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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Robert L. Moore v. Consolidation Coal Company and Consol Energy, Incorporated
Moore v. Consolidation Coal (BRB 19-0055 BLA): black lung benefits award upheld
Robert Moore's employer challenged an award of black lung benefits. It had conceded that Moore's mine work and total respiratory disability triggered the 15-year presumption of disability due to pneumoconiosis. The Board rejected the employer's requests to delay the case and to hold a new hearing…
Woodrow Noble v. B & W Resources, Inc.
Denial of black lung benefits affirmed
Woodrow Noble appealed the denial of his claim for black lung benefits after more than 32 years of surface coal mine employment. The administrative law judge found no complicated pneumoconiosis, no total disability, and no entitlement under 20 C.F.R. Part 718. The Board declined to remand for a new…
Tevis Ray Howard v. Arch on the North Fork, Incorporated and Arch Coal, Incorporated
Howard v. Arch on the North Fork (BRB 16-0664 BLA): reconsideration of benefit denial refused
Tevis Howard asked the Board to reconsider its earlier decision affirming denial of his black lung claim. He argued that the judge should have examined his waiver of an oral hearing more closely and gathered testimony about his surface mine work. The Board found that formally appointed lay…
J.C. and Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, North Bend, OR
J.C. (ECAB 19-1502): Schedule award denied for lack of permanent impairment
A Bureau of Land Management engineering technician sought a schedule award after an accepted fall that fractured a cervical vertebra and his left clavicle. OWCP’s medical adviser found the fractures had healed and the evidence showed no qualifying permanent impairment of either upper extremity. The…
R.A. and Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Greensboro, NC
R.A. (ECAB 19-0650): Neck and upper back claim returned for physician review
An FAA employee reported neck and upper back symptoms after two days of unusually heavy lifting and overhead work. A chiropractor diagnosed spinal subluxation shown on x-ray and explained how the work could affect connective tissue and the vertebrae. The Board treated that opinion as competent…
L.K. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Homewood, IL
L.K. (ECAB 19-0313): Continuing disability claim denied
A postal employee sought continuing disability benefits related to accepted injuries from November and December 1989. Later medical reports discussed treatment but generally did not assess her capacity for modified work during the claimed period. The Board found that the evidence did not adequately…
D.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Hayward, CA
D.C. (ECAB 19-0118): Compromised overpayment recovery affirmed
A postal employee received FECA wage loss payments while also receiving Social Security retirement benefits attributable in part to federal service. The Board agreed with OWCP’s calculation of a $44,303.77 overpayment for the relevant period. Although she was without fault, she did not provide the…
Eagle Cornice Company, Incorporated
Roof fall-protection citation affirmed
Eagle Cornice employees cut an opening in a low-slope roof more than 19 feet above the floor. One employee returned to the roof without putting on his fall-arrest harness, stepped into the opening, and fell to the level below. The judge found that the crew foreman knew or should have known the…
Detroit Renovations, LLC and Nicole Curtis
In re Detroit Renovations, LLC and Nicole Curtis (EAB TSCA Appeal No. 20-01C): lead-paint settlement with compliance conditions
EPA alleged that Detroit Renovations, LLC and Nicole Curtis failed to comply with TSCA section 409 and the lead-based-paint renovation rules in 40 C.F.R. part 745, subpart E. The settlement assessed a $48,877 civil penalty, remitted $45,877 if the respondents satisfied the agreement's conditions…
Allen B. Flores v. Pacific Crane Maintenance Company, L.P. and Signal Mutual Indemnity Association, Limited
Flores v. Pacific Crane Maintenance (BRB 19-0386): longshore benefit denial upheld
Allen Flores claimed that work for Pacific Crane Maintenance caused or worsened several orthopedic and respiratory conditions. The judge found that the employer had rebutted the presumption that his claimed injuries were work related, then found that Flores had not proved causation on the full…
Allen B. Flores v. Pacific Crane Maintenance Company, L.P. and Signal Mutual Indemnity Association, Limited
Flores v. Pacific Crane Maintenance (BRB 19-0386): reconsideration denied
Allen Flores asked the Board to reconsider its earlier decision in his longshore benefits case against Pacific Crane Maintenance and Signal Mutual. The employer opposed his motion. After considering the arguments, no member of the panel voted to vacate or modify the earlier decision. The Board…
Jerry W. Palmer v. Chevron Mining, Incorporated
Palmer v. Chevron Mining (BRB 19-0024 BLA): black lung benefits award upheld
