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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Troy E. Owen v. Temco, LLC
Owen v. Temco (BRB 20-0417): late reinstatement motion denied
The Board had dismissed Troy Owen's appeal after he failed to file a petition for review or respond to a show-cause order. Owen later asked to reinstate the appeal. The Board treated his filing as a reconsideration motion and found it was outside the thirty-day deadline. It declined to excuse the…
Ronald Conklin v. Eighty-Four Mining Company
Conklin v. Eighty-Four Mining (BRB 20-0307 BLA): miner benefits affirmed
Ronald Conklin had more than thirty-one years of underground coal mine work and was found totally disabled by a respiratory impairment. The judge invoked the fifteen-year presumption and ruled that Eighty-Four Mining had not rebutted it. The employer challenged the rebuttal finding. The Board…
Boyd E. York v. Coastal Coal Company, LLC
York v. Coastal Coal (BRB 20-0226 BLA): modification denial affirmed
Boyd York sought modification of an earlier denial after thirty-five years of underground coal mine work. The judge found that York still had not established total respiratory disability and therefore could not invoke the fifteen-year presumption. He also found no change in conditions or mistake of…
Lawrence L. Groves v. Arch on the Green, Incorporated
Groves v. Arch on the Green (BRB 20-0170 BLA): miner benefits affirmed
Lawrence Groves's black lung claim returned to a judge after an earlier federal court remand. The judge awarded benefits after reviewing disability and its connection to pneumoconiosis. Arch on the Green challenged procedural rulings and the judge's treatment of medical evidence. The Board rejected…
Ermine H. Hayes v. Cowin & Company, Incorporated
Hayes v. Cowin (BRB 20-0156 BLA): mine-work calculation returned for review
Ermine Hayes's widow continued his black lung claim after his death. The judge calculated 17.55 years of qualifying mine work and awarded benefits using the fifteen-year presumption. The Board held that the judge had applied a 125-day earnings calculation without first establishing the required…
Haynes v. Union Pacific Railroad Co.
Complaint dismissed after removal to district court
Brad Haynes appealed an ALJ's order canceling a formal hearing and dismissing his Federal Railroad Safety Act case against Union Pacific Railroad. While the Board appeal was pending, Haynes notified the Board that he had filed an original action in the U.S. District Court for the Western District…
E.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Walton, NY
Board rejects postal carrier's low back injury claim (ECAB 21-0014)
E.T., a postal rural carrier, reported low back pain after a vehicle door jammed while she was closing it on July 28, 2018. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred but denied the injury claim. The Board found that the medical reports did not adequately explain how the incident caused her back…
R.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Vanderveer Station Post Office, Brooklyn, NY
Board upholds postal worker's third-party recovery overpayment (ECAB 20-0686)
R.M., a postal carrier with an accepted injury, recovered $1.1 million from a third party. After deductions and a refund to the government, part of that recovery had to be credited against future workers' compensation. OWCP nevertheless paid him $187,551.39 while a surplus remained. The Board…
A.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Binghamton Post Office, Binghamton, NY
Board declines to add knee conditions to postal carrier's claim (ECAB 20-0545)
A.M., a postal carrier, fell onto her knees while working in July 2018. OWCP accepted abrasions and contusions of both knees. She sought to add further knee diagnoses, including a left knee sprain and patellofemoral conditions. The Board found that the medical reports did not adequately explain how…
G.F. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Manhattan VA Medical Center, New York, NY
Board reverses termination of VA worker's carpal tunnel benefits (ECAB 20-0497)
G.F., a VA radiologic technician, had accepted bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome and received wage-loss and medical benefits. OWCP terminated those benefits effective June 12, 2019 based on a referral doctor's view that no residual condition remained. Her treating physicians reported continuing…
Maxim Crane Works
General-industry fall standard applied to crane disassembly at rental yard
Maxim Crane Works disassembled a crawler crane at its Pennsylvania maintenance yard so it could be transported to a customer's construction site. An employee working without fall protection on the lowered lattice boom fell about nine and a half feet when a boom section shifted, sustaining a…
Secretary of Labor v. American Sand Company, LLC
Unmarked penalty contest reopened
American Sand timely contested three of four penalties on an assessment, but MSHA's stamped copy showed the fourth contest box was unmarked. The company later sent a letter explaining why it challenged that penalty and filed a reopening motion within 30 days after receiving a delinquency notice…
L.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Merrifield, VA
Board rejects postal carrier's claimed December 2018 injury (ECAB 21-0109)
L.M., a postal carrier, claimed a wrist injury from loading extra mail and parcels on December 3, 2018. The Board found that she had not identified which wrist was injured or described the specific mechanism of injury, and she did not answer OWCP's request for details about her work and a prior…
R.G. and U.S. Postal Service, South Florida Logistics & Distribution Center, Opa-Locka, FL
