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.
S.P. and U.S. Postal Service, General Mail Facility, Baton Rouge LA
S.P. (ECAB 17-0055): Foot award claim not reopened
S.P., a postal mail processing clerk, requested reconsideration after OWCP denied a schedule award for an accepted right foot fracture. The Board reviewed only OWCP’s refusal to reopen the claim. Her descriptions of pain and swelling and later medical records did not provide a permanent impairment…
D.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Clarksburg WV
D.M. (ECAB 16-1893): Neck injury benefits termination upheld
D.M., a postal letter carrier, sought disability compensation for an accepted neck sprain and challenged termination of benefits. The Board found he had not established total disability beginning February 27, 2015 from that sprain. It credited an OWCP physician’s opinion that objective signs of the…
M.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, New York NY
M.M. (ECAB 16-1389): Shoulder injury incident not established
M.M., a postal letter carrier, alleged that a cart struck a pothole and injured his left shoulder. The Board found conflicting accounts and insufficient corroboration of when and how the alleged incident occurred. The medical records did not identify the claimed 2012 cart incident as the cause of…
J.S. and Department of Homeland Security, Citizenship and Immigration Services
J.S. (ECAB 16-1386): Vertigo claim denied
J.S., an immigration service officer, attributed vertigo, headaches, and related symptoms to his federal work. OWCP accepted the described work activities. The Board found that none of his physicians explained whether those activities caused or aggravated a diagnosed condition. It upheld the claim…
K.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Tuckerton NJ
K.B. (ECAB 16-1146): Right arm benefits termination upheld
K.B., a postal clerk, challenged termination of benefits for an accepted right elbow strain and biceps tendon rupture. The Board credited an impartial orthopedic surgeon’s opinion that the tendon had healed and there were no objective residuals of the accepted strain. It found that later reports…
Star Mine Operations, LLC v. Secretary of Labor and Secretary of Labor v. Star Mine Operations, LLC and Secretary of Labor v. Rory Williams
Star Mine Operations, LLC v. Secretary of Labor (FMSHRC WEST 2014-994 M, et al.): Fatal-accident cases settled for $310,000
The consolidated cases covered 172 citations and orders issued after two accidents at Star Mine's underground silver mine. Two miners died from carbon monoxide poisoning after entering an unventilated area following a large explosives detonation, and two other miners were injured in a later planned…
Daniel B. Lowe v. Veris Gold USA, Inc. and Jerritt Canyon Gold, LLC and Matthew A. Varady v. Veris Gold USA, Inc. and Jerritt Canyon Gold, LLC
Daniel B. Lowe and Matthew A. Varady v. Veris Gold USA, Inc. and Jerritt Canyon Gold, LLC (FMSHRC WEST 2014-307 DM, WEST 2014-614 DM): Bankruptcy sale barred successor liability
Daniel Lowe and Matthew Varady had established Mine Act discrimination claims against Veris Gold and sought to recover from Jerritt Canyon Gold and related entities as successors. Jerritt Canyon had purchased the mine assets through a bankruptcy sale expressly made free and clear of employment and…
S.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Topeka KS
S.D. (ECAB 17-0078): Bilateral arm impairment awards upheld
S.D., a postal line production operator, sought more than six percent permanent impairment of his right arm and two percent of his left arm for accepted hand conditions. His physician’s higher initial ratings used an outdated edition of the A.M.A. Guides, and a later report did not show its…
S.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, New York NY
S.R. (ECAB 16-1706): Benefits termination reversed
S.R., a postal clerk, challenged termination of benefits for accepted bilateral elbow conditions. OWCP relied in part on a physician’s addendum that was absent from the case record, and the record did not show that she or her attorney received it. The Board found that OWCP had not provided the…
D.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Jacksonville FL
D.B. (ECAB 16-1369): One percent arm awards upheld
D.B., a postal letter carrier, sought higher arm impairment awards following accepted back and neck conditions. His physician gave a whole person rating, while OWCP’s referral physician rated the arm impairment from spinal nerve injury under the applicable Guides Newsletter method. The Board found…
J.T. and Department of the Navy, U.S. Marine Corps Air Station, Kaneohe Bay
J.T. (ECAB 16-1269): Left shoulder award sent back
J.T., a Marine Corps air station electrician, sought more than a three percent permanent left arm impairment award after an accepted shoulder injury. The Board found that OWCP had applied diagnosis based and range of motion methods inconsistently in upper extremity claims under the sixth edition of…
L.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Southeastern Processing and Distribution Center
L.D. (ECAB 16-1083): Back condition dispute sent to impartial specialist
L.D., a postal parcel sorter with an earlier accepted back strain, claimed that changed sorting duties caused an additional back condition. Her treating physicians and OWCP’s referral physician disagreed about the MRI findings, her diagnosis, and whether the condition was work related. The Board…
G.G. and Department of Agriculture, Forest Service
G.G. (ECAB 16-0907): Knee claim and reconsideration denials upheld
G.G., a Forest Service firefighter, claimed a left knee condition after slipping while working after a fire. OWCP accepted the work incident, but the Board found that the medical reports did not explain how it caused the diagnosed knee condition. His reconsideration request repeated material…
White v. American Mobile Petroleum, Inc.
