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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R.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Northwest Annex Post Office
Board upholds suspension for missing earnings report (ECAB 25-0204)
A former postal clerk receiving wage-loss compensation was asked to complete a Form EN-1032 earnings and benefits report. OWCP mailed the form and warned that benefits would be suspended if he did not fully answer and return it within 30 days. The Board found that he did not comply with that…
P.L. and U.S. Postal Service, South Jersey Processing and Distribution Center
Board denies permanent impairment award (ECAB 25-0197)
A postal employee sought a schedule award for permanent impairment of a covered body member. The medical record included competing opinions and further review of the impairment rating. The Board found the evidence insufficient to establish compensable permanent impairment. It affirmed OWCP’s denial.
Kwehangaanah (Dezi) Bugaba, Joseph Ssekamatte, and Sam Kagenda v. SOC and Constellis Group/Triple Canopy
Bugaba, Ssekamatte, and Kagenda (BRB 23-0231 and related appeals): Defense Base Act denials affirmed
Kwehangaanah Bugaba, Joseph Ssekamatte, and Sam Kagenda sought Defense Base Act benefits for psychological conditions they attributed to security work in Iraq. The judge denied their claims after questioning the reliability of similar medical reports submitted across many cases and finding that…
Kwehangaanah (Dezi) Bugaba, Joseph Ssekamatte, and Sam Kagenda v. SOC and Constellis Group/Triple Canopy
Bugaba, Ssekamatte, and Kagenda (BRB 23-0231 and related appeals): Defense Base Act denials affirmed
Kwehangaanah Bugaba, Joseph Ssekamatte, and Sam Kagenda sought Defense Base Act benefits for psychological conditions they attributed to security work in Iraq. The judge denied their claims after questioning the reliability of similar medical reports submitted across many cases and finding that…
Kwehangaanah (Dezi) Bugaba, Joseph Ssekamatte, and Sam Kagenda v. SOC and Constellis Group/Triple Canopy
Bugaba, Ssekamatte, and Kagenda (BRB 23-0231 and related appeals): Defense Base Act denials affirmed
Kwehangaanah Bugaba, Joseph Ssekamatte, and Sam Kagenda sought Defense Base Act benefits for psychological conditions they attributed to security work in Iraq. The judge denied their claims after questioning the reliability of similar medical reports submitted across many cases and finding that…
Kwehangaanah (Dezi) Bugaba, Joseph Ssekamatte, and Sam Kagenda v. SOC and Constellis Group/Triple Canopy
Bugaba, Ssekamatte, and Kagenda (BRB 23-0231 and related appeals): Defense Base Act denials affirmed
Kwehangaanah Bugaba, Joseph Ssekamatte, and Sam Kagenda sought Defense Base Act benefits for psychological conditions they attributed to security work in Iraq. The judge denied their claims after questioning the reliability of similar medical reports submitted across many cases and finding that…
Kwehangaanah (Dezi) Bugaba, Joseph Ssekamatte, and Sam Kagenda
Bugaba, Ssekamatte, and Kagenda (BRB 23-0232, 23-0231, 23-0233, 23-0428, 23-0429, and 24-0042): benefits denials affirmed
Kwehangaanah (Dezi) Bugaba, Joseph Ssekamatte, and Sam Kagenda worked as security guards in Iraq and pursued Defense Base Act claims for alleged psychological injuries and hearing loss. The administrative law judge denied their motion to disqualify him after investigating similar medical reports…
Kwehangaanah (Dezi) Bugaba, Joseph Ssekamatte, and Sam Kagenda v. SOC and Constellis Group/Triple Canopy
Bugaba, Ssekamatte, and Kagenda (BRB 23-0231 and related appeals): Defense Base Act denials affirmed
Kwehangaanah Bugaba, Joseph Ssekamatte, and Sam Kagenda sought Defense Base Act benefits for psychological conditions they attributed to security work in Iraq. The judge denied their claims after questioning the reliability of similar medical reports submitted across many cases and finding that…
B.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Richmond Post Office
Board upholds refusal to reopen old claim (ECAB 25-0214)
A postal worker asked OWCP to reconsider a decision on her compensation claim years after the last adverse merits ruling. OWCP found the request late and found no clear evidence of error. The Board agreed that the one-year reconsideration period had expired and that the submission did not meet the…
C.Q. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Carl Vinson Veterans Administration Medical Center
Board grants disability for COVID-19 absence (ECAB 25-0203)
A VA nurse sought wage-loss compensation for time away from work after a COVID-19 infection accepted as work related. Medical evidence confirmed a positive test and explained the required quarantine period. The Board found that she established disability during April 10 through 21, 2024 due to the…
C.J. and Department of the Air Force, Joint Base Andrews
Board denies continuation of pay after late claim (ECAB 25-0145)
An Air Force engineering technician injured his Achilles tendon while descending stairs at work. His supervisor filed an incident report the next day, but he did not submit his traumatic injury claim until more than 30 days after the injury. The Board held that the supervisor’s report did not…
D.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Williamstown Post Office
Board denies added hand conditions and surgery (ECAB 23-1053)
A postal worker sought to add left carpal tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome and a middle-finger trigger condition to an accepted injury claim. She also sought surgery for those conditions. The Board found the evidence insufficient to connect the additional diagnoses to the accepted work…
Bedoukian Research Inc.
