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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Clara J. Dawson (on behalf of Karl R. Dawson, Jr.) v. Consolidation Coal Company
Dawson v. Consolidation Coal (BRB 24-0471 BLA): black lung benefits award upheld
Clara Dawson pursued Karl Dawson's black lung claim on his behalf after his death. A judge awarded benefits after finding that his coal mine work and total respiratory disability triggered a presumption that the disability was due to pneumoconiosis. After an earlier remand, the judge again found…
Veronica McRae (widow of Anthony T. McRae) v. SSA Terminals, LLC
McRae v. SSA Terminals (BRB 24-0089): judge cannot reopen approved settlement for alleged fraud
After approving a settlement of claims arising from Anthony McRae's work injury and death, an employer alleged that claimant Veronica McRae had misrepresented her marital status and asked a judge to set the settlement aside. The judge decided he had authority to hear that request. The Board took…
Rahmatullah Rohani v. Mission Essential Personnel
Rohani v. Mission Essential Personnel (BRB 24-0081): injury resolution date returned for finding
Rahmatullah Rohani worked as an interpreter in Afghanistan and sustained a work-related psychological injury after an attack on his base. His employer paid temporary total disability benefits, then stopped payments. The judge found that Rohani's condition had resolved and that he could return to…
A.C. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Board accepts border agent's tinnitus and returns hearing loss issue (ECAB 25-0783)
A border interdiction agent claimed tinnitus and hearing loss from workplace aircraft noise. OWCP's examiner linked bilateral tinnitus to that exposure, and the Board found it established. The same examiner described hearing as normal despite audiometric losses, leaving the hearing loss issue…
C.C. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Sacramento VA Medical Center
Board upholds denial of added massage and physical therapy (ECAB 25-0776)
A VA employee sought more massage and physical therapy for accepted conditions. Her physician described temporary relief and general benefits but did not explain why additional sessions were medically necessary for the accepted injury. OWCP's medical adviser found the effects transient and said she…
R.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Industrial West Sacramento Post Office
Board returns postal carrier's Achilles and hip expansion claim (ECAB 25-0768)
A postal carrier sought to add a right Achilles condition, congenital rear foot deformity with flat feet, and right hip avascular necrosis to his accepted claim. OWCP's second opinion physician said those conditions were unrelated to work but gave too little explanation. The Board set aside the…
C.M. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Lt. Col. Luke Weathers Jr. VA Medical Center
Board keeps VA nurse's one percent left leg award (ECAB 25-0732)
A VA nurse sought more than the one percent permanent left leg impairment previously awarded after a foot fracture. OWCP's medical adviser applied the impairment guide to the second opinion findings and rated the injury at one percent. The Board found the rating method appropriate and no evidence…
Powertech (USA), Inc.
In re Powertech (USA), Inc. (EAB UIC Appeal No. 25-01): Review denied for reissued uranium-injection permits
Powertech (USA), Inc. holds two Underground Injection Control area permits for in-situ uranium recovery at the Dewey-Burdock project in South Dakota. The Oglala Sioux Tribe, Black Hills Clean Water Alliance, and NDN Collective challenged EPA Region 8's reissued permits, arguing that the…
Estate of Jim Pettry v. Raleigh Mine & Industrial
Estate of Pettry v. Raleigh Mine (BRB 24-0486 BLA): reduced attorney fee order upheld
Counsel for the estate of Jim Pettry sought attorney fees and expenses in a black lung case. The parties agreed to the requested amounts, but the judge reduced the fee and denied expenses because counsel had not supplied the requested itemized time and cost records. The Board held that a fee…
John R. Rowe v. Island Creek Coal Company
Rowe v. Island Creek Coal (BRB 24-0480 BLA): black lung benefits award upheld
John Rowe had twenty-eight years of qualifying coal mine work and sought black lung benefits. A judge found that medical opinions established a totally disabling respiratory condition, triggering the statutory presumption that the disability was due to pneumoconiosis. The Board upheld the judge's…
Robert L. Ward v. U.S. Steel Mining Company, Alabama, LLC
Ward v. U.S. Steel Mining (BRB 24-0453 BLA): total disability evidence returned for review
Robert Ward sought black lung benefits after sixteen years of underground coal mine work. A judge denied his claim, finding that he had not proved a totally disabling respiratory condition. The Board held that the judge misread one physician's opinion as saying Ward had no respiratory impairment…
Johnny N. Rial v. Marshall County Coal Company