White v. American Mobile Petroleum (DOL ARB 2015-0057): Driver complaint dismissed
Fernando Demeco White alleged that American Mobile Petroleum fired him after he refused to exceed the speed limit while driving a fuel truck. An administrative law judge dismissed his Surface Transportation Assistance Act complaint after a hearing. The judge did not credit White's account of having…
C.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Derry NH
C.H. (ECAB 17-0074): One review denial upheld, later denial set aside
C.H., a rural postal letter carrier, sought reconsideration of a denied claim for bilateral hip conditions. The Board found his first request added no pertinent new evidence. A later physician report, however, gave a fuller explanation of how years of work could contribute to hip arthritis. The…
C.H. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center
C.H. (ECAB 16-1881): Left arm award sent back
C.H., a Veterans Affairs medical clerk, sought more than a two percent permanent left arm impairment award after accepted shoulder and neck injuries. The Board found that OWCP had applied diagnosis based and range of motion methods inconsistently to upper extremity claims. It directed OWCP to…
D.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, East Amherst NY
D.M. (ECAB 16-1837): Shoulder claim denial upheld on narrower ground
D.M., a postal window distribution clerk, attributed upper arm and shoulder conditions to sorting and lifting mail. The Board found that she had established those duties, which OWCP had questioned. It nevertheless upheld denial because her physicians did not explain how the duties caused or…
C.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing and Distribution Center, Philadelphia PA
C.H. (ECAB 16-1388): Right arm award sent back
C.H., a postal mail handler, sought more than a seven percent permanent right arm impairment award. Her physician rated 15 percent using range of motion, while OWCP’s medical adviser rated seven percent using a diagnosis based method. The Board found OWCP’s upper extremity rating methods…
M.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Richmond VA
M.W. (ECAB 16-0877): Emotional condition claim denied
M.W., a postal tractor trailer driver, attributed post-traumatic stress symptoms to being struck on the shoulder by a coworker. OWCP accepted that workplace event as a compensable factor. The Board found that the medical opinions did not provide a reasoned causal explanation based on an accurate…
G.C. and U.S. Postal Service, County Line Annex, Hallandale FL
G.C. (ECAB 16-0666): Hip claim returned for medical development
G.C., a postal employee, claimed that years of physical work caused or aggravated arthritis in both hips. The Board found that one physician explained a possible link between repetitive work stresses and the diagnosed arthritis. That opinion did not yet prove the claim, but it was substantial and…
M.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, New Haven CT
M.G. (ECAB 16-0451): Right shoulder occupational disease claim denied
M.G., a postal letter carrier, attributed a right shoulder condition to years of casing and carrying mail. The Board accepted that she performed those duties. It found that her physician’s reports did not explain how the duties caused or aggravated her rotator cuff condition and that some opinions…
D.B. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration
D.B. (ECAB 15-1348): Left arm award sent back
D.B., a transportation security screener, sought more than a four percent permanent left arm impairment award. The Board found OWCP’s upper extremity ratings unready for final decision because it had applied diagnosis based and range of motion methods inconsistently under the sixth edition of the…
I.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Melville NY
I.S. (ECAB 16-1813): Shoulder and neck injury claim denied
I.S., a postal employee, claimed shoulder and neck injuries after an accepted slip and fall at work. The Board found that her physicians diagnosed conditions but did not give a reasoned medical explanation linking them to the fall. Checkmarks on forms and a conditional causal opinion were…
H.L. and Tennessee Valley Authority, Division of Power Operations
H.L. (ECAB 16-1810): Suitable work benefits termination reversed
H.L., a Tennessee Valley Authority operator, challenged termination of compensation after he stopped an offered modified position. The Board found that OWCP relied on work restrictions issued before later cervical surgery and had not accounted for his other medical conditions, including…
D.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Garden City MI
D.S. (ECAB 16-1798): Heel claim not reopened
D.S., a postal city carrier, sought reconsideration after OWCP denied his claim for heel or ankle pain while climbing delivery route steps. The Board reviewed only the later refusal of merit review. A new physician report repeated the earlier causal opinion without adding a medical explanation. It…
R.B. and Department of Housing and Urban Development, Headquarters
R.B. (ECAB 16-1732): Leg and foot occupational disease claim denied
