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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Virginia Stepp (Widow of and on behalf of Gregory Stepp) v. Cowin & Company, Incorporated
Stepp v. Cowin (BRB 25-0189 and 25-0196): black lung benefits awards affirmed
The employer and its carrier appealed the administrative law judge's awards of miner's and survivor's black lung benefits. Virginia Stepp was the claimant-respondent and supported the awards. The judge found 40.80 years of qualifying coal mine employment, a totally disabling respiratory impairment…
Virginia Stepp (widow of and on behalf of Gregory Stepp) v. Cowin & Company, Incorporated
Stepp v. Cowin & Company (BRB 25-0189 and 25-0196): Miner and survivor benefits affirmed
Virginia Stepp pursued her late husband Gregory Stepp's black lung claim and her own survivor's claim. The administrative law judge found that Gregory Stepp had more than 40 years of qualifying coal mine work, was totally disabled by a respiratory impairment, and qualified for the 15-year…
B.H. and Department of Justice, Executive Office for Immigration Review
DOJ employee's knee surgery claim returned for medical review (ECAB 26-0415)
A DOJ legal assistant sought authorization for a right knee operation and compensation for time away from work. OWCP's medical adviser rejected the surgery request but did not show that he had reviewed the treating surgeon's reports or explain the disagreement. The Board found OWCP's medical…
T.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Martinez Post Office
Postal carrier's compensation termination reversed (ECAB 24-0803)
A postal carrier received benefits for an accepted shoulder injury. OWCP terminated wage loss and medical benefits based on a referral physician's opinion that the work condition had resolved. Her treating physician continued to find work restrictions. The Board found an unresolved conflict between…
Canyon Fuel Company, LLC, et al.
Remand penalty set at $50,000
Canyon Fuel operated the Skyline Mine #3, where a rib burst seriously injured a miner. MSHA alleged that the mine violated the rib-fall protection standard and failed to report an immediately reportable injury, and the ALJ's earlier decision had assessed a $25,000 penalty for the rib-fall order…
Matter of Omar Eliodoro LOPEZ RICO
Appeal dismissed after unlawful voting finding
The Board reviewed an appeal by a Mexican lawful permanent resident whose removal charges included unlawful voting and falsely claiming United States citizenship. The Immigration Judge sustained the unlawful voting charge and denied cancellation of removal as a matter of discretion. The Board held…
Debra D. Cress (widow of Gary Cress) v. Director, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs
Cress v. Director, OWCP (BRB 25-0260): Survivor benefits denial affirmed
Debra Cress sought survivor benefits after the death of her husband, Gary Cress, a coal miner. The parties agreed that he had pneumoconiosis and at least 15 years of underground mine work. The administrative law judge found that the evidence did not establish a totally disabling respiratory…
Robles v. Lazer Spot, Inc.
ARB affirms dismissal as discovery sanction
Sergio Robles, a Lazer Spot driver, alleged that the company retaliated against him for safety complaints in violation of the Surface Transportation Assistance Act. The ALJ dismissed his complaint with prejudice after he repeatedly failed to provide discovery responses and did not comply with…
J.P. and Department of the Air Force, Tyndall Air Force Base
Air Force firefighter's knee claim denied (ECAB 26-0466)
An Air Force lead firefighter claimed a right knee condition following an accepted August 2025 work incident. A physician diagnosed knee effusion but did not say what caused it. The Board found that the other medical evidence also did not establish the required causal relationship. It affirmed…
B.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Harrisburg Post Office
Postal carrier's wheelchair van travel request denied (ECAB 26-0465)
A postal rural carrier sought advance approval for wheelchair van trips to treatment for accepted work conditions. OWCP denied payment for trips on November 18 and 20, 2025. Both requested trips exceeded the usual 100-mile roundtrip limit, and he did not answer OWCP's request for an explanation of…
E.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Ozone Park Annex
Postal carrier's benefit termination upheld (ECAB 26-0411)
A postal letter carrier had received compensation for a 2008 work injury. OWCP obtained a medical evaluation and concluded that the accepted work conditions no longer caused disability or required treatment. The Board found the evidence sufficient to support termination of wage loss and medical…
Marjorie J. Boring (widow of David L. Boring) v. Tunnelton Mining Company
Boring v. Tunnelton Mining (BRB 26-0053): Survivor benefits denial affirmed
Marjorie Boring sought survivor benefits after the death of her husband, David Boring, who had worked at least 15 years in underground coal mines. The administrative law judge found he had pneumoconiosis but was not shown to have a totally disabling respiratory impairment at death. Boring…