Rial v. Marshall County Coal (BRB 24-0383 BLA): black lung benefits award upheld
Johnny Rial sought black lung benefits after fourteen years and seven months of underground coal mine work, too little to invoke the fifteen-year presumption. A judge found that he had a totally disabling respiratory impairment significantly related to coal dust exposure. The Board upheld her…
J.T. and Department of Homeland Security, United States Secret Service, Communication Center
Board dismisses Secret Service employee's late appeal (ECAB 25-0853)
A Secret Service employee appealed an OWCP decision more than a year after it was issued. The Board received the appeal on September 6, 2025, past the 180-day deadline of February 1, 2025. The employee did not document compelling circumstances for the delay. The Board dismissed the appeal without…
G.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Cranford Post Office
Board returns postal carrier's lumbar disease claim for specialist review (ECAB 25-0728)
A postal carrier attributed lumbar conditions to years of walking, standing, bending, and lifting on her route. Her physician described how those duties could stress and wear the spinal discs. The Board found his explanation insufficient to establish causation, but sufficient to require further…
G.C. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Upstate New York Healthcare System, Buffalo VA Medical Center
Board denies VA nurse's continuation of pay for late injury form (ECAB 25-0726)
A VA nurse reported an August 19, 2023 work injury on Form CA-1 on January 9, 2024. The Board found that continuation of pay requires that form within 30 days of injury. Because she filed after that period, it upheld the denial of continuation of pay. The ruling did not disturb compensation paid…
Secretary of Labor v. Nally & Hamilton Enterprises, Inc.
Highwall examination ruling reversed
A tree fell from above a surface mine highwall onto a truck traveling below, killing one miner and seriously injuring another. MSHA alleged that Nally & Hamilton's on-shift examinations failed to identify, report, and correct the tree hazard, but the judge vacated the order because the land above…
Matter of H-A-A-V-
Asylum applications pretermitted and appeal dismissed
The Board reviewed a Peruvian respondent's appeal after an Immigration Judge pretermitted his applications for asylum, withholding of removal, and protection under the Convention Against Torture and ordered him removed to Peru. The Board held that an Immigration Judge may pretermit applications…
Jerry A. Davis v. Island Creek Coal Company
Davis v. Island Creek Coal (BRB 24-0369 BLA): mine service and presumption findings returned
Jerry Davis appealed the denial of his black lung benefits claim, and Island Creek Coal challenged the finding that he had at least fifteen years of qualifying mine work. The Board held that the judge had counted years from earnings without first determining whether the employment covered the…
John I. Akers, Jr. v. Slab Fork Coal Company
Akers v. Slab Fork Coal (BRB 24-0349 BLA): black lung benefits award upheld
John Akers sought black lung benefits after 7.19 years of underground coal mine work. A judge found that he had a disabling lung condition caused in part by coal dust, although his work history was too short for the fifteen-year presumption. The Board upheld her calculation of mine service and her…
R.P. and Department of Defense, Hickam Commissary, Hickam Air Force Base
Board returns meatcutter's right arm award for review of prior awards (ECAB 25-0701)
A commissary meatcutter sought a larger right arm schedule award after a shoulder injury. OWCP's examiner rated seven percent impairment, but had not received an updated statement of accepted facts covering the worker's earlier right shoulder and finger awards. The Board found the opinion did not…
R.S. and Department of the Air Force, Lackland Air Force Base
Board upholds termination of Air Force mechanic's injury benefits (ECAB 25-0658)
An Air Force maintenance mechanic received benefits after a 2018 left elbow fracture. His treating physician reported that the accepted injury no longer caused disability or residuals and released him to regular work. The Board found that opinion detailed and well reasoned. It found another…
C.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Bedford Park Post Office
Board splits postal worker's two overpayment rulings (ECAB 22-1107)
A postal employee received two overpayments: $4,283.24 from missed life insurance deductions and $2,171.68 from an augmented wage loss rate. The Board upheld the first amount, denial of its waiver, and $388 deductions every 28 days. For the second, it upheld the amount but found the worker fault…
I.R. and U.S. Postal Service, General Mail Facility
Board rejects postal driver's late schedule award reconsideration (ECAB 25-0775)
A postal tractor trailer operator sought reconsideration of a schedule award denial more than one year after OWCP's last merits decision. He submitted no medical evidence or argument showing clear error in that earlier decision. The Board upheld OWCP's refusal to reopen the claim and did not review…