In re Bedoukian Research Inc. (EAB TSCA Appeal No. 25-02C and EPCRA Appeal No. 25-01C): chemical reporting and new substance settlement approved
Bedoukian Research Inc. operated a chemical facility in Danbury, Connecticut. EPA alleged that the company submitted incomplete or inaccurate EPCRA chemical release reports for methanol, formic acid, and n-hexane, and manufactured or imported five confidential chemical substances without the…
Matter of Gilton Bain
Cancellation of removal vacated
The Department of Homeland Security appealed an Immigration Judge's discretionary grant of cancellation of removal to a 35-year-old lawful permanent resident from the Bahamas. The respondent had lived in the United States since 1998 and presented family ties, work history, and other favorable…
C.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Granite City Post Office
Board accepts postal worker stair incident but remands medical causation (ECAB 25-0222)
A postal worker reported a left knee injury while navigating broken stairs on a delivery route. OWCP disputed whether the incident happened in the performance of duty. The Board found that the evidence established the claimed work incident, but it did not decide whether that incident caused an…
D.E. and Department of Labor, Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs
Board upholds exam suspension but reverses wage-loss termination (ECAB 25-0193)
A Labor Department employee challenged two OWCP actions affecting compensation. The Board found that OWCP properly suspended benefits after she failed to attend a scheduled medical examination. It separately found that OWCP had not met its burden to terminate wage-loss benefits based on her refusal…
E.M. and Department of Veterans Affairs, James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital
Board finds foot-condition claim timely (ECAB 25-0144)
A VA medical supply worker claimed that prolonged walking and other duties caused bone spurs in both feet. OWCP rejected the claim as untimely. The Board found that he continued exposure to the relevant work factors through April 2021 and filed his claim within the applicable three-year period. It…
R.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Whitehall Post Office
Board orders further inquiry into postal overtime stress (ECAB 22-1185)
A postal carrier attributed an emotional condition partly to excessive overtime and workload. In an earlier appeal, the Board had ordered OWCP to obtain a full employer response about staffing and the overtime assignments. The Board found that the later response still did not adequately address…
Phoenix Fire Systems, LLC, d/b/a Basic Fire Protection
In re Phoenix Fire Systems, LLC, d/b/a Basic Fire Protection (EAB CAA Appeal No. 25-04C): HFC-import settlement approved
Phoenix Fire Systems, LLC, doing business as Basic Fire Protection, imported approximately 186.4 kilograms of HFC-23 from Canada on October 4, 2022. EPA alleged that Phoenix Fire and the importer of record did not possess or expend the required allowances or receive a non-objection notice for the…
Rocky D. Crigger v. Olga Coal Company
Crigger v. Olga Coal (BRB 24-0086): benefits denial vacated for medical findings
Rocky Crigger sought black lung benefits after 16 years of underground coal mine work. The judge initially awarded benefits, but on an earlier appeal the Board required a better analysis of the medical opinions and smoking history. On remand, the judge found that Olga Coal had disproved legal…
John Kkunsa v. Constellis Group/Triple Canopy, Inc.
Kkunsa (BRB 24-0001): Defense Base Act benefits denial affirmed
John Kkunsa sought Defense Base Act benefits for a psychological condition he attributed to his work as an armed security guard in Iraq. The administrative law judge found that Kkunsa had invoked the presumption linking his condition to work, but the employer rebutted it with medical evidence…
J.M. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Durham VA Medical Center
Board dismisses late VA employee appeal (ECAB 25-0239)
A VA employee appealed an April 1, 2024 OWCP decision on January 22, 2025. The Board found that this was after the 180-day filing period and that the employee had not documented compelling circumstances for the delay. It dismissed the appeal for lack of jurisdiction.