Board upholds refusal to reopen postal worker's back claim (ECAB 21-0098)
R.G., a postal mail handler with an accepted back injury, sought to reopen a decision terminating wage-loss and medical benefits. The Board found that OWCP had given notice of its proposed termination and allowed 30 days for a response, contrary to R.G.'s argument. His Social Security disability…
A.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing & Distribution Center, Philadelphia, PA
Board upholds postal worker's injury and hearing denials (ECAB 20-1319)
A.G., a postal mail handler, reported neck pain after pushing a container at work in January 2020. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred but denied the injury claim. The Board found that the medical reports lacked a firm, reasoned opinion linking a diagnosed condition to the incident. A.G…
A.C., Jr. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Fair Lawn, NJ
Board orders further review of postal carrier's shoulder claim (ECAB 20-1127)
A.C., a postal carrier, fell on stairs while working in July 2016 and later sought compensation for right shoulder conditions. His orthopedic surgeon explained how the force of breaking the fall could have torn or aggravated shoulder structures. The Board found that report insufficient to establish…
PMI International Stone Importers
Stone-slab fall-shadow hazard violated general duty clause
PMI International Stone Importers received bundles of stone slabs weighing about 7,000 pounds in shipping containers at its New Jersey warehouse. Employees routinely entered the containers and guided unsecured bundles while standing in the area where a bundle could fall. During one unloading…
Secretary of Labor obo Alvaro Saldivar vs. Grimes Rock, Inc.
Secretary of Labor obo Alvaro Saldivar v. Grimes Rock, Inc. (FMSHRC WEST 2021-0178 DM): Immediate reinstatement ordered
Alvaro Saldivar alleged that Grimes Rock fired him one day after his latest safety complaint about mine equipment and after repeated requests for task-specific training. Grimes Rock relied on disciplinary write-ups but did not call witnesses to establish its asserted reason for the termination, and…
Delondo Bellamy v. SSA Terminals, LLC
Bellamy v. SSA Terminals (BRB 21-0212): appeal withdrawn for modification
Delondo Bellamy told the Board he intended to seek modification of an administrative law judge's amended decision and withdrew his appeal. The Board dismissed the appeal without prejudice. It said he could request reinstatement within thirty days after the district director filed the modification…
Dalibor Stojkovski v. Fluor Conops, Limited
Stojkovski v. Fluor Conops (BRB 21-0193): discovery appeal dismissed
Dalibor Stojkovski sought records about attacks at Bagram Airfield for a Defense Base Act psychological injury claim. The judge denied his motion to compel sensitive records and his request for reassignment. Stojkovski appealed those interim rulings. The Board held that the discovery issues could…
Martin Almeida v. Electric Boat Corporation
Almeida v. Electric Boat (BRB 21-0078): total disability benefits affirmed
Martin Almeida injured his back while working for Electric Boat and could not return to his usual job. An administrative law judge awarded temporary and then permanent total disability benefits. Electric Boat argued that other suitable jobs were available. The Board upheld the judge's finding that…
Alexis Mack v. Logistec Corporation
Mack v. Logistec (BRB 20-0414): attorney fee entitlement recognized
Alexis Mack's employer increased her disability payment rate after an informal conference but disputed interest on earlier underpayments. Her lawyer obtained interest, then requested a fee for work before the district director. The district director denied the fee. The Board held that the lawyer's…
Willard J. Laster v. Centennial Resources Incorporated
Laster v. Centennial Resources (BRB 20-0325 BLA): miner benefits affirmed
Willard Laster sought benefits on a subsequent claim after twenty years of surface mine work, including at least fifteen years in conditions similar to an underground mine. The judge found total respiratory disability and applied the fifteen-year presumption. Centennial Resources challenged the…
Willie Causey v. Shamrock Coal Company Incorporated
Causey v. Shamrock Coal (BRB 20-0308 BLA): miner benefits affirmed
Willie Causey sought benefits on a subsequent claim after at least fifteen years of underground coal mine work. The judge found total respiratory disability and applied the fifteen-year presumption. Shamrock Coal challenged the finding that it failed to rebut the presumption. The Board upheld the…
Tenia Ratliff (on behalf of and widow of Charlie Ratliff) v. Bubba Coal Company, Incorporated
Ratliff v. Bubba Coal (BRB 20-0273 BLA, 20-0274 BLA): miner and survivor benefits affirmed
Tenia Ratliff sought modification of denied miner and survivor claims after Charlie Ratliff's death. The judge credited nearly twenty-one years of underground mine work, found total respiratory disability, and applied the fifteen-year presumption to the miner's claim. He found Bubba Coal had not…
Tenia Ratliff (on behalf of and widow of Charlie Ratliff) v. Bubba Coal Company, Incorporated
Ratliff v. Bubba Coal (BRB 20-0273 BLA, 20-0274 BLA): miner and survivor benefits affirmed
Tenia Ratliff sought modification of denied miner and survivor claims after Charlie Ratliff's death. The judge credited nearly twenty-one years of underground mine work, found total respiratory disability, and applied the fifteen-year presumption to the miner's claim. He found Bubba Coal had not…
Marlene Westbrook v. F. Rodgers Insulation, Western MacArthur Company, et al.
