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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M.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office
Cardiac condition claim denied
M.B., a postal employee, attributed a cardiac condition to accepted workplace mold exposure. The Board credited a referral cardiologist's opinion that the evidence did not connect the pericarditis to that exposure. Other testing did not address causation. It affirmed the denial.
R.E. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office
Back injury claim remanded
R.E., a postal letter carrier, reported lower back pain after a long shift involving standing and lifting mail bundles. The Board found her account of the work incident sufficiently consistent despite a delay in filing the claim. It held that OWCP must now address the medical question of whether…
A.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office
Ankle impairment award denied
A.M., a postal rural carrier, sought an award for permanent impairment after an accepted right ankle sprain. The Board credited examinations finding no ratable right leg impairment and affirmed the denial. Its issue statement refers to the left leg, while the decision otherwise discusses the right…
B.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office
Foot condition claim denied
B.G., a postal sales and service associate, attributed plantar fasciitis to standing at work. The Board found that he had submitted no medical diagnosis or causation opinion despite a request for that evidence. His later reconsideration request included no qualifying argument or evidence. It…
D.P. and Department of Homeland Security, Federal Aviation Administration
Larger arm impairment award denied
D.P., a transportation security officer supervisor, sought a larger schedule award for right arm impairment. The Board found that her physician used an unsuitable rating method for concurrent nerve conditions. It credited the medical adviser’s six percent rating, which was lower than the 13 percent…
K.V. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office
Concussion claim denied
K.V., a postal city carrier, claimed a concussion after an accepted work-related vehicle collision. The Board found that the emergency records showed treatment and symptoms but no firm medical diagnosis of a concussion linked to the incident. The reconsideration materials did not supply the missing…
C.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office
Disability recurrence denied
C.C., a postal mail processing clerk, had accepted nerve and back conditions and worked light duty. She claimed a recurrence of total disability. The Board found no reasoned medical evidence that the accepted conditions had worsened enough to prevent work, and no factual proof that the light-duty…
F.V. and Peace Corps Volunteer Services
Arm impairment award remanded
F.V., a Peace Corps volunteer, sought an increased schedule award for right arm impairment. After an earlier remand, OWCP asked for a new rating but did not obtain a second opinion when no adequate rating was submitted. The Board found that OWCP had not followed its own procedures and needed to…
Mulch ‘n More, Inc.
Willful injury-recording violation affirmed
A Mulch ‘n More employee suffered a chainsaw laceration at a jobsite, received stitches and an immobilizing wrap, and was sent home the next day because of the injury. The company’s owner knew the injury occurred at work, arranged transportation to the hospital, and had prior experience with OSHA…
Secretary of Labor obo Jason Wylie v Allegheny Mineral Corporation and Secretary of Labor v. Allegheny Mineral Corporation
Secretary of Labor on behalf of Jason Wylie v. Allegheny Mineral Corporation (FMSHRC PENN 2018-158 DM): Reconsideration of severance denied
Jason Wylie and Allegheny Mineral had agreed on settlement terms for Wylie's discrimination relief, but the Secretary opposed keeping the monetary amount confidential. Judge Jerold Feldman had separated Wylie's relief claim from the related civil penalty case, and he denied the Secretary's request…
J.V. and Department of the Air Force, Travis Air Force Base
Upper arm impairment rating remanded
J.V., an Air Force cargo scheduler, sought a larger right arm award and a left arm impairment award. The Board found that the range of motion rating did not include the three independent measurements required by OWCP's procedure. It set aside the decision and remanded for supplemental measurements…
A.H. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration
Additional injury conditions denied
A.H., a VA nurse manager, sought to add pain and nerve conditions to an accepted left shoulder and arm sprain claim. The Board found that her physician had not adequately explained how the 2008 work injury caused the later diagnoses. It affirmed OWCP’s refusal to expand the claim.
D.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office
Ankle condition claim denied
D.A., a postal rural carrier, reported ankle symptoms after carrying a heavy package upstairs at work. OWCP accepted the incident. The Board found that the medical reports either gave no opinion on causation or did not explain how the event produced the diagnosed conditions. It affirmed the claim…
C.P. and Department of the Army, Installation Management Command, Lawson Army Airfield
Back condition claim denied
C.P., an Army firefighter, attributed lumbar conditions to an accepted 2013 work incident. The Board found that his physicians did not adequately explain why that incident, rather than other incidents or preexisting disease, caused the conditions. It affirmed the denial.
