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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C.L. and Department of the Navy, Naval Surface Warfare Center Corona, San Diego, CA
Board orders merits review of Navy worker's emotional condition claim (ECAB 20-0163)
C.L., a Navy electronics engineer, claimed an emotional condition arising from alleged workplace harassment and retaliation. OWCP refused to reopen her claim after she requested reconsideration. The Board found that her representative had raised a relevant legal argument about how an administrative…
George Weis Company
Guardrail-strength citation vacated for insufficient proof
George Weis Company employees were installing soffits at a Missouri hotel construction project. An employee used a wire-rope guardrail midrail for support while standing up, fell through the midrail and top rail, and landed on an aerial lift below, suffering serious injuries. OSHA alleged that the…
E.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Stone Mountain Post Office, Stone Mountain, GA
Board returns postal carrier's cervical claim for further medical review (ECAB 19-1703)
E.P., a postal carrier with an accepted earlier neck injury and cervical fusion, claimed that later mail duties worsened the discs above the fused level. OWCP denied the occupational disease claim. His treating physician connected the newer cervical conditions to repetitive neck movement and…
C.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Palo Alto, CA
Board returns postal carrier's linked back and disability claims (ECAB 19-0902)
C.M., a postal carrier with an accepted 2007 back injury, sought compensation for renewed disability and for additional lumbar conditions she linked to her work. OWCP handled the two related claims in separate files and denied them. The Board found that the decisions did not review all medical…
J.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Newark, OH
Board upholds $44,476.90 overpayment but reverses fault finding (ECAB 19-0757)
J.B., a retired rural postal carrier, received FECA wage loss compensation and Social Security retirement benefits partly attributable to federal service during the same period. The Board upheld OWCP's calculation of a $44,476.90 overpayment. It reversed OWCP's finding that she was at fault…
Jones Brothers, Inc. v Secretary of Labor and Secretary of Labor v. Jones Brothers, Inc.
Jones Brothers, Inc. v. Secretary of Labor (FMSHRC SE 2016-0218 RM): Road-project excavation held to be a mine
Jones Brothers excavated limestone for a Tennessee highway repair project by drilling, blasting, breaking oversized rock, separating dirt, and selecting rock that met state size and drainage specifications. The company argued that the site was a borrow pit outside MSHA jurisdiction. After a new…
H.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, St. Louis, MO
Board sends late reconsideration request back for a reasoned decision (ECAB 20-1658)
H.H., a postal mail carrier, sought compensation for right carpal and cubital tunnel conditions that he attributed to repetitive work. OWCP denied the claim, and he later sought reconsideration with a surgeon's report. The Board agreed that his August 2020 request came more than one year after the…
E.F. and U.S. Postal Service, Clover Post Office, Clovis, CA
Board orders related claim files combined before a new decision (ECAB 20-1629)
E.F., a former letter carrier, claimed migraines and emotional conditions related to her postal workplace. OWCP denied the claim, finding the alleged work incidents were not established. The Board found that two earlier claims involved similar migraine and emotional conditions, but OWCP had not…
M.R. and Department of Veterans Affairs, North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System, Gainesville, FL
Board directs further medical development of back condition claim (ECAB 20-1553)
M.R., a VA health technician, claimed that moving heavy instrument carts contributed to her lower back condition. OWCP denied the claim because it found the evidence insufficient to connect the condition to her work. The Board found that two doctors gave reasoned opinions supporting a possible work…
N.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Curseen-Morris Processing & Distribution Center, Washington, DC
Board upholds denial of claim after fall on postal route (ECAB 20-1213)
N.B., a mail carrier, reported injuring his right ankle when he fell on porch steps during a delivery. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred but denied his claim because the medical evidence did not establish a diagnosed injury caused by it. The Board found that his doctor's return to work notes…
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2338 and United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Medical Center, Poplar Bluff, Missouri
AFGE Local 2338 and Poplar Bluff VA Medical Center (FLRA 0-AR-5528): Authority dismisses late reconsideration motion
AFGE Local 2338 filed a motion asking the Authority to reconsider an earlier arbitration decision two days after the regulatory deadline. The Union's attorney explained that he and his assistant had contracted COVID-19, were quarantined, and did not retrieve the mailed decision until after the…
Matter of Mavis Nyarko MENSAH
Prior marriage misrepresentation blocked adjustment