M.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Clymer Post Office
Board keeps postal carrier's six percent left leg award (ECAB 25-0749)
A postal carrier sought more than the six percent left leg impairment award for an ankle injury. OWCP obtained an impartial examiner to resolve conflicting medical ratings. The Board found that examiner's guide based assessment detailed and well reasoned and saw no support for a higher rating. It…
T.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Saint Louis Post Office
Board rejects postal carrier's injury claim after vehicle crash (ECAB 25-0708)
A postal carrier reported neck and back injuries after a work vehicle crash. The Board accepted the crash but found no competent medical evidence establishing a diagnosed condition from it. Reports by a physician assistant and reports with illegible provider signatures could not establish the…
K.W. and Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Federal Detention Center Miami
Board returns prison officer's left knee expansion claim (ECAB 25-0707)
A federal corrections officer sought to add left knee conditions to a claim that already covered right knee injuries. OWCP's second opinion physician said the left knee osteoarthritis was unrelated to the accepted injury without adequate explanation. The Board found that opinion too conclusory to…
L.W. and U.S. Postal Service, North Houston Post Office
Board accepts postal carrier's shoulder effusion and returns neck claim (ECAB 25-0651)
A postal worker asked OWCP to add right shoulder joint effusion and cervical radiculopathy to her accepted injury. OWCP's second opinion linked the effusion to the work injury, so the Board found that condition established. Her treating doctor and OWCP's examiner disagreed about cervical…
Jason Griffith v. Pocahontas Coal Company, LLC
Griffith v. Pocahontas Coal (BRB 25-0044 BLA): attorney hourly rate returned for review
Counsel for Jason Griffith sought a stipulated fee after the employer withdrew its opposition to his black lung benefits claim. The judge reduced the requested $400 hourly rate to $275 and awarded a smaller fee. The Board found that the judge had not explained why prior fee orders awarding the…
M.G. and Department of Veterans Affairs, W.G. (Bill) Hefner VA Medical Center
Board dismisses VA worker's late appeal (ECAB 25-0786)
A VA employee appealed an OWCP decision on August 19, 2025. The 180-day appeal period had ended May 5, 2025, after a weekend extension. The employee gave no documented compelling reason for filing late. The Board dismissed the appeal for lack of jurisdiction.
B.P. and U.S. Postal Service, South Suburban Processing and Distribution Center
Board reverses postal worker's benefit cutoff for missed notice (ECAB 25-0781)
A postal mail processing clerk did not take an offered modified job after a shoulder injury. OWCP stopped her wage loss compensation and schedule award rights for refusing suitable work. The Board found that OWCP had given the initial 30-day notice but failed to give the required additional 15 days…
D.G. and Department of the Navy, Fleet Cyber Command
Board upholds reduced compensation for Navy IT manager (ECAB 25-0735)
A Navy IT manager received benefits after a work vehicle crash aggravated back and neck conditions. An impartial examiner found he could perform sedentary work, and a labor market survey showed computer security specialist jobs in his area. The Board found the medical and job evidence supported…
F.O. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Board returns border agent's COVID-19 impairment claim (ECAB 25-0733)
A border patrol agent sought a schedule award for lasting impairment after accepted COVID-19. OWCP's examiner noted residual lung findings but said no permanent impairment rating applied without explaining why. The Board found that opinion too conclusory and ordered a supplemental report plus…
B.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Detroit Post Office
Board denies postal worker's wage loss claim and hearing request (ECAB 25-0661)
A postal worker sought wage loss compensation beginning January 31, 2025 for an accepted 2022 injury. Her medical reports described spinal conditions and work restrictions but did not explain why the accepted injury caused disability during the claimed period. The Board upheld the compensation…
Edil Chamaya Arbildo v. Constellis Group/Triple Canopy
Arbildo v. Constellis (BRB 24-0124): denial of psychological injury benefits upheld
Edil Chamaya Arbildo worked as a security guard in Iraq and sought benefits for a claimed work-related psychological condition. A judge found that the claim initially triggered a presumption of work-related injury, but that the employer rebutted it with a psychiatrist's contrary opinion. After…
J.A. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Durham VA Medical Center
Board returns VA worker's hand impairment claim for medical adviser review (ECAB 25-0767)