D.W. and Department of Defense, Defense Commissary Agency, McGuire Air Force Base
Carpal tunnel claim remanded
D.W., a commissary sales associate and cashier, attributed bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome to repetitive and forceful work. Her physicians gave consistent opinions connecting the condition to her duties, though the opinions did not fully establish the claim. The Board found those reports…
E.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office
Neck condition claim denied
E.S., a postal letter carrier, attributed a neck condition to bending while taking calls and writing messages at work. OWCP accepted those activities as factual. The Board found that the medical reports did not adequately explain how the activities caused or aggravated the diagnosed cervical…
E.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office
Disability recurrence denied
E.A., a postal lead sales and service associate, had an accepted 2007 knee, neck, and back injury and later worked in a modified position. The Board found no proof that the job requirements changed or that the accepted conditions worsened enough to cause total disability in November 2016. It…
T.P. (formerly T.S.) and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office
Reconsideration request denied
T.P., a postal letter carrier, requested reconsideration of an occupational disease claim. The Board found that she had resubmitted an earlier physician's report and offered no new evidence or qualifying legal argument. It affirmed OWCP’s refusal to reopen the claim.
A.G. and Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau
Benefits termination upheld; residuals remanded
A.G., a Census Bureau field representative, challenged the end of wage-loss and medical benefits for accepted conditions. The Board credited a medical opinion supporting the termination. It also found that OWCP’s hearing representative failed to review a physician's later report before deciding…
M.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office
Arm impairment rating remanded
M.L., a postal letter carrier with accepted bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, sought a schedule award. OWCP relied on examination findings about four years old. The Board found those findings too stale to support the impairment rating and directed a new examination. It set aside the decision and…
P.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office
Knee replacement authorization denied
P.M., a postal worker, requested authorization for left knee replacement surgery after a work injury. The Board credited a specialist's opinion that the underlying arthritis predated the accepted injury and that the proposed surgery was neither shown to be injury related nor medically warranted. It…
T.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office
Disability claim partly remanded
T.A., a postal rural carrier, sought wage-loss compensation after a right knee injury. The Board found that the medical evidence did not establish disability for the earlier claimed period. It could not tell whether modified work within her restrictions was available during the later 2016 to 2017…
M.O. and U.S. Postal Service, Akron Hub
Shoulder condition claim denied
M.O., a postal mail handler, attributed a shoulder condition to forklift steering and lifting trays. The Board found that his physician did not explain whether the condition stemmed from those duties or an earlier rotator cuff injury and surgery. It affirmed the claim denial.
A.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office
Fall injury conditions denied
A.H., a postal support employee, reported shoulder, hip, and back conditions after an accepted workplace fall. The Board found that her physician's reports did not explain how the incident caused the diagnoses or account for a preexisting lumbar condition. It affirmed the denial.
S.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Post Office
Knee condition claim denied
S.W., a postal city carrier assistant, claimed that an accepted workplace incident aggravated a right knee condition. The Board found that the physician's opinion relied mainly on symptoms appearing after the incident and did not explain how the event caused or worsened the condition. It affirmed…
A.C. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center
Lumbar injury claim remanded
A.C., a VA nurse, attributed lumbar conditions to repetitive bending and stooping during an accepted work incident. Her physicians offered consistent opinions linking the movements to the diagnosed conditions. The Board found one opinion sufficiently reasoned to require further development in the…
C.D. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration
Work-related condition claim denied
C.D., a transportation security officer, attributed back and lower extremity conditions to repeated lifting, bending, walking, and standing at work. The Board found that her physician did not adequately explain how those duties caused or aggravated the diagnoses, especially given preexisting…
L.B., guardian of A.V., and Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons
Survivor benefits claim remanded
L.B. sought survivor benefits for the minor son of a correctional officer who died in 2012. She alleged that workplace events contributed to an emotional condition before his death. The Board found that OWCP had sent information requests to an undeliverable agency address and had not adequately…
J.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office
Lumbar condition claim denied
J.S., a postal letter carrier, attributed a lumbar condition to repetitive duties. The Board found that his physician did not provide a firm diagnosis. His reconsideration materials did not cure that gap, and an unrelated reference to a knee injury in OWCP’s earlier decision was harmless. It…
J.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Amity Station
Additional shoulder conditions denied
J.L., a postal rural carrier, sought to add right shoulder impingement and a proximal tendon tear to her accepted work injury. The Board found that the physician's form checked a causation box without explanation, while his narrative gave no causation opinion. It affirmed the refusal to add those…
S.M., son of J.M., and U.S. Postal Service, Bulk Mail Center
