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.
No decisions match these filters
Try fewer or different words, check the spelling, or clear the filters to browse everything.
R.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Macedonia, OH
R.R. (ECAB 19-0173): Board upholds termination of knee and shoulder benefits
R.R., a postal letter carrier, had accepted knee and shoulder injuries and received compensation. OWCP terminated wage-loss and medical benefits after a second-opinion orthopedist found the accepted conditions had resolved and no longer required treatment. The Board found that opinion detailed and…
T.K. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Administration Medical Center, Cleveland, OH
T.K. (ECAB 19-0055): Foot condition lacked a medical link to mopping incident
T.K., a Veterans Affairs housekeeping aide, claimed a left foot injury after a mopping incident at work. OWCP accepted the incident but denied the claim for lack of medical causation. His records documented plantar fasciitis and foot pain, yet the physicians did not explain how the accepted…
S.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Morrison, IL
S.G. (ECAB 19-0041): Left ankle claim lacked a reasoned work connection
S.G., a postal city carrier, sought acceptance of a left ankle condition after developing pain and undergoing treatment and surgery. OWCP denied her occupational disease claim. The Board found that her physicians described diagnoses, surgery, and disability, but did not give a reasoned explanation…
M.L. (widow of S.L.) and Department of Homeland Security, Customs & Border Protection, San Diego, CA
M.L. (ECAB 19-0020): Survivor claim lacked medical link to accepted knee injury
M.L. sought survivor benefits after her husband, a customs officer, died from a pulmonary embolism shortly after surgery for an accepted knee injury. The death certificate listed recent knee surgery among other contributing conditions, and the autopsy recorded both the surgery and embolism. The…
M.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Beverly Hills, CA
M.S. (ECAB 18-1658): Back injury claim lacked a clear account of the work event
M.S., a postal carrier, filed a claim saying she injured her back at work. Her claim did not identify the specific duties or incident that she said caused the back injury. After OWCP requested more factual details, she submitted additional medical reports without answering that request. Medical…
H.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Lockport Carrier Annex, Lockport, IL
H.M. (ECAB 18-1510): Intermittent disability claim lacked causal medical proof
H.M., a postal rural carrier associate, had an accepted 2013 lumbar sprain and later claimed intermittent disability for parts of 2017. Her physician issued work restrictions and no-work notes, but did not adequately explain how the accepted injury caused disability on the claimed dates. A second…
J.B. and Department of Homeland Security, Customs & Border Protection, Calexico, CA
J.B. (ECAB 18-1509): Board raises right arm impairment award to 13 percent
J.B., a customs officer, had accepted right shoulder and hand injuries and had received a schedule award for 11 percent right arm impairment. His physician rated impairment higher, while OWCP’s medical adviser calculated 11 percent. The Board found that the adviser had misread a wrist motion value…
J.C. and Department of Homeland Security, Customs & Border Patrol, San Clemente, CA
J.C. (ECAB 18-1503): Exercise incident lacked proof of a related injury
J.C., a border patrol supervisor, developed back and flank pain while exercising in a gym during duty. OWCP accepted the August 2016 incident but denied his traumatic injury claim. The emergency physician said the cause was unclear, described a musculoskeletal cause only as presumed, and did not…
Berkebile Auto Service, Inc.
Tow-truck crushing-hazard citation affirmed
Berkebile Auto Service operated an automotive garage and towing service in Pennsylvania. A tow-truck driver died after an off-loaded vehicle rolled forward and pinned him against the tow truck. The judge found that the driver was Berkebile's employee and that the company and towing industry…
Matter of Silvestre MENDOZA-HERNANDEZ and Matter of Rufina CAPULA-CORTES
A later hearing notice can trigger the stop-time rule
The Board reviewed the appeals of a husband and wife from Mexico whose Notices to Appear did not specify the time and place of their initial removal hearing. The Immigration Court later mailed hearing notices with that information, and the respondents appeared at the scheduled and later hearings…
A.I. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Chicago, IL
A.I. (ECAB 19-0193): Hip impairment claim returned for medical clarification
A.I. challenged OWCP’s assessment of his permanent lower-extremity impairment. The Board found that the impartial examiner had not adequately explained his hip impairment classification in light of the measured range of motion. It set aside OWCP’s decision and directed further medical clarification…
E.F. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Albany Veterans Hospital, Albany, NY
E.F. (ECAB 18-1723): Schedule award denial affirmed
E.F. sought a schedule award for upper-extremity impairment associated with an accepted cervical condition. The Board found no objective evidence of cervical radiculopathy causing a ratable arm impairment. It also explained that a separate carpal tunnel condition had not been accepted as work…
K.G. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Houston, TX
K.G. (ECAB 18-1691): Left knee claim denial affirmed
K.G. claimed a left knee condition after a September 28, 2017 work incident. The Board found that her physicians had not provided a reasoned medical explanation linking the diagnosed condition to that incident. It affirmed OWCP’s denial.
