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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J.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Capital Metro Law Office
Board upholds late reconsideration denial in postal attorney claim (ECAB 25-0163)
A postal attorney sought benefits for emotional and physical conditions she attributed to workplace changes involving accommodations. She asked OWCP to reconsider more than one year after its last merits decision. The Board found the request untimely and the submissions insufficient to show clear…
Secretary of Labor on behalf of Guillermo Ortiz v. Kilauea Crushers
Discrimination complaint dismissed
Guillermo Ortiz alleged that Kilauea Crushers fired him after he raised concerns about cleaning near allegedly unguarded equipment. The Judge found that Ortiz's requests to use a skid-steer or lock out the plants were protected safety activity and that the termination followed closely enough to…
Gourneau v. BNSF Railway Co.
Railroad retaliation ruling and full remedies affirmed
Dale Gourneau worked as a BNSF carman and regularly raised train-yard and railcar safety concerns. After reports involving wheel defects, illegible stencils, broken running boards, road conditions, and missing blue flags, BNSF imposed two serious track-crossing charges, suspended him, and then…
T.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Greensboro Processing and Distribution Center
Board upholds denial of Achilles claim after pallet move (ECAB 25-0467)
A postal distribution clerk reported right Achilles pain after moving a pallet at work. OWCP accepted the incident but denied the injury claim. The Board found the physician diagnosed tendinitis but did not adequately explain how the accepted incident caused or aggravated it, given an earlier…
B.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Jacksonville Processing & Distribution Center
Board upholds denial of mail handler stress claim (ECAB 25-0431)
A postal mail handler reported an emotional condition after alleged workplace threats and harassment. The Board found the record showed a verbal altercation but did not corroborate the claimed threats or management error and abuse. It concluded that no compensable employment factor had been…
A.D. and U.S. Postal Service, West Allis Post Office
Board orders impartial review of foot pain syndrome claim (ECAB 25-0409)
A postal carrier technician had an accepted left-foot contusion after a pallet jack struck her foot. She sought to add complex regional pain syndrome and establish a later recurrence of disability. The Board found a conflict between the treating physician and OWCP's referral physician on those…
O.R. and Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service
Board upholds denial of revenue agent disability period (ECAB 25-0400)
An IRS revenue agent sought wage-loss compensation after an accepted work-related vehicle accident. The Board found the submitted reports for October 12 through November 22, 2024 lacked identifiable physician authors or adequate medical support linking disability to the accepted injuries. It…
National Treasury Employees Union, Chapter 133 (Union) and United States Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (Agency)
CBP Boston and NTEU Chapter 133 (FLRA 0-AR-5991): Overnight officer assignment upheld
At Boston Logan Airport, CBP assigned a female officer to an overnight shift ahead of two more senior male officers so that officers of both sexes would be available for detainee searches and monitoring. The union challenged the assignment under the labor agreement and Title VII. An arbitrator…
Bonita Y. Ratliff v. R & H Coal Company
Ratliff v. R & H Coal (BRB 24-0103, 24-0263): miner and survivor awards affirmed
Bonita Ratliff pursued her late husband's black lung claim and her own survivor's claim. On an earlier appeal, the Board sent the miner's claim back for another look at the evidence of complicated pneumoconiosis. The administrative law judge again awarded benefits, and another judge awarded…
Bonita Y. Ratliff v. R & H Coal Company
Ratliff v. R & H Coal (BRB 24-0103, 24-0263): miner and survivor awards affirmed
Bonita Ratliff pursued her late husband's black lung claim and her own survivor's claim. On an earlier appeal, the Board sent the miner's claim back for another look at the evidence of complicated pneumoconiosis. The administrative law judge again awarded benefits, and another judge awarded…
T.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Worcester Post Office
Board reverses postal carrier wage-loss cutoff (ECAB 25-0470)
A postal city carrier received benefits for accepted back conditions after a work-related vehicle crash. OWCP terminated wage-loss compensation based on a second-opinion examination. The Board found the accepted-condition history supplied to that examiner omitted a lumbar radiculopathy aggravation…
A.A. and Department of Justice, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
Board corrects forfeiture period and returns overpayment amount (ECAB 25-0399)