Jerry Palmer filed a third black lung claim after two earlier claims were denied. A judge found that evidence of total respiratory disability and more than 29 years of underground mine work triggered the 15-year presumption. The Board upheld the disability finding and the judge's rejection of the…
Charlene Fuller, widow of Joseph Fuller v. Excel Mining, LLC
Fuller v. Excel Mining (BRB 18-0276 BLA): survivor's benefits award upheld
Charlene Fuller sought survivor's benefits after her husband, a coal miner, died. The judge found that his 28 years of underground mine work and totally disabling respiratory impairment at death triggered a presumption that pneumoconiosis caused his death. The Board majority upheld the disability…
J.B. and Department of the Army, Medical Company & Student Detachment, Fort Campbell, KY
J.B. (ECAB 19-1487): Ice related injury claim denied for missing incident details
An Army employee reported injuries to his chest, arm, hand, and knees and wrote that there was ice on a parking area sidewalk. His claim did not explain what he was doing there or how the injuries occurred. OWCP asked for more factual detail, but he did not respond. The Board found the incident…
A.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Bend, OR
A.R. (ECAB 19-1284): Wrist impairment award sent back for new measurements
A postal employee had received a schedule award for two percent permanent impairment of her right upper extremity and sought a higher rating. A second opinion physician estimated a different percentage using wrist range of motion, but reported averages instead of the independent measurements…
R.B. and Department of Homeland Security, Customs & Border Patrol, Washington, DC
R.B. (ECAB 19-1026): Travel status fall claim denied for inconsistent facts
A Customs and Border Patrol employee reported falling on a street or sidewalk in New Orleans while on work travel and claimed a head injury. Her accounts differed on when and how the fall occurred. The Board found that she had not supplied a consistent, detailed description establishing the claimed…
G.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Fort Lauderdale, FL
G.L. (ECAB 18-0852): Late reconsideration of benefit termination denied
A postal employee asked OWCP to add bilateral ulnar neuritis to an accepted injury claim. OWCP received the reconsideration request in December 2017, more than one year after its August 2015 merits decision. The Board found that her arguments about an earlier medical report and OWCP’s failure to…
National Association of Independent Labor, Local 10 and United States Department of the Army, Fort Polk, Louisiana
NAIL Local 10 and Fort Polk (FLRA 0-AR-5447): Repeat promotion grievance barred
Employees at Fort Polk filed a grievance seeking temporary promotions based on duties they said belonged to a GS-12 quality-assurance position. After losing that case, the union filed another grievance for the same employees and work but identified a different GS-12 position. A second arbitrator…
Frederick B. Bateman v. Bluff Spur Coal Corporation and American International South/Chartis
Bateman v. Bluff Spur Coal (BRB 19-0008 BLA): benefit award returned for new findings
Frederick Bateman's employer appealed an award of black lung benefits. The Board rejected its challenge to the judge's appointment, but found that the judge had not explained the calculation of Bateman's coal mine employment. It also found that the judge had not adequately weighed and explained…
R.S. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH
R.S. (ECAB 19-1484): Vehicle injury denial and hearing abandonment affirmed
A VA motor vehicle operator reported hand, neck, and head injuries after an accepted workplace vehicle collision. He did not submit a physician’s diagnosis tying a condition to the incident, so the Board upheld the claim denial. He also missed a properly noticed telephone hearing and did not timely…
M.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Calvin Street Annex, Greenville, SC
M.J. (ECAB 19-1287): Total disability claim for May and June 2018 denied
A postal employee sought wage loss compensation for several weeks in 2018 based on an accepted 2016 injury. One treating physician had previously found the accepted knee and spine conditions resolved, while later records described pain and work restrictions without explaining disability for the…
T.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Brooklyn, NY
T.W. (ECAB 19-1286): Partial disability wage claim denied
A postal letter carrier sought compensation for four hours of leave without pay per workday over a two week period after an accepted 2017 injury. Her physician listed knee, wrist, and hip conditions, but the disabling conditions he discussed had not been accepted as caused by the injury. The Board…
T.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Pittsfield, MA
T.J. (ECAB 19-1242): Dual benefit overpayment and recovery upheld
A postal employee received FECA compensation and a prohibited federal retirement related benefit during two periods between 2012 and 2018. OWCP calculated an overpayment of $41,313.81 and found him without fault. He did not provide the requested income, expense, and asset information needed to…