T.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Greensburg Post Office
Board recognizes rib diagnosis and orders causation review (ECAB 25-0195)
A postal rural delivery specialist reported a rib injury while moving heavy packages. OWCP accepted the work incident but found no diagnosed condition linked to it. The Board found that a physician’s reports diagnosed a fractured ninth rib in connection with the incident. It reversed that finding…
C.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Detroit Post Office
Board rejects postal employee stress claim (ECAB 25-0092)
A postal worker attributed an emotional condition to supervisory administrative actions. The Board found that the cited actions were personnel matters rather than regular work duties. It found no evidence of employer error or abuse that would make them compensable work factors. It affirmed the…
M.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Dublin Post Office
Board orders merits review of corrected injury claim (ECAB 25-0062)
A postal rural carrier sought reconsideration of a denied shoulder injury claim and supplied a corrected injury date. OWCP changed the recorded date of injury after reviewing the evidence but declined to reopen the claim. The Board found that changing a claim element was itself a merits action…
Planet Fitness
Late contest dismissed after citation was misplaced
OSHA cited a corporate Planet Fitness gym in Edwardsville, Pennsylvania, for blocked exit routes and several electrical hazards, proposing $30,134 for four serious citation items with subparts. The certified citation was delivered to the gym and signed for on February 28, 2023, making March 21 the…
Trinity Solar LLC, as successor to Trinity Solar Inc.
Repeat residential fall-protection citation vacated
A Trinity Solar worker died after falling during residential solar-panel installation in South Orange, New Jersey. No one saw where the worker was or what he was doing immediately before the fall, and he was wearing a harness. OSHA cited Trinity for allegedly failing to provide fall protection…
K.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Belle Chasse Post Office
Board recognizes supervisor’s workplace stress factor (ECAB 22-0877)
A postal supervisor claimed an emotional condition from repeated confrontations with a subordinate while carrying out supervisory duties. OWCP had found no compensable employment factor. The Board found that witness evidence supported stressful interactions during her regular assigned duties. It…
Matter of D-E-B-
Motion to reopen denied
The respondent, a native and citizen of Jamaica, sought to reopen removal proceedings after the Board had affirmed the denial of his application for cancellation of removal. He argued that new evidence showed ineffective assistance of counsel, established that he was the biological father of a…
A.K. and U.S. Postal Service, Polytechnic Station
Board rejects renewed treatment claim and reconsideration (ECAB 25-0228)
A postal worker sought renewed medical treatment for an accepted injury beginning in October 2020. The Board found the evidence insufficient to show that the later need for treatment was caused by the accepted injury. It also upheld OWCP’s refusal to reopen the merits on reconsideration. Both OWCP…
M.B. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration
Board denies COVID-19 diagnosis claim (ECAB 25-0207)
A transportation security officer claimed that a workplace exposure caused COVID-19. Although physicians reported COVID-19 or a related condition, the Board found their reports did not explain the absence of a positive laboratory test under the applicable claim procedure. Reports from a physician…
A.F. and Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center
Board upholds health-premium overpayment recovery (ECAB 25-0192)
An FAA employee received FECA compensation without the required health insurance premium deductions from January through August 2024. OWCP found a $1,017.06 overpayment, although he was without fault. The Board upheld that amount and found the evidence did not support waiving recovery. It also…
B.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Fort Point Post Office
Board denies postal worker knee injury claim (ECAB 25-0172)
A postal employee sought compensation for a right knee condition after an accepted work incident. One medical report described knee pain, but pain alone was a symptom rather than a diagnosis. The Board found the medical evidence insufficient to establish a diagnosed knee condition causally related…
K.H. and Department of Veterans Affairs, C.W. Bill Young VA Medical Center
Board recognizes retaliation as work stress factor (ECAB 23-0002)
A former VA police dispatcher attributed an emotional condition to several workplace personnel actions. The Board found evidence that the employer withdrew a promotion after he refused an assignment to gather information about coworkers involved in lawsuits against the agency. It treated that…
G.M. and Department of the Navy, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
Board denies replacement hearing aids and reconsideration (ECAB 25-0175)
A Navy shipyard worker with an accepted hearing-loss claim requested replacement hearing aids. His physician recommended an evaluation but did not review hearing tests or explain why new devices were medically necessary. The Board found that OWCP reasonably denied the request, given the available…
S.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Omaha Processing and Distribution Center
Board finds alleged workplace assault unproved (ECAB 25-0117)
A postal mail processing clerk alleged that a supervisor lunged at and injured her during a workplace confrontation. Witness accounts differed materially from her description, and her own accounts of the event varied. The Board found that the evidence did not establish the alleged physical…
P.H. and Department of Veterans Affairs, John J. Pershing VA Medical Center
Board orders explanation of surgery-related wage-loss denial (ECAB 24-0942)
A VA nurse sought disability compensation for time off after an accepted right carpal tunnel injury and related surgery. OWCP authorized the surgery but denied the wage-loss claim without adequately addressing disability around the procedure. The Board found the decision lacked clear findings and…
M.B. and Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System
Board upholds wage-loss overpayment recovery (ECAB 24-0908)
A VA employee kept receiving total-disability wage-loss compensation after returning to full-time work. OWCP found a $3,069.39 overpayment for which he was without fault. The Board upheld the overpayment and found that the evidence did not justify waiving recovery. It affirmed OWCP’s decision.
