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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R.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Coppell, TX
Board reverses postal worker's retirement benefit overpayment (ECAB 20-1333)
R.L., a postal worker receiving FECA compensation, was also receiving Social Security retirement benefits. OWCP found a $52,595.95 overpayment by using a calculation for workers enrolled in the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). The record instead indicated that R.L. was covered by the…
R.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Indianapolis, IN
Board upholds refusal to reopen postal worker's knee claim (ECAB 20-0336)
R.C., a postal mail handler with accepted back conditions, sought to reopen a denied claim for a left knee condition he attributed to a fall caused by those conditions. He submitted two reconsideration requests in 2019. The Board found that his statements largely repeated earlier arguments or…
R.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Eustis Post Office, Eustis, FL
Board upholds postal carrier's shoulder impairment awards (ECAB 20-0274)
R.C., a rural postal carrier, sought a larger schedule award for accepted neck and shoulder conditions. He had already received compensation for 18 percent permanent impairment of his right arm and two percent of his left arm. The Board accepted the impairment assessment from a second-opinion…
D.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Northwestern Station Post Office, Detroit, MI
Board returns postal carrier's wage-loss claim for review of job offers (ECAB 20-0107)
D.L., a postal carrier with an accepted back injury, sought wage-loss compensation for July 20 through August 26, 2019. Her physician allowed five hours of work per day, but the written job offer in the record provided only two hours. OWCP treated five hours of light-duty work as available when…
Kossen v. Empire Airlines
Interlocutory recusal appeal denied
Darren Kossen asked the Administrative Review Board to review an ALJ's denial of reconsideration in his AIR21 case against Empire Airlines. The Board treated his filing as a request for interlocutory review of the ALJ's refusal to recuse. Kossen alleged bias because the judge had ruled against him…
G.E. and U.S. Postal Service, South Suburban Illinois Processing & Distribution Center, Bedford Park, IL
Board dismisses postal worker's appeal filed two days late (ECAB 21-0632)
G.E. appealed a September 8, 2020 OWCP decision on March 10, 2021. The 180th day after the decision fell on Sunday, March 7, so the Board applied its weekend rule and set the filing deadline at Monday, March 8. G.E. filed two days after that deadline. The Board found no documented compelling reason…
A.J. and Department of the Army, Civilian Personnel Advisory Center, Fort Shafter, HI
Board dismisses late appeal of Army worker's compensation decision (ECAB 21-0616)
A.J. appealed a May 20, 2020 OWCP decision on February 22, 2021. The Board calculated the 180-day appeal deadline as November 16, 2020. A.J. filed after that deadline and supplied no documentation showing compelling circumstances for the delay. The Board dismissed the appeal for lack of…
R.K. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Novato, CA
Board grants postal worker's request to dismiss appeal (ECAB 21-0417)
R.K. appealed a November 16, 2020 OWCP decision on January 28, 2021. In a letter dated February 24 and received by the Board on March 15, he asked to dismiss the appeal. The Board granted his request and dismissed the docket. Its order gives no ruling on the merits of the underlying OWCP decision.
D.W. and Department of the Navy, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, VA
Board dismisses late appeal of Navy shipyard worker's decision (ECAB 21-0337)
D.W. appealed an OWCP decision dated March 28, 2017. The Board calculated the 180-day deadline as September 24, 2017, but D.W. filed on January 12, 2021. The appeal form referred to a purported December 2020 decision, but the case record contained no decision from that date. The Board found no…
A.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Auburn Park Post Office, Chicago, IL
Board dismisses late appeal of postal worker's schedule award (ECAB 21-0132)
A.D. received an April 23, 2020 OWCP schedule award for seven percent permanent impairment of her left arm. She appealed on November 2, 2020. The Board calculated the 180-day filing deadline as October 20, 2020. Because she filed after that date and supplied no documentation establishing compelling…
R.L. and Department of the Navy, Space & Naval Warfare Systems Command, North Charleston, SC
Board upholds denial of late request to reopen Navy worker's claim (ECAB 21-0090)
R.L., a Navy administrative specialist, sought to reopen a denied claim for an emotional condition she attributed to workplace events. OWCP received her reconsideration request more than one year after the last merit ruling. The Board found that her reused statement and allegations about management…
G.R. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Benefits Administration Regional Office, Los Angeles, CA
Board upholds VA counselor's wage-loss overpayment (ECAB 21-0062)
G.R., a VA vocational rehabilitation counselor, received FECA wage-loss compensation and Social Security retirement benefits for part of 2017. OWCP did not apply the required offset for retirement benefits attributable to his federal service, resulting in a $6,541.64 overpayment for which he was…
M.B. and Department of the Army, Office of the Program Manager, Saudi Arabian National Guard, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Board upholds denial of Army worker's disability claim (ECAB 21-0012)
M.B., an Army IT specialist, had an accepted work-related exacerbation of depression and anxiety. She sought total disability compensation beginning February 9, 2013. A psychiatrist stated that her conditions and work stress caused total disability, but the Board found that the report did not…