The Board reviewed a Ghanaian respondent's appeal after an Immigration Judge denied her application to adjust status to permanent residence. The Immigration Judge found that she had willfully misrepresented facts about living with her first husband during a USCIS interview to remove the conditional…
C.P. and Department of the Army, Military Entrance Processing Station, Dallas, TX
Board upholds denial of continuation of pay after late written notice (ECAB 20-1642)
C.P., an Army human resources technician, reported falling at work after a coworker stepped back into her. She sought continuation of pay for lost time after the February 27, 2019 incident. The Board found that she submitted written notice on April 3, more than 30 days after the injury. Technical…
D.R. and Department of Homeland Security, Customs & Border Patrol, Conroe, TX
Board upholds denial of hearing loss schedule award (ECAB 20-1570)
D.R., a federal air interdiction agent, developed accepted hearing loss after exposure to aircraft and firearms noise. OWCP denied a schedule award because the measured loss in each ear was zero percent under its rating method. The Board agreed that his hearing loss was not severe enough to yield a…
S.C. and Federal Judiciary, U.S. Probation & Pretrial Services Office, Roanoke, VA
Board requires reasons for denial of late reconsideration request (ECAB 20-1537)
S.C. asked OWCP to reconsider an earlier claim decision and submitted additional medical evidence. The Board agreed that her December 2, 2019 request came more than one year after OWCP's November 28, 2018 merit decision. OWCP listed the new records but gave no analysis explaining why they did not…
B.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Richmond, VA
Board reverses $33,425.69 overpayment finding (ECAB 20-1415)
B.C. received FECA wage loss benefits and elected federal retirement benefits. OWCP said she had also received retirement payments from May 20, 2019 through March 28, 2020, found a $33,425.69 overpayment, and demanded repayment. The Board found that the record established FECA payments but did not…
T.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Appleton, WI
Board recognizes workplace accusation as compensable factor and remands (ECAB 20-1194)
T.S., a postal employee, claimed an emotional condition after workplace events, including a coworker's false accusation that he had put poison in her drink. OWCP found no compensable employment factor and denied the claim. The Board found that the accusation occurred while he was performing his…
R.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Chicago International Service Center, Chicago, IL
Board upholds denial of foot and ankle occupational disease claim (ECAB 20-0661)
R.P., a postal mail handler, attributed foot and ankle conditions to standing and other work duties. OWCP denied her occupational disease claim. The Board found that several medical reports diagnosed conditions without explaining a causal connection to her specific work activities. Other opinions…
R.G. and Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Fresno, CA
Board upholds refusal to reopen back claim for merits review (ECAB 19-1889)
R.G., a former IRS clerk, sought reconsideration of a denied claim for back and leg conditions. OWCP declined to reopen the claim for a new merits review. The Board found that her new medical reports identified conditions but did not link them to accepted work factors. Other records addressed…
United States Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Laredo Sector, Laredo, Texas (Agency) and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2455, National Border Patrol Council (Union)
CBP Laredo and AFGE Local 2455 (FLRA 0-AR-5436): Temporary status-revocation award set aside
CBP temporarily removed a Laredo agent's law enforcement status while investigating an allegation that she had pointed a taser and service firearm at another agent. An arbitrator found that the agency violated its policy by relying on an oral summary of witness statements rather than reviewing all…
Secretary of Labor v. Vulcan Construction Materials, LLC
Air-brake valve citation vacated
MSHA cited Vulcan Construction Materials after an inspector heard and felt air escaping near a water truck's service relay valve at the Blairsville Quarry. The truck passed its braking test, and the inspector relied on the audible release while another person held the brake pedal. Vulcan's brake…
M.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Milwaukee Processing & Distribution Center, Milwaukee, WI
Board upholds denial of claim after porch fall (ECAB 20-1560)
M.C., a postal city carrier assistant, claimed a right foot injury after falling from a porch during work. OWCP accepted the January 22, 2020 incident but denied the claim because the medical evidence did not establish a condition caused by it. The Board found that a nurse's report was insufficient…
L.H. and Department of the Navy, Naval Station Newport, Newport, RI
Board upholds denial of back injury schedule award (ECAB 20-1550)
L.H., a Navy employee, had an accepted lumbar sprain from lifting a shredder at work. She sought a schedule award for permanent impairment. The Board found that the medical reports did not establish a rated impairment of a scheduled body member connected to the accepted injury under the applicable…
T.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Rutledge Post Office, Rutledge, TN