A VA food service worker sought a schedule award after an accepted right hand injury. OWCP obtained a second opinion and a later supplemental report but did not send the updated record to its district medical adviser for a formal impairment rating. The Board found that development incomplete. It…
K.A. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration
Board returns TSA worker's cervical radiculopathy claim for testing (ECAB 25-0645)
A TSA employee sought to add cervical radiculopathy to an accepted injury. OWCP's second opinion physician saw symptoms suggestive of the condition but said MRI and electrodiagnostic studies were needed to establish a diagnosis. OWCP denied expansion without completing that recommended development…
A.S. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Mather Hospital
Board upholds abandonment of VA worker's oral hearing (ECAB 25-0638)
A VA housekeeping worker requested an oral hearing. OWCP mailed notice of the scheduled telephone hearing, but the worker did not appear or contact the hearing office within 10 days to explain the absence. The Board found that OWCP properly treated the hearing request as abandoned and affirmed its…
3M Company
In re 3M Company (EAB TSCA Appeal No. 25-05C): new-chemical and import settlement approved
3M Company manufactured and imported a chemical substance subject to a low-volume exemption under TSCA. EPA alleged that 3M manufactured the substance at facilities in New Ulm, Minnesota, and Valley, Nebraska, before submitting the required low-volume exemption application or site notice. EPA also…
Matter of Jonathan Javier YAJURE HURTADO
Bond request dismissed for lack of Immigration Judge authority
The Board reviewed a Venezuelan respondent's appeal from an Immigration Judge's denial of a bond redetermination request. The respondent had entered the United States without inspection and argued that his residence in the country made him eligible for a bond hearing under the detention provisions…
Matter of Iurii DOBROTVORSKII
Bond grant vacated and detention ordered
The Board reviewed the Department of Homeland Security's appeal from an Immigration Judge's order releasing the respondent on a $10,000 bond and alternatives to detention. The Board held that a valid, reliable, and credible sponsor is relevant to assessing flight risk and that Immigration Judges…
L.B. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration
Board upholds cutoff of TSA worker's knee disability pay (ECAB 25-0766)
A TSA employee received wage loss compensation after a left knee injury. Her treating doctor reported that the accepted injury no longer caused work disability, supporting termination effective December 5, 2024. The Board found later evidence did not establish continuing injury related disability…
S.V. and Department of the Army, Research Development & Engineering Command
Board rejects Army worker's claim of continuing injury residuals (ECAB 25-0688)
An Army employee sought restoration of benefits for an injury accepted in 1975. A prior Board decision had upheld termination of wage loss and medical benefits effective October 19, 2022. The Board found his later medical evidence did not establish continuing disability or residuals related to that…
V.F. and Department of the Army, Civilian Human Resources Agency, Southwestern Division, Civilian Personnel Advisory Center
Board denies Army worker's added conditions and wrist injection (ECAB 25-0548)
An Army human resources specialist asked OWCP to add headaches and incontinence to her accepted injury and authorize a right carpal tunnel injection. The Board found her doctors did not adequately explain how the accepted injury caused the added conditions. It also found no medical support that the…
Adamas Construction and Development Services, PLLC, and Nathan Pierce
In re Adamas Construction and Development Services, PLLC, and Nathan Pierce (EAB CWA Appeal No. 25-01): $7,725 penalty affirmed
Adamas Construction and Development Services, PLLC, and its owner Nathan Pierce were found liable for failing to develop and retain records and certifications required of appliers of Class B sewage sludge. The Environmental Appeals Board affirmed the finding of liability and the administrative…
Dean v. Health Care District of Palm Beach County
Palm Beach health district denied sovereign immunity in aviation retaliation case
Simon Dean alleged that the Health Care District of Palm Beach County fired him after he reported unsafe conditions and possible aviation violations. In this interlocutory appeal, the Board upheld the ALJ’s ruling that the district was not entitled to Eleventh Amendment sovereign immunity. It found…
W.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Weirton Post Office
Board dismisses duplicate postal worker appeal (ECAB 25-0756)
A postal worker filed a second appeal about whether left knee arthritis should be added to an accepted claim. The Board had already decided the same issue in docket 25-0561 after an earlier appeal. It dismissed the new appeal as duplicative without another merits ruling.
