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.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, New Orleans, LA
18-1805 (ECAB): Knee injury did not establish later total disability
C.R., a postal mail carrier, had accepted right knee sprains after a fall at work. She sought compensation for total disability beginning in July 2018. Her surgeon reported worsening symptoms and said she could not work, but did not explain how the accepted injury caused the claimed disability…
K.M. and Department of the Navy, Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, VA
18-1740 (ECAB): Back conditions not medically linked to table fall
K.M., a Navy radio electronics technician, reported a back injury after slipping while standing on a table at work. OWCP accepted that the December 2016 incident occurred but denied the claim because the medical evidence did not establish that it caused his lumbar conditions. One physician checked…
A.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Langston, AL
18-1717 (ECAB): Hip conditions not established as consequences of foot fracture
A.T., a postal rural carrier, fractured her right foot in a fall at work and wore a walking boot during treatment. She later reported left hip pain and asked OWCP to add hip conditions to the accepted claim. Her physician could not determine whether the hip tendinitis resulted from the injury or…
J.R. and Department of Agriculture, Food Safety Inspection Services, Moroni, UT
18-0064 (ECAB): Chemical-exposure claim not reopened on fact sheet
J.R., a federal food safety inspector, alleged that workplace chemical exposure caused respiratory and other symptoms. OWCP denied the claim because the evidence did not establish the alleged exposure. She requested reconsideration with a fact sheet about peracetic acid and a plant odor checklist…
D.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Denver, CO
18-0035 (ECAB): Ankle claim lacked a clear account of a work event
D.T., a postal city carrier, reported left ankle pain while walking his delivery route. Medical reports diagnosed cellulitis and mentioned a rose-bush scratch, but the account of how a work event caused the claimed injury remained unclear. OWCP asked him to describe the event and did not receive…
Jacobs v. Liberty Logistics, Inc.
Resignation defeated adverse-action element
T.J. Jacobs alleged that Liberty Logistics fired him for raising commercial-vehicle safety concerns. The ALJ found that Jacobs instead voluntarily resigned when he delivered a “Notice of Rescission” terminating all agreements with the company, even though the letter also claimed the company still…
M.H. and Department of Veterans Affairs, San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA
19-0254 (ECAB): Added exposure note did not warrant reopening claim
M.H., a Veterans Affairs physician, attributed respiratory and skin symptoms to workplace exposure after moving to a new clinic. OWCP denied the claim because the medical evidence lacked a definitive diagnosis connected to the accepted work factors. She requested reconsideration with an added…
R.H. and Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia, PA
19-0213 (ECAB): Knee surgery not medically linked to vehicle collision
R.H., an Army Corps of Engineers employee, was involved in a work-related vehicle collision and later sought benefits for a left knee condition and replacement surgery. After an earlier Board denial, he submitted a physician’s report citing rapid arthritis progression after the collision. The Board…
T.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Denver, CO
18-1718 (ECAB): Workplace insult claim lacked a reasoned medical link
T.G., a postal mail processing clerk, sought benefits after a supervisor used a derogatory name during a workplace discussion. OWCP accepted that incident as a compensable work factor but denied the claim for lack of sufficient medical evidence. The Board found that the treating physician did not…
F.K. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Charlotte, NC
18-1700 (ECAB): No additional award beyond three percent knee impairment
F.K., a postal rural carrier, injured her left knee in a fall and received a schedule award totaling three percent impairment of the left leg. After further treatment and surgery, she sought a larger award. OWCP obtained another examination, and its medical adviser rated the knee at three percent…
F.B. and Department of the Army, McAlester Army Ammunition Plant, McAlester, OK
18-1462 (ECAB): Workplace explosion claim returned for medical review
F.B., an Army ammunition plant worker, was on duty when demolition pits accidentally exploded nearby. She sought benefits for an emotional condition connected to the event. OWCP denied the claim after finding that she had not established exposure to the incident. The Board found that she was…
T.C. and Department of Homeland Security, Federal Air Marshal Service, East Elmhurst, NY
18-1351 (ECAB): Shoulder claim lacked a reliable medical causation opinion
T.C., a federal air marshal, reported shoulder pain after reaching overhead for equipment at work. OWCP accepted that the November 2016 incident occurred but denied the injury claim for lack of a sufficient medical link. One surgeon gave conclusory causation statements and checked boxes without…
M.D. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Bay Pines Veterans Administration, St. Petersburg, FL