Board upholds denial of permanent impairment award (ECAB 20-1420)
T.S., a rural mail carrier, sought a schedule award for permanent impairment after an accepted work injury. OWCP denied the award. The Board found that the medical evidence did not adequately describe and rate permanent impairment under the applicable impairment guides. One physician found no…
G.P. and Department of Homeland Security, Immigration & Customs Enforcement, Salem, VA
Board upholds denial of ankle sprain claim (ECAB 20-1166)
G.P., a deportation officer, claimed a right ankle sprain from an accepted February 2017 work incident. OWCP denied the claim. The Board found that reports diagnosing a sprain did not explain what caused it. A later report described ankle pain, a symptom rather than a firm diagnosis. The Board…
S.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Lynchburg, VA
Board upholds denial of abdominal and back injury claim (ECAB 20-1113)
S.D., a postal support employee, attributed abdominal and lower back conditions to an accepted August 23, 2019 work incident. OWCP denied her claim. The Board found that an emergency report identified abdominal pain, which is a symptom rather than a diagnosis. Reports from Drs. Meadows and…
A.D. and Department of Veterans Affairs, VA New Jersey Health Care System, East Orange Campus, East Orange, NJ
Board remands disc condition issue but upholds recurrence denial (ECAB 20-0962)
A.D., a VA medical instrument technician, injured his back after slipping on a wet floor at work. He asked OWCP to accept additional disc conditions and later sought compensation for a recurrence of disability. The Board found that his doctor's explanation of the disc conditions justified further…
P.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Thousand Oaks Post Office, Thousand Oaks, CA
Board reverses termination of wage loss and medical benefits (ECAB 20-0348)
P.G., a postal letter carrier, had an accepted June 2018 work injury and was receiving wage loss and medical benefits. OWCP terminated those benefits effective June 29, 2019. The Board found that the medical opinion supporting termination did not adequately explain why his accepted conditions and…
S.M. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital, Bedford, MA
Board upholds refusal to reopen injury claim (ECAB 20-0083)
S.M., a VA telephone operator, requested reconsideration of an earlier injury claim decision. OWCP refused to reopen the claim for merits review. The Board found that her arguments did not show a legal error or raise a new relevant legal point. It also found that the submitted evidence did not meet…
R.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Atlanta, GA
Board upholds denial of disability compensation after accepted injury (ECAB 19-1733)
R.W., a postal employee, sought wage loss compensation beginning July 31, 2018 after an accepted work injury. OWCP denied the claimed period of disability. The Board found that a physician's report attributed his knee disease generally to years of walking with heavy loads but did not explain how…
United States Department of the Air Force, Edwards Air Force Base, California and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1406
Edwards Air Force Base and AFGE Local 1406 (FLRA 0-AR-5532): Authority upholds performance-system remedies
Edwards Air Force Base introduced a new civilian performance-management system without providing contractually required training and communication about how employees could achieve higher ratings. An arbitrator ordered status quo relief, training and communication measures, and retroactive cash or…
Samaroo v. Bank of New York Mellon
District-court filing ends DOL jurisdiction
Karamchand Samaroo appealed an ALJ decision granting Bank of New York Mellon's motion for summary judgment on his Sarbanes-Oxley complaint. While the appeal was pending, Samaroo filed an original action in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York under the governing…
R.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Sandy Springs Carrier Annex, Sandy Springs, GA
Board reverses termination of wage loss and medical benefits (ECAB 20-1448)
R.S., a postal employee, was receiving benefits for an accepted work injury when OWCP terminated his wage loss and medical benefits. His physician had identified additional conditions that might be related to the injury. OWCP relied on later medical opinions without first resolving whether those…
DG. and Department of the Air Force, Kelly Air Force Base, San Antonio, TX
Board upholds 46 percent hearing loss rating and hearing denial (ECAB 20-1254)
DG., a retired Air Force employee, had received a schedule award for 46 percent binaural hearing loss and sought a larger award. The Board found that the medical rating supported 46 percent after rounding and did not establish greater impairment. DG. also requested an oral hearing after seeking…
B.S. and Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Spruce Pine, NC
Board upholds refusal to reopen claim for merits review (ECAB 20-0847)
B.S., a National Park Service ranger, requested reconsideration of an earlier claim decision after a vehicle accident. He said his condition had worsened, that he could not work a full schedule, and that opioid medication affected his work capacity. OWCP had previously addressed those arguments…
Solvchem, Inc.