Donald R. Bare v. Dickenson Russell Contura, LLC
Bare v. Dickenson Russell Contura (BRB 25-0223): Benefits denial affirmed
Donald Bare sought black lung benefits after 30 years of underground coal mine work. The administrative law judge denied benefits, finding neither complicated pneumoconiosis nor a totally disabling respiratory impairment. Bare appealed without a lawyer. The Board upheld the judge's assessment of…
Bobby Mullins v. Kanawha Coal, LLC
Mullins v. Kanawha Coal (BRB 25-0221): Employer liability and benefits affirmed
Bobby Mullins was awarded black lung benefits after Kanawha Coal did not contest the medical elements of his claim. The company appealed its designation as the operator responsible for payment. It argued that his disease appeared years after he worked for Kanawha and that a later employer should…
K.B. and Department of Health and Human Services, Indian Health Service
Indian Health Service worker's knee and hip injury denial reversed (ECAB 26-0467)
An Indian Health Service health aide reported injuring her right knee and hip during an accepted November 2025 work incident. Her physician diagnosed internal knee derangement and a hip contusion and linked both to the incident. The Board found that the record established diagnosed conditions in…
Gregory E. Sayre v. Mountaineer Resources, Incorporated
Sayre v. Mountaineer Resources (BRB 25-0254): Black lung benefits affirmed
Gregory Sayre sought black lung benefits after at least 21 years of qualifying coal mine work. The administrative law judge found that he had a totally disabling respiratory impairment and qualified for the 15-year presumption. Mountaineer Resources challenged the disability finding and argued that…
C.S. and U.S. Postal Service
Postal carrier's return-to-work overpayment upheld (ECAB 26-0424)
A postal letter carrier kept receiving total disability compensation after returning to work. The Board upheld OWCP's $16,266.54 overpayment finding. It also upheld denial of waiver for the earlier portion when he was without fault, based on his finances, and the later portion when he should have…
W.D. and U.S. Postal Service
Postal retiree's overlapping benefits overpayment upheld (ECAB 26-0337)
A retired postal mail handler received both FECA wage loss compensation and federal retirement benefits for the same period. The Board upheld OWCP's $12,523.90 overpayment finding and agreed that he was without fault. It also upheld denial of waiver because he had not submitted the financial…
L.T. and Department of the Army, Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Army medical center worker's benefit termination reversed (ECAB 26-0423)
An Army medical center nursing assistant received wage loss and medical benefits for an accepted work injury. OWCP terminated those benefits based on a second opinion physician. The Board found that the medical opinion did not adequately support ending benefits while the physician continued to…
M.T. and U.S. Postal Service, North Texas Processing and Distribution Center
Postal mechanic's occupational claim returned for missing studies (ECAB 26-0422)
A postal maintenance mechanic claimed that work caused or aggravated upper extremity conditions. Her doctor and OWCP's referral physician disagreed, so OWCP obtained an impartial examiner. That examiner said he needed electrodiagnostic studies that had not been supplied. The Board directed OWCP to…
O.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Carol Stream Processing and Distribution Center
Postal worker's Social Security offset overpayment upheld (ECAB 26-0418)
A postal mail processor received FECA wage loss compensation while also drawing age-related Social Security retirement benefits without the required offset. The Board upheld an $11,261.98 overpayment and found she was without fault. It upheld denial of waiver because her documented finances were…
B.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Cardiss Collins Processing and Distribution Center
Postal worker's overpayment amount returned and later benefit termination reversed (ECAB 25-0511)
A postal worker continued to receive total disability compensation after returning to private work. The Board agreed that this created an overpayment, but found that OWCP had not documented the earnings and pay calculations needed to establish the stated $97,495.72 amount. It returned the amount…
Secretary of Labor v. Phoenix Industrial Inc.
Default order vacated and case remanded
Phoenix Industrial asked the Commission to reopen a penalty proceeding after a default order was entered when it did not answer the Secretary's petition or respond to an Order to Show Cause. Phoenix said it had mailed an answer, emailed opposing counsel, missed the Commission's email because of its…
Secretary of Labor v. Responsible Energy Operations, LLC
Penalty proceeding reopened and remanded
Responsible Energy Operations missed the deadline to contest a proposed penalty after its safety manager miscalculated the due date. The company discovered the mistake the next day, promptly sent the assessment to counsel, and filed a motion to reopen after MSHA rejected the late contest. The…
Secretary of Labor v. Heidelberg Materials Midwest Agg. Inc.
