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.
M.P. and Department of Homeland Security, Federal Aviation Marshal Service, Independence, OH
Board upholds hearing rating but orders pay-rate review (ECAB 17-1736)
M.P. sought a larger schedule award for right ear hearing loss and disputed the pay rate used to calculate his award. The Board upheld the existing 26 percent monaural impairment rating. It found conflicting information about his last workplace noise exposure, which affected the proper pay rate…
M.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Tallahassee, FL
Board upholds termination of postal worker’s back injury benefits (ECAB 17-1606)
M.B. received benefits after an accepted lumbar sprain from lifting a mail tub in December 2015. OWCP terminated wage-loss and medical benefits effective June 8, 2016. The Board credited a physician’s opinion that the accepted sprain had resolved and found no remaining work-related residuals or…
D.H. and Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons, U.S. Prison Big Sandy, Inez, KY
Board orders fuller record in prison worker’s emotional condition case (ECAB 17-1529)
D.H. claimed an emotional condition after workplace threats and harassment. The Board found that OWCP relied on material from another case file that was not included in this record and did not determine which reported events were compensable work factors. It also identified evidence of some…
K.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, South Plainfield, NJ
Board upholds denial of postal carrier’s arm injury claim (ECAB 17-1363)
K.B. reported right arm, hand, and upper chest pain while casing mail on March 13, 2013. OWCP accepted that the workplace incident occurred. The Board found that the medical evidence did not adequately establish a diagnosed injury caused by that incident. It affirmed OWCP’s denial.
Y.T. and Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Petersburg, VA
Board upholds denial of prison worker’s emotional condition claim (ECAB 16-0569)
Y.T., a prison secretary, attributed an emotional condition to being assigned near a coworker with whom she had a prior personal relationship and related management actions. The Board found that the underlying conflict arose outside work and that her allegations did not establish error or abuse in…
Anthony T. Taft v. Lockheed Martin Corporation and ACE American Insurance Company
Taft v. Lockheed Martin (BRB 17-0618 and 17-0618A): premature appeals dismissed
Anthony Taft and the employer appealed while the labor judge was considering a timely motion for reconsideration. The Board held that the pending motion made both appeals premature. It dismissed the appeal and cross-appeal with prejudice to those filings; a later appeal was already docketed…
Erick Shlang v. Mitre Corporation and Chubb Indemnity Insurance Company
Shlang v. Mitre (BRB 17-0458): asthma benefits denial upheld
Erick Shlang sought Defense Base Act benefits, claiming that polluted air during work in Qatar caused or aggravated his asthma. The Board upheld the labor judge’s finding that the record did not establish a causal link between that exposure and the later respiratory condition. It affirmed the…
Robert E. Roberts v. Molloy Mining, Incorporated and West Virginia Coal Workers’ Pneumoconiosis Fund
Roberts v. Molloy Mining (BRB 17-0243 BLA): benefits award upheld
Robert Roberts received black lung benefits on a subsequent claim. The labor judge credited him with at least 23 years of qualifying coal mine work and total respiratory disability. The Board upheld the finding that the employer did not rebut the fifteen-year presumption and affirmed the award.
Clara Fuson v. Billy Ray Carroll Construction and American Mining Insurance Company
Fuson v. Billy Ray Carroll Construction (BRB 17-0238 BLA): survivor denial upheld
Clara Fuson appealed the denial of survivor benefits after her husband’s death. The Board upheld the labor judge’s finding that the evidence did not establish total respiratory disability. Without that finding, Fuson could not invoke the fifteen-year presumption, and the Board affirmed the denial.