An ATF personnel specialist received compensation but failed to report activity in his own business on claim forms. The Board upheld forfeiture and an overpayment, but corrected the forfeiture period to September 7, 2023 through March 4, 2024. It returned the overpayment amount for recalculation…
C.A. and Department of Homeland Security, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
Board orders impartial review of conditions after icy road crash (ECAB 25-0398)
An agency IT manager sought to add neurological and cervical conditions to her accepted claim after a work-related vehicle crash. Her treating physicians and an OWCP referral physician disagreed about whether the crash caused those conditions. The Board found a medical conflict requiring an…
T.S. and U.S. Postal Service, New Orleans Processing & Distribution Center
Board upholds denial of custodian wage-loss period (ECAB 25-0394)
A postal custodian had accepted right-shoulder and lower-back conditions after work cleaning duties. She sought wage-loss compensation for July 13 through August 9, 2024. The Board found the medical reports did not adequately establish disability caused by the accepted injury throughout those…
Lear v. GFL Environmental
Discovery dismissal affirmed after repeated violations
Michael Lear alleged that GFL Environmental fired him after he reported a broken truck step and other safety issues. During the administrative case, he repeatedly withheld responsive records, audio recordings, and required hearing disclosures despite discovery orders and express warnings. The judge…
A.D. and Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau
Board dismisses census worker appeal without recent OWCP decision (ECAB 25-0479)
A Census Bureau worker sought to appeal a purported 2023 OWCP decision. The Board found the most recent actual OWCP decision was from 2021 and had already been reviewed in an earlier Board appeal. With no final adverse decision within the 180-day appeal period, it dismissed the new appeal for lack…
L.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Townsend Carrier Annex Post Office
Board reverses postal carrier benefit termination (ECAB 25-0474)
A postal letter carrier received benefits for accepted right-hip conditions. OWCP ended wage-loss and medical benefits using an impartial examiner's opinion. The Board found the statement of accepted facts given to that examiner omitted important information about a related claim, reducing the…
A.F., widow of P.F., and Tennessee Valley Authority
Board upholds denial of alleged asbestos exposure claim (ECAB 25-0256)
A former Tennessee Valley Authority boilermaker and welder reported mesothelioma and alleged asbestos exposure at power facilities. His widow pursued the claim. The Board found the employer's records and the submitted declarations did not establish the claimed exposure during federal work. It…
A.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Syracuse Processing & Distribution Center
Board upholds wage-loss cutoff after accepted head injury (ECAB 25-0234)
A postal mail handler received compensation after a cage gate struck her forehead and OWCP accepted post-concussion and related conditions. OWCP later terminated wage-loss benefits. The Board found the medical evidence supported that she no longer had disability caused by the accepted injury and…
Hanie D. Gilbert v. Sterling Mining Company, Incorporated
Gilbert v. Sterling Mining (BRB 24-0399): benefits denial and work history returned for new findings
Hanie Gilbert sought black lung benefits in a later claim. An administrative law judge found at least 15.51 years of qualifying coal mine work and total respiratory disability, but denied benefits after finding that the employer had rebutted the statutory presumption. The Board held that the judge…
Gerald W. Smith v. KenAmerican Resources, Incorporated
Smith v. KenAmerican Resources (BRB 24-0063): benefits award affirmed
Gerald Smith sought black lung benefits after thirty-six years of qualifying coal mine work. An administrative law judge found that he could no longer perform his usual maintenance job, which required very heavy physical work, and awarded benefits under a statutory presumption. KenAmerican argued…
Carl G. Sigler v. Windsor Coal Company
Sigler v. Windsor Coal (BRB 23-0491): benefits award affirmed after second remand
Carl Sigler sought black lung benefits, and an administrative law judge found that he had complicated pneumoconiosis caused by coal mine work. The Board twice returned the case for a closer review of the medical evidence. After the second remand, the judge again awarded benefits. The Board upheld…
Gonzales v. Global Crossing Airlines
AIR21 appeal dismissed after briefing orders ignored
Rebecca Gonzales sought Board review of the dismissal of her AIR21 whistleblower case against Global Crossing Airlines. The Board ordered an opening brief by April 10, 2025, but none was filed. It then issued a show-cause order requiring both an explanation and the brief, with an express warning…
Johnson v. Inpax Shipping Solutions
Late STAA complaint appeal dismissed after missed briefing