Motion to reopen dismissed as moot
Heidelberg Materials received a proposed civil penalty assessment and later learned that its payment check had not reached MSHA, so the assessment became a final Commission order when no Notice of Contest appeared within 30 days. The company requested reopening after the check was returned and…
Matter of Urmat Kamalov
Bond grant vacated after danger assessment
The Department of Homeland Security appealed an Immigration Judge's order releasing the respondent on a $15,000 bond. The Board considered his street racing, driving on a suspended license, arrest for resisting arrest, and possession of a prohibited cell phone while in police custody. It found that…
Secretary of Labor v. Cyber Square
Penalty proceeding reopened and remanded
Cyber Square sent its notice of contest to MSHA's St. Louis payment address instead of the Civil Penalty Compliance Office in Arlington, Virginia, and the penalty assessment became final. The company said it had also paid the assessments for citations it did not wish to contest. The Commission…
Larson v. Family Dollar
ARB denies interlocutory appeal
Genevieve Larson alleged that Family Dollar violated the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and she sought review of two ALJ orders in an ongoing case. One order denied her request to use a non-attorney representative after the ALJ found that representative's communications were inappropriate, and the other…
Hukman v. American Airlines, Inc.
ARB affirms AIR21 retaliation decision
Sheida Hukman, a customer service agent for American Airlines, reported concerns about aircraft weight-and-balance procedures, passenger manifests, and other aviation-safety practices. The company required her to undergo an independent mental examination and placed her on unpaid leave while…
V.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Grand Rapids Post Office
Postal carrier's knee replacement request returned for impartial review (ECAB 26-0443)
A postal rural carrier sought approval for a total left knee replacement. Her surgeon attributed the need for surgery to her accepted injury, while OWCP's second opinion doctor disagreed and pointed to preexisting osteoarthritis. The Board found a medical conflict and directed OWCP to obtain an…
D.H. and U.S. Postal Service, North Houston Post Office
Postal carrier's expanded injury claim returned for medical review (ECAB 26-0428)
A postal city carrier assistant sought to add conditions after a fall during an accepted work incident. His treating doctor attributed several back, hip, knee, ankle, and foot conditions to the fall, while OWCP's referral doctor disputed that connection. The Board found the record insufficient for…
G.C. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Martinez VA Medical Center
VA nurse's disability claim denial upheld (ECAB 26-0360)
A VA nurse sought wage loss compensation for a 2024 period based on accepted work injuries. Her medical reports mainly described restrictions from back, leg, foot, or sacroiliac conditions rather than explaining disability from the accepted upper extremity conditions. The Board found no adequate…
T.W. and U.S. Postal Service, St. Louis Main Post Office
Postal clerk's knee contusion benefits end upheld (ECAB 26-0237)
A postal mail clerk had an accepted left knee contusion after a 2025 injury. Her doctor reported that the contusion had resolved but continued to discuss a meniscus tear and osteoarthritis. The Board found that those later reports did not establish ongoing disability or residuals from the accepted…
Matter of Jeobany Alexander LOPEZ-DAVILA
Cancellation grant vacated and hardship issue remanded
The Board reviewed the Department of Homeland Security's appeal from a grant of cancellation of removal to a Guatemalan parent whose qualifying relative was his United States citizen daughter. The Board held that a parent cannot establish the exceptional and extremely unusual hardship standard…
Audrey L. Cline (on behalf of and survivor of Charles G. Cline) v. Hobet Mining & Construction Company
Cline v. Hobet Mining (BRB 24-0331 and 24-0332): Trust Fund directed to pay benefits
Audrey L. Cline pursued black lung claims on behalf of and as the survivor of Charles G. Cline. After a Fourth Circuit decision held that Arch could not be held liable as a self-insurer for benefits arising from a former Hobet subsidiary when Patriot Coal later became bankrupt, Core Natural…
Audrey L. Cline (on behalf of and survivor of Charles G. Cline) v. Hobet Mining & Construction Company
Cline v. Hobet Mining (BRB 24-0331 and 24-0332): Trust Fund directed to pay both claims
Audrey Cline pursued her late husband Charles Cline's black lung claim and her own survivor's claim. After a federal appeals court ruling on insurer liability, the Board dismissed Hobet Mining and Arch Resources from payment responsibility in both claims. The Director of the Office of Workers'…
C.N. and U.S. Postal Service, Reading Post Office
Postal worker's appeal withdrawn and dismissed (ECAB 26-0565)
A postal worker appealed a May 2026 OWCP merits decision. She later asked the Board to withdraw the appeal. The Board granted the request and dismissed the appeal without deciding whether OWCP was correct.