D.T., widow of W.T., and Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration
Board orders new medical review of death benefits claim (ECAB 24-0649)
The widow of a former FAA air traffic controller sought benefits based on his death and accepted employment conditions. OWCP relied on a medical adviser who said the accepted psychological conditions were not significant causes of death. The Board found that opinion internally inconsistent and…
Matter of Carlos Manuel BAEZA-GALINDO
Separate criminal schemes
The Board reviewed a lawful permanent resident's two convictions after he drove while intoxicated, struck four pedestrians, left the scene, and was later convicted of aggravated assault and failing to stop and render aid. The Immigration Judge treated the convictions as one scheme because the…
Pamela Kite v. Big Horn Coal Company and Lighthouse Resources, Incorporated
Kite v. Big Horn Coal (BRB 24-0209, 24-0210): miner and survivor benefits affirmed
Pamela Kite pursued her late husband's black lung claim on behalf of his estate and sought survivor benefits in her own right. The administrative law judge found that Cecil Kite had ten years of coal mine employment, legal pneumoconiosis, and a totally disabling respiratory impairment substantially…
Pamela Kite v. Big Horn Coal Company and Lighthouse Resources, Incorporated
Kite v. Big Horn Coal (BRB 24-0209, 24-0210): miner and survivor benefits affirmed
Pamela Kite pursued her late husband's black lung claim on behalf of his estate and sought survivor benefits in her own right. The administrative law judge found that Cecil Kite had ten years of coal mine employment, legal pneumoconiosis, and a totally disabling respiratory impairment substantially…
Richard W. Croasmun v. Mepco LLC
Croasmun v. Mepco (BRB 24-0061): benefits denial vacated in part and remanded
Richard W. Croasmun had thirteen years of coal mine employment, so he did not qualify for the fifteen year presumption. The administrative law judge found legal pneumoconiosis and a totally disabling respiratory impairment but denied benefits after finding that Croasmun had not shown pneumoconiosis…
Jerry W. Meadows v. Meadow River Coal Company
Meadows v. Meadow River Coal (BRB 23-0495): benefits award affirmed
Jerry W. Meadows established twenty-six years of underground coal mine employment and a totally disabling respiratory or pulmonary impairment. The administrative law judge credited medical opinions explaining that his exercise blood gas results and limited exercise capacity prevented him from…
Berg v. Nicholas Services, LLC
AIR21 witness-order interlocutory appeal declined
Former pilot Gregory Berg brought an AIR21 whistleblower case against Nicholas Air and Corr Flight S. The administrative judge denied subpoenas for five employee witnesses but ordered the companies to produce them as people within their control. The companies sought interlocutory review, arguing…
McMillan v. American Federation of Government Employees, Local Union 2145
Union-dues refund narrowed to named complainant
Cassandra McMillan challenged Local 2145's increase of biweekly union dues from $17.78 to $20.00 under federal-sector union standards of conduct. After an earlier remand, the administrative judge ordered reimbursement for all affected members, but the Board held that McMillan was the only…
R.H. and Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection
Board denies exposure claim and upholds hearing abandonment (ECAB 25-0188)
A border officer reported exposure to airborne narcotics while removing drugs from a vehicle. The Board found that the record showed exposure but did not establish a diagnosed medical condition from it. It also upheld OWCP’s determination that he abandoned a requested oral hearing. Both decisions…
M.I. and U.S. Postal Service, Roswell Post Office
Board upholds retirement offset overpayment recovery (ECAB 25-0171)
A postal employee received FECA wage-loss compensation while also receiving Social Security retirement benefits attributable to federal service. OWCP found a $5,969.03 overpayment for August 2022 through February 2023, although he was without fault. The Board upheld the calculation, denied waiver…
A.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Benton Post Office
Board rejects causal link for back condition (ECAB 25-0153)
A postal rural carrier sought benefits for low back conditions following an accepted work incident. Doctors diagnosed several lumbar conditions, but the Board found their reports did not adequately explain how the incident caused or aggravated them. It affirmed OWCP’s denial of the claim.
