returned an earnings disclosure form without answering whether she had been unemployed throughout the prior 15 months. OWCP identified the omission and sent another form, but received only a duplicate of the incomplete response. The Board held…
S.B. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Kansas City VA Medical Center
Board orders related VA knee claim files combined (ECAB 25-0890)
A VA custodial worker claimed that repetitive walking, bending, stooping, and squatting aggravated her right knee condition. She had also filed an earlier injury claim involving the same knee. The Board held that OWCP needed to combine the two files for full and fair review. It set aside the denial…
T.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Atlanta Processing and Distribution Center
Board orders further medical opinion on cervical condition (ECAB 22-0251)
A postal clerk sought to add cervical radiculopathy to an accepted right elbow injury claim. The Board found that the medical record contained a conflict about whether the cervical condition was related to the work injury. OWCP had used an impartial examiner for a different issue but had not asked…
Matter of Mario Alberto LAURENT CASTRO
Matter of LAURENT CASTRO (BIA ID 4159): in absentia order required
The respondent did not appear for an initial master calendar hearing. The Department of Homeland Security showed that the hearing notice had been properly mailed to the respondent's last known address and submitted a Form I-213 supporting removability. The Board held that when proper notice is…
Raymond Greynolds, Jr. v. The Marion County Coal Company and Murray Energy Corporation Trust
Greynolds v. Marion County Coal (BRB 25-0080): black lung award returned for medical opinion findings
Raymond Greynolds sought black lung benefits after 36 years of qualifying coal mine work. The judge awarded benefits after finding a totally disabling respiratory impairment and applying the statutory presumption of disability due to pneumoconiosis. The Board found that the judge had relied on…
Saliba v. American Airlines, Inc.
Immediate appeal seeking a new OSHA investigation denied
Former American Airlines pilot Bahig Saliba sought immediate Board review after the Chief ALJ refused to send his AIR21 retaliation complaint back to OSHA. Saliba alleged that OSHA had omitted some of his allegations and sought a new investigation. The Board denied interlocutory review because the…
Bush v. Donato’s Pizza
Tax whistleblower claim over refusal to rehire rejected
Christopher Bush, a former Donato’s Pizza delivery driver, alleged that the company refused to rehire him because he reported suspected tax violations to the IRS. The Board affirmed summary decision for Donato’s and denied his Taxpayer First Act complaint. It concluded that Bush did not identify…
D.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Boggs Road Post Office
Board upholds denial of further review of postal claim (ECAB 25-0902)
A postal worker sought reconsideration of his injury claim after an earlier merits decision. His lawyer repeated an argument about the sufficiency of the medical evidence but offered no new legal argument or relevant new evidence meeting the reopening rule. The Board held that OWCP properly…
D.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Detroit Post Office
Board returns postal call center stress claim for medical review (ECAB 25-0851)
A postal customer care agent said frequent difficult calls and very short gaps between them aggravated a preexisting emotional condition. His supervisor confirmed those features of the assigned work. The Board found that the regular duties established a compensable employment factor. Because OWCP…
C.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Detroit Post Office
Board sends harassment related stress claim back for medical review (ECAB 25-0734)
A Detroit postal employee claimed workplace harassment contributed to an emotional condition. The Board rejected several unsubstantiated allegations but found witness statements supported her account that a supervisor made disparaging comments about her disability and medication. Those comments…
U.E. and U.S. Postal Service, Forest Park Post Office
Board reopens postal worker’s bee sting injury claim (ECAB 25-0676)
A postal carrier claimed a hornet sting while delivering mail in 2015. Her reconsideration request was years late, but the Board found that records already before OWCP, including ambulance and emergency department records, clearly showed the reported work incident occurred. It held that OWCP should…
Secretary of Labor obo Brittny Ludescher v. Haas Sons, Inc.