Eric Johnson alleged that Inpax Shipping Solutions terminated him in retaliation, but he filed his OSHA complaint more than 180 days after the December 2023 termination. An administrative judge dismissed the complaint as untimely and found no basis for equitable tolling. Johnson then missed the…
C.H. and U.S. Postal Service, White Plains Post Office
Board upholds denial of postal worker lumbar claim (ECAB 25-0498)
A postal delivery specialist reported back pain after carrying work equipment. OWCP treated the filing as a new injury claim. The Board found the medical evidence did not adequately explain how the accepted August 2024 incident caused or aggravated her lumbar conditions, given a prior accepted back…
D.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Phoenix Post Office
Board upholds denial of postal supervisor disability claim (ECAB 25-0483)
A postal customer service supervisor had an accepted lower-back strain after lifting a large package. He sought wage-loss benefits beginning September 7, 2024. The Board found his physician had released him to full-time modified work and later indicated he was not disabled from work. It affirmed…
D.F. and Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, LaGuardia Air Traffic Control Tower
Board reverses air traffic controller benefit termination (ECAB 25-0464)
An air traffic controller received benefits for accepted neck, back, knee, and shoulder injuries after a fall on wet stairs. OWCP terminated wage-loss and medical benefits based on an impartial examiner's opinion. The Board found the examiner had not adequately explained why the accepted injury did…
V.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Cardiss Collins Post Office
Board recognizes workplace contact in postal stress claim (ECAB 25-0178)
A postal machine operator reported an emotional condition after a coworker struck her shoulder at work. OWCP found no compensable work factor. The Board found that the workplace contact was established and qualified as a compensable factor, reversing OWCP's ruling. It remanded for review of the…
N.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Oil City Post Office
Board upholds denial of postal clerk stress claim (ECAB 24-0790)
A postal clerk attributed an emotional condition to workplace discipline and other management actions. The Board found the record did not establish administrative error or abuse that would qualify as a compensable employment factor. It also upheld OWCP's denial of merits reconsideration. The Board…
Matter of Q. Li
Bond redetermination appeal dismissed
The respondent, a citizen of the People's Republic of China, entered the United States without inspection and was arrested without a warrant near the southern border. DHS initially released her on immigration parole, later took her into custody after learning of a Spanish Red Notice, and placed her…
Wilma Dye v. J & A Mining, Incorporated
Dye v. J & A Mining (BRB 24-0324): black lung benefits denial affirmed
Wilma Dye pursued her late husband's black lung claim on behalf of his estate. An administrative law judge denied benefits after finding that the evidence did not establish complicated pneumoconiosis or total respiratory disability. The Board reviewed the medical evidence because Dye appealed…
Larry G. Osborne v. Buffalo Mining Company
Osborne v. Buffalo Mining (BRB 24-0308): benefits award affirmed without a statutory presumption
Larry Osborne sought black lung benefits in a later claim after 13.60 years of underground coal work. Because he had fewer than fifteen years of qualifying work, the administrative law judge did not apply the statutory presumption tied to that threshold. Instead, she found that the medical evidence…
Administrator, Wage and Hour Div., USDOL v. JRW Service Group, LLC
DBA decision affirmed after appeal filed over 100 days late
JRW Service Group and Jason Winters sought review of an administrative judge's decision under the Davis-Bacon Act and the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act. The Wage and Hour Administrator requested four stated clarifications one day before the 40-day appeal deadline, and the judge…
D.P. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Jesse Brown VA Medical Center
Board upholds denial of left arm claim following flu shot (ECAB 25-0497)
A VA medical support assistant reported left arm symptoms after a workplace flu vaccination. Emergency records documented an arm condition, but the submitted notes were signed by nurses and a pharmacist, not a physician. The Board held that those records could not establish the medical causal link…
M.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Jacksonville Post Office
Board dismisses postal appeal filed after deadline (ECAB 25-0489)
A postal worker appealed a September 17, 2024 OWCP decision on April 20, 2025. The Board found that the 180-day filing period had ended on March 16, 2025. The worker had not documented compelling circumstances for the delay, so the Board dismissed the appeal without deciding the compensation issue.
