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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P.E. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Southeastern, PA
P.E. (ECAB 15-1150): Wage loss termination reversed
P.E., a postal clerk with accepted lumbar injuries, had received wage loss compensation for years. OWCP terminated it after her treating physician reviewed surveillance footage and said she could return to her regular job. The Board found the physician’s opinion insufficient because her report also…
L.R. and Department of the Navy, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, WA
L.R. (ECAB 15-0166): Hearing loss claim denial affirmed despite established noise exposure
L.R., a retired Navy shipyard worker, claimed hearing loss from years of workplace noise. OWCP denied the claim in part because it found his noise exposure unproven. The Board found that his employment and hearing conservation records did establish occupational noise exposure. It nevertheless…
Secretary of Labor v. West Alabama Sand & Gravel, Inc.
Operator ordered to address six-year penalty delinquency
West Alabama Sand & Gravel had stipulated that a truck driver's failure to wear fall protection was a high-negligence and unwarrantable-failure violation, leaving only the penalty amount unresolved after a Commission remand. MSHA's records showed that the operator had paid only $200 of $27,890 in…
V.C. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
V.C. (ECAB 16-0540): Holiday pay wage loss claim remanded for proper calculation
V.C., a Veterans Affairs nursing assistant injured while avoiding a patient, returned to a modified medical support position. She later claimed a reduction in holiday pay for a period beginning in February 2014. OWCP denied compensation after comparing earnings at the start of that period with the…
R.W. and Department of Defense, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, AZ
R.W. (ECAB 16-0298): Workplace assault claim remanded for employer evidence
R.W., a store worker at an Air Force base, was assaulted at work by a person she had accused of an earlier assault outside her job duties. OWCP accepted that the workplace assault occurred but denied compensation because it considered the dispute personal. The Board held that OWCP had not developed…
M.K. and U.S. Postal Service, Cleveland Annex, Cleveland, OH
M.K. (ECAB 16-0243): Right leg impairment claim remanded for impartial examination
M.K., a former postal clerk, sought a right leg impairment award after an accepted Achilles tendon and leg injury. Her physicians rated permanent impairment at 31 percent and later two percent, while OWCP’s second opinion physician found none. The Board held that the conflicting impairment opinions…
L.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, San Diego
L.W. (ECAB 15-1437): Additional injury, occupational disease, and impairment denials affirmed
L.W., a postal automation clerk with an accepted aggravation of cervical spondylosis, sought coverage for additional arm and wrist conditions and a separate repetitive motion disease claim. The Board found that her physicians did not explain how those conditions related either to the accepted…
C.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Coppell, TX
C.J. (ECAB 15-1200): Long period of wage loss claim denial affirmed
C.J., a former postal carrier, sought wage loss compensation for nearly nine years after an accepted hip and groin injury. OWCP had vacated earlier suitable work termination decisions because they were not properly served. The Board held that vacating those decisions did not itself prove disability…
L.D. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Malcolm Randall Veterans Administration Medical Center, Gainesville, FL
L.D. (ECAB 15-0706): Emotional condition claim denial affirmed
L.D., a Veterans Affairs nurse, attributed an emotional condition to alleged mistreatment by supervisors and coworkers, work assignment and training disputes, and a union interaction. The Board found that she did not substantiate overwork, harassment, or abusive handling of administrative matters…
J.A. and Department of Housing & Urban Development, Bureau of the Fiscal Service, Los Angeles, CA
J.A. (ECAB 16-0579): Late reconsideration request denied
J.A., an enforcement assistant, claimed that repetitive work duties caused carpal tunnel syndrome. OWCP had denied the claim after finding insufficient medical evidence linking the condition to accepted work factors. Her later request for reconsideration repeated an argument about a medical report…
W.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Philadelphia, PA
W.P. (ECAB 16-0577): Abandoned hearing request finding affirmed
W.P., a postal equipment operator, claimed a fractured toe from repeatedly jumping off a power jack onto concrete. After OWCP denied the injury claim, she requested a hearing but did not appear at the scheduled video hearing. She later said a family commitment prevented her attendance. The Board…
S.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Omaha, NE
S.S. (ECAB 16-0469): Retirement benefit overpayment ruling sent back
S.S., a postal worker receiving compensation for a work injury, also received Social Security retirement benefits. OWCP found a $15,308.02 overpayment because it had not reduced his compensation by the portion of his retirement benefits attributed to federal service. The Board found a discrepancy…
T.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Hesperia, CA
T.M. (ECAB 16-0462): Refusal to reopen occupational disease claim affirmed
T.M., a postal carrier, had claimed a knee and foot condition from work duties. After her claim was denied, she sought reconsideration and submitted a report discussing knee pain and work limits. The Board found that the report’s signature was illegible and that the record did not show whether its…
J.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Missoula, MT