Complaint exhibit amendment granted
The Secretary of Labor filed a discrimination complaint on behalf of Brittny Ludescher against Haas Sons, Inc. The Secretary asked to replace Exhibit A with updated MSHA discrimination complaint and report forms. Judge Alan G. Paez found no undue delay, bad faith, futility, or prejudice, and noted…
R.S. and Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Federal Correctional Institution Marianna
Board upholds denial of prison worker’s occupational claim (ECAB 25-0901)
A federal prison recreation supervisor reported pain and swelling in his ankles, knees, and hips from physically demanding job duties. OWCP asked him for supporting medical evidence, but none was submitted. The Board affirmed the denial because the record did not establish a medical diagnosis…
W.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Philadelphia Metropolitan District Post Office
Board upholds denial after postal carrier’s vehicle accident (ECAB 25-0899)
A postal carrier lost consciousness while driving a mail vehicle and was involved in an accident. Medical reports described syncope, coughing, and bronchitis, but the Board found that they did not explain a causal link between the accepted work incident and a diagnosed condition. It affirmed the…
K.H. and Department of Veterans Affairs, C.W. Bill Young VA Medical Center
Board orders new medical opinion on VA dispatcher’s stress claim (ECAB 25-0896)
A former VA police dispatcher sought compensation for an emotional condition tied to an accepted workplace demand that he spy on coworkers and a withdrawn promotion. OWCP's referral physician described the promotion issue as a minor contributor but did not specifically address the demand to spy…
J.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Des Moines Iowa Processing and Distribution Center
Board upholds schedule award overpayment and denial of waiver (ECAB 25-0850)
A postal worker received $2,912.90 more in schedule award compensation than she was due because payments used an augmented rate. The Board agreed that she was without fault but found the overpayment valid. She did not provide the requested financial questionnaire and documents, so OWCP could not…
Secretary of Labor obo James Summers v. Callender Construction Company, Inc.
Temporary economic reinstatement granted
James Summers worked as a haul truck operator for Callender Construction at the Thomas Quarry. He told management that the haul truck he was assigned to operate was unsafe, and Callender later terminated him. The Secretary determined that his discrimination complaint was not frivolously brought…
Mate Hezron Sebakira Magwara v. SOC, LLC and Continental Insurance Company
Magwara v. SOC (BRB 24-0223): psychological injury claim denied
Mate Hezron Sebakira Magwara sought benefits for a psychological condition he attributed to security work in Iraq. His treating clinical officer diagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder, while an employer-retained psychologist found no reliable evidence of a psychological injury. The judge found…
Craig O. Stephenson v. Metropolitan Stevedore Company and Signal Mutual Indemnity Association, Ltd.
Stephenson v. Metropolitan Stevedore (BRB 24-0166): attorney fee denial affirmed
Craig Stephenson received compensation for work related hearing loss after his employer initially disputed part of the claim. His lawyer sought an employer-paid fee for obtaining disability and medical benefits. The Board held that the employer's payment tied to the hearing loss claim within 30…
N.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Santa Ana Processing and Distribution Center
Board orders review of video in postal equipment injury claim (ECAB 25-0892)
A postal mail handler said a container gate struck her shoulder while unloading a truck. The employer disputed her account based partly on video, but had provided only largely illegible screenshots to OWCP. The Board directed the employer to supply the actual videos so OWCP can decide what occurred…
C.C. and Department of Homeland Security, Federal Protective Service
Board orders new impairment assessment for protective service worker (ECAB 25-0865)
A federal protective service worker sought a schedule award for permanent impairment. Her physician recorded new hand and forearm sensory and strength findings, but OWCP's medical adviser relied on an earlier examination without rating those new findings. The Board ordered a new specialist opinion…
N.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Othello Post Office
Board reverses termination of postal worker’s benefits (ECAB 25-0861)
OWCP stopped a postal worker's wage-loss and medical benefits after a second opinion said her accepted conditions had resolved. The Board found that the doctor did not adequately explain how the conditions had ceased to cause disability or residuals. Because OWCP bore the burden to justify…
M.F. and U.S. Postal Service, Norwood Park Post Office
Board accepts postal worker’s ankle fracture as consequential injury (ECAB 25-0750)