R.B., a Housing and Urban Development construction analyst, attributed leg irritation, cellulitis, and foot blisters to his work. The Board found that none of the medical reports gave a reasoned explanation connecting the diagnosed conditions to his job duties. The fact that symptoms appeared…
M.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing and Distribution Center, Cleveland OH
M.H. (ECAB 16-1234): Leg award denied, arm award sent back
M.H., a postal distribution clerk, sought schedule awards after accepted right shoulder and knee sprains from a workplace fall. The Board found no probative medical evidence of permanent right leg impairment and upheld that part of OWCP’s decision. It found the right arm rating unresolved because…
Secretary of Labor v. Nally & Hamilton Enterprises
Seat-belt violation was S&S but warranted a $200 penalty
A rock truck overturned at Nally & Hamilton Enterprises' Chestnut Flats Mine while its driver was not wearing a seat belt. The driver suffered a lower-back injury and missed work. The Commission had already held that the operator violated the seat-belt standard and remanded for a…
Secretary of Labor v. Cypress Pointe Incorporated
Flood-damaged berm could be rebuilt without violating standard
MSHA cited Cypress Pointe Incorporated after flooding left about 100 feet of roadway without a berm at its Milam Rock Pit. The mine was closed, and its superintendent was using a front-end loader to drain water, fill washed-out areas, and rebuild the berm. Judge Priscilla M. Rae held that the berm…
D.D. and Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons, Federal Correctional Institution, Tallahassee, FL
D.D. (ECAB 17-0072): Continued physical therapy request denied
D.D. requested continued physical therapy for accepted aggravation of lumbar radiculopathy after more than ten years of treatment. The Board found that her physician’s brief explanation did not show what functional improvement further therapy would produce or why it was necessary. It held that OWCP…
B.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing & Distribution Center, Atlanta, GA
B.L. (ECAB 16-1874): Foot injury benefits termination affirmed
B.L. had accepted bilateral heel spurs and plantar fasciitis from postal work. After treating and referral doctors disagreed about continuing disability, OWCP obtained an impartial examination. The Board gave that examiner’s recovery opinion special weight and found the remaining evidence…
A.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Memphis, TN
A.W. (ECAB 16-1812): Home equipment denial and reconsideration affirmed
A.W. requested a chairlift, bathroom changes, a jetted bathtub, an adjustable mattress, and other home alterations for an accepted back injury. The Board found that the record did not show those requested items were medically necessary, and it upheld OWCP’s refusal to authorize them. His later…
H.B. and Social Security Administration, Woodlawn, MD
H.B. (ECAB 16-1711): Ongoing disability claim denied
H.B. sought wage loss compensation for total disability after an accepted 2013 injury involving a lumbar sprain and headaches. The Board found that the medical opinions did not adequately explain why her accepted conditions prevented her from working after November 19, 2013. Reports naming…
M.F. and Department of the Navy, Fleet Forces Command, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, VA
M.F. (ECAB 16-1565): Hearing award raised to nine percent
M.F. challenged a 3.75 percent binaural hearing award for accepted occupational hearing loss and tinnitus. The Board accepted the hearing measurements but found that the examiner properly added five percent for tinnitus because ringing affected daily activities. It calculated 8.75 percent binaural…
D.D. and Department of the Navy, Navy Information Operation Command, Sugar Grove, WV
D.D. (ECAB 16-1306): Two percent right ear hearing award affirmed
D.D. sought a larger schedule award for accepted work related hearing loss. The Board agreed with OWCP’s medical adviser that the audiogram yielded about 1.88 percent loss in the right ear, rounded to two percent, and no ratable loss in the left ear. It found no basis for an added tinnitus rating…
J.S. and Department of Homeland Security, Citizenship & Immigration Services, Boston, MA
J.S. (ECAB 16-1244): Stress related gastrointestinal claim denied
J.S. alleged that workplace stress aggravated his gastrointestinal disorders. OWCP asked him to identify the work factors behind the claim. The Board found that he had not supplied enough factual evidence of a compensable work factor, including evidence for his overwork allegation. It therefore…
S.M. and Department of the Navy, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, VA
S.M. (ECAB 16-1142): Wage loss claim after leg injury denied
S.M. sought wage loss compensation after a right leg contusion sustained while on temporary duty in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. His regular duty station was the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Virginia. The Board found that imaging did not establish the cause of his later conditions and that no physician…
D.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Kansas City, MO
D.J. (ECAB 17-0180): Fall accepted, injury claim denied for lack of medical explanation