J.B. (ECAB 16-0215): Shoulder injury claim denial affirmed
J.B., a rural postal carrier associate, fell after her foot struck a curb while she was stepping away from a delivery vehicle. OWCP accepted that the fall occurred but denied her claim for a shoulder injury. Her physicians reported shoulder pain, tendinitis, and an MRI finding of a tear, but did…
M.K. and Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, Santa Clarita, CA
M.K. (ECAB 15-1903): Termination of injury benefits affirmed
M.K., a Census Bureau enumerator, injured his right ankle and foot when he fell in a hole. OWCP later ended his wage-loss and medical benefits after a second opinion physician found that the accepted injuries had healed without residuals. The Board found that opinion well reasoned and sufficient to…
K.G. and Department of Veterans Affairs, James A. Haley Veterans Hospital, Tampa, FL
K.G. (ECAB 15-1476): Schedule award pay date upheld, adjustment question remanded
K.G., a Veterans Affairs electrical equipment repairer, received a schedule award for permanent left arm impairment after a workplace fall. He challenged the pay rate used to calculate the award and the absence of cost-of-living adjustments. The Board held that OWCP correctly used December 4, 2012…
Matter of Arinda GARZA-OLIVARES
Failure-to-appear aggravated felony analysis
The Board reviewed the Department of Homeland Security's appeal from an Immigration Judge's termination of removal proceedings against a lawful permanent resident of the United States who is a native and citizen of Mexico. The respondent had been convicted under 18 U.S.C. § 3146 for failing to…
Makhteshim Agan of North America, Inc., d/b/a ADAMA
In re Makhteshim Agan of North America, Inc., d/b/a ADAMA (EAB FIFRA Appeal No. 16-01C): consent agreement ratified
Makhteshim Agan of North America, Inc., doing business as ADAMA, entered a Consent Agreement with EPA. The Environmental Appeals Board incorporated the agreement into its Final Order and ratified it under the Consolidated Rules of Practice. The respondent was ordered to comply with every term of…
M.B. and Department of the Army, Saudi Arabia
M.B. (ECAB 15-1638): Disability compensation denial affirmed
M.B., an Army information technology specialist, had an accepted claim for worsening depression and anxiety associated with work conditions. She sought wage-loss compensation for January 13 through February 6, 2013, after retiring. Her psychiatrist reported that she could not work but did not…
In re Katerberg Verhage, Inc.
Katerberg Verhage (DOL ARB 2016-0053): Wage rate appeal dismissed by consent
Katerberg Verhage challenged a published wage determination for landscape labor and equipment operators in Grand Traverse County, Michigan. The Wage and Hour Division Administrator moved to dismiss the Board appeal and said the company had consented. The Board granted the motion and dismissed the…
T.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Austin, TX
T.D. (ECAB 16-0565): Third-party recovery overpayment reversed
T.D., a postal carrier, received a third-party recovery after a work-related vehicle collision. OWCP found that a $23,753.04 surplus from the recovery should be credited against future compensation, then declared the same amount an overpayment. The Board found that OWCP had already credited more…
J.M. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Lyons, NJ
J.M. (ECAB 16-0306): Knee disability recurrence denial affirmed
J.M., a Veterans Affairs food service worker, struck her right knee on a table at work. OWCP accepted a knee contusion, and she returned to regular duty within days. She later had knee replacement surgery and claimed a recurrence of disability beginning June 3, 2013. The Board found that her…
B.H. and Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons, Inez, KY
B.H. (ECAB 16-0117): Overpayment upheld, first-deposit fault finding set aside
B.H., a Bureau of Prisons correctional officer, kept receiving wage-loss compensation after returning to full-time light duty. The Board upheld OWCP’s finding that three payments totaling $8,452.54 were an overpayment. It found that B.H. was not at fault for the first direct deposit because he had…
E.C. and Department of the Air Force, Maintenance Working Capital Fund, Randolph Air Force Base, TX
E.C. (ECAB 15-1943): Termination of Achilles injury benefits affirmed
E.C. received benefits for an accepted aggravation of right Achilles tendinitis. OWCP ended wage-loss and medical benefits after a second opinion physician found that the accepted condition had resolved. The Board credited that physician’s examination and medical reasoning over the treating…
M.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Palatine, IL
M.G. (ECAB 15-1793): Knee impairment award sent back for examination
M.G., a postal carrier, had received a schedule award for two percent permanent impairment of her right leg after a knee injury. She sought a higher rating based on a physician’s assessment of ligament damage. The Board found that OWCP’s medical adviser had overlooked documented knee laxity and…
Jack Durham d/b/a Jack Durham and Company
Awning safety citation vacated because workers were independent contractors
Jack Durham and Company hired a handyman to repair a leaking metal awning at a strip mall. OSHA cited alleged roof fall, training, and ladder violations after inspectors saw two people working on the awning. The judge found that the handyman controlled how to perform the repair, worked for multiple…
R.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Denver, CO
R.M. (ECAB 15-0487): Premium-pay overpayment ruling sent back
R.M., a postal mail processing clerk, received disability compensation that included Sunday premium and night differential pay. OWCP later found a $1,407.78 overpayment after recalculating those premiums. R.M. argued that premium pay should cover his full Saturday night shift rather than only the…
Administrator, Wage and Hour Div., USDOL v. Puget Sound Environmental Corp.