D.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Coppell, TX
Board returns postal worker's retirement overpayment case (ECAB 20-1657)
D.D., a postal worker, challenged an overpayment finding based on an offset between FECA compensation and Social Security retirement benefits. OWCP had used a calculation intended for workers enrolled in the Federal Employees Retirement System. The Board found that the record did not establish…
M.A. and Department of the Army, TACOM Fleet Management Expansion, Fort Leonard Wood, MO
Board returns Army worker's hearing loss claim for earlier test records (ECAB 20-1590)
M.A., an Army tool and parts attendant, claimed hearing loss from noise at work. Her employer's hearing conservation records supplied to OWCP began in 2012. A physician said he needed earlier hearing tests to assess whether the loss was related to her work exposure. The Board held that OWCP should…
J.B. and U.S. Postal Service Inspection Service, New York, NY
Board upholds postal inspector's knee impairment awards (ECAB 20-1380)
J.B., a postal inspector with accepted knee injuries, sought a larger schedule award for permanent impairment of both legs. A second-opinion examiner assessed four percent right leg impairment and one percent left leg impairment under the applicable rating guide. OWCP's medical adviser agreed with…
United States Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, El Paso Sector, El Paso Texas and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1929, National Border Patrol Council
Border Patrol El Paso Sector and AFGE Local 1929 (FLRA 0-AR-5498): Authority narrows retaliation award
A Border Patrol agent who served as a union representative challenged delayed night-differential pay, a counseling memorandum, denied official time, and restrictions on her questions during shift meetings. An arbitrator found that the El Paso Sector had retaliated against her union activity in…
Secretary of Labor obo Timothy Barnes v. Warrior Met Coal Company, LLC
Longwall operator temporarily reinstated
Timothy Barnes raised safety concerns about a missing fire extinguisher, worn shearer bits, elevated methane, and thick gob while operating a longwall at Warrior Met Coal's No. 7 Mine. Management later suspended him for stopping production, reduced the discipline to a two-week suspension and…
Secretary of Labor obo Brandon Hall v. Warrior Met Coal Company, LLC
Longwall operator temporarily reinstated
Brandon Hall raised safety concerns about a missing fire extinguisher, worn shearer bits, elevated methane, and thick gob while operating a longwall at Warrior Met Coal's No. 7 Mine. Management later suspended him for stopping production, reduced the discipline to a two-week suspension and…
Marusak v. Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF)
Interlocutory appeal dismissed
Chad Marusak sought Board review of an interlocutory issue in his Federal Railroad Safety Act case against BNSF and Sema Construction. The Board ordered him to explain why it should hear the appeal before a final ALJ decision and warned that failure to respond could lead to dismissal. Marusak filed…
A.N. and National Aeronautics & Space Administration, Washington, DC
Board upholds refusal to reopen NASA worker's compensation dispute (ECAB 20-1450)
A.N., a NASA education outreach specialist, had received compensation for accepted depression. A later dispute involved suspension of benefits after he did not return a required financial disclosure form. He requested reconsideration, arguing that he had supplied the information and that OWCP had…
B.K. and U.S. Postal Service, Los Angeles International Airport/Wagner Station Post Office, Los Angeles, CA
Board returns postal carrier's back claim for medical development (ECAB 20-1270)
B.K., a postal carrier, claimed that repetitive bending and lifting at work caused or worsened a lumbar condition. OWCP denied the claim. The Board found that a physician's report explained a possible mechanism connecting his repeated work activities to aggravation of preexisting spinal disease…
C.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing & Distribution Center, Tampa, FL
Board returns postal worker's surgery request for a hearing (ECAB 20-0784)
C.G., a postal processing clerk with an accepted neck injury, requested authorization for cervical spine surgery. OWCP denied the request, and she timely asked for a hearing on that denial. Before the hearing was scheduled, OWCP issued another denial of the surgery request. The Board held that OWCP…
E.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Morrisania Station, Bronx, NY
Board upholds postal carrier's forfeiture of wage-loss benefits (ECAB 20-0376)
E.J., a postal carrier receiving wage-loss compensation, repeatedly reported no outside work on forms that required him to disclose employment and earnings. An investigation and supporting records showed outside earnings during the covered period that he had not reported. The Board held that the…
American Federation of Government Employees, Council 170 and United States Department of Defense, Defense Contract Management Agency
AFGE Council 170 and Defense Contract Management Agency (FLRA 0-NG-3475): Authority orders bargaining on anti-harassment proposals
AFGE Council 170 proposed rules for investigations under the Defense Contract Management Agency's anti-harassment manual. The proposals would assign investigations to a specified directorate, provide complainants and their representatives the unredacted investigative record, and let the Union…
E.T. and Department of the Air Force, McConnell Air Force Base, KS
Board returns Air Force worker's walk-in tub request for full record review (ECAB 20-1302)