A.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Bloomfield Post Office
Postal worker's appeal withdrawn and dismissed (ECAB 26-0533)
A postal worker appealed an April 2026 OWCP nonmerit decision. The worker later asked the Board to withdraw the appeal. The Board granted the request and dismissed the case without reviewing the OWCP decision.
H.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Valley Stream Post Office
Postal worker's appeal withdrawn and dismissed (ECAB 26-0469)
A postal worker appealed an April 2026 OWCP merits decision. The worker later requested withdrawal of the appeal. The Board granted that request and dismissed the case without deciding whether OWCP had correctly resolved the underlying compensation claim.
D.K. and U.S. Postal Service, Palatine Processing and Distribution Center
Postal driver’s disability claim returned for a period-specific opinion (ECAB 26-0375)
A postal tractor trailer operator sought total disability benefits from October 2024 through June 2025 after an accepted injury. OWCP obtained a second opinion, but its referral did not ask the physician to address that claimed period. The Board found the resulting report insufficient for the issue…
I.W. and Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census
Census worker's late reconsideration request denied (ECAB 26-0182)
A Census Bureau clerk asked OWCP to reconsider an August 2024 merits decision in December 2025. OWCP found the request outside the one-year period. The Board agreed and found that the material did not demonstrate clear evidence of error. It affirmed the refusal to reopen the merits.
South Essex Sewerage District
In re South Essex Sewerage District (EAB NPDES Appeal No. 26-03): petition dismissed after settlement
South Essex Sewerage District petitioned for review of an NPDES permit issued by EPA Region 1. The Board stayed the proceedings while the parties explored settlement, and the parties then reached an agreement. After Region 1 issued a draft permit modification and satisfied its obligations under the…
Wanda Palo v. United States Steel Corp.
Discrimination dismissal reversed and case remanded
Wanda Palo reported that a coworker struck her with a bag of heavy tools and later reported an injury. United States Steel suspended and discharged her for violating company injury-reporting rules while she was subject to a Last Chance Agreement. The Commission majority held that Palo established a…
Matter of L-R-M-C- & V-A-M-M-
Bar complaint proof required for motion to reopen
The Board considered a motion to reopen by a Honduran mother and her minor daughter after the Tenth Circuit vacated an earlier denial. The Board clarified that a motion based on ineffective assistance of counsel must include the substance of the bar complaint filed with disciplinary authorities and…
Felecia V. Williams v. Peabody Southeast Mining, LLC
Williams v. Peabody Southeast Mining (BRB 25-0216): Black lung benefits affirmed
Felecia Williams sought black lung benefits after eleven years of underground coal mine work for Peabody Southeast Mining. Because she lacked 15 years of qualifying work, the administrative law judge assessed entitlement without that statutory presumption. She found clinical pneumoconiosis, a…
John E. Massey, Jr. v. Lightning Contract Service, Incorporated
Massey v. Lightning Contract Service (BRB 25-0004): Modified black lung award affirmed
John Massey sought black lung benefits after 24 years of coal mine work. A judge initially denied his claim, but on modification found new evidence of total respiratory disability, applied the 15-year presumption, and awarded benefits. Lightning Contract Service and its insurer argued that their…
A.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Queens Vehicle Plant Facility
Postal mechanic's continuing disability claim denied (ECAB 26-0401)
A postal auto mechanic sought continuing benefits for an accepted 2017 work injury. The Board reviewed the later medical record and found that it did not establish disability or residuals attributable to that injury on or after December 7, 2018. It affirmed OWCP's denial for the later period.