Back-pay liability and federal-contract ineligibility affirmed
Puget Sound Environmental performed two multimillion-dollar service contracts at the Navy's Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. The Wage and Hour Division found that the company underpaid 215 employees by misclassifying workers and failing to provide required holiday, vacation, and health and welfare…
R.C. and Consumer Product Safety Commission, Human Resources Office, Bethesda, MD
R.C. (ECAB 16-0563): Late reconsideration ruling sent back for reasons
R.C., a human resources specialist, attributed a trigger finger condition to repetitive typing at work. OWCP denied her claim, then found her later reconsideration request untimely and rejected it for lack of clear evidence of error. The Board agreed that the request was late but found that OWCP…
P.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Lake Orion, MI
P.D. (ECAB 16-0239): Left shoulder occupational disease denial affirmed
P.D., a substitute rural carrier, said years of casing, reaching for, grabbing, and lifting mail caused or aggravated a left rotator cuff tear. OWCP accepted that he performed those duties but denied the claim for lack of medical evidence connecting them to the tear. The Board found that Dr. Hartz…
L.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Cleveland, OH
L.D. (ECAB 16-0225): Related shoulder claim files returned for joint review
L.D., a postal custodian, reported renewed right shoulder symptoms after OWCP had accepted an earlier shoulder claim. OWCP denied a recurrence claim, treated the symptoms as a possible new injury, and denied the new occupational disease claim. The Board found that the earlier claim file contained…
L.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Washington, DC
L.C. (ECAB 16-0136): Suitable work refusal termination affirmed
L.C., a former postal window clerk with accepted back and shoulder injuries, declined a modified sales service associate position. OWCP ended his wage-loss compensation and schedule award entitlement on September 30, 2014. The Board credited a second opinion physician who said L.C. could perform…
V.W. and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Dallas, TX
V.W. (ECAB 16-0068): Wage loss claim returned for review of accepted anxiety condition
V.W., an FDIC legal technician, was injured in a vehicle accident while traveling to an authorized training class. OWCP accepted several physical conditions and later expanded the claim to include chronic pain and anxiety. She sought wage-loss compensation for April 8 through June 27, 2013. The…
F.M. and Department of Justice, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Walnut Creek, CA
F.M. (ECAB 15-1869): Late reconsideration request denied
F.M., a fingerprint technician, claimed that workplace events caused stress and other health conditions. OWCP denied the claim and later refused to reconsider its November 29, 2013 merit decision. F.M.’s reconsideration request reached OWCP on December 15, 2014, beyond the one-year filing period…
H.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Oklahoma City, OK
H.D. (ECAB 15-1698): Traumatic injury claim denial affirmed
H.D., a postal mail handler, claimed she injured her right knee, ankle, and foot in a fall at work on June 28, 2014. Her initial claim said her right side went numb as she moved to sit down; an emergency room report described her tripping over her feet, and she later said she fell onto skids. The…
Secretary of Labor v. D. Holcomb & Company, LLC
Carbon-monoxide citation settled for $30,000
An MSHA inspector found a gasoline generator running inside D. Holcomb & Company's scale-house trailer at Black Diamond Quarry, with carbon monoxide above 180 parts per million near the only functioning door. MSHA alleged that the company failed to conduct gas surveys often enough to evaluate its…
Secretary of Labor v. Original Sixteen to One Mine, Inc.