18-0017 (ECAB): Late mold-exposure reconsideration did not show clear error
M.D., a Veterans Affairs electronics technician, alleged that workplace mold exposure caused lung disease. OWCP denied the claim, and he sought reconsideration in April 2017 of a July 2013 merit decision. The Board held that the request was more than one year late. It found that previously…
T.Z. and Department of Homeland Security, Federal Air Marshal Service, East Elmhurst, NY
17-0679 (ECAB): Schedule-award analysis conflicts with the formal order
T.Z., a federal air marshal, sought a schedule award for impairment associated with accepted back and neck conditions. OWCP’s medical adviser found no ratable impairment, while a later physician rated impairment in his arms and left leg. The Board’s analysis says OWCP should have sent the later…
Kimble Company, d/b/a Kimble Sanitary Landfill
Landfill struck-by citation vacated
Kimble operated a sanitary landfill where a front-loader struck and killed an employee who was on foot. OSHA alleged that employees were permitted to walk through vehicle-operating areas and cited the general duty clause. The judge rejected Kimble's arguments that the Mine Act or construction…
Edward D. Davalos v. Port America Texas, Incorporated and Ports Insurance Company, Incorporated
Davalos v. Port America Texas (BRB 19-0281): appeal dismissed for modification proceedings
Port America Texas sought modification of an administrative law judge's decision while its appeal in Edward Davalos's case was pending before the Benefits Review Board. The employer asked the Board to dismiss the appeal without prejudice and return the case to the judge. The Board granted that…
Randy G. Baird v. Washington Group/Alberici Joint Venture and Illinois National Insurance Company
Baird v. Washington Group/Alberici Joint Venture (BRB 19-0220): appeal dismissed for settlement review
Randy Baird and Washington Group/Alberici Joint Venture agreed to settle his claim while the employer and carrier's appeal was pending. With Baird's consent, the employer and carrier asked the Benefits Review Board to send the case to the district director for settlement review. The Board granted…
Antoinette Horton v. Fluor Federal Global Projects, Incorporated and Insurance Company of the State of Pennsylvania
Horton v. Fluor Federal Global Projects (BRB 19-0118): remand for informal claim proceedings affirmed
Antoinette Horton received temporary disability and medical benefits after injuries sustained while working for Fluor Federal Global Projects in Afghanistan. She sought a formal hearing and a compensation order, while the employer said it had accepted the claim and disputed no benefits. An…
Kathleen Sturgill on behalf of Farley B. Sturgill v. Steven R. Mullins Excavating and Travellers Indemnity Company of Illinois
Sturgill v. Steven R. Mullins Excavating (BRB 18-0271 BLA): benefits denial remanded for disability review
Kathleen Sturgill pursued her late husband's black lung claim after his death. The parties agreed he had at least fifteen years of qualifying coal mine work, but an administrative law judge denied benefits after finding that he was not totally disabled by a respiratory impairment. The Board held…
Elenora R. Robinson v. Elkay Mining Company and Pittston Company
Robinson v. Elkay Mining Company (BRB 18-0270 BLA): survivor benefits denial affirmed
Elenora Robinson sought to reopen the denial of survivor benefits after the death of her husband, a miner with at least fifteen years of underground coal mine work. The administrative law judge found that she had not shown a totally disabling respiratory impairment or that pneumoconiosis…
C.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Buford, GA
C.B. (ECAB 19-0175): Shoulder claim still lacked a medical causal opinion
C.B., a rural mail carrier, claimed that casing mail and heavy lifting caused a left shoulder condition. The Board had affirmed an earlier denial, and he submitted additional medical records to OWCP. Those records documented shoulder diagnoses and surgery, but his physicians did not explain whether…
S.S. and Department of Justice, U.S. Marshals Service, Arlington, VA
S.S. (ECAB 19-0066): Reconsideration request did not reopen wrist injury claim
S.S., a deputy U.S. marshal, reported a wrist injury after using a battering ram while working. OWCP had denied his injury claim on the merits, and he later requested reconsideration without submitting additional evidence or a new legal argument. The Board’s appeal concerned only OWCP’s refusal to…
S.D. and Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons, Bruceton Mills, WV
S.D. (ECAB 18-1708): Ankle injury claim lacked a medical explanation of causation
S.D., a Bureau of Prisons operator, twisted his left ankle while running in formation during a work weapons certification activity. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred but denied his injury claim for lack of medical evidence connecting an ankle condition to it. The Board found that reports…
R.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Palos Verdes, CA
R.P. (ECAB 18-1591): Cervical claim denied, disability issue returned to OWCP
R.P., a postal distribution clerk, had an accepted right shoulder injury and sought to add cervical conditions to her claim. She also sought wage-loss compensation for disability beginning August 18, 2016. The Board gave special weight to an impartial medical examiner’s reasoned opinion that her…