In re Solvchem, Inc. (EAB TSCA Appeal No. 21-01Q): $9,738 penalty paid and matter resolved
EPA alleged that Solvchem, Inc. violated section 12(b) of the Toxic Substances Control Act and the Notice of Export rule requirements at 40 C.F.R. part 707. EPA's complaint sought a $9,738 penalty. Solvchem paid the full proposed penalty, which waived its right to contest the allegations and appeal…
Matter of A-S-M-
Withholding may cover a different removal country
The Board reviewed a withholding-only case involving a Mexican removal order and an applicant who later identified himself as a citizen of Honduras. The Department of Homeland Security said it might remove him to Honduras, but the Immigration Judge considered only his fear of removal to Mexico. The…
J.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Opp Post Office, Opp, AL
Board reverses $12,749.52 overpayment decision (ECAB 21-0119)
J.T., a postal worker, received FECA wage loss compensation while also receiving Social Security retirement benefits. OWCP found a $12,749.52 overpayment, denied waiver, and ordered deductions from continuing benefits. The Board found that her forms showed Social Security tax coverage but no…
J.M. and Department of Homeland Security, Customs & Border Protection, JFK International Airport, Jamaica, NY
Board orders related medical files combined (ECAB 20-1626)
J.M., a customs agriculture specialist, claimed headaches and olfactory migraines after exposure to a coworker's vaping at work. OWCP denied her claim but relied in part on medical evidence from earlier claims involving head injury or chemical exposure. Those files had not been combined, and the…
J.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Opp Post Office, Opp, AL
Board upholds forfeiture for unreported business income (ECAB 20-1563)
J.T., a postal rural carrier associate, received FECA compensation while operating a sewing business. On an OWCP disclosure form, she reported no employment during the period in question, but tax and business records showed income from that business. The Board found that the form's warning and her…
F.F. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Wilkes-Barre, PA
Board orders merit review of postal carrier knee claim (ECAB 20-1542)
F.F., a postal letter carrier, said walking through deep snow in March 2017 aggravated a left knee condition connected to an earlier work injury. OWCP refused to reopen his claim for a merits review. The Board found that his sworn statement clarifying the injury date and responding to the Postal…
J.M. and Department of the Navy, Naval Supply Systems Command, Gulfport, MS
Board upholds medication authorization and reconsideration denials (ECAB 20-0396)
J.M., a Navy employee with an accepted claim, sought continued authorization for opioid medication. OWCP required an updated medical explanation after a temporary authorization period. The Board found that his doctor's letter did not adequately explain why continued opioid treatment was medically…
R.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Kensington Post Office, Kensington, MD
Board dismisses appeal filed after 180 day limit (ECAB 20-0323)
R.T. appealed a May 9, 2019 OWCP merit decision to the Board on November 26, 2019. The deadline for that appeal was November 5, 180 days after OWCP issued its decision. The Board found that the filing came too late and that the record did not establish compelling circumstances for the delay. It…
M.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Wappingers Falls Post Office, Wappingers Falls, NY
Board upholds overpayment finding but remands amount (ECAB 19-1914)
M.M., a postal employee, received FECA wage loss compensation and Social Security retirement benefits partly attributable to federal service during the same period. The Board agreed that this created an overpayment. It found, however, that OWCP had not adequately explained why its Social Security…
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 17 and United States Department of Veterans Affairs
AFGE Local 17 and Department of Veterans Affairs (FLRA 0-AR-5641): Authority upholds official-time allocation
The VA told AFGE Local 17 that official time for travel and training would count against the annual allocation in the parties' agreement. The Union argued that a past practice had allowed additional time beyond that allocation for training, lobbying, and representation. An arbitrator found…
United States Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection and National Treasury Employees Union, Local 154
Customs and Border Protection and NTEU Local 154 (FLRA 0-AR-5601): Authority declines early review of representative dispute
NTEU filed one grievance over an employee's 14-day suspension and another over the way Customs and Border Protection conducted its investigation. Before either hearing, the Agency asked the arbitrator to exclude the Union's representative, and the arbitrator concluded that she lacked authority to…
Barton v. IFPTE Local 4, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
Unopposed settlement approved
Joseph Barton and IFPTE Local 4 jointly asked the ALJ to approve their settlement of a labor standards-of-conduct case. The parties represented that the agreement was fair, reasonable, and adequate, and the ALJ approved it. The case then went to the Board under the Civil Service Reform Act's…
G.B. and Department of State, Bureau of Conflict Stabilization Operations, Rosslyn, VA
Board dismisses overpayment appeal as late (ECAB 20-1530)