T.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Denver, CO
T.J. (ECAB 18-1500): Injury claim denial affirmed
T.J. sought compensation for symptoms following an accepted November 26, 2017 work incident. The Board found that the medical reports identified low back pain and muscle spasm but did not establish a diagnosed medical condition caused by that incident. It affirmed OWCP’s denial.
J.L. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Perry Point, MD
J.L. (ECAB 18-1380): Schedule award denial affirmed
J.L. sought a schedule award for permanent impairment of both lower extremities. OWCP resolved conflicting medical assessments through an impartial examiner, who found no objective neurologic deficit and rated both legs at zero percent impairment. The Board gave that opinion special weight and…
R.L. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Puget Sound Health Clinic, Seattle, WA
R.L. (ECAB 18-1375): Union official-time question sent back
R.L., a nurse and union vice president, claimed an emotional condition arising during union representation. OWCP denied the claim without asking the employer whether she was on official time when the alleged injury occurred. The Board set aside the denial and directed OWCP to investigate her…
J.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Bethesda, MD
J.A. (ECAB 18-1304): Wage-loss claim returned for employer evidence
J.A. sought compensation for September 26 through October 7, 2017 after a work injury. OWCP denied the claim, but the record did not establish whether the Postal Service had light-duty work available during that period. The Board set aside the denial and directed OWCP to obtain information from the…
G.S. and Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Trenton, NJ
G.S. (ECAB 18-0827): Schedule award denial affirmed
OWCP denied G.S. a schedule award for a claimed permanent impairment after accepted lumbar, hip, and thigh injuries. The Board agreed that OWCP properly gave special weight to the impartial examiner’s report. That examiner found no objective residual impairment caused by the accepted work injury…
American Federation of Government Employees, National Citizenship and Immigration Services Council, Local 2076 and United States Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
USCIS and AFGE Local 2076 (FLRA 0-AR-5361): Investigation notices upheld
USCIS gave three employees notices of misconduct investigations and temporarily restricted certain workplace privileges while the investigations were pending. An arbitrator found that neither the agency's disciplinary regulation nor the labor agreement prohibited those notices before the…
Emma Jean Stiltner (on behalf of and Widow of Danny A. Stiltner) v. Superior Mining and Minerals
Stiltner v. Superior Mining and Minerals (BRB 18-0313 and related appeals): awards vacated for new hearing
Emma Jean Stiltner pursued her late husband's black lung claim and her own survivor claim. An administrative law judge awarded both benefits and attorney fees. After an appointment challenge, that same judge reconsidered and reaffirmed his rulings. A Board majority held that this did not provide…
Flora Burton (Widow of Carl Burton) v. Consolidation Coal Company
Burton v. Consolidation Coal (BRB 18-0415): survivor award vacated for new hearing
Flora Burton received survivor benefits after a judge found that her late husband Carl had qualifying coal mine work and a totally disabling respiratory condition. Consolidation Coal challenged the judge's appointment under the Constitution. The Board held that the judge had taken significant…
Emma Jean Stiltner (on behalf of and Widow of Danny A. Stiltner) v. Superior Mining and Minerals
Stiltner v. Superior Mining and Minerals (BRB 18-0313 and related appeals): awards vacated for new hearing
Emma Jean Stiltner pursued her late husband's black lung claim and her own survivor claim. An administrative law judge awarded both benefits and attorney fees. After an appointment challenge, that same judge reconsidered and reaffirmed his rulings. A Board majority held that this did not provide…
Emma Jean Stiltner (on behalf of and Widow of Danny A. Stiltner) v. Superior Mining and Minerals
Stiltner v. Superior Mining and Minerals (BRB 18-0313 and related appeals): awards vacated for new hearing
Emma Jean Stiltner pursued her late husband's black lung claim and her own survivor claim. An administrative law judge awarded both benefits and attorney fees. After an appointment challenge, that same judge reconsidered and reaffirmed his rulings. A Board majority held that this did not provide…
Emma Jean Stiltner (on behalf of and Widow of Danny A. Stiltner) v. Superior Mining and Minerals
Stiltner v. Superior Mining and Minerals (BRB 18-0313 and related appeals): awards vacated for new hearing