R.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office North Texas
Board denies postal carrier's right knee injury claim (ECAB 25-0746)
A postal carrier said he injured his right knee while twisting it as he exited a work vehicle. The Board accepted the incident but found his physician had not adequately explained how it caused or aggravated the diagnosed meniscus tear and osteoarthritis, given earlier knee problems. It affirmed…
B.M. and Department of the Air Force, Charleston Air Force Base Commissary
Board keeps commissary worker's arm award and denies leg rating (ECAB 25-0742)
A commissary employee sought a right leg impairment award and more than her existing eight percent right arm award. The Board found the medical evidence did not establish a scheduled right leg impairment or a higher arm rating; a whole person rating did not qualify for a FECA schedule award. Her…
C.S. and Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Long Beach Healthcare System
Board rejects VA nurse's claimed recurrence after COVID-19 (ECAB 25-0705)
A VA practical nurse sought wage loss compensation for a recurrence of disability beginning July 12, 2024 after an accepted 2020 COVID-19 infection. The Board found her medical reports did not sufficiently connect disability in the claimed period to the accepted injury. Her reconsideration…
Secretary of Labor v. Gentry Mountain Mining, LLC
One-day-late contest reopened
MSHA mailed Gentry Mountain Mining's proposed penalty assessment to an old address that still appeared on one of the operator's legal identity records. Gentry said its current address had been used for years and that it requested a hearing within 30 days after learning of the assessment. The…
Secretary of Labor v. Heidelberg Materials US Cement LLC
Receipt denial contradicted
Heidelberg Materials asked to reopen a penalty assessment after its safety manager said the mine never received it. MSHA showed that the assessment went to the current address of record and that the plant manager signed for delivery. The Commission found Heidelberg's explanation cursory and…
Secretary of Labor v. Hard Rock Sand and Gravel
Change of mind did not reopen penalties
Hard Rock Sand and Gravel did not contest proposed penalties when they arrived because it wanted to see the effect of earlier citations, then later decided it should contest. It also said it missed an email from its bookkeeper. The Commission held that changing one's mind is not a basis for Rule…
J.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Los Angeles Post Office
Board grants postal worker's appeal withdrawal (ECAB 25-0765)
A postal worker appealed an OWCP nonmerit decision and then asked to withdraw the appeal five days later. The Board granted the request and dismissed the case. It made no ruling on the underlying OWCP decision.
Matter of S-S-F-M-
Asylum standards reinstated and case remanded
The Attorney General reviewed a case referred by the Board after a federal court remanded it for further consideration. The decision overruled Matter of A-B-, 28 I&N Dec. 307 (A.G. 2021), reinstated the standards from Matter of A-B-, 27 I&N Dec. 316 (A.G. 2018), and reaffirmed the standards from…
Matter of S-S-F-M-
Referral accepted and case remanded
The Attorney General directed the Board of Immigration Appeals to refer its decision for review. The order states that the case is remanded to the Board for further proceedings under the accompanying opinion. This order itself does not resolve the respondent's underlying claims.
Matter of R-E-R-M- & J-D-R-M-
Family social-group standard reinstated and case remanded
The Attorney General reviewed a case involving a Salvadoran respondent and her minor son who sought asylum and withholding of removal based in part on family and kinship ties. The decision overruled Matter of L-E-A-, 28 I&N Dec. 304 (A.G. 2021), reinstated the holding of Matter of L-E-A-, 27 I&N…
Matter of R-E-R-M- & J-D-R-M-
Referral accepted and case remanded
The Attorney General directed the Board of Immigration Appeals to refer its decision for review. The order states that the case is remanded to the Board for further proceedings under the accompanying opinion. This order itself does not resolve the respondents' underlying claims.
E.A. and Department of the Army, Vicksburg District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Board denies Army worker's four weeks of wage loss (ECAB 25-0761)
An Army Corps employee sought wage loss compensation for four weeks after an accepted 2024 injury. His doctors described spine symptoms and work limits, but the Board found the reports did not adequately explain disability on the claimed dates caused by the accepted injury. It affirmed OWCP's…
J.M. and Department of the Army, U.S. Army Forces Command
Board upholds suspension after Army worker obstructed exam (ECAB 25-0755)
An Army mechanic appeared for a scheduled second opinion exam but refused to complete intake paperwork, and the physician did not examine him. OWCP warned that benefits would be suspended and gave him a chance to explain, but he did not establish good cause. The Board upheld suspension of…
M.P. and Department of Agriculture, Office of the Inspector General
Board denies USDA worker's vehicle crash injury claim (ECAB 25-0729)
A USDA worker said a government vehicle he was driving was rear-ended, causing neck pain. His supervisor generally confirmed his account but supplied no details, and he did not answer OWCP's requests for a fuller description of the event. The Board found the factual record insufficient to establish…
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.