Wallace H. Uzzle v. Island Creek Coal Company
Uzzle v. Island Creek Coal (BRB 17-0229 BLA): filing timeliness sent back
Wallace Uzzle received black lung benefits under the fifteen-year presumption. The Board upheld the finding that the employer did not rebut the presumption and that Uzzle met the medical requirements for entitlement. It remanded because the labor judge had to reassess whether the claim was timely…
Jerry D. Dickerson v. Consolidation Coal Company and Consol Energy, Incorporated
Dickerson v. Consolidation Coal (BRB 17-0225 BLA): benefits award upheld
Jerry Dickerson received black lung benefits after the labor judge credited him with 24 years of underground coal mine work and total respiratory disability. The employer challenged the medical findings used to rebut the fifteen-year presumption. The Board upheld the judge’s assessment of the…
B.W. and Department of the Navy, Naval Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, VA
Board changes reason for denial of Navy rigger’s back claim (ECAB 17-1929)
B.W. reported back strain after trying to untie a yard crane at work on June 27, 2017. OWCP denied the claim on the ground that he was not in the performance of duty. The Board found that the incident did occur during duty, but the medical reports did not link a diagnosed injury to that incident…
K.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Cottage Grove Annex, Cottage Grove, MN
Board upholds denial of postal carrier’s ankle claim (ECAB 17-1814)
K.S. attributed right ankle conditions to walking her route, entering and leaving her postal vehicle, and driving. OWCP accepted those activities but found no medical opinion explaining how they caused the diagnosed conditions. The Board agreed and upheld the claim denial. It also found that OWCP…
D.A. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Dallas, TX
Board orders new rating of VA worker’s lung impairment (ECAB 17-1753)
D.A. sought a higher schedule award for permanent lung impairment. The impartial examiner rated her asthma using a table for other pulmonary conditions instead of the asthma table. The Board found that this did not resolve the medical conflict and directed OWCP to obtain a corrected report. It also…
S.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office Bay View/St. Francis Station, Milwaukee, WI
Board orders impartial rating of postal worker’s leg impairment (ECAB 17-1628)
S.P. sought a schedule award above the 37 percent permanent impairment previously awarded for his left leg. His treating physician and OWCP’s medical adviser disagreed about the result of a knee replacement and its proper impairment rating. The Board found their opinions of equal weight and the…
J.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Boston, MA
Board orders further review of postal carrier’s knee claim (ECAB 17-1062)
J.G., a longtime letter carrier, claimed that repetitive work aggravated right knee osteoarthritis. His physician identified specific duties and explained how repeated high-impact activity could accelerate the condition. The Board found the opinion insufficient to prove the claim outright, but…
Estate of D.S. and Department of the Navy, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, NH
Board upholds denial of shipyard worker’s recurrence claims (ECAB 17-0326)
The estate of D.S. appealed OWCP’s denial of a claimed recurrence of disability and an emotional condition attributed to an accepted 2008 injury. The Board found that the medical evidence did not establish total disability beginning July 12, 2012 from that injury. It also found insufficient proof…
F.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Bowling Green Station, New York City, NY
Board reverses postal worker’s suitable-work benefit termination (ECAB 17-0216)
F.B. lost wage-loss compensation after OWCP found that she refused suitable work. The Board found the second opinion physician’s assessment too cursory to establish that she could perform the offered job. OWCP also had not adequately considered her other conditions and pain medication in deciding…
Magalene F. Deel v. Island Creek Coal Company and Healthsmart Casualty Claims Solutions, Incorporated
Deel v. Island Creek Coal (BRB 17-0236 BLA): survivor denial upheld
Magalene Deel appealed the denial of survivor benefits after her husband’s death. The Board upheld the findings that complicated pneumoconiosis and total respiratory disability were not established. It upheld the finding that the claimant did not establish pneumoconiosis under 20 C.F.R. §…
Peggy P. Cantrell v. Garden Creek Pocahontas Company and Consol Energy, Incorporated
Cantrell v. Garden Creek Pocahontas (BRB 17-0007 BLA): survivor award upheld
Peggy Cantrell received survivor benefits after the labor judge credited her late husband with more than eighteen years of underground coal mine work and total respiratory disability. The employer challenged the fifteen-year presumption and rebuttal findings. The Board upheld the judge’s evaluation…
Nortell v. North Central College
Sarbanes-Oxley coverage rejected
Bruce Nortell, a former planned giving director, alleged that North Central College fired him after he reported concerns about its charitable gift annuity and donation accounting. An administrative law judge dismissed his Sarbanes-Oxley complaint because Nortell had not shown the College was an…
K.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Trinity, TX
Board upholds denial of postal worker’s total disability claim (ECAB 17-1718)
K.A. sought compensation for total disability beginning December 13, 2016 from an accepted workplace injury. The Board found that the medical reports did not adequately establish that the accepted injury prevented her from working during the claimed period. It affirmed OWCP’s denial. The release…
M.H. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Richmond, VA
Board upholds VA worker’s leg impairment ratings (ECAB 17-1715)
M.H. sought a larger schedule award for impairment of both legs. OWCP had found zero percent permanent impairment of the right leg and four percent of the left leg. The Board found that the medical evidence did not establish higher ratings. It affirmed OWCP’s decision.