Emma Jean Stiltner pursued her late husband's black lung claim and her own survivor claim. An administrative law judge awarded both benefits and attorney fees. After an appointment challenge, that same judge reconsidered and reaffirmed his rulings. A Board majority held that this did not provide…
Thomas Ray Bailey v. A E P Kentucky Coal, LLC
Bailey v. A E P Kentucky Coal (BRB 18-0218): black lung benefits affirmed
Thomas Bailey sought black lung benefits after twenty-eight years of qualifying coal mine work. The judge found total respiratory disability based on pulmonary function testing and awarded benefits under the statutory presumption. The employer argued that other test results and medical opinions…
Muskegon Development Company
In re Muskegon Development Company (EAB UIC Appeal No. 18-05): Permit remanded for comments and environmental-justice analysis
EPA Region 5 issued a Class II Underground Injection Control permit to Muskegon Development Company to convert an existing oil-production well in Michigan for fresh-water injection that would enhance recovery from nearby wells. Emerson Joseph Addison III challenged the Region's response to…
Quenton L. Childers v. Enterprise Mining Company, LLC
Childers v. Enterprise Mining (BRB 18-0201): black lung benefits affirmed
Quenton Childers sought black lung benefits on a later claim after thirty-three years of dusty surface coal mine work. The judge found total respiratory disability and awarded benefits under the statutory presumption. The employer argued that the disability evidence did not support that finding and…
William T. Adkins v. Laurel Run Mining Company
Adkins v. Laurel Run Mining (BRB 18-0198): disability evidence returned for review
William Adkins received a black lung benefits award after the judge found that blood gas studies and doctors' opinions established total respiratory disability. The Board found that the judge had not weighed all relevant blood gas studies, including studies in treatment records, or clearly decided…
Willie Williams v. Golden Oak Mining Company Limited Partnership
Williams v. Golden Oak Mining (BRB 18-0147): disability testing returned for review
Willie Williams received a black lung benefits award based on qualifying coal mine work and a finding of total respiratory disability. The Board upheld the judge's designation of Golden Oak as the responsible operator but found that he had not fully evaluated whether two pulmonary function studies…
Robert Lee Hylton v. Itmann/Consolidation Coal Company
Hylton v. Itmann/Consolidation Coal (BRB 18-0019): black lung benefits affirmed after remand
Robert Hylton received a black lung benefits award after the judge found that he had a disabling respiratory condition and more than fifteen years of qualifying mine work. An earlier Board decision required the judge to recalculate his work history. On remand she credited 15.76 qualifying years and…
Vincent Nathaniel v. Murphy Marine Services, Incorporated
Nathaniel v. Murphy Marine Services (BRB 19-0081): appeal dismissed for settlement review
Vincent Nathaniel asked the Benefits Review Board to dismiss his Longshore Act appeal because the parties had agreed to settle the claim. The Board granted the request without prejudice and sent the proposed settlement to the administrative law judge for review. It did not approve the settlement…
H.M. and Tennessee Valley Authority, Allen Fossil Plant, Memphis, TN
H.M. (ECAB 19-0188): Hearing loss claim denial affirmed
H.M., a steamfitter, claimed hearing loss from federal workplace noise. OWCP’s second opinion physician found that his hearing loss predated federal employment and that later changes were consistent with aging rather than work exposure. The Board affirmed the denial because no qualified physician…
J.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Network Distribution Center, Springfield, MA
J.P. (ECAB 19-0129): Left hand claim denial affirmed
J.P. reported left hand pain after pulling a full container at work on June 12, 2018. Her physician described a soft tissue mass as post-traumatic but did not explain how the work incident caused or contributed to it. The Board affirmed OWCP’s denial because the medical evidence did not establish…
O.C. and U.S. Postal Service, South Suburban Processing & Distribution Center, Bedford Park, IL
O.C. (ECAB 19-0106): Reconsideration denial affirmed
O.C. asked OWCP to reconsider its earlier denial of her occupational back condition claim. The Board found that her new submission did not present a relevant new legal argument or evidence sufficient to reopen the merits. It affirmed OWCP’s refusal to reconsider, leaving the underlying claim…
L.E. and Department of Veterans Affairs, St. Albans Harbor Healthcare System, Jamaica, NY
L.E. (ECAB 19-0043): Injury claim denial affirmed
L.E., a cook, claimed several injuries after pushing a loaded food truck at work on November 14, 2017. The Board found that his physician listed diagnoses but did not adequately explain how the accepted incident caused them. It affirmed OWCP’s denial of the claim.