A postal clerk fell when totes shifted on a floor truck at work. The Board accepted that the June 2016 incident occurred but found that the medical reports did not explain how it caused or worsened a diagnosed condition. A physician checked a form box linking her back symptoms to the fall without…
J.G. and Department of Homeland Security, Emergency Preparedness & Response, Washington, DC
J.G. (ECAB 16-1834): Conflicting accounts leave claimed injury incident unproven
A Homeland Security grants specialist said he injured his neck and left shoulder while carrying a backpack with electronic devices at work. The Board found that his claim forms, supervisor’s account, and medical history gave inconsistent descriptions of the event and its timing. He had not…
V.W. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Martinez, CA
V.W. (ECAB 16-1444): Left arm injury claim denied for lack of medical explanation
A VA nursing assistant reported left arm symptoms after using a patient repositioning system at work. OWCP accepted that the March 22, 2016 incident occurred. The Board found that the physician’s reports listed several diagnoses but did not explain how that incident caused or aggravated them…
M.T. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, St. Louis, MO
M.T. (ECAB 16-1393): Overpayment confirmed, amount and fault returned
A VA nurse received FECA wage loss compensation and federal retirement benefits for an overlapping period. The Board agreed that the concurrent payments created an overpayment. OWCP calculated $1,441.50 through March 7, 2015 but its decision used March 3 as the end date without explaining the…
W.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Princeton, NJ
W.S. (ECAB 16-1111): Conflicting knee impairment ratings require another medical opinion
A postal letter carrier with accepted arthritis underwent replacement of both knees and sought a larger schedule award. His physician and OWCP’s referral physician used different impairment classes and reached conflicting ratings for both legs. The Board found a genuine medical conflict over the…
J.S. and Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers, Sallisaw, OK
J.S. (ECAB 16-0179): Left arm award returned, other impairment ratings upheld
An Army Corps worker sought larger schedule awards after accepted injuries from a boating accident. The Board found that OWCP’s inconsistent methods for rating upper extremity impairment required a new decision on his left arm. It upheld the 25 percent left leg and 13 percent penile impairment…
D.A. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Cleveland, OH
D.A. (ECAB 15-1255): Right arm impairment award returned for consistent rating method
A VA police officer sought more than a five percent right arm schedule award after a work-related shoulder injury and rotator cuff repair. The Board found that OWCP had used inconsistent methods to rate upper extremity impairment under the sixth edition of the A.M.A. Guides. It set aside OWCP’s…
M.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Phoenix, AZ
M.D. (ECAB 17-0028): Finger injury claim denied without a medical diagnosis
A postal rural carrier reported that a door closed on her right middle finger at work. OWCP accepted that the June 2016 incident occurred. The only medical report recorded finger pain without diagnosing a condition or explaining its cause. The Board held that pain alone was not a compensable…
S.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Absecon, NJ
S.B. (ECAB 16-1868): No further compensable work factors established
A postal worker had an accepted emotional condition claim involving several documented workplace events, including harassment after she reported a noose in the office. She asked OWCP to recognize additional events as compensable work factors. The Board found that the newer allegations were too…
T.K. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Long Island, NY
T.K. (ECAB 16-1543): Additional ankle conditions and wage loss denied
A postal carrier twisted her left ankle on stairs at work, and OWCP accepted an ankle sprain. She sought to add several nerve, ligament, and fracture diagnoses and claimed wage loss from April 10 through August 7, 2015. The Board found that the medical reports did not adequately connect the…
D.E. and Department of the Navy, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Camp Lejeune, NC
D.E. (ECAB 16-1498): Schedule award denied without a ratable impairment report
A Naval Criminal Investigative Service computer specialist sought a schedule award for lasting impairment after accepted injuries involving his back, left wrist, and left knee. His physician’s report said he had reached maximum medical improvement but supplied no impairment findings or rating under…
A.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Greensboro, NC
A.B. (ECAB 16-1351): Finding that telephone hearing was abandoned upheld
A postal rural carrier requested an oral hearing after OWCP denied her right shoulder claim. OWCP mailed instructions for a January 2016 telephone hearing more than 30 days in advance. She did not call in, request postponement, or explain her absence within 10 days. The Board affirmed OWCP’s…