G.B. appealed an OWCP overpayment decision issued January 21, 2020. The 180 day filing period ended on a Sunday, extending the deadline to Monday, July 20. His appeal was filed in August, after that deadline. The Board found no documented compelling circumstances for the delay. It dismissed the…
E.O. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Albuquerque, NM
Board upholds overpayment finding but remands period and amount (ECAB 20-1411)
E.O., a VA employee, received FECA wage loss compensation and Social Security retirement benefits partly attributable to federal service. The Board agreed that concurrent benefits created an overpayment. OWCP's decision gave inconsistent ending dates for the period used to calculate $77,651.90…
S.R. and U.S. Postal Service, San Juan Processing & Distribution Center, San Juan, PR
Board upholds denial of platform staircase injury claim (ECAB 20-1304)
S.R., a postal employee, reported tearing a calf muscle while descending a platform staircase at work. OWCP denied her injury claim. The Board found that her description did not give enough detail to establish how the event occurred, despite OWCP's request for more information. The employer also…
S.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Vista Station Post Office, Sparks, NV
Board reduces overpayment recovery installment (ECAB 20-1289)
S.B., a postal employee, received FECA wage loss compensation and Social Security retirement benefits attributable in part to federal service at the same time. The Board upheld OWCP's $24,081.41 overpayment finding and its denial of waiver because she did not provide the requested financial…
R.K. and Department of the Navy, Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility, Pearl Harbor, HI
Board affirms denial of a larger hearing loss award (ECAB 20-1003)
R.K., a Navy employee, had already received a schedule award for 12 percent hearing loss in both ears. He sought an additional award for increased impairment. OWCP denied the request. The Board found that the newer medical rating did not establish hearing loss beyond the previously awarded level…
A.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Anaheim Processing & Distribution Center, Anaheim, CA
Board upholds disability compensation denials (ECAB 20-0179)
A.D., a postal employee with an accepted work injury, claimed total disability beginning October 24, 2018 and disability on June 8 and 9, 2019. She said limited duty work was unavailable, but the Board found no evidence supporting that assertion and noted that the employer disputed it. Her…
M.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, San Francisco, CA
Board upholds refusal to reopen wrist claim (ECAB 20-0104)
M.S., a postal sales and service employee, requested reconsideration of a claim involving a right wrist injury. OWCP refused to reopen the claim for merits review. The Board found that her representative's arguments about the diagnosis and mechanism did not address the missing medical causal…
A.O. and Department of Labor, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration & Management, San Francisco, CA
Board orders more evidence on alleged overwork (ECAB 19-1612)
A.O., a Department of Labor employee, said increased workload and changed deadlines in October 2014 contributed to an emotional condition. OWCP denied the claim. The Board found that his detailed account and supporting records required further inquiry from the employing office about assignments…
G.T. and Department of the Navy, Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, VA
Board upholds refusal to reopen claim (ECAB 20-1639)
G.T., a Navy assistant storekeeper, claimed arm and back injuries from an anthrax injection and moving boxes aboard a ship. OWCP denied her claim, and she asked it to reconsider. The Board found that her notice of proposed removal had already been considered and did not provide new evidence about…
R.N. and U.S. Postal Service, Boston Processing & Distribution Center, Boston, MA
Board upholds denial of late reconsideration request (ECAB 20-1601)
R.N., a postal employee, asked OWCP to reconsider an earlier claim decision after the one year filing period. OWCP reviewed the request under the clear evidence of error standard. The Board found that the submitted opinion did not show on its face that OWCP's prior decision was wrong. It affirmed…
J.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Columbia, SC
Board reverses refusal to reopen injury claim (ECAB 20-1576)
J.L., a postal city carrier, sought reconsideration after OWCP denied his injury claim. He submitted contemporaneous emergency records describing a collision involving a postal truck and his resulting injuries. The Board found that those records were new and relevant to the disputed fact of injury…
V.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Margate, FL
Board orders merits review of PTSD wage loss claim (ECAB 20-1544)
V.D., a former postal letter carrier, sought wage loss compensation related to a claimed recurrence of her emotional condition. OWCP declined to reopen her request for a merits review. The Board found that her physician's new letter addressed specific deficiencies OWCP had identified about how PTSD…
S.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Plymouth Post Office, Plymouth, PA
Board reverses termination over temporary duty offer (ECAB 20-1535)
S.M., a postal employee with an accepted injury, was offered temporary limited duty work. OWCP ended her wage loss compensation when she did not accept the offer. The Board found that her treating surgeon and OWCP's examiner disagreed about whether she could perform the offered duties. OWCP had not…
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.