S.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Oakland Post Office
Postal carrier's benefit termination upheld but reconsideration reopened (ECAB 26-0253)
A postal city carrier assistant challenged OWCP's termination of benefits for an accepted injury. The Board found that OWCP's medical evidence supported termination and that the later record did not establish continued injury effects. It also found that a newly submitted physician-signed report…
T.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Plainfield Main Post Office
Postal clerk's falling-tile incident established (ECAB 26-0239)
A postal distribution clerk said ceiling tiles fell onto her head and neck during work. OWCP denied that the event occurred as alleged. The Board found the incident was established by the claim record and reversed the denial. It returned the case for OWCP to consider the medical aspects of the…
STIS, Inc., dba Southeast Texas Industrial Services
Crane overload and operator-evaluation violations affirmed
STIS was a construction subcontractor working at a steel mill in Pueblo, Colorado. OSHA cited the company after a carry deck crane tipped while lifting four pipes weighing about 800 pounds each, resulting in the crane operator's death. The judge found that the crane exceeded its rated capacity when…
T.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Village Station Post Office
Postal carrier's 2016 disability claim denial upheld (ECAB 20-0185)
A postal city carrier sought compensation for time away from work after an accepted 2016 knee injury. The Board had reinstated the appeal after a reconsideration petition. On the merits, it found that the physician's reports did not adequately establish that the accepted injury disabled her during…
T.W. and U.S. Postal Service, San Francisco Post Office
Postal carrier's disability claim returned for an earlier-period opinion (ECAB 26-0420)
A postal rural carrier associate sought wage loss compensation after an accepted injury involving his nose and right little finger. OWCP's referral physician assessed his current ability to work but had not been asked about the earlier period of claimed disability. The Board found the record…
T.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Cleveland Processing and Distribution Center
Postal worker's reconsideration request denied (ECAB 26-0416)
A postal delivery and distribution worker requested reconsideration of an October 2025 OWCP decision. The Board found that the request did not identify a misapplied legal rule, offer a new relevant legal argument, or provide qualifying new evidence. It affirmed OWCP's refusal to review the merits…
S.O. and U.S. Postal Service, Bartlett Station
Postal carrier's left knee claim denied (ECAB 26-0383)
A postal letter carrier claimed that accepted work factors caused a left knee condition. Her doctor described swelling as likely related to stress from a separate right knee injury. The Board found that the medical explanation was speculative and did not adequately connect the left knee condition…
M.T. and Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration
FAA employee's disability claim returned for medical development (ECAB 26-0336)
A Federal Aviation Administration employee sought wage loss compensation for a period from May 2021 through July 2022 after an accepted injury. His physician described persistent neck and upper extremity symptoms and inability to perform computer work. The Board found the record insufficient to…
Cecil Matney, Jr. v. Rockwell Mining, LLC
Part 90 rights violation affirmed in result
Cecil Matney, a miner with Black Lung disease and Part 90 protections, alleged that Rockwell Mining kept him in a move-crew foreman position where dust exposure exceeded the applicable limit and arranged non-representative dust sampling. The Commission held that Rockwell interfered with Matney's…
Simmons v. Fourteenth Avenue Cartage Co., Inc.
Appeal dismissed after failure to file opening brief
Raymond Simmons appealed an ALJ decision denying his Surface Transportation Assistance Act claim. The ARB first dismissed the appeal after he did not file an opening brief or respond to an order to show cause. The Board later granted reconsideration because an electronic filing-system error…
R.S. and Department of the Air Force, Air Force Materiel Command
Air Force mechanic's hearing award request returned for specialist review (ECAB 26-0384)
An Air Force machinery mechanic sought a schedule award for hearing loss. OWCP's ear specialist recommended further auditory testing, and OWCP obtained it but denied the award without asking the specialist to assess the new results. The Board found that medical development incomplete. It directed…
R.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Mid-Island Processing and Distribution Center
Postal worker's injection request returned for clear findings (ECAB 26-0359)
A postal letter carrier sought approval for injections to treat pain following an accepted injury. OWCP discussed newly accepted right knee conditions when denying the request, but the treatment record also concerned the left shoulder. The Board found that OWCP had not made clear findings about the…
J.F. and U.S. Postal Service, Syracuse Processing and Distribution Center
Postal worker's wrist award claim returned for valid measurements (ECAB 26-0299)
A postal office automation clerk sought a schedule award for residual right wrist impairment after treatment for de Quervain's tenosynovitis. Her doctor rated thumb impairment, while OWCP's medical adviser found the range of motion measurements insufficient under the applicable guide. The Board…
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.