Thirty-six gold-mine matters resolved for $7,350
Seven consolidated dockets covered 36 citations and orders at the underground Original Sixteen to One and Plumbago gold mines in California. The matters addressed emergency communications, electrical protection, training, mine records, equipment defects, escape planning, explosives storage…
Secretary of Labor v. Sims Crane
Suspended spreader-bar citation increased to high negligence
Sims Crane employees twice walked beneath a 625-pound steel spreader bar suspended more than 25 feet above the ground at S.D.I. Quarry. Judge Thomas P. McCarthy held that the spreader bar was a suspended load under the cited standard and that workers had to stay clear of its fall zone. The judge…
Secretary of Labor v. Oil Dri Production Company
Four plant-safety citations upheld for $15,200
Oil Dri Production Company litigated five citations from its Ripley Mine and Mill after settling seven others. Judge L. Zane Gill vacated a fire-hazard citation because MSHA did not prove that accumulated waste had an ignition source. He affirmed a $100 housekeeping violation and three…
Secretary of Labor v. Oak Grove Resources, LLC
Twenty-four citations resolved for $104,436
Four consolidated Oak Grove Resources dockets involved 24 citations and orders, including coal-dust accumulations, pre-shift examinations, and conveyor-belt maintenance. Judge Jerold Feldman approved settlement of 19 matters for $54,188. Of the five litigated matters, he affirmed a belt-maintenance…
City of Taunton Department of Public Works
In re City of Taunton Department of Public Works (EAB NPDES Appeal No. 15-08): Nitrogen and copper limits upheld
EPA Region 1 issued the City of Taunton, Massachusetts, an NPDES permit for wastewater discharges from its advanced secondary treatment facility to the Taunton River and Mount Hope Bay. The permit added nitrogen limits that were not in the City's 2001 permit and also set copper, flow, wet-weather…
S.C. and U.S. Postal Service, University Station, Dallas, TX
S.C. (ECAB 16-0443): Overpayment waiver decision returned for proper notice
OWCP deposited $13,319.36 owed to another claimant into S.C.’s bank account. In an earlier appeal, the Board found that S.C. was not at fault for the overpayment and directed OWCP to consider waiver using current financial information. OWCP then requested a financial questionnaire but did not tell…
D.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Binghamton, NY
D.L. (ECAB 16-0361): Refusal to reopen foot condition claim affirmed
D.L., a letter carrier, claimed that years of delivering mail caused or aggravated foot conditions. OWCP denied the claim for insufficient medical evidence connecting the conditions to work. D.L. sought reconsideration and submitted additional treatment records and copies of reports already in the…
R.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Main Post Office, Cincinnati, OH
R.B. (ECAB 16-0317): Recurrence of disability denial affirmed
R.B., a postal mail processing clerk, had an accepted aggravation of a preexisting low back strain. He later claimed a recurrence of disability beginning August 18, 2015 and submitted imaging and reports about spinal disc conditions and surgery. The Board found that his physician attributed his…
S.Y. and Social Security Administration, Baltimore, MD
S.Y. (ECAB 16-0155): Termination of injury benefits affirmed
S.Y., a Social Security Administration contact representative, sustained accepted shoulder, neck, knee, and leg injuries after falling over a pallet. OWCP ended her wage-loss compensation and medical benefits effective April 16, 2015. The Board found that OWCP’s examining physician explained why…
P.L. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Northern Arizona Healthcare System, Prescott, AZ
P.L. (ECAB 16-0127): Overpayment ruling affirmed in part and remanded in part
P.L., a VA electrician, received wage-loss compensation after returning to full-time modified work on December 10, 2013. The Board upheld OWCP’s finding that this created a $6,754.92 overpayment. It found P.L. was not at fault for accepting the first incorrect direct deposit because the record did…
T.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Saginaw, MI
T.S. (ECAB 16-0113): Denial of fall injury claim affirmed
T.S., a postal mail handler, injured his right little finger when he fainted and fell at work. He claimed workplace stress caused the episode. The Board found that the fall resulted from an underlying syncopal condition and that the record did not establish a work hazard or work stress contribution…
J.H. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Bronx, NY
J.H. (ECAB 15-1877): Wage loss claim denial affirmed
J.H., a VA nursing assistant, had an accepted lumbar sprain from moving a bed at work. She sought wage-loss compensation for August 2 through October 28, 2013. The Board found that her physician’s reports discussed back and neck conditions but did not explain whether the accepted work injury caused…
United States Department of Defense, Illinois National Guard, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois (Agency) and Association of Civilian Technicians, Chapter 111 (Union)
Illinois National Guard and ACT Chapter 111 (FLRA 0-AR-5152): Promotion rerun upheld with narrower remedy