D.K. and U.S. Postal Service, Norfolk Post Office
Board dismisses late postal worker appeal (ECAB 25-0486)
A postal worker appealed a September 27, 2024 OWCP decision on April 14, 2025. The Board found that the appeal came after the 180-day deadline, which had expired on March 26, 2025. The worker had not documented compelling circumstances for the delay. The Board dismissed the appeal without ruling on…
S.W. and U.S. Postal Service, East St. Louis Post Office
Board upholds denial of right hip condition in postal claim (ECAB 25-0473)
A former postal letter carrier sought to add a right hip condition to a claim accepted for a left knee injury. The Board found that her treating physician did not adequately explain how the accepted injury caused the hip condition. It also credited a second-opinion physician's contrary explanation…
J.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Denver Bulk Mail Center
Board dismisses postal worker's late appeal (ECAB 25-0472)
A postal worker appealed a September 2006 OWCP decision in April 2025. The Board found the filing was beyond the 180-day period and that the worker had not documented compelling circumstances excusing the delay. It dismissed the appeal for lack of jurisdiction without deciding the compensation…
Precision Refractory Services
Scaffold-alteration item vacated and falling-object item affirmed
Precision Refractory Services performed fireproof-brick work inside a furnace in Cantonment, Florida. The company assigned an employee to clean debris on the ground below workers handling bricks and tools on a scaffold 12 to 14 feet above him, and a scaffold component fell and fractured his wrist…
Lawn Groomers, Inc.
H-2B certification appeal dismissed for lack of jurisdiction
Lawn Groomers applied to hire temporary nonagricultural workers through the H-2B program. A certifying officer denied the application, and the Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals affirmed that denial. Lawn Groomers then appealed to the Administrative Review Board, citing regulations that…
S.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Lewiston Post Office
Board upholds denial of shoulder claim after package handling (ECAB 25-0478)
A postal worker reported shoulder and arm pain after pulling a large package onto a dolly. A physician diagnosed shoulder conditions but said work activities may have aggravated them, which the Board found too speculative. Other medical reports did not address causation. The Board affirmed OWCP's…
T.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Coppell Post Office
Board upholds postal worker benefit overpayment recovery (ECAB 25-0426)
A postal worker received FECA wage-loss benefits and Social Security retirement benefits attributable to federal service without the required offset. The Board upheld OWCP's $21,658.49 overpayment calculation. Although the worker was without fault, her financial information did not establish a…
J.A. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Brooklyn VA Medical Center
Board recognizes workplace stress factor and returns VA claim (ECAB 25-0237)
A VA nursing assistant attributed an emotional condition partly to working near the psychiatric unit where she had previously been assaulted. The Board held that performing assigned duties near that unit was a compensable work factor. It reversed OWCP's contrary decision and returned the claim for…
L.C. and Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service
Board upholds denial of renewed knee treatment (ECAB 24-0847)
A Forest Service employee sought renewed treatment for knee symptoms after an accepted 2022 fall. Her physician discussed possible cartilage and meniscus problems, but the Board found the reports did not adequately explain why the accepted injury caused a renewed need to treat the accepted…
James A. Phillips v. Carbon Resources, Incorporated
Phillips v. Carbon Resources (BRB 24-0417): modified award affirmed
James Phillips asked to modify an earlier denial of black lung benefits. The administrative law judge found that he had twelve years of coal mine work, a totally disabling respiratory impairment, and legal pneumoconiosis that substantially contributed to the disability. She granted modification and…
Estate of Danny D. Justice v. Damco, LLC
Estate of Justice v. Damco (BRB 24-0410): medical benefits award affirmed
The estate of Danny Justice sought reimbursement for medical expenses related to his pneumoconiosis. An administrative law judge found that most of the expenses treated a pulmonary disorder related to the disease and awarded $35,706.71, excluding certain prescriptions. The employer argued that the…
Danny M. Vukonich v. Chevron Mining, Incorporated
Vukonich v. Chevron Mining (BRB 24-0405): benefits award affirmed
Danny Vukonich sought black lung benefits after at least fifteen years of qualifying coal mine work. An administrative law judge found that an exercise blood gas study established total respiratory disability and awarded benefits under the statutory presumption. Chevron Mining challenged the study…
Glen P. Peck, Jr. v. Consol Mining Company, LLC
Peck v. Consol Mining (BRB 24-0104): black lung benefits award affirmed
Glen Peck sought black lung benefits after at least thirty-four years of qualifying coal mine work. An administrative law judge found that he had a totally disabling respiratory impairment, invoked the statutory presumption, and awarded benefits. Consol Mining argued that his pulmonary impairment…
C.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Daphne Post Office
Board upholds overpayment after postal worker third-party recovery (ECAB 25-0456)
A postal carrier received a third-party recovery after a vehicle crash while delivering mail. She also received FECA wage-loss payments during a period when a surplus credit from that recovery should have applied. The Board upheld OWCP's $19,066.43 overpayment finding and its denial of waiver.