S.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Norfolk, VA
S.J. (ECAB 19-0489): Left knee claim expansion denied after dog bite
A postal employee sustained an accepted dog bite to her right lower leg in November 2017. She later asked OWCP to recognize a left knee condition as related to that incident. The early urgent care records documented the bite and right leg wounds but did not diagnose a left knee injury, and the…
T.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Pueblo, CO
T.W. (ECAB 18-0821): Refusal to reconsider knee claim affirmed
A postal employee sought reconsideration after OWCP found that he had not identified specific job factors alleged to cause his knee conditions. He submitted a former supervisor’s description of his work duties. The Board found it substantially duplicated information already in the record and…
Hardway Solutions, LLC d/b/a Hardway Performance and Hardway Performance Solutions and Ryan Milliken
In re Hardway Solutions, LLC and Ryan Milliken (EAB CAA Appeal No. 19-06C): $45,000 Clean Air Act tampering settlement
Hardway Solutions operated a diesel truck performance upgrade sales and installation facility, and Ryan Milliken was its member and manager. EPA alleged that the respondents manufactured, sold, offered for sale, or installed at least 5,132 defeat devices between December 4, 2014, and October 31…
Temple Duncan, widow of Ronald Duncan v. Tennessee Coal Company
Duncan v. Tennessee Coal (BRB 18-0578 BLA): survivor's benefits award upheld
Temple Duncan sought survivor's benefits after her husband, Ronald Duncan, died. On an earlier appeal, the Board had returned the claim for a new assessment of whether pneumoconiosis contributed to his death. The judge then awarded benefits after crediting the opinion of Dr. Patton, who had treated…
Jerry Martin v. Sextet Mining Corporation and Arrowpoint Capital Security Insurance Company of Hartford
Martin v. Sextet Mining (BRB 18-0527 BLA): reconsideration denied and counsel fee awarded
Sextet Mining asked the Board to reconsider its earlier affirmance of Jerry Martin's black lung benefits award. It argued that the Board had overlooked a conflict about Martin's smoking history. The Board said it had already addressed the point and found any error harmless because the judge…
J.A. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Denver, CO
J.A. (ECAB 19-1511): Arm impairment award remanded for complete measurements
A TSA employee had received schedule award compensation for two percent permanent impairment of her left upper extremity and sought a higher rating. The reviewing medical adviser attempted both diagnosis based and range of motion ratings. The record lacked the separate wrist and elbow measurements…
N.J. and Department of the Interior, National Park Service, New York, NY
N.J. (ECAB 19-1170): Retirement benefit overpayment recovery affirmed
A National Park Service employee received FECA wage loss payments together with Social Security retirement benefits attributable to federal service. OWCP found a $17,882.11 overpayment and determined he was without fault. After reviewing the financial information he supplied, it found that recovery…
C.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Forest Hill Post Office, Richmond, VA
C.M. (ECAB 19-1160): Benefit termination for refused job offer reversed
A postal carrier declined an offered modified job, and OWCP ended her benefits under the suitable work refusal rule. The job required several hours of sitting, standing, walking, and customer service each day. Medical opinions imposed substantial limits on those activities but did not clearly…
K.B. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Bath Veterans Administration Medical Center, Bath, NY
K.B. (ECAB 19-1055): Disability recurrence claim denied
A VA employee claimed a recurrence of disability after an accepted work injury and said her limited duty assignment had been withdrawn. The record did not establish that she had been working in such an assignment at the time claimed. The medical evidence also did not prove a worsening of an…
S.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Bend, OR
S.P. (ECAB 19-0819): Cart related shoulder claim denied for lack of causation proof
A postal employee said her left shoulder was jarred when the cart she was pushing struck a pole. A physician diagnosed a rotator cuff tear and attributed it to the incident. The Board found that the medical reports did not explain physiologically how that event caused the tear. It affirmed OWCP’s…
C.S. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Bronx Veterans Medical Center, Bronx, NY
C.S. (ECAB 19-0116): Workplace threat accepted; emotional condition claim remanded
A VA workers’ compensation manager reported that an employee who arrived early for a scheduled appointment demanded to be seen immediately and made threats that another worker relayed to her. OWCP had found no compensable employment factor. The Board found the threatening conduct connected to her…