Westbrook v. F. Rodgers Insulation (BRB 20-0004): agreed attorney fee restored
Marlene Westbrook pursued Longshore Act death benefits after her husband's death, represented by Brayton Purcell. The parties agreed on an attorney fee, but an administrative law judge reduced it by half because of concerns about counsel's work on a separate wrongful death case. A Board majority…
A.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Cleveland, OH
Board dismisses postal worker's late appeal (ECAB 21-0685)
A.C. appealed an April 10, 2020 OWCP decision on March 26, 2021. The Board calculated the 180-day appeal deadline as October 7, 2020. A.C. filed after that deadline and did not provide documentation establishing compelling circumstances for the delay. The Board dismissed the appeal for lack of…
M.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Watford City, ND
Board dismisses late appeal of postal worker's compensation decision (ECAB 21-0681)
M.S. appealed an OWCP decision from October 2018. The Board calculated the 180-day appeal deadline as April 16, 2019. Its order gives two different dates in 2021 for the filing of the appeal, but both fall after that deadline. The Board found no documented compelling reason for the delay and…
P.G. and Department of Homeland Security, Customs & Border Protection, Sterling, VA
Board dismisses late appeal of customs worker's compensation decision (ECAB 21-0659)
P.G. appealed an August 9, 2019 OWCP decision on March 25, 2021. The Board's filing rule allowed 180 days to appeal. It calculated the deadline as February 5, 2020 and found that P.G. had filed more than a year after that deadline. P.G. did not provide documentation establishing compelling…
R.I. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Madison, WI
Board upholds denial of postal worker's hip strain claim (ECAB 21-0033)
R.I., a rural postal delivery specialist, said repetitive lifting of parcels at work caused pain in his left groin and hip. His physician diagnosed a left hip strain and stated that it was work related. The Board found that the physician did not describe a mechanism of injury or explain how R.I.'s…
L.W. and Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Office, Philadelphia, PA
Board upholds denial of census taker's injury claim (ECAB 20-1438)
L.W., a census taker, reported that she injured her foot and knee when she stepped into a hole while working. Her reports gave different dates for the fall, and the time cards did not place her at work at the reported times on several of those dates. Medical records also gave conflicting injury…
A.H. and U.S. Postal Service, St. Petersburg Main Post Office, St. Petersburg, FL
Board returns postal carrier's schedule award claim for merit review (ECAB 20-1115)
A.H., a postal carrier, requested an increased schedule award for permanent impairment of both legs. OWCP denied his request to reopen the award claim for a review on the merits. The Board found that OWCP had not addressed his argument that ratings for impairment involving more than one spinal…
E.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Ozone Park Annex, Jamaica, NY
Board returns postal carrier's recurrence claim for review of combined records (ECAB 20-0745)
E.D., a postal carrier with an accepted left wrist injury, claimed a recurrence of disability beginning in December 2017. She also filed a separate claim concerning wrist symptoms that she attributed in part to compensating for her left wrist condition. OWCP denied the recurrence claim before the…
A.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Hasbrouck Heights, NJ
Board upholds denial of postal carrier's wage-loss claim (ECAB 20-0583)
A.R., a postal carrier, sought wage-loss compensation for February 14, 2014 through January 4, 2017 following an accepted 2007 back injury. His physician described lasting limitations after back surgery and said he could not return to his carrier job. The Board found that the physician did not…
J.H. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Iron Mountain, MI
Board upholds VA worker's life insurance premium overpayment (ECAB 20-0281)
J.H., a VA respiratory therapist receiving wage-loss compensation, had life insurance premiums deducted from his payments. OWCP found that it had underwithheld premiums by $3,359.33 over the period February 2011 through January 2019. The Board upheld the overpayment calculation. J.H. had not…
Independent Union of Pension Employees for Democracy and Justice and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
IUPEDJ and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (FLRA 0-AR-5634): Authority splits performance-awards ruling
During negotiations for a new agreement, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation ended a special-achievement-awards program contained in the expired agreement. The Union argued that a continuance clause kept the provision in force and that ending it was an unlawful repudiation. An arbitrator…
United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Albuquerque Service Center, Human Resources Management and National Federation of Federal Employees, IAMAW, Region 1
Forest Service Albuquerque HR and NFFE Region 1 (FLRA WA-RP-20-0022): Authority excludes personnel employees from unit
The Forest Service asked the FLRA to clarify whether several categories of Albuquerque human-resources employees belonged in an NFFE bargaining unit. After an extensive investigation, the regional director found that the employees performed personnel work beyond a purely clerical role and that four…
Beverly Hale v. Nautical Engineering, et al.