A.B. and Department of the Air Force, Security Forces Materiel Command, Eglin Air Force Base
Board reverses termination of Air Force officer's injury benefits (ECAB 25-0419)
An Air Force police officer received benefits for accepted pain conditions affecting multiple limbs after a 2014 work injury. OWCP ended benefits based on a second-opinion report, but the physician had received a statement of accepted facts that omitted conditions added to the claim in 2020. The…
R.C. and Department of the Air Force, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson
Board orders impartial review of Air Force worker's additional conditions (ECAB 25-0248)
An Air Force equipment operator sought to add neck, back, shoulder, and hip conditions after an accepted fall and pelvic fracture. His physician and OWCP's second-opinion physician disagreed on whether the added conditions were related to the injury or its treatment. The Board found an unresolved…
M.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Holiday Post Office
Board returns postal claim for review of timely medical report (ECAB 25-0064)
A postal worker appealed OWCP's decision on her claim. A physician's medical report reached OWCP on the day it issued that decision, but OWCP did not address the report. The Board held that OWCP must consider evidence received before issuing a final decision, including evidence received that same…
Michael R. Sargent v. Cumberland River Coal Company
Sargent v. Cumberland River Coal (BRB 24-0318): award vacated for new rebuttal findings
Michael Sargent sought black lung benefits, and an administrative law judge awarded them after finding a totally disabling respiratory impairment and applying the statutory presumption. The Board had previously sent the case back because the judge did not adequately address the medical opinions and…
Charles Schubert v. Colberg, Incorporated
Schubert v. Colberg (BRB 24-0002): attorney fee award affirmed
Charles Schubert represented his mother's estate in a settled Longshore Act death benefits claim. The settlement left attorney fees and costs for the administrative law judge to decide. Counsel appealed the resulting fee order and separately sought payment for work on earlier Board appeals. The…
G.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Cincinnati Sycamore Post Office
Board recognizes two skin cancers and returns melanoma claim (ECAB 25-0460)
A postal carrier claimed years of outdoor work caused several forms of skin cancer. The Board found the record established that his basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas were work related. It found the evidence on malignant melanoma needed further development and returned that part of the claim…
C.J. and U.S. Postal Service, San Antonio Post Office
Board orders new impairment review for postal worker hand (ECAB 25-0440)
A postal vehicle operator sought a higher schedule award for a right hand injury. The Board found OWCP's medical evaluation lacked the three sets of wrist motion measurements required by its procedures. It ordered a new second-opinion examination and a new impairment decision.
V.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Oak Creek Annex
Board returns shoulder claim for combined file review (ECAB 25-0413)
A postal mail handler reported a right shoulder injury while reaching across a conveyor belt. She had a prior accepted injury affecting the same arm. The Board found OWCP needed to combine the two claim files so it could consider all relevant evidence together. It set aside the denial and ordered a…
R.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Michigan Metroplex Processing and Distribution Center
Board upholds denial of postal worker wrist claim (ECAB 25-0342)
A postal mail processing clerk reported wrist and neck injuries after a box struck her at work. The Board accepted the work incident but found the physicians' reports did not explain whether it caused a diagnosed medical condition. It affirmed OWCP's denial of the claim.
K.P., widow of J.P., and U.S. Postal Service, Watertown Post Office
Board returns survivor claim for clearer medical opinion (ECAB 23-0936)
A postal worker's widow sought survivor benefits, alleging that his death by suicide was related to accepted work conditions. The Board found OWCP's second-opinion physician gave an internally inconsistent opinion about the role of pain, opioid use, and the accepted conditions. It returned the…
C.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Boggs Road Post Office
Board upholds reduced benefits and late hearing denial (ECAB 23-0684)
A postal worker with an accepted hand injury was referred to vocational rehabilitation. The Board found he did not cooperate with the program without good cause after being warned of the consequences. It also found his request for a hearing came after the 30-day deadline. It upheld both OWCP…
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.