United States Department of Veterans Affairs, John J. Pershing Veterans Administration and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2338
John J. Pershing VA and AFGE Local 2338 (FLRA 0-AR-5441): Training-leave remedy upheld
Several union officials used personal leave after the VA denied authorized absence for a union-sponsored training. An arbitrator found an ongoing contract violation, ordered forty hours of retroactive authorized absence, and directed approval for future union-sponsored training requests. The…
Matter of Juana ROSALES VARGAS and Jonathan Jair ROSALES ROSALES
Matter of Rosales Vargas and Rosales Rosales (BIA ID 3973): notice defects did not defeat jurisdiction
The Board reviewed the Department of Homeland Security's appeal after an Immigration Judge terminated a mother's and son's removal proceedings because their notices to appear omitted the Immigration Court address. Before the Board, the respondents also argued that the certificates of service did…
S.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Morrilton, AR
S.W. (ECAB 19-1498): Disability claim reconsideration denial affirmed
A postal employee requested reconsideration of a denial of disability benefits. Her new physician reports documented knee and back pain but did not state that an accepted work injury caused the claimed disability. The Board found that they did not address the medical issue that led to the earlier…
E.J. and Department of the Navy, Fleet Readiness Center East, Cherry Point, NC
E.J. (ECAB 19-1509): Schedule award reconsideration denial affirmed
A Navy employee requested reconsideration after a decision concerning permanent impairment. He submitted medical and diagnostic records, but none evaluated impairment under the applicable edition of the rating guide. The Board found no new legal ground or pertinent evidence addressing the basis for…
R.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Beavercreek Post Office, Beavercreek, OH
R.D. (ECAB 19-1439): Additional nerve conditions not accepted
A postal employee sought recognition of nerve entrapment in both elbows and left cervical radiculopathy as consequences of an accepted 1999 injury. The physician evidence documented symptoms and diagnoses but did not provide a reasoned opinion linking those conditions to the old injury or related…
P.M. and Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Washington, DC
P.M. (ECAB 19-1150): Pay rate calculation and overpayment sent back
A Census Bureau employee disputed the pay rate OWCP used to calculate wage loss compensation after earlier periods of disability. OWCP had also assessed a $3,562.97 overpayment after a change in her dependent status. The Board found that OWCP had not followed an earlier remand instructing it to…
S.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing & Distribution Center, Cincinnati, OH
S.W. (ECAB 19-1078): Left arm schedule award denied for missing impairment rating
A postal processing employee sought a schedule award for permanent impairment of her left arm. Her physician noted that she had reached maximum medical improvement, but the submitted evidence did not provide a detailed permanent impairment evaluation under the applicable guide. The Board found no…
E.O. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Portland, OR
E.O. (ECAB 19-0390): Pre-shift workplace fall claim remanded
A VA employee slipped in a facility building while going to the locker room about 55 minutes before a scheduled overtime shift. OWCP had denied the claim without resolving whether he was permitted or required to be there preparing for work at that time. The Board found that the location alone did…
United States Department of Education and United States Department of Agriculture
Departments of Education and Agriculture (FLRA 0-PS-43): Bargaining-scope guidance denied
The Departments of Education and Agriculture asked the Authority to clarify the distinction between working conditions and statutory conditions of employment. They sought guidance on what changes trigger bargaining and what agency documents or information qualify as personnel policies, practices…
Milton Bowman v. Fluor Daniel Corporation and The Insurance Company of the State of Pennsylvania
Bowman v. Fluor Daniel (BRB 20-0100): appeal returned for modification proceedings
Fluor Daniel told the Board it had applied for modification in Milton Bowman's case. At the employer's request, the Board dismissed its pending appeal without prejudice and returned the case to the judge for modification proceedings. The Board said the employer could ask to reinstate its earlier…
Lynn Yoshida, widow of Jon Yoshida v. Hawaii Stevedores, Incorporated and Signal Mutual Indemnity Association, Limited
Yoshida v. Hawaii Stevedores (BRB 20-0043): employer appeal withdrawn
Hawaii Stevedores and its insurer asked to withdraw their appeal in Lynn Yoshida's case. The Board granted that request and dismissed the appeal with prejudice. The brief order gives no reason for the withdrawal and does not address the underlying claim's merits.