Hale v. Nautical Engineering (BRB 21-0313): appeal withdrawn for modification
Beverly Hale appealed a denial of Longshore Act benefits after an earlier remand. She then filed a motion for modification with the administrative law judge and asked the Board to dismiss her appeal. The Board dismissed it without prejudice and returned the case for modification. It said Hale could…
J.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Bartow Post Office, Bartow, FL
Board dismisses appeal of postal worker's claim acceptance notice (ECAB 21-0714)
J.C. appealed a January 17, 2020 letter from OWCP. The letter told her that OWCP had accepted her claim for a right hip sprain. The Board can review final adverse OWCP decisions, and the acceptance letter was not such a decision. It dismissed the appeal for lack of jurisdiction without addressing…
J.N. and Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration, New York, NY
Board returns DEA agent's injury claim for review of overlooked report (ECAB 21-0086)
J.N., a DEA agent, claimed neck and back conditions after a 2019 incident at work. OWCP denied the claim after combining records from his earlier injury cases, as a prior Board order had directed. The Board found that OWCP's new decision did not address a medical report in one of the combined…
R.R. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Fort Myers, FL
Board reverses termination of TSA officer's wage-loss benefits (ECAB 20-1653)
R.R., a TSA officer with an accepted left knee injury, received wage-loss benefits on the periodic rolls after her employer had no job within her restrictions. OWCP later reduced her compensation based on wages attributed to a constructed position. OWCP ended her benefits based on a treating…
J.K. and Department of the Navy, Navy Installations Command, Portsmouth, VA
Board returns Navy worker's surgery request for clearer medical opinion (ECAB 20-1313)
J.K., a Navy substance abuse counselor with accepted right-side sciatica, requested authorization for lumbar decompression and fusion surgery. OWCP denied the request after obtaining an impartial medical examination. The Board found that the examiner's opinion was speculative and did not address…
B.C. and Department of the Navy, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility, Bremerton, WA
Board upholds Navy worker's insurance premium overpayment (ECAB 20-0542)
B.C., a Navy shipyard dispatcher receiving wage-loss compensation, had elected health and basic life insurance. OWCP failed to deduct the premiums from her payments. The Board upheld its calculation of a $2,385.48 overpayment and agreed that B.C. was without fault. She provided an outline of…
R.E. and Department of Veterans Affairs, James Haley Veterans Medical Center, Tampa, FL
Board returns VA nurse's disability claim for review of light-duty assignment (ECAB 20-0421)
R.E., a VA nurse with an accepted back injury, sought wage-loss compensation after stopping a modified-duty assignment. He said the job required him to stand and walk for eight hours although his medical restrictions called for the ability to change position. OWCP denied compensation for the…
L.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, McLean, VA
Board reverses termination of postal worker's injury benefits (ECAB 20-0393)
L.R., a postal carrier, had an accepted left ankle sprain and asked OWCP to recognize Achilles tendinitis as part of the injury. OWCP declined to expand the claim and ended her wage-loss compensation and medical benefits. The Board found that OWCP's second-opinion physician had not addressed…
C.S. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Bakersfield, CA
Board upholds denial of TSA officer's disability claim (ECAB 20-0368)
C.S., a TSA officer, had an accepted temporary aggravation of left knee osteoarthritis and underwent an authorized knee replacement. She sought total disability compensation for a period after she retired. The Board found that her treating physicians had not adequately explained how the accepted…
P.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Milwaukee, WI
Board upholds postal worker's right arm schedule award (ECAB 20-0040)
P.T., a postal worker with an accepted right shoulder injury, sought a larger schedule award. OWCP found 23 percent permanent impairment of her right arm, including the seven percent for which she had previously received compensation. The Board accepted the medical adviser's use of the higher…
Secretary of Labor v. James Irvin, Agent of Rhino Eastern, LLC, Eagle 3 Mine
Secretary of Labor v. James Irvin, Agent of Rhino Eastern, LLC (FMSHRC WEVA 2017-0561): Mistakenly ignored default reopened
James Irvin did not answer a civil-penalty petition, and a show-cause order became a default order. He explained that MSHA had sent a letter saying all charges were dropped, so he believed later correspondence was an oversight and the matter had settled. The Secretary did not oppose reopening but…