E.T., a former Air Force warehouse worker with accepted back conditions, requested a walk-in tub. OWCP denied authorization after referring to two letters from one physician. The Board found that the record also contained other prescriptions and medical reports relevant to the request that OWCP had…
D.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Mid-Island Processing & Distribution Center, Melville, NY
Board returns postal worker's overpayment case for recalculation (ECAB 20-0964)
D.B., a postal worker, received Social Security retirement benefits during periods when he also received FECA payments. The Board agreed that a prohibited overlap with wage-loss compensation created an overpayment. OWCP's $11,117.91 calculation also included a period when D.B. received no FECA…
B.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Thousand Palms, CA
Board upholds denial of mail carrier's wage-loss claim (ECAB 20-0826)
B.M., a mail carrier, had an accepted low back strain after lifting parcels at work. He sought wage-loss compensation for a period when he remained off work. One physician advised him to stay off work but did not explain how the accepted strain prevented work during the claimed dates. Later reports…
United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Medical Center, Kansas City, Missouri (Agency) and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 906 (Union)
Kansas City VA Medical Center and AFGE Local 906 (FLRA 0-AR-5512): Joint-meeting arbitration award vacated
The Kansas City VA Medical Center stopped holding joint labor-management meetings after an executive order rescinded the federal forum program. An arbitrator found that the hospital violated its master agreement and a local memorandum of understanding by stopping the meetings. The Authority vacated…
Secretary of Labor v. Sikes Concrete, Inc.
Unopposed assessment reopening granted
Sikes Concrete asked the Commission to reopen a penalty assessment that had become a final order. The Secretary did not oppose the motion. The order does not describe the facts that caused the missed contest or explain the basis for relief. The Commission reopened the matter and remanded it to the…
P.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Houston, TX
Board grants postal worker's request to dismiss appeal (ECAB 21-0532)
P.W. appealed a November 4, 2020 OWCP decision on February 22, 2021. In a letter dated April 5 and received by the Board on April 8, P.W. asked to dismiss the appeal. The Board granted the request and dismissed the docket. The order does not explain the reason for the request or decide any issue in…
T.D. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Coast Guard, Washington, DC
Board grants Coast Guard worker's request to dismiss appeal (ECAB 21-0476)
T.D., through counsel, appealed a January 11, 2021 OWCP decision on February 8, 2021. Counsel later sent a letter dated and received March 19 asking the Board to dismiss the appeal. The Board granted the request and dismissed the docket. Its order gives no reason for the request and makes no ruling…
E.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Frisco, TX
Board grants postal worker's request to dismiss appeal (ECAB 21-0437)
E.M., through counsel, appealed a January 20, 2021 OWCP decision on February 1, 2021. Counsel later sent a letter dated and received March 22 asking the Board to dismiss the appeal. The Board granted the request and dismissed the docket. Its order does not address the merits of the January OWCP…
G.S. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Medical Center, Martinsburg, WV
Board upholds denial of VA worker's knee schedule award (ECAB 21-0023)
G.S., a VA nursing assistant, had an accepted right knee sprain after slipping in snow at work. She requested a schedule award based on a physician's impairment rating for right knee arthritis and limited motion. The Board noted that OWCP had accepted the sprain, but had not accepted arthritis or a…
R.P. and Department of Defense, Defense Commissary Agency, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Honolulu, HI
Board upholds commissary worker's hearing loss award (ECAB 20-1217)
R.P., a commissary meat cutter, sought a larger schedule award for workplace noise-related hearing loss. The medical adviser calculated two percent ratable hearing loss in the left ear, zero percent in the right ear, and no ratable hearing loss across both ears after rounding. The Board agreed that…
B.E. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Lexington, KY
Board returns postal carrier's earning capacity claim for review of medical records (ECAB 20-1100)
B.E., a postal carrier with accepted cervical conditions, challenged OWCP's determination that she could earn wages as a receptionist. She submitted medical reports and a cervical MRI scan in support of a request to change that determination. OWCP again refused modification, but its decision…
M.N. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Benefits Administration, Washington, DC
Board returns VA manager's emotional condition claim for explained findings (ECAB 20-0531)
M.N., a VA workers' compensation manager, claimed that workplace actions caused or worsened depression, anxiety, and other emotional conditions. OWCP denied the claim without adequately explaining which alleged events it found occurred or whether they were compensable employment factors. The Board…
United States Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Del Rio, Texas and National Treasury Employees Union, Chapter 178
CBP Del Rio and NTEU Chapter 178 (FLRA 0-AR-5631): Authority upholds work-unit award and remands fees
Customs and Border Protection assigned cargo-unit employees at its Del Rio facilities to perform regular passenger-processing duties during an early shift. An arbitrator found that the annual staffing announcement violated a contract provision barring catch-all descriptions that assign employees…
Windfall Oil & Gas, Inc.