Survivor claim denied
S.M. sought survivor benefits after his father, a postal employee, died of a heart attack on the employer's premises. The employee had signed out about eleven hours earlier and remained there during a storm while awaiting a ride. The Board found that he was not carrying out work or a reasonably…
M.S. and Department of Health and Human Services, Indian Health Service
Shoulder surgery request remanded
M.S., an Indian Health Service nurse, sought authorization for left shoulder surgery after an accepted injury. The Board found that OWCP's second opinion physician disregarded an accepted shoulder condition, so his denial rationale rested on an inaccurate factual basis. It set aside the decision…
M.E. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office
Injury and pay claims denied
M.E., a postal mail carrier, claimed a knee injury while delivering mail. The Board found that his account of the incident lacked enough detail and was inconsistent with the long delay before he filed the claim. Without an established work injury, he was not eligible for continuation of pay. It…
R.V. and Department of the Army, Installation Management Command
Consequential hearing loss claim denied
R.V., an Army safety supervisor, attributed hearing loss to accepted sinus and bronchial conditions from work-related mold exposure. The Board credited a second opinion physician who explained why those conditions would cause conductive rather than sensorineural loss. His treating physician did not…
National Treasury Employees Union (Union) and U.S. Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service (Agency)
NTEU and IRS (FLRA 0-NG-3376): Caseload proposal covered by agreement
The IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service changed how it distributed cases among offices, and the union proposed special relief for case advocates whose inventories exceeded the national average by at least ten percent. The proposal would limit new assignments to two per day or require reasonable deadline…
T.B. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Affairs Hospital
Renewed treatment claim denied
T.B., a former VA carpenter, sought reimbursement for renewed treatment years after an accepted 1992 injury. The Board found no reasoned medical opinion linking the treatment to that injury, especially given later unrelated accidents and unaccepted diagnoses. It affirmed the denial.
A.G. and Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau
Schedule award reconsideration denied
A.G., a Census Bureau field representative, sought reconsideration of his schedule award. The Board found that he repeated arguments already considered and submitted no new medical evidence on the impairment percentage. It affirmed OWCP’s refusal to reopen the claim.
P.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office
Knee injury claim denied
P.R., a postal sales and distribution associate, reported a left knee condition after an accepted work incident. The Board found that the medical submissions did not provide a reasoned physician opinion connecting the diagnosed condition to that incident. It affirmed the denial.
D.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office
Additional spine and wrist conditions denied
D.A., a postal bulk mail technician, sought to add cervical and lumbar nerve conditions and bilateral wrist conditions after a work fall. The Board found that the reports did not adequately explain how the fall caused or aggravated those diagnoses. One opinion also relied on an injury account…
F.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office
Shoulder injury claim denied
F.M., a postal rural carrier, developed right shoulder symptoms while reaching to deliver mail. The Board found that diagnostic imaging did not address causation and that the physicians' opinions did not sufficiently explain how the accepted incident caused the diagnosed conditions. It affirmed the…
T.O. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center
Total disability claim denied
T.O., a VA nursing assistant, had an accepted cervical sprain after a workplace incident. She sought compensation for a later period of total disability. The Board found that her physician did not explain how the accepted sprain prevented all work during the claimed dates. It affirmed the denial.
United States Department of Defense, Education Activity (Agency) and Federal Education Association (Union)
DOD Education Activity and FEA (FLRA 0-AR-5315): Late training grievance award vacated
In August 2013, DOD Education Activity announced that it would no longer approve official time or travel for union representatives to attend off-site training. The union waited until September 2015 to grieve, despite a contract requiring grievances within forty-five days of the triggering event. An…
E.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office
Injury benefits termination upheld
E.B., a postal rural carrier associate, had an accepted right calf injury. The Board credited a referral physician's opinion that the accepted strain had resolved and that other conditions explained her continuing limitations. It found no adequate later medical proof of injury-related disability or…
P.H. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration
Claim expansion reconsideration denied
P.H., a transportation security screener, sought reconsideration of a refusal to add conditions to an accepted injury claim. The Board found that counsel repeated arguments already considered and that the submitted physician report added no reasoned new causation evidence. It affirmed the refusal…
C.M. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Training injury claim denied
C.M., a deportation officer, reported shoulder pain after an accepted handcuffing training incident. The Board found that his physician documented diagnoses but did not clearly and adequately explain how the training incident caused them. It affirmed the claim denial.
R.P. and Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Patrol
Attorney fee approval upheld
R.P. challenged the attorney fees OWCP approved for services in his compensation case. The Board reviewed the work and rates and found no abuse of discretion in OWCP’s approval of $5,117 rather than the larger amount requested. It affirmed the fee decision.