T.O. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Denver, CO
T.O. (ECAB 16-1328): No ratable impairment from accepted injuries
A transportation security officer sought a schedule award after accepted neck, shoulder, elbow, and lower leg injuries from a fall at work. The Board found that the medical reports supporting OWCP’s decision showed no lasting impairment of a scheduled body member from those accepted conditions. A…
E.H. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Canandaigua Veterans Medical Center
E.H. (ECAB 14-1559): Right arm impairment award returned for consistent rating method
A VA nursing assistant sought a larger schedule award after an accepted right shoulder injury and surgery. The Board found that OWCP had applied inconsistent methods for rating upper extremity impairment under the sixth edition of the A.M.A. Guides. It set aside OWCP’s March 31, 2014 decision and…
United States Department of Veterans Affairs, John J. Pershing VA Medical Center (Agency) and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2238 (Union)
AFGE Local 2238 and John J. Pershing VA Medical Center (FLRA 0-AR-5215): Reconsideration of hazardous-pay ruling denied
An arbitrator found that VA medical-center employees were exposed to infectious diseases and awarded an 8% hazardous-duty pay differential beginning thirty days before the grievance. The union originally argued that each employee should receive at least six years of backpay, but the Authority…
R.B. and Department of Defense, Defense Logistics Agency, Patch Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany
R.B. (ECAB 17-0076): Dual-benefit overpayment and recovery upheld
A Defense Logistics Agency worker received FECA wage loss compensation and a federal portion of Social Security retirement benefits for the same period. The Board’s analysis upheld an overpayment of $10,590.39, denial of a waiver, and deductions of $200 every four weeks from continuing benefits. It…
N.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Grand Rapids, MI
N.S. (ECAB 17-0059): Knee injury denial upheld, reconsideration ruling returned
A postal city carrier reported that her left knee popped while she descended stairs at work. The Board found that the medical reports did not adequately diagnose and explain an injury caused by the accepted incident, so it affirmed OWCP’s June 1, 2016 denial. OWCP’s later refusal to reconsider…
J.F. and Department of Homeland Security, Customs & Border Protection, Pembroke Pines, FL
J.F. (ECAB 16-1915): Ankle recurrence claim denied without causal medical evidence
A border patrol agent sought further benefits for an ankle injury OWCP had accepted in 2012. The Board found his recurrence request unclear about whether he sought medical care or wage-loss benefits and considered both grounds. A later MRI report described changes but did not explain how they…
B.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Dillon, SC
B.T. (ECAB 16-1820): No added knee impairment award or merit reconsideration
A postal carrier with an accepted right knee injury had already received schedule awards totaling 63 percent impairment of his right leg. The Board found no new medical rating showing a greater impairment. A later report gave a lower figure without an explained rating under the applicable guides…
L.C. and Department of the Army, Material Command, Anniston, AL
L.C. (ECAB 16-1797): Further shoulder conditions and surgery not established
An Army mechanic had an accepted right biceps tendon condition after using a jackhammer at work. He asked OWCP to recognize other shoulder and arm conditions and authorize surgery for acromioclavicular arthritis. The Board found that his physicians linked the additional conditions to repetitive…
W.O. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Palm Desert, CA
W.O. (ECAB 16-1502): Shoulder strain claim denied for lack of medical explanation
A postal carrier reported right shoulder pain after setting a vehicle handbrake at work. OWCP accepted the May 19, 2016 event, and physicians diagnosed a shoulder strain. The Board found that a checked form box and later reports did not explain how setting the handbrake caused or aggravated the…
G.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Dearborn Street Station, Chicago, IL
G.W. (ECAB 16-1316): Back disability recurrence denied after return to modified work
A postal mail processing clerk with accepted back conditions returned to modified work after lumbar surgery, then stopped four days later. He said prolonged standing prevented him from performing the assignment. The Board found that his physician proposed added restrictions without objective…
Berroa v. Spectrum Health Hospitals, d/b/a Aero Med
Berroa v. Spectrum Health Hospitals (DOL ARB 2015-0061): Dismissal of pilot's retaliation complaint affirmed
Anthony Berroa alleged that Aero Med fired him for reporting concerns about a trainee pilot's flying skills. An administrative law judge found that his report was protected under the aviation whistleblower law and contributed to his dismissal. The judge nevertheless dismissed the complaint because…
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.