In re Windfall Oil & Gas, Inc. (EAB UIC Appeal No. 21-01): Reissued injection-well permit review denied
Darlene Marshall challenged EPA Region 3's reissued Underground Injection Control permit for Windfall Oil & Gas's Zelman #1 Class II injection well in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania. The petition raised concerns about the Area of Review, nearby wells, migration of injection fluid, seismic…
R.C. and Department of the Air Force, Hill Air Force Base, Clearfield, UT
Board orders reasoned review of Air Force worker's hearing-loss request (ECAB 20-1671)
R.C., an Air Force worker, had an accepted work-related hearing-loss claim and received schedule awards. He asked OWCP to reconsider the latest award, raising increased hearing loss, tinnitus, and inability to work. OWCP denied reconsideration without addressing his lawyer's arguments. The Board…
T.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Cynthiana, KY
Board denies postal carrier's wage-loss claim after arm fracture (ECAB 20-1669)
T.W., a rural postal carrier, fractured her right upper arm in a fall while delivering mail. OWCP accepted the fracture, but denied compensation for a later claimed period of inability to work. The Board found that the medical records documented the fracture and treatment without adequately…
E.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Cleveland, OH
Board upholds refusal to reopen postal worker's assault claim (ECAB 20-1651)
E.T., a postal carrier, reported that he was assaulted while delivering mail and suffered facial and back injuries. OWCP denied his original claim and later refused to reconsider it. The Board found that his August 2020 reconsideration request came more than one year after the March 2018 merits…
M.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Rincon Station Post Office, Tucson, AZ
Board orders new waiver decision for postal carrier's overpayment (ECAB 20-0676)
M.S., a postal carrier with accepted right hand conditions, refused a job offer that the Board found suitable under her medical restrictions. The Board upheld OWCP's termination of her wage-loss and schedule-award benefits effective October 3, 2019. It also upheld a $1,028.45 overpayment for…
S.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Lyndhurst, NJ
Board rejects postal carrier's low back injury claim (ECAB 20-0492)
S.C., a postal carrier assistant, fell while descending stairs after a mail delivery in November 2018. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred but denied the claim because the medical evidence did not establish a related low back condition. The Board found that the physician reports did not…
S.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Belmar, NJ
Board denies postal carrier's claim expansion and disability periods (ECAB 20-0327)
S.C., a postal carrier, fell on stairs while working in June 2016. OWCP accepted a contusion of her lower back and pelvis. She sought to add other back and hip conditions and claimed total disability for periods starting February 4 and May 27, 2017. The Board found that her medical reports did not…
W.S. and Department of Housing & Urban Development, Washington, DC
Board declines to add conditions to HUD worker's injury claim (ECAB 20-0072)
W.S., a HUD program analyst, was injured in a work-related vehicle collision in 2007. OWCP accepted several sprains and contusions and later added knee conditions. Years later, her physicians reported further neck and back diagnoses, but did not explain how those conditions were caused by the…
S.P. and Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, St. Louis, MO
Board denies renewed treatment for USDA worker's hand conditions (ECAB 19-0573)
S.P., a USDA processor, had an accepted claim for tenosynovitis of both hands and wrists from repetitive computer work. She sought treatment again beginning February 5, 2018, describing pain and fatigue in her arms. The Board found that the physician reports did not explain how her need for…
B.A. and Department of the Air Force, Kirtland Air Force Base, NM
Board upholds suspension of Air Force worker's wage-loss benefits (ECAB 20-1625)
B.A., a former Air Force crane operator with accepted elbow conditions, received wage-loss compensation. OWCP mailed him a CA-1032 form asking for information about work and other matters, with a warning that benefits would be suspended if he did not return it within 30 days. The record showed no…
K.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, East Stroudsburg, PA
Board rejects postal carrier's back and knee injury claim (ECAB 20-1325)
K.C., a postal carrier, was in a rear-end vehicle collision while working in April 2019. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred but denied her claim for back and right knee conditions. The Board found that an emergency physician diagnosed pain without an underlying condition or causation opinion…
R.M. and Department of the Navy, Naval Sea Systems Command, Philadelphia, PA