J.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Pittsburgh, PA
Board sends postal worker’s fall claim back for medical review (ECAB 17-1712)
J.L. fell at work on June 8, 2016 and reported striking her left elbow. The Board found her consistent account and supporting evidence established that the fall occurred during duty. The record did not show that a personal medical condition caused the fall. Because OWCP had not assessed whether the…
K.F. and Department of Defense, Education Activity, Camp Lejeune, NC
Board upholds denial of defense worker’s back claim (ECAB 17-1700)
K.F. attributed a lumbar condition to an accepted February 13, 2015 work incident. The Board found that his medical evidence did not adequately explain how that incident caused or aggravated the diagnosed condition. Some reports did not address cause at all. It affirmed OWCP’s denial.
D.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Dallas, TX
Board upholds rescission of postal worker’s accepted back conditions (ECAB 17-1535)
OWCP had accepted D.W.’s claim for lumbar disc displacement and radiculopathy. It later rescinded acceptance after finding that the supporting physician’s reports assumed a much longer period of postal work than the record showed. The Board found that D.W. had worked intermittently for only 16 days…
C.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Oakland, CA
Board orders further review of postal worker’s back injury claim (ECAB 17-1293)
C.W. felt a pop in her lower back while stepping out of a postal vehicle on January 2, 2016. OWCP accepted the incident but denied that it caused her diagnosed lumbar conditions. The Board found her physician’s report supportive, though not fully reasoned enough to prove causation outright, and…
A.P. and Department of the Army, Fort Belvoir, VA
Board upholds termination of Army worker’s wage-loss benefits (ECAB 17-1135)
A.P. declined a job offer that OWCP found suitable after an accepted workplace injury. The Board found the offered position medically and vocationally appropriate and found that OWCP had followed the suitable-work procedures. It upheld termination of wage-loss compensation effective March 4, 2016…
The Village at Rosy Mound
Premature wage appeal dismissed without prejudice
Reenders, Inc. petitioned the Board for review in a matter involving the Village at Rosy Mound and the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts. The Wage and Hour Division had not yet issued a final ruling, which the order says is required before Board review. The Division's administrator and Reenders agreed…
C.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Memphis, TN
Board orders combined records for postal worker’s arm claim (ECAB 17-1952)
C.R. claimed right arm pain related to his modified postal duties. OWCP denied the claim while relying on a medical report in a separate file for an earlier right arm injury. That report was not in the record before the Board, and the files had not been combined as directed. The Board set aside the…
D.E. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Louisville, KY
Board upholds denial of postal worker’s knee tear claim (ECAB 17-1874)
D.E. felt his right knee pop while stepping off a curb on his mail route on October 9, 2015. His physician linked a meniscal tear to a twisting incident, but the accepted account did not describe a twist. The Board found that the medical opinion relied on an inaccurate history and did not…
K.M. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Chicago, IL
Board upholds denial of TSA worker’s total disability claim (ECAB 17-1730)
K.M. sought compensation for total disability beginning May 25, 2017 from accepted left knee conditions. His physician increased work restrictions, but did not explain how the accepted condition caused the added limits rather than other knee diagnoses. The Board found the medical evidence…
P.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Oakland, CA
Board upholds denial of postal worker’s late reconsideration request (ECAB 17-1707)
P.S. requested reconsideration of an earlier OWCP compensation decision. The request was untimely. The Board found that his submissions did not show clear evidence of error, the standard for reopening after the deadline. It affirmed OWCP’s refusal to review the merits.
C.J. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Long Beach, CA
Board orders comparison of two shoulder impairment ratings (ECAB 17-1570)
C.J. sought a schedule award above five percent permanent impairment of her left arm after an accepted rotator cuff injury. Her physician used range of motion, while OWCP’s medical adviser used a diagnosis-based rating. The Board found that both methods were permitted for this condition and that…
M.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Nashua, NH
Board upholds denial of postal worker’s head injury claim (ECAB 17-1392)
M.M. claimed a condition related to head trauma after an accepted April 9, 2014 workplace incident. The Board found that the submitted medical opinions did not provide sufficient reasoning to connect a diagnosed condition to the incident. It affirmed OWCP’s denials.