Secretary of Labor v. Southwest Energy, LLC
Misdirected penalty contest reopened
Southwest Energy said it attempted to contest a proposed penalty but mailed the form to a St. Louis post office box instead of MSHA's Civil Penalty Compliance Office in Arlington. Southwest said it tried to resend the contest after discovering the addressing mistake but encountered pandemic-related…
Secretary of Labor v. Arnold Hoskins
Reopening motion denied as moot
Arnold Hoskins asked the Commission to reopen a $4,800 penalty matter after MSHA sent him a delinquency notice. The Chief Administrative Law Judge had previously ordered the Secretary to file a penalty petition and explain the delay. When the Secretary did not comply, the case was dismissed on…
L.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Seattle Processing & Distribution Center, Seattle, WA
Board denies wage loss for postal worker offered modified duty (ECAB 20-0888)
L.M., a postal maintenance technician, sought wage-loss compensation after shoulder surgery for an accepted work injury. His physician permitted modified duty without using his right arm. The Postal Service offered an eight-hour customer assistance assignment using his left arm, but L.M. declined…
M.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Elmira Post Office, Elmira, NY
Board orders impartial examination for postal carrier's ankle award claim (ECAB 20-0552)
M.B., a postal carrier, sought a schedule award for permanent left leg impairment after an accepted ankle injury. One physician rated her impairment at 17 percent, while an OWCP referral physician found no permanent impairment. The Board found a conflict between their medical opinions. It set aside…
M.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Clifton Park, NY
Board upholds refusal to reopen postal carrier's claim (ECAB 20-0166)
M.S., a postal carrier, sought to reopen a claim after OWCP terminated benefits for injuries from a work vehicle collision. He argued that a second-opinion physician's 2007 and 2017 reports conflicted and submitted a disability retirement determination from another agency. The Board found that his…
M.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, San Francisco, CA
Board upholds postal worker's retirement benefit overpayment (ECAB 20-0068)
M.S., a postal worker, received FECA wage-loss payments while also receiving Social Security retirement benefits based partly on her federal service. The required offset was not applied for several years, creating a $112,567.28 overpayment for which she was not at fault. OWCP compromised recovery…
S.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Stanhope, NJ
S.S. (ECAB 19-1516): Injury benefit termination affirmed in part and reversed in part
A postal worker received compensation after a work-related vehicle accident. The Board’s analysis found that OWCP could terminate benefits for cervical, thoracic, and lumbar sprains and cervical radiculopathy because the medical evidence showed those conditions had resolved. It found that the…
Mitchell v. National Railroad Passenger Corp. (AMTRAK)
Complaint dismissed after removal to district court
Robert Mitchell appealed an ALJ's dismissal of his Federal Railroad Safety Act case against Amtrak. Three days after the ALJ decision, Mitchell filed an original action in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania under 49 U.S.C. § 20109(d)(3). He later notified the…
R.I. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Madison, WI
Board upholds denial of postal worker's shoulder claim (ECAB 21-0039)
R.I., a rural postal delivery specialist, said he strained his left shoulder when he fell while delivering a parcel. OWCP accepted that the December 18, 2019 fall occurred at work but denied the injury claim. His physician diagnosed a shoulder strain and stated that it was work related. The Board…
R.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Towne West Post Office, Mobile, AL
Board upholds refusal to reopen postal carrier's neck claim (ECAB 21-0035)
R.B., a postal carrier, asked OWCP to reconsider its denial of a claim involving cervical radiculopathy and myelopathy. She argued that an earlier physician's letter supported her claim and that she had promptly reported the injury. The Board found that timely reporting was not in dispute and that…
V.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Miami, FL
Board upholds refusal to reopen postal carrier's disability claim (ECAB 20-1468)
V.A., a postal carrier, sought reconsideration of a denied claim for disability from January 15 through May 7, 2011 following an accepted vehicle accident injury. She argued that earlier medical reports and the withdrawal of her light-duty work established the claim. The Board found that OWCP had…
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.