T.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Houston, TX
T.L. (ECAB 19-0028): Late written-record review request denied
T.L. requested a review of the written record before an OWCP hearing representative after the 30-day deadline. The Board found that OWCP reasonably denied the untimely request after considering whether the issue could instead be addressed through reconsideration. It affirmed the August 3, 2018…
M.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Atkinson, NH
M.A. (ECAB 18-1666): Overpayment and recovery affirmed
M.A. received FECA compensation while also receiving Social Security retirement benefits attributable to federal service. The Board upheld OWCP’s $31,461.65 overpayment finding for May 1, 2014 through July 22, 2017. It also affirmed the denial of waiver and recovery through $300 deductions every 28…
T.G. and Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Richmond, VA
T.G. (ECAB 18-1064): Disability denial affirmed; reconsideration denial set aside
T.G. sought wage-loss compensation for March 9 through 11, 2017 and also challenged OWCP’s refusal to reconsider an earlier period of claimed disability. The Board found that her medical evidence did not establish total disability for the March 2017 dates. It affirmed that denial but set aside…
United States Department of Energy, Western Area Power Administration and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 3824
Western Area Power Administration and AFGE Local 3824 (FLRA 0-AR-5396): Holiday-pay award set aside
Power-system dispatchers grieved the agency's holiday premium-pay rate, and an arbitrator awarded backpay after finding that the rate did not match prevailing industry pay. The Authority held that Congress gave the agency sole and exclusive discretion to set dispatcher pay notwithstanding Title 5…
Hunter v. CSX Transportation, Inc.
Wheel-slip report protected but discharge claim denied
CSX engineer Desmond Hunter reported a sounding wheel-slip alarm and later challenged his discharge as retaliation under the Federal Rail Safety Act. The ALJ found the report protected because it was a good-faith report of a hazardous safety concern that an engineer had to report. CSX's…
L.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, East St. Louis, IL
L.S. (ECAB 19-0135): Injury claim denial affirmed
L.S. claimed an injury after a June 8, 2017 work incident. The Board found that many submitted reports were not signed by qualified physicians and that the remaining medical reports did not explain how the incident caused his conditions. It affirmed OWCP’s denial.
B.W. and Department of Homeland Security, Immigration & Customs Enforcement, Charleston, WV
B.W. (ECAB 19-0049): Medical treatment compensation allowed; remaining wage loss denied
B.W. sought wage-loss compensation for August 7 through 18, 2018 after an accepted left shoulder injury. The Board found that he was entitled to compensation for medical treatment on August 7 and 16, but his physician did not explain why the accepted injury prevented work for the remaining hours…
R.R. and Department of Defense, Defense Logistics Agency, New Cumberland, PA
R.R. (ECAB 19-0048): Hernia claim denial affirmed
R.R. reported abdominal pain after lifting a heavy box at work on January 18, 2018 and was diagnosed with a ventral hernia. The Board found that his physician described the timing but did not give a reasoned medical opinion connecting the hernia to the accepted incident. It affirmed OWCP’s denial.
J.F. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, City of Industry, CA
J.F. (ECAB 18-1668): Reconsideration denial affirmed
J.F. sought reconsideration of OWCP’s earlier denial of her claim. The Board found that she had not submitted a new relevant legal argument or evidence meeting the threshold for another merits review. It affirmed the refusal to reconsider without deciding the underlying claim’s merits.
C.S. and Department of the Navy, Navy Public Works Center, Norfolk, VA
C.S. (ECAB 18-1610): Wage-earning capacity modification claim remanded
C.S. sought to modify a 2007 loss of wage-earning capacity determination after his accepted back condition allegedly worsened. OWCP developed evidence about additional surgery but did not ask whether the worsening prevented him from performing the position used for the wage-earning capacity…
L.D. and U.S. Postal Service, West Market Station, Philadelphia, PA
L.D. (ECAB 18-1600): Termination of wage-loss and medical benefits affirmed
OWCP terminated L.D.’s wage-loss compensation and medical benefits effective June 25, 2017. The Board found that OWCP had established that her accepted injuries no longer caused disability or medical residuals. It also found that she did not establish continuing disability or residuals after…
A.M. and Department of Justice, U.S. Marshals Service, Brooklyn, NY
A.M. (ECAB 18-1538): Wrist and hand claim denial affirmed
A.M. claimed right wrist, hand, and thumb conditions after a January 30, 2017 work incident. The Board found that his medical reports did not give a reasoned explanation linking those conditions to the accepted incident. It affirmed OWCP’s denial.