T.K. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Dayton, OH
Board upholds denial of postal worker’s knee-related disability claim (ECAB 17-0942)
T.K. sought compensation for total disability from October 14, 2015 through February 3, 2016 due to accepted left knee injuries. The Board found that the medical evidence did not adequately establish that those injuries prevented her from working throughout the claimed period. It affirmed OWCP’s…
Laborers International Union of North America (Union) and United States Department of Defense, National Guard Bureau, Nevada Army National Guard (Agency)
LIUNA and Nevada Army National Guard (FLRA 0-NG-3370): Officer uniform proposal dismissed
LIUNA proposed that the Nevada Army National Guard provide dual-status technicians with required uniforms or up to $800 annually when the supply system could not provide them. A prior Impasses Panel settlement resolved the enlisted-technician portions, leaving the proposal as applied to officer and…
Secretary of Labor obo Kevin R. Shaffer v. The Marion County Coal Company
Temporary reinstatement affirmed
Kevin Shaffer complained that a haul truck's transmission twice jumped from neutral into reverse and was suspended the next day after a disputed confrontation with his supervisor. Marion County Coal maintained that it discharged him for threatening and abusive conduct, while Shaffer alleged…
James C. Whitt v. Eastern Coal Corporation
Whitt v. Eastern Coal (BRB 17-0174 BLA): benefits award upheld
James Whitt received black lung benefits on a subsequent claim after the labor judge credited him with 22 years of underground coal mine work. The employer challenged the medical and rebuttal findings. The Board upheld the judge’s evaluation of the evidence and affirmed the award.
G.M. and Department of Labor, Wage & Hour Division, Chicago, IL
Board affirms denial after conflicting accounts of office injury (ECAB 17-1738)
G.M. claimed she was injured while adjusting an office chair on July 17, 2015. Her first account mentioned shoulder pain after the chair stuck; later accounts described tripping on a cord and injuring additional body parts. Her supervisor and medical histories added discrepancies about the time and…
M.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, San Antonio, TX
Board affirms denial of requested medical equipment (ECAB 17-1679)
M.B. sought authorization for an adjustable bed and two exercise machines for conditions accepted under several compensation claims. OWCP denied the request after its medical adviser found no evidence that the equipment would aid those conditions. The Board found that the treating physician had not…
D.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Chicago, IL
Board affirms injury denial and refusal to reopen postal worker’s claim (ECAB 17-1584)
D.R. claimed neck and back injuries from lifting a tub of mail during postal work on September 17, 2015. OWCP accepted the incident but found that the medical evidence did not adequately explain how it caused or aggravated her diagnosed conditions. The Board agreed. It also held that her…
J.M. and Department of Homeland Security, Customs & Border Protection, El Paso, TX
Board divides overpayment fault between first and later deposits (ECAB 17-1574)
OWCP found that J.M. received $4,327.36 too much in compensation after returning to work and held him at fault for the entire amount. The Board affirmed the overpayment but divided the fault analysis by deposit. It found him without fault for the first $1,634.78 payment covering June 9 to 25, 2016…
S.T. and Department of Homeland Security, Federal Air Marshal Service, East Elmhurst, NY
Board remands air marshal’s knee claim for further medical development (ECAB 17-1292)
S.T. claimed a new left knee ACL tear after his knee buckled while he exercised on an elliptical machine at work on October 1, 2014. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred but denied a causal link to the diagnosed condition. His physician described the buckling, later swelling, and imaging…
R.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Citigate Processing & Distribution Center, Columbus, OH
Board remands postal worker’s disability claim for specialist examination (ECAB 17-1179)
R.G. sought compensation for total disability from May 16 through June 22, 2015 and partial disability beginning June 25, 2015 after working in a modified postal assignment. His physicians documented hand symptoms, diminished grip, and nerve findings, but their reports did not fully explain whether…
N.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Syracuse, NY
Board remands postal worker’s overpayment case for requested conference (ECAB 17-1058)
OWCP issued a final decision finding that N.L. had received a $13,898.98 overpayment and was at fault. It said she had not responded to the preliminary notice. The record showed that OWCP received her request for a telephone conference and an overpayment questionnaire before the final decision…
H.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Harrisburg, PA
Board affirms denial of postal worker’s disability recurrence claim (ECAB 17-0209)
H.T., a postal worker with accepted lumbar conditions from a 2007 injury, claimed a recurrence of total disability beginning March 27, 2015. OWCP denied the claim. The Board found that the medical reports did not explain how the accepted conditions had spontaneously worsened enough to prevent his…
Secretary of Labor v. GCC Rio Grande, Inc.