Board orders impartial examination for Navy worker's leg impairment (ECAB 20-0725)
R.M., a Navy computer engineer, sought a schedule award for permanent impairment after an accepted fall from a ladder. His physician assessed nine percent impairment of the right leg, while OWCP's medical adviser found no lower-extremity impairment. The Board found a medical conflict that required…
K.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Riverdale, GA
Board denies postal worker's recurrence of disability claim (ECAB 20-0438)
K.J., a former postal carrier, had accepted work-related depression and anxiety and later returned to work for a private employer. She claimed a recurrence of disability beginning November 5, 2015. The Board found that her psychologist's report did not explain how the accepted conditions caused…
National Labor Relations Board and National Labor Relations Board Union
NLRB and NLRB Union (FLRA 0-AR-5556): Authority narrows health-unit award
The National Labor Relations Board ended a contract that gave employees access to workplace health-service units, and an arbitrator found both a failure to bargain and a separate contract violation. The Authority held that the service itself was not a condition of employment because its elimination…
W.P. and Department of Justice, U.S. Attorneys Office, Newport News, VA
Board rejects federal prosecutor's late occupational disease claim (ECAB 21-0107)
W.P., a former assistant U.S. attorney, reported an inner ear condition that he attributed to work stress. He retired in November 2013 but did not file his compensation claim until July 2019, beyond the three-year period. The Board also found no evidence that a supervisor knew within 30 days that…
P.C., claiming as widow of R.C., and Department of the Air Force, Montana Air National Guard, Great Falls, MT
Board reverses Air National Guard worker's retirement-offset overpayment (ECAB 20-1546)
P.C. appealed on behalf of her late husband, an Air National Guard worker who had received workers' compensation and Social Security retirement benefits. OWCP found a $15,287.31 overpayment based on an offset for federal retirement benefits. The personnel record identified his retirement plan as…
S.Q. and Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census, Irving, TX
Board upholds Census worker's injury and reconsideration denials (ECAB 20-1208)
S.Q., a Census Bureau partnership specialist, was in a vehicle collision while working in January 2020. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred but denied her injury claim because the medical evidence did not establish a firm related diagnosis. The Board agreed that reports of pain and a possible…
T.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Los Lunas, NM
Board orders combined review of postal carrier's back injury files (ECAB 21-0049)
T.T., a postal carrier, had accepted back injuries from a 2015 fall and a 2017 vehicle incident. She sought disability compensation for periods in 2017 and 2018, but OWCP denied the claim and later rejected reconsideration as untimely. The Board found that both injury files concerned her back and…
T.A. and Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit, MI
Board denies continuation of pay for Army worker's late COVID-19 filing (ECAB 21-0041)
T.A., an Army Corps of Engineers supply specialist, contracted COVID-19 after a reported workplace exposure. OWCP accepted the illness but denied continuation of pay for May 11 through July 28, 2020 because he filed his injury form in August. T.A. explained that a six-week hospitalization prevented…
S.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, San Francisco, CA
Board rejects postal carrier's right foot claim (ECAB 21-0038)
S.B., a postal carrier, said her right foot struck uneven pavement while delivering mail in January 2020. OWCP accepted the reported work incident but denied her foot claim. The Board found that emergency department forms, discharge instructions, and a physical therapy prescription did not identify…
M.N. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Maspeth, NY
Board orders further review of postal clerk's left hand claim (ECAB 20-1683)
M.N., a postal clerk, reported left hand symptoms while lifting and handling mail. Her physician diagnosed a hand sprain and finger tendinitis and explained how repetitive movements against the resistance of mail items could inflame the tendons. The Board found his opinion detailed enough to…
L.M. and Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA
Board rejects VA nurse's traumatic injury claim (ECAB 20-1592)
L.M., a VA nurse, filed a traumatic injury claim describing arm, neck, shoulder, and head symptoms. She did not describe a specific work event or how it caused those symptoms, and did not respond to OWCP's request for a detailed account. The Board found that the record did not establish that the…
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.