E.G. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Board orders combined review of two arm injury files (ECAB 25-0112)
A Border Patrol agent sought a schedule award after an accepted left shoulder and elbow injury. OWCP denied a new award because he had received an earlier award for the same upper extremity under another claim number. The Board found the record did not show whether the new impairment duplicated the…
A.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Brandon Post Office
Board declines larger arm impairment award (ECAB 25-0099)
A postal worker sought a schedule award exceeding the 11 percent impairment already awarded for her left upper extremity. After an earlier remand, OWCP obtained further medical assessment. The Board found the evidence did not establish impairment above the existing rating. It affirmed OWCP’s…
R.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Philly Metro
Board denies claimed wage-loss periods (ECAB 25-0096)
A postal mail handler sought disability compensation for January 25 through February 9, 2023 and for a later period beginning April 26, 2024. The Board reviewed medical reports addressing the accepted work injury and the claimed absences. It found they did not adequately establish work-related…
R.R. and Department of Veterans Affairs
Board upholds termination but remands claim expansion (ECAB 25-0090)
A VA employee challenged termination of wage-loss compensation and medical benefits for an accepted injury and sought to add an aggravated right shoulder tear to her claim. The Board upheld the benefit termination and found she had not established continuing disability from the accepted injury. It…
A.K. and U.S. Postal Service, Hightstown Post Office
Board reverses termination of injury benefits (ECAB 25-0089)
A postal employee received benefits for an accepted injury involving his lower leg. OWCP ended wage-loss and medical benefits after concluding that his work-related disability and residuals had ceased. The Board found OWCP had not carried its burden to justify termination on the medical record. It…
C.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Chicago Center
Board orders further knee causation review (ECAB 25-0088)
A postal worker claimed that a work incident involving heavy mail aggravated her right knee. Her physician described a meniscal tear, arthritis aggravation and a fracture, with an explanation connecting them to work activity. The Board found the opinion insufficient to prove causation by itself but…
K.L. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Board upholds reduction based on earning capacity (ECAB 24-0950)
A Customs and Border Protection employee challenged a reduction in wage-loss benefits based on capacity to work as a customer service representative. The Board reviewed the medical restrictions and vocational evidence used to construct that position. It found OWCP properly determined his earning…
L.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Hampton Park
Board denies injury claim and late hearing request (ECAB 24-0947)
A postal employee sought compensation for a medical condition after an accepted December 2023 work incident. The Board found the medical evidence insufficient to connect a diagnosed condition to that incident. It also found that her request for review of the written record was late. It affirmed…
A.M. and Department of Homeland Security
Board orders factual inquiry into officer stress claim (ECAB 24-0849)
A federal officer attributed an emotional condition to traumatic events during assigned law-enforcement duties. The Board found that the alleged incidents could be compensable if established, but OWCP had not obtained an adequate response from the relevant employing offices. It set aside the denial…
R.S. and Department of the Air Force, Tinker Air Force Base
Board orders new impairment assessment for lymphoma (ECAB 24-0642)
An Air Force employee sought a schedule award for lasting impairment from accepted marginal zone lymphoma. Medical reports rated whole-person impairment, but the Board found the record did not adequately resolve whether the accepted condition produced compensable impairment of a scheduled member or…
T.P. and Department of the Navy, Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division
Board orders recalculation of retirement offset overpayment (ECAB 22-0608)
A Navy employee received FECA wage-loss compensation and Social Security retirement benefits attributable to federal service at the same time. OWCP calculated a $23,944.68 overpayment and denied waiver. The Board agreed that an overpayment existed and that the employee was without fault, but found…
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.