A.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office
Lumbar condition claim denied
A.M., a postal city carrier assistant, attributed a lumbar condition to an accepted incident involving a heavy package. The Board found that her physicians did not adequately explain how the incident caused or aggravated the diagnosed conditions, particularly given a prior back injury. It affirmed…
W.C., widow of R.C., and Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection
Death benefits claim denied
W.C. sought survivor benefits after her husband, a Border Patrol agent, died in 2015. She argued that treatment and pain from an accepted earlier injury contributed to his death from combined drug and alcohol intoxication. The Board credited a medical opinion finding no causal link between the…
J.J. and Department of the Air Force, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base
Medical authorization reconsideration remanded
J.J., an Air Force employee with an accepted cancer condition, requested reconsideration of a medical authorization denial. OWCP said he submitted only a personal statement, but the record also contained his physician's report on the carotid procedure. The Board found that OWCP had not reviewed…
Matter of J-R-G-P-
Poor detention conditions alone did not establish torture
The Board reviewed a Mexican citizen's application for deferral of removal under the Convention Against Torture. The Immigration Judge found that the respondent was likely to be arrested, imprisoned, or involuntarily committed to a mental health facility, but that the record did not show Mexican…
United States Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Wage and Investment Division, Austin, Texas (Agency) and National Treasury Employees Union, Chapter 52 (Union)
IRS Austin and NTEU Chapter 52 (FLRA 0-AR-5316): Accommodation damages upheld, retaliation award vacated
An IRS employee brought grievances alleging a retaliatory hostile work environment, unpaid overtime, and failure to address her need for disability accommodations. The arbitrator sustained several claims and awarded overtime relief, $225,000 for retaliation, $25,000 for failure to accommodate…
United States Department of Defense, Defense Logistics Agency (Agency) and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1592 (Union)
Defense Logistics Agency and AFGE Local 1592 (FLRA 0-AR-5300): Las Vegas telework award vacated
A Defense Logistics Agency employee assigned to Hill Air Force Base teleworked full time from her home in Ogden, Utah. After her husband moved to Las Vegas, she asked to change her duty station and telework there, but the agency denied the request because the agreement required teleworkers to…
James Luckern v. Richard Brady & Associates
Renovation of working shipyard shop is maritime work
James Luckern was injured while installing handrails during the renovation of a carpentry building at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. The building remained in use and produced components for ships and submarines. The employer accepted that the shipyard was a covered location but argued that Luckern's…
T.O. and Department of the Air Force, 96th Civil Engineer Group
Wildfire incident injury claim denied
T.O., a forestry technician, reported headache, abdominal pain, and ringing in one ear after an explosion while fighting a wildfire. The Board accepted that the work incident occurred. It found no competent medical diagnosis connected to the incident because the only submitted diagnosis was in an…
M.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office
No permanent leg impairment found
M.H., a postal distribution clerk, sought a schedule award after an accepted right tibia injury from a fall at work. Her treating surgeon found that the fracture had healed, and an OWCP medical adviser applied the sixth edition of the A.M.A. Guides to find zero percent permanent impairment of the…
K.C. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center
Back injury claim denied
K.C., a VA program manager, reported a back injury after a coworker pushed her into a copier at work. The Board accepted that the incident occurred but found that her physicians had not adequately explained how it caused or aggravated her diagnosed back conditions, given her preexisting back…
C.B. and Department of the Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command
Hand condition claim denied
C.B., an Air Force office automation assistant, attributed carpal tunnel syndrome and tendinitis to computer input and moving office materials. The Board found that the medical reports either did not address causation, gave no reasoned explanation connecting the conditions to her duties, or…
O.C. and Department of Homeland Security, Customs & Border Protection
Left lung condition claim denied
O.C., a customs and border protection officer, claimed that lifting and inspecting merchandise at work caused a left lung condition. Testing established a left pneumothorax, but the Board found that the medical reports did not adequately explain how the accepted work incident caused or aggravated…
M.B. and Department of the Army, Aberdeen Proving Ground
Knee arthritis claim denied
M.B., an Army human resources specialist, claimed that increased walking at work aggravated preexisting left knee arthritis and hastened knee replacement surgery. OWCP denied the claim after an impartial medical examiner attributed the condition to the natural progression of degenerative arthritis…
B.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office
Late reconsideration request denied
B.S., a postal letter carrier, sought reconsideration of a denied Achilles tendinitis claim. She submitted the request more than one year after OWCP’s last merits decision, so she had to show clear evidence of error to reopen the case. The Board found that a new audio recording with her physician…
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.