A.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Boston, MA
A.W. (ECAB 18-1511): Hip osteoarthritis claim remanded for development
A.W. claimed that his postal work caused or accelerated osteoarthritis in both hips. OWCP’s regional director had ordered further development, including a statement of accepted facts and medical questions, but the claims examiner did not complete it before denying the claim. The Board set aside the…
R.R., representative of the estate of J.R., and Social Security Administration, District Office, San Juan, PR
R.R., representative of the estate of J.R., (ECAB 18-0803): Estate overpayment decision returned for findings
OWCP sought to recover $14,387.11 in life insurance premiums it had failed to deduct from J.R.’s compensation before his death. The Board found that OWCP mailed its notices to the deceased employee’s address and had not made required findings about the estate, its representative, and available…
Secretary of Labor v. Jones Brothers, Inc.
New judge ordered after Appointments Clause ruling
A Commission judge had ruled that Jones Brothers' operations were subject to the Mine Act, then entered a final order affirming nine citations and orders so the company could appeal the jurisdiction issue. The Sixth Circuit vacated those decisions because the judge had not been constitutionally…
Ronald L. Dillsworth v. Viking Coal Company
Dillsworth v. Viking Coal (BRB 18-0274): lung disease causation returned for review
Ronald Dillsworth received black lung benefits after the judge found that his lung disease was related to coal dust exposure and caused his total disability. The Board found that the judge had not fully explained why a doctor's statements that coal dust could have worsened the disease, or…
Levi Church v. Huntington Ingalls, Incorporated, Pascagoula Operations
Levi Church v. Huntington Ingalls (BRB 18-0258): shipyard parking lot qualifies as covered site
Levi Church, a blaster and painter at Huntington Ingalls' Pascagoula shipyard, stepped in a pothole in an employee parking lot inside the shipyard boundary before his shift. The employer paid Mississippi workers' compensation but disputed Longshore Act coverage. An administrative law judge denied…
Frederick C. King v. Barnes & Tucker Company
King v. Barnes & Tucker (BRB 18-0235): black lung denial returned for x-ray review
Frederick King sought black lung benefits after fewer than ten years of coal mine work. The judge found him totally disabled but denied benefits because she found that he had not proved pneumoconiosis. The Board found that she had not explained how she weighed conflicting x-rays while saying she…
Dorothy Ann Salmons (Widow of Robert Lee Salmons) v. Director, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs
Salmons v. Director, OWCP (BRB 18-0226): survivor claim returned for disability review
Dorothy Salmons sought survivor benefits after her husband Robert, an underground coal miner, died. The judge denied benefits after finding that Robert had not been totally disabled by a respiratory condition. The Board found that the judge had not adequately assessed hospital blood gas studies and…
Aubry L. Wilson v. Westmoreland Coal Company
Wilson v. Westmoreland Coal (BRB 18-0187): black lung benefits affirmed
Aubry Wilson sought black lung benefits after twenty-seven years of underground coal mine work. The judge found that he was totally disabled by a respiratory condition and awarded benefits under the statutory presumption. The employer's doctors attributed his impairment to asthma and a diaphragm…
C.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Phoenix, AZ
C.S. (ECAB 19-0172): Upper-extremity schedule award denial affirmed
C.S. sought a schedule award for permanent upper-extremity impairment after an accepted neck strain. The Board found that his medical evidence did not establish an impairment of either arm caused by the work injury. It affirmed OWCP’s denial.
J.T. and Department of the Navy, Commander Navy Installations Command, San Diego, CA
J.T. (ECAB 19-0044): Occupational injury claim denial affirmed
J.T. claimed cervical, lumbar, right shoulder, and left knee conditions from work that included climbing shipboard ladders and scaffolding while carrying materials. The Board found that her physician listed diagnoses and work duties but did not provide a reasoned medical explanation linking them…
F.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Dedham, MA
F.M. (ECAB 18-1793): Hip and knee claim remanded for medical development
F.M. claimed that postal duties caused or aggravated arthritis in both hips and his left knee. The Board found that his physician’s affirmative opinion and explanation warranted further development of the medical record. It set aside OWCP’s denial and directed a new specialist opinion and decision.
A.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Metroplex Michigan Processing & Distribution Center, Pontiac, MI
A.M. (ECAB 18-1748): Shoulder claim denial affirmed
A.M. claimed right shoulder conditions from her federal work. The Board found that the medical reports did not adequately explain how the accepted work factors caused those conditions. It affirmed OWCP’s denial.
G.T. and Department of the Navy, Pugent Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, WA
G.T. (ECAB 18-1506): Reconsideration denial affirmed
G.T. asked OWCP to reconsider its denial of an occupational lumbar condition claim. The Board found that his request lacked a new relevant legal argument or medical evidence sufficient to reopen the merits. It affirmed OWCP’s refusal to reconsider without deciding whether his work caused the lumbar…
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.