Danger tape did not excuse damaged ladder
A loader struck the only ladder accessing one side of GCC Rio Grande's additives grizzly, breaking welds and leaving the ladder out of position. GCC placed red danger tape across the access point and argued that the tape removed the ladder from service, so MSHA could not cite the damaged condition…
T.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Urbana, IL
Board affirms denial of increased hip-impairment award (ECAB 17-1892)
T.P. had received schedule awards for 37 percent permanent impairment of each lower extremity after OWCP accepted aggravation of bilateral hip osteoarthritis and he underwent hip replacement surgery. He sought an increased award following later approved hardware exchanges. The Board found no…
D.K. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Union, ME
Board affirms denial of postal worker’s medical recurrence claim (ECAB 17-1829)
D.K. had an accepted claim for left lateral epicondylitis and later sought recognition of a recurrence beginning November 1, 2016. Her new medical report diagnosed bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, which OWCP had not accepted as part of the earlier claim. The physician did not explain how that…
S.B. and Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration, Phoenix, AZ
Board affirms denial of surveillance vehicle injury claim (ECAB 17-1779)
S.B., a Drug Enforcement Administration special agent, claimed head and neck injuries during vehicle surveillance on November 22, 2016. Her emergency room records mentioned a motor vehicle accident, but she did not provide a detailed account of when, where, or how the alleged event occurred or…
R.H. and Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia, PA
Board affirms denial of injury claim after work vehicle crash (ECAB 17-1405)
R.H. was involved in a work-related motor vehicle accident on July 15, 2015 and claimed several injuries. OWCP accepted the accident but denied the injury claim because the medical evidence did not adequately connect a diagnosed condition to it. The Board found that diagnostic studies did not…
R.F. and Department of Justice, Federal Correctional Institute, Fort Dix, NJ
Board affirms denial of prison worker’s arm-impairment award (ECAB 17-1349)
R.F. sought a schedule award for permanent arm impairment related to an accepted temporary aggravation of brachial neuritis or cervical radiculitis. OWCP used an impartial medical examiner to resolve conflicting medical opinions. That examiner found the accepted temporary condition had resolved and…
T.S. and Department of the Army, Army Depot, Corpus Christi, TX
Board denies increased arm-impairment schedule award (ECAB 17-1149)
T.S. had already received schedule awards for seven percent permanent impairment of each upper extremity after a 2006 work injury. He sought an additional award. His physician and OWCP’s medical adviser each rated the current impairment at five percent for each arm, below the seven percent already…
J.M. and Department of Defense, Defense Contract Audit Agency, Littleton, CO
Board affirms denial of auditor’s occupational illness claim (ECAB 17-0284)
J.M., a Defense Contract Audit Agency auditor, attributed physical and emotional conditions to a series of workplace events and personnel actions. The Board accepted two employment factors, including work on whistleblower claims during assigned work time, but found that other claimed administrative…
United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Federal Correctional Institution Englewood, Littleton, Colorado (Respondent) and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 709 (Charging Party)
FCI Englewood and AFGE Local 709 (FLRA DE-CA-16-0146): Interview remedy removed
A federal prison investigator restricted a union representative's participation during an employee interview concerning a positive marijuana test. An administrative law judge found that the restriction violated the employee's statutory right to active union representation and ordered a new…
Hernan Dacaret v. National Steel and Shipbuilding Company
Dacaret v. National Steel and Shipbuilding (BRB 17-0398): wage calculation sent back
Hernan Dacaret’s Longshore Act claim returned to the Board over the calculation of his average weekly wage. The majority found that the labor judge had not adequately explained why he used a summary earnings statement instead of detailed wage records. It vacated the decision and reconsideration…
Giuseppe Cutietta v. National Steel and Shipbuilding Company
Cutietta v. National Steel and Shipbuilding (BRB 17-0289): special fund issue sent back
Giuseppe Cutietta had received Longshore Act benefits for work injuries. His employer appealed the denial of special fund relief. The Board found that the labor judge had not applied the full standard for a preexisting permanent partial disability. It vacated the relief denial and remanded for…
R.F. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Cupertino, CA
Board affirms vehicle injury denial and refusal to reopen (ECAB 17-1877)
R.F., a postal letter carrier, claimed injury in a vehicle accident during work hours on January 16, 2017. He supplied a time but not enough detail about where and how the event occurred to show that he was performing his job at the time. The Board affirmed OWCP’s injury denial on that ground. It…
M.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, White Plains, NY
Board affirms schedule award denial and late hearing refusal (ECAB 17-1831)
M.G. had an accepted right ankle fibula fracture and applied for a schedule award. OWCP asked for an impairment evaluation under the applicable A.M.A. Guides, but none was submitted before it denied the award. Her request for an oral hearing was then postmarked more than 30 days after that…
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.