The Illinois National Guard selected an employee for a mechanic-supervisor position after a process that an arbitrator found violated its mandatory merit-promotion regulation. The arbitrator found that only the two grievants had the required thirty-six months of specialized experience, removed the…
American Federation of Government Employees, Council of Prison Locals #33, Local 0922 (Union) and United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Federal Correctional Complex, Forrest City, Arkansas (Agency)
AFGE Local 0922 and FCC Forrest City (FLRA 0-AR-5149): Delegation grievance denied
AFGE Local 0922 grieved when a prison supervisor took one day of sick leave without issuing a delegation naming another person to exercise signature authority. The parties stipulated that a delegation practice existed, but an arbitrator found that management emails describing the practice were not…
Secretary of Labor on behalf of Eric Greathouse, Ricky Baker, Levi Allen, Michael Payton, Ann Martin, and Mark Richey v. Murray Energy respondents
Secretary of Labor on behalf of Eric Greathouse, et al. v. Murray Energy respondents (FMSHRC WEVA 2015-906 D, et al.): Production bonus plans unlawfully interfered with miners' rights
Six Murray Energy underground coal mines offered shift bonuses based on production but disqualified crews after certain S&S citations, withdrawal orders, lost-time accidents, or absences during the shift. Judge Margaret A. Miller found that the plans created personal financial pressure and peer…
Secretary of Labor on behalf of Jeremy Coots v. Yellow Rose Coal Co., LLC
Roof bolter temporarily reinstated after one-day discharge
Yellow Rose Coal hired Jeremy Coots as a roof-bolter operator after its owner praised his work during an observed shift. The next day, the owner learned that Coots had filed a discrimination case against a previous employer and discharged him because he feared Coots would file a complaint against…
Matter of Bandele Adekunle ADENIYE
Statutory maximum controls failure-to-appear aggravated felony
The Board reviewed a removal order based on a conviction for failing to appear to serve a sentence. The underlying offense, possession of stolen mailbox keys, carried a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years, although the respondent had actually been sentenced to 24 months. The Board held that an…
S.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Philadelphia, PA
S.L. (ECAB 16-0353): Wage-loss suspension for missing earnings report affirmed
S.L., a postal rural carrier receiving wage-loss compensation, was asked to report work activity and earnings for the preceding 15 months on Form CA-1032. OWCP mailed the form to her address of record and warned that her benefits would be suspended if she did not return it within 30 days. The…
K.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Portland, OR
K.R. (ECAB 16-0351): Shoulder schedule award denial affirmed
K.R., a postal clerk, had an accepted left shoulder condition and surgery after years of repetitive mail handling. She sought a schedule award for permanent impairment. Her physician rated the impairment using the fifth edition of the A.M.A. Guides and also gave a whole person rating. The Board…
C.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Portland, OR
C.W. (ECAB 16-0337): Denial of further review of neck condition claim affirmed
C.W., a retired postal expeditor, claimed that work exposure from April 2010 to January 2013 worsened her neck condition. OWCP denied the claim and later refused to reconsider it on the merits. Her attorney submitted a physician’s report as purportedly new evidence, but the Board found that OWCP…
C.C. and Department of Agriculture, Food Safety Inspection Service, Atlanta, GA
C.C. (ECAB 16-0318): Termination of left knee benefits affirmed
C.C., a poultry inspector, received benefits for an accepted aggravation of left knee osteoarthritis after a 2003 workplace injury. OWCP ended his wage-loss and medical benefits in August 2014, relying on an orthopedic examination that found the accepted condition had resolved. The Board found that…
C.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Bronx, NY
C.R. (ECAB 16-0250): Delayed reconsideration decision set aside
C.R. asked OWCP to reconsider a February 2015 merits decision on her claim. OWCP waited more than seven months before refusing to conduct another merits review. The Board found that the delay kept C.R. from appealing the February decision to the Board within the 180-day period. It set aside OWCP’s…
T.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Main Post Office, Fort Collins, CO
T.D. (ECAB 15-1905): Claimed 2015 disability not established
T.D., a postal clerk, sought compensation for disability from January 10 through July 10, 2015, years after an accepted hip and back injury. OWCP denied the claim, giving special weight to a physician it had treated as an impartial medical examiner. The Board found that there had been no medical…
D.L. and Department of Homeland Security, Federal Air Marshal Service, Orlando, FL
D.L. (ECAB 15-0547): Emotional condition claim sent back for fact finding
D.L., a federal air marshal, claimed that workplace harassment, discrimination, and errors in personnel actions caused an emotional condition. OWCP denied the claim, finding no compensable employment factor, and denied her request for subpoenas. The Board found that disputed attendance records and…
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.