Brian Benitez v. Matson Terminals, Incorporated and Signal Mutual Indemnity Association
Benitez v. Matson Terminals (BRB 19-0495): attorney fee appeal dismissed
Matson Terminals appealed a claims examiner's letter addressing its request to reconsider an attorney fee order in Brian Benitez's case. The Board held that the letter was not an appealable order: the district director could not delegate the discretionary fee ruling to the examiner, and the ruling…
Abdul B. Abdi v. Worldwide Language Resources, Incorporated and ACE American Insurance Company
Abdi v. Worldwide Language Resources (BRB 19-0322): medical benefit limits upheld
Abdul Abdi had received an award of medical care for eye, neck, and back injuries sustained while working in Afghanistan. In later proceedings, the judge ended the employer's responsibility for further neck and back treatment, denied payment for new eye symptoms, and kept coverage for the original…
Mablene L. Webster, daughter of Sam Webster v. Director, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs
Webster v. Director, OWCP (BRB 19-0029 BLA): survivor's claim denial upheld
Mablene Webster filed a third survivor's claim as the adult daughter of a deceased coal miner. An adult child can qualify on the asserted ground only if a disability began before age 22. The judge found no evidence establishing that Webster met that requirement, and the Board upheld that finding…
J.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Hornell, NY
J.S. (ECAB 19-1356): Back claim denied for lack of causal proof
A postal window clerk said she strained her middle back while trying to open a stuck container in March 2015. She later submitted physician reports diagnosing spine conditions and attributing them to that incident. The Board found that the reports did not adequately explain how the accepted…
A.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Great Bend, KS
A.C. (ECAB 19-1333): Ten percent ankle impairment award upheld
A postal employee sustained an accepted right ankle fracture, underwent surgery, and received a schedule award for 10 percent impairment of the right lower extremity. Her physician proposed a higher figure by adding ratings for two diagnoses. The Board found that this calculation did not follow the…
L.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Honolulu, HI
L.M. (ECAB 19-1197): Dual benefit overpayment recovery affirmed
A postal employee received FECA wage loss compensation and Social Security retirement benefits attributable to federal service over the same period. OWCP found a $21,923.27 overpayment and concluded he was without fault. It reviewed his reported income and expenses, found income exceeded ordinary…
D.L. and Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration, Springfield, VA
D.L. (ECAB 19-1053): Gate incident injury claim denied for lack of medical link
A Drug Enforcement Administration employee reported that a gate struck her while she entered work in March 2014. Medical records documented treatment, contusions, and later neck and shoulder complaints. The Board found that the physicians did not provide an adequate reasoned opinion linking the…
D.H. and Department of Agriculture, Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service, Raleigh, NC
D.H. (ECAB 19-0633): Foot infection claim returned for medical review
An agricultural biological science technician developed a serious bacterial infection in his left foot after work that often left his feet wet in contaminated water. His physician explained how a broken blister, prolonged moisture, and bacterial exposure could have contributed, while also noting a…
J.M. and Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service, Royal, AR
J.M. (ECAB 19-0252): Emotional condition reconsideration denial affirmed
A Forest Service employee sought reconsideration after OWCP denied his claim for an emotional condition arising from work. His request relied in part on an updated statement describing the alleged events. The Board found that the request did not identify a new legal error or provide relevant new…
Budri v. Firstfleet, Inc.
Review denied for untimely third complaint
Adriano Budri filed a third Surface Transportation Assistance Act complaint against Firstfleet based on its report of negative information to Tenstreet. Earlier proceedings had rejected complaints arising from the same facts, and the ALJ dismissed this complaint because Budri knew of the report…
Jennings v. McLane Company, Incorporated
Constructive-discharge dispute required a hearing
Truck driver Shawn Jennings alleged that McLane retaliated against him for repeatedly raising safety concerns. An ALJ granted McLane summary decision, finding no material dispute over whether Jennings had been constructively discharged. The Board identified conflicting evidence about targeted…
W.M. and Department of the Army, Bluegrass Army Depot, Richmond, KY
W.M. (ECAB 19-1512): Throat and airway claim denied for lack of causal proof
An Army depot toxic materials handler attributed throat, cough, airway, and voice symptoms to chemical exposure at work, including an alleged mustard gas exposure. The Board found that his medical evidence did not establish that the accepted work factors caused a diagnosed condition. One physician…
D.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Point Pleasant Beach, NJ
D.H. (ECAB 19-1308): Knee claim not reopened on reconsideration
A postal carrier technician said he twisted his left knee while reaching for dropped mail. OWCP denied the claim because the medical evidence did not establish a work-related knee condition. His attorney later asked OWCP to reconsider and submitted a diagnostic scan report. The Board found that…
B.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Ringgold Mill Station, Clarksville, TN
B.M. (ECAB 19-1273): Shoulder claim not reopened on reconsideration
A postal carrier sought compensation for right shoulder pain he attributed to lifting and carrying mail and parcels. OWCP denied the occupational disease claim after finding that he had not established the work factors involved. On reconsideration, he submitted a physician assistant’s letter and a…
A.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Morgan Processing & Distribution Center, New York, NY
A.L. (ECAB 19-1122): Claim denied where medical reports did not link conditions to work
A postal mail handler reported neck, back, shoulder, and arm symptoms after routine lifting, pushing, walking, and bending at work. OWCP accepted the December 19, 2017 work incident. The Board found that the medical reports did not establish diagnosed conditions caused by that incident. One report…
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.