C.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Topeka, KS
C.M. (ECAB 18-1516): Occupational disease claim returned for a specialist’s opinion
C.M., a retired postal clerk and city carrier, claimed that years of repetitive duties caused shoulder, knee, foot, and back conditions. OWCP denied her occupational disease claim because it found the medical evidence insufficient to connect the conditions to her work. The Board found that her…
T.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Wayne, AK
18-0934 (ECAB): Extended wage-loss claim lacked disability evidence
T.L., a postal letter carrier, had accepted lumbar disc degeneration and a left heel spur. He sought intermittent wage-loss compensation spanning September 2015 through February 2017, explaining that he believed no suitable work was available. OWCP denied the claim because the medical evidence did…
All Wall Builders, LLC
Roof fall protection and ladder citations affirmed
All Wall Builders was installing metal trusses on a commercial building roof in Cooperstown, New York. OSHA observed employees working on the roof without properly using fall protection and found an access ladder that did not extend three feet above the landing. The judge found that company…
R.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Edison, NJ
17-1365 (ECAB): Additional back, knee, and ankle conditions not accepted
R.J., a postal carrier, had an accepted left knee sprain after falling on a wet dock. She asked OWCP to add back, right knee, and ankle conditions to that claim. OWCP’s examining surgeon found no objective basis linking those additional conditions to the fall, and the Board gave his opinion the…
W.S. and Department of Commerce, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, Norfolk, VA
17-1261 (ECAB): Right shoulder claim lacked a confirmed work-related diagnosis
W.S., a NOAA mariner, reported right shoulder pain after throwing trash into a dockside dumpster while working aboard a ship. OWCP accepted that the April 2015 incident occurred but denied the injury claim. His physician suspected a biceps tendon or rotator cuff tear but said imaging needed to…
David Mitchell v. Harlan Cumberland Coal Company and Employers Insurance of Wausau
Mitchell v. Harlan Cumberland Coal Company (BRB 18-0335 BLA): benefits award for complicated pneumoconiosis affirmed
David Mitchell filed a later black lung benefits claim after sixteen years of coal mine work. An administrative law judge found that he had complicated pneumoconiosis, which triggers an irrebuttable presumption of total disability due to the disease, and awarded benefits. Harlan Cumberland Coal…
In re Alta Waterproofing
Wage-decision appeal dismissed for failure to prosecute
Alta Waterproofing appealed a matter involving Wage Decision No. VA150095, modification 994. The Board issued a show-cause order on January 8, 2019, giving the company 14 days to explain why the appeal should not be dismissed for failure to prosecute. Alta Waterproofing did not respond to that…
Butler v. Neier, Inc.
$52,620.30 STAA fee award affirmed
An ALJ found that Neier violated the Surface Transportation Assistance Act and later awarded Michael Butler $52,620.30 in legal fees, costs, and expenses. Neier argued that the fee award was premature because the ALJ entered it while the merits appeal was pending before the Board. The Board…
F.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing & Distribution Center, Norfolk, VA
F.P. (ECAB 19-0159): Diagnosed conditions required review of dock-jump claim
F.P., a postal mail handler, jumped from a loading dock to protect a coworker from a backing truck and later reported knee and hip pain. OWCP accepted the incident but denied his traumatic injury claim, saying the medical record contained only pain and no diagnosis. The Board found that OWCP had…
C.D. and Department of the Navy, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, VA
C.D. (ECAB 19-0154): Late reconsideration request showed no clear error
C.D., a former Navy supply clerk, had claimed that computer and typewriter work caused neck, shoulder, and arm conditions. The Board had denied that claim on the merits in 1999. She requested reconsideration again in March 2018 and supplied medical reports already in the record. The Board found the…
L.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Capitol Heights, MD
L.D. (ECAB 19-0039): Dog-chase incident accepted, injury claim still denied
L.D., a postal carrier, reported falling while a dog chased him on his route. OWCP rejected both his account of the incident and the medical basis for his neck injury claim. The Board found his account consistent and supported by the employer’s report, so it accepted that the incident occurred at…
A.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Portland, OR
A.G. (ECAB 18-1720): New legal argument required merit review of elbow claim
A.G., a postal carrier, sought acceptance of left elbow lateral epicondylitis that he attributed to repetitive mail duties. OWCP denied the claim, then declined to reopen it after counsel challenged OWCP’s treatment of a medical report prepared without an examination. The Board found that counsel’s…
P.C. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Detroit, MI