A postal worker fractured her right ankle after her injured right knee buckled in the shower. OWCP's second opinion physician connected the knee instability to the accepted work injury and the later fall. The Board found that evidence sufficient to add the ankle fracture to the claim. It remanded…
Donald L. Sparkman v. Consol Buchanan Mining Company, LLC
Sparkman v. Consol Buchanan Mining (BRB 25-0081): black lung award affirmed
Donald Sparkman sought black lung benefits after nearly 40 years of underground coal mine work. The judge found a totally disabling respiratory impairment and applied the statutory presumption of disability due to pneumoconiosis. The employer argued that other medical conditions caused Sparkman's…
Kenneth R. Bowser v. West Point Coal Mining Incorporated and Rockwood Casualty Insurance Company
Bowser v. West Point Coal Mining (BRB 25-0077): attorney fee entry returned for award
Kenneth Bowser's attorney sought fees and expenses after winning his black lung benefits claim. The judge awarded $1,600 for a medical report but overlooked a $750 entry for preparing and filing Bowser's closing brief, then denied a request to add it. The Board found the application and cover…
Larry E. Howell v. The Marshall County Coal Company and Murray Energy Corporation Trust
Howell v. Marshall County Coal (BRB 25-0064): black lung award affirmed
Larry Howell sought black lung benefits after 35 years of coal mine work, including more than 15 qualifying years. The judge found a totally disabling respiratory impairment and applied the statutory presumption of disability due to pneumoconiosis. The employer relied on a doctor's opinion…
Olivera Buljugić v. Fluor Conops, Limited and Insurance Company of the State of Pennsylvania
Buljugić v. Fluor Conops (BRB 24-0067): benefit denial returned for written decision
Olivera Buljugić sought Defense Base Act benefits for a psychological injury she attributed to work in Afghanistan. The judge denied the claim after announcing findings from the bench and issuing a brief written order that adopted the hearing transcript. The Board did not reach the merits of…
P.T. and Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons, Federal Correctional Institution Hazelton
Board upholds rejection of late reconsideration request (ECAB 25-0829)
A federal prison employee requested reconsideration years after the last merits decision. She submitted medical reports concerning her conditions, but the Board found they did not show clear error in OWCP's earlier decision on their face. It upheld OWCP's refusal to reopen the claim under the rule…
United States Department of the Army, Fort Huachuca, Arizona and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1662
Fort Huachuca and AFGE Local 1662 (FLRA 0-AR-5989): Authority upholds sick-leave award
An Army firefighter left mandatory training after feeling unwell and requested sick leave, but the agency required a medical certificate and later marked him absent without leave when he supplied only a self-certification. An arbitrator found that the contract implicitly required the agency to tell…
Matter of Sarahi TEPEC-GARCIA, et al.
Matter of TEPEC-GARCIA (BIA ID 4152): proceedings terminated without prejudice
Neither the respondents nor the Department of Homeland Security appeared at the scheduled hearing, and DHS had not submitted evidence establishing the respondents' alienage or removability in advance. The Board held that the Immigration Judge was not required to continue the case to give DHS…
Glenn Sadler v. Cowin & Company, Incorporated
Sadler v. Cowin & Company (BRB 25-0066): black lung award affirmed
Glenn Sadler sought black lung benefits after 20.68 years of qualifying coal mine work. The judge found a totally disabling respiratory impairment based on pulmonary function testing and applied the statutory presumption of disability due to pneumoconiosis. The Board held that the judge reasonably…
Noah K. Counts v. Lambert Coal Company, Incorporated
Counts v. Lambert Coal (BRB 25-0059): black lung award returned for causation finding
Noah Counts sought black lung benefits after 12.4 years of coal mine work. The judge found simple clinical pneumoconiosis and a totally disabling respiratory impairment, then awarded benefits. The Board upheld the disability finding but found that the judge had not explained whether the physician's…
Juliet Zawedde v. SOC, LLC and Continental Insurance Company
Zawedde v. SOC (BRB 24-0178): benefits denial returned for a written decision
Juliet Zawedde sought Defense Base Act benefits for a psychological injury she attributed to security work in Iraq. The judge denied benefits after announcing findings from the bench and issuing a short written order that adopted the transcript. The Board held that a transcript cannot substitute…
McQuay v. Lone Tree Services, Inc.
Pipeline retaliation appeal dismissed after federal court filing
Mac McQuay appealed an ALJ’s summary decision in his pipeline safety retaliation case against Lone Tree Services. He later informed the Board that he had filed an action for a fresh review in federal district court and requested administrative closure. The Board explained that the Pipeline Safety…
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.