P.C. (ECAB 18-0167): Lumbar claim lacked a diagnosed work-related condition
P.C., a Veterans Affairs equipment mechanic, reported lower back pain after pulling a refrigerator on a dolly that caught in a doorway. OWCP accepted the March 2017 work incident but denied the injury claim. The Board found that reports describing pain did not establish a compensable diagnosis…
R.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Newark, NJ
R.M. (ECAB 18-0058): Back claim lacked proof of a work-related aggravation
R.M., a postal lead technician, reported a back injury when a roll-up door strap broke as he pulled the door down. OWCP accepted the work incident but denied the claim for lack of medical proof connecting his back conditions to it. He had a preexisting back condition, and his physicians described…
D.G. and Department of the Army, Medical Command, Fort Bliss, TX
D.G. (ECAB 18-0043): Shoulder disability claim returned for medical development
D.G., a former Army practical nurse, had an accepted left shoulder injury and later underwent another authorized rotator cuff repair. She sought wage-loss compensation for total disability beginning with that June 2016 surgery. OWCP denied the claim because it found the medical evidence…
C.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, North Metro, GA
C.B. (ECAB 18-0040): Total disability denied, medical-visit wages ordered on remand
C.B., a postal letter carrier with an accepted December 2012 injury, sought wage-loss compensation for total disability from September through December 2016. The Board found that her physicians’ work restrictions and no-work notes did not explain why the accepted injury made her unable to work on…
Georgia Short v. Ison Brothers, Incorporated
Short v. Ison Brothers (BRB 18-0319 and 18-0320 BLA): miner and survivor awards affirmed
Georgia Short pursued her late husband's black lung claim and her own survivor claim against Ison Brothers. An administrative law judge found more than fifteen years of qualifying coal mine work, applied the presumption of disability due to pneumoconiosis, and awarded both claims. The employer…
William H. Groves v. Arch on the Green, Incorporated and Liberty Mutual Insurance Group
Groves v. Arch on the Green (BRB 18-0289 BLA): attorney fee award affirmed
After William Groves won black lung benefits, his counsel requested fees for attorney and paralegal work. An administrative law judge set the paralegal's hourly rate at $100 instead of the requested $150 and awarded a total of $8,529.03 including expenses. Counsel challenged the reduced paralegal…
A.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Cupey Station, San Juan, PR
A.R. (ECAB 19-0250): No increase above existing leg impairment awards
A.R., a postal letter carrier, had already received schedule awards for 16 percent permanent impairment of each lower extremity. He sought a larger award based on a physician’s 30 percent right-leg rating calculated using a range-of-motion method. OWCP’s district medical adviser explained that the…
M.M. and Department of the Air Force, Lackland Air Force Base, TX
M.M. (ECAB 19-0021): Late reconsideration request showed no clear error
M.M., an Air Force equipment mechanic, claimed a lumbar injury after climbing a ladder at work. OWCP denied the claim on the merits in March 2017. His reconsideration request arrived two days after the one-year deadline, so OWCP reviewed only whether it showed clear evidence of error. The Board…
C.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Macon, GA
C.W. (ECAB 18-1779): Board reverses wage-loss termination over job offer status
C.W., a rural carrier with accepted back conditions, received wage-loss compensation after a work injury. The Postal Service offered modified work, and OWCP terminated her benefits under the rule for refusal of temporary light duty. The offer and later employer letter described the position as full…
J.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Maspeth, NY
J.B. (ECAB 18-1751 and 19-0792): Additional conditions and disability not established
J.B., a postal letter carrier, had accepted hand and shoulder injuries and sought to add spinal and other arm conditions to his claim. He also claimed a recurrence of total disability beginning April 18, 2018 after working light duty. The Board found that his physicians listed additional diagnoses…
M.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Appalachian Performance Cluster, Charleston, WV
M.H. (ECAB 18-1727): Refusal of suitable work supported benefit termination
M.H., a postal city carrier, had accepted left ankle, knee, and foot conditions and received wage-loss compensation. The Postal Service offered modified carrier work within restrictions assessed by OWCP’s second-opinion physician, but she did not accept it. The Board found that the physician…
D.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Troy, NC
D.D. (ECAB 18-1713): Wage-loss claim lacked disability proof for claimed dates
D.D., a retired rural mail carrier, had an accepted lumbar disc condition and sought wage-loss compensation for intermittent disability over a two-year period. His surgeon described chronic back pain and said returning to carrier work could risk another injury. The Board found that the report did…
J.R. and Department of Homeland Security, Customs & Border Patrol, Pharr, TX
J.R. (ECAB 18-1679): Work incident accepted, lumbar claim still denied
J.R., a customs supervisor, reported back pain after standing for extended periods and walking during a work shift. OWCP denied his claim, but the Board found his account consistent enough to establish that the incident occurred. His orthopedic surgeon diagnosed lumbar sprain yet supplied only an…
N.T. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN
N.T. (ECAB 18-1620): Additional conditions lacked medical causal opinions
N.T., a Veterans Affairs pharmacy technician, had an accepted left knee injury and later sought to add emotional, hip, and lower back conditions to her claim. OWCP denied the requested expansion. The Board found that several physicians documented diagnoses but did not explain how the accepted 2009…
K.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Bridgeview, IL
K.L. (ECAB 19-0090): Ten percent right ankle impairment award affirmed
K.L., a postal letter carrier, sustained an accepted right ankle fracture and underwent surgery. She filed a schedule award claim in November 2017. Her physician and OWCP’s medical adviser both rated the bimalleolar fracture at 10 percent under the sixth edition of the AMA Guides. The Board found…
D.F. and Department of the Army, Aviation & Missle Command, Corpus Christi Army Depot, Corpus Christi, TX
D.F. (ECAB 19-0067): Repetitive work claim lacked medical explanation of causation
D.F., a retired Army depot aircraft fixture builder, attributed hand and arm conditions to repeated hammering, sanding, and use of tools. OWCP accepted the described duties but denied the claim for lack of medical causation. The Board found that his physician named diagnoses and asserted a work…
M.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Coppell, TX
M.P. (ECAB 18-1747): Foot disability claim returned for a specialist’s opinion
M.P., a postal mail handler, had accepted bilateral foot and later left ankle conditions and sought wage-loss compensation for more than a year before surgery. OWCP denied the claim for total disability during that period. The Board found that her physicians’ reports were incomplete, but…
J.P., claiming as widow of E.P., and Department of Energy, Bonneville Power Administration, Portland, OR
J.P. (ECAB 18-1739): Survivor claim lacked a work-related cause of death
J.P. sought survivor benefits after her husband, a former Bonneville Power Administration employee, died in 2013. His accepted work conditions included a cervical injury and aggravation of coronary disease associated with medication for that injury. The medical opinions conflicted over whether a…
D.L. and Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons, Cumberland, MD
D.L. (ECAB 18-1640): Basketball episode did not establish work-injury recurrence
D.L., a correctional officer, returned to full duty after an accepted March 2018 lumbar strain. He later reported renewed back symptoms after playing basketball outside work and claimed a recurrence of disability. The Board found that his physicians did not explain how the accepted injury caused…
L.H. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Honolulu Veterans Medical Center, Honolulu, HI
L.H. (ECAB 18-1217): Emotional condition claim lacked a qualifying medical diagnosis
L.H., a Veterans Affairs health system specialist, claimed that workplace conflict caused an emotional condition. OWCP denied her claim. The Board found that diagnoses from a social worker and mental health counselor did not qualify as physician evidence under FECA. A physician’s signature on a…
J.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Wells, VT
J.B. (ECAB 18-1006): Left leg claim lacked a reasoned work connection
J.B., a rural mail carrier, attributed a left knee meniscus tear and other leg conditions to vehicle use and repetitive mail delivery duties. OWCP denied his occupational disease claim. The Board found that his physicians’ reports repeated his account, checked causal boxes, or described a possible…
D.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Toms River, NJ
D.S. (ECAB 17-1359): Cervical and shoulder claim returned for specialist review
D.S., a postal letter carrier, reported right shoulder pain after lifting a tray in her mail vehicle. OWCP accepted the May 2016 incident but denied that it caused her cervical and right arm conditions. A physician explained how the lifting and related duties could aggravate preexisting cervical…
Secretary of Labor v. Rain for Rent
Appointments Clause remand ordered a new hearing
The Commission had affirmed citations against Rain for Rent and later denied reconsideration. Rain for Rent appealed, arguing that the original administrative law judge had not been constitutionally appointed under the Appointments Clause. The Secretary joined the company in asking the D.C. Circuit…
Griffo v. Book Dog Books, LLC, Robert William Holdings, LLC, and Robert William Management, LLC
Griffo v. Book Dog Books, LLC (DOL ARB 2018-0029): ordinary customers are not SOX contractors
Book Dog Books CFO John Griffo alleged that privately held book businesses fired him after he reported financial and inventory inconsistencies. He argued that the companies were covered by Sarbanes-Oxley because they sold books through Amazon and held a line of credit with PNC, both publicly traded…
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.