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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M.J. and Department of the Air Force, Tinker Air Force Base, OK
M.J. (ECAB 14-1365): Termination of elbow injury benefits affirmed
M.J., an Air Force aircraft sheet metal mechanic, had an accepted work-related condition in his left elbow. OWCP ended his wage-loss compensation and medical benefits after an impartial orthopedic specialist found no remaining signs of that accepted condition. M.J.’s treating physician had reported…
Scott McGlothlin v. Dominion Coal Corporation
Reconsideration of subpoena ruling denied
Scott McGlothlin alleged that Dominion Coal discriminated against him because he sought protections for miners with pneumoconiosis under 30 C.F.R. Part 90. Dominion asked Judge Jerold Feldman to reconsider an order quashing a subpoena for deleted emails that McGlothlin's wife may have sent from her…
Secretary of Labor on behalf of Fred McKinsey v. Pretty Good Sand Company, Inc.
Discrimination found but after-acquired evidence limited relief
Fred McKinsey made internal safety complaints and filed an MSHA hazard complaint while working at Pretty Good Sand Company's Great Pit Mine. Soon afterward, the company reduced his hours, demoted him, increased written criticism, and terminated him. Judge John Kent Lewis found that the protected…
Secretary of Labor v. Mize Granite Quarries, Inc.; Robert W. Mize III; and Clayborn Lewis
Reduced individual penalty affirmed
A Judge found Mize Granite Quarries foreman Clayborn Lewis individually liable for three Mine Act violations but reduced his total proposed penalty from $13,600 to $900 based on inability to pay. Lewis had not submitted his own financial records, and the Secretary argued that he therefore failed to…
Jonway Motorcycle (USA) Co., Ltd., and related respondents
In re Jonway Motorcycle (USA) Co., Ltd., and related respondents (EAB CAA Appeal No. 14-03): default order and final decision
EPA alleged that six companies imported and introduced into U.S. commerce approximately 10,607 highway motorcycles and 388 recreational vehicles, and violated Clean Air Act certification, labeling, warranty, and recordkeeping requirements. The companies did not answer the complaint, so the Board…
J.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Bellmawr, NJ
J.C. (ECAB 14-1673): Mail-tray back injury claim denied
J.C., a Postal Service letter carrier, reported back pain after bending to lift a tray of mail on August 9, 2013. OWCP accepted that the workplace incident occurred but denied her injury claim because it found the medical evidence insufficient to link her back condition to that incident. The Board…
V.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, New York, NY
V.W. (ECAB 14-1487): Delayed hearing denial set aside for merit review
V.W., a Postal Service mail handler, sought a hearing after OWCP denied her claim for a neck condition she attributed to repetitive work. Her hearing request was mailed 34 days after the denial, outside the 30-day period for a hearing as of right. OWCP waited more than 15 months before denying the…
S.G. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, St. Cloud, MN
S.G. (ECAB 14-1464): No additional left arm impairment award
S.G., a Veterans Affairs nurse, had received schedule awards totaling 40 percent permanent impairment of his left arm after a work-related shoulder injury and several surgeries. He sought an additional award after a later shoulder revision, relying on his surgeon’s 44 percent rating. The Board…
J.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Coppell, TX
J.B. (ECAB 14-1421): Claimed postal vehicle injury not established
J.B., a temporary Postal Service letter carrier, said he injured his knee, ankle, and back while stepping into a mail vehicle on November 25, 2011. OWCP denied the claim because the record did not establish that the incident occurred as he described it. The Board identified conflicting accounts of…
D.J. and Department of Defense, Defense Contract Management Command International, Fort Riley, KS
D.J. (ECAB 14-1397): Eye injury claim filed outside FECA deadline
D.J., a retired Defense Department quality assurance specialist, filed a claim in June 2013 for a left eye injury he said occurred at work in August 2000. The Board found that the claim came after FECA’s three-year filing period. D.J. said he told his supervisor about the eye problem on the day it…
L.G. and Department of Veterans Affairs, San Francisco Veterans Hospital, San Francisco, CA
L.G. (ECAB 14-1137): Neck treatment recurrence claim denied
L.G. sought renewed medical treatment for neck symptoms she attributed to a 1988 work injury. OWCP had accepted several conditions from that injury, including torticollis, but her medical-care claim was later closed. The Board found no recent treatment for the accepted conditions and no reasoned…
M.V. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Secret Service, New York, NY
M.V. (ECAB 14-1131): Overpayment decision set aside for missing notice
M.V. challenged OWCP’s finding that he had received a $20,227.47 overpayment of schedule-award compensation. An earlier Board decision had set aside the overpayment finding because his impairment rating still needed review. OWCP then issued a new final overpayment decision without first sending a…
M.B. and Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Jacksonville, FL
M.B. (ECAB 14-0854): Emotional condition claim denied for lack of proven work factors
M.B., an FAA air traffic control supervisor, attributed anxiety and headaches to his workload, an investigation at work, and what he described as harassment and discrimination. The Board found that he had not supplied specific evidence to substantiate the harassment or excessive workload…
E.F. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Albany Veterans Hospital, Albany, NY
E.F. (ECAB 14-0776): Nurse’s neck injury claim returned for medical review
E.F., a Veterans Affairs nurse, reported neck and arm symptoms after a patient pinned her arm and pulled her forward on June 11, 2013. OWCP accepted the incident but denied her claim because it found the medical explanation insufficient to link her cervical condition to work. The Board found that…
B.P. and Department of the Army, Fort Riley, KS
B.P. (ECAB 14-1697): Knee claim not reopened for merit review
B.P., an Army police officer, sought reconsideration after OWCP denied his claim for a right knee injury from stepping in a hole at work. He submitted additional medical records along with reports OWCP had already considered. The Board found that the new records did not address the factual issue…
K.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Guntersville, AL
K.S. (ECAB 14-1515): Parcel-exposure claim not reopened
K.S., a Postal Service employee, reported symptoms after encountering a leaking substance on parcels at work. OWCP denied her injury claim because the medical evidence did not provide a firm diagnosis connected to the incident. In asking OWCP to reconsider, she submitted her account and general…
J.M. and U.S. POTAL SERVICE, POST OFFICE, Corpus Christi, TX
J.M. (ECAB 14-1374): Claimed recurrence of disability denied
J.M., a Postal Service maintenance mechanic, injured his right elbow and shoulder in a work vehicle collision in May 2008. OWCP accepted an elbow contusion and shoulder tendinitis, and his physician released him to full duty. J.M. later claimed that those injuries caused disability beginning…
J.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Jersey City, NJ
J.W. (ECAB 14-1372): Mail tray injury claim denied
J.W., a Postal Service mail handler, reported back and right shoulder pain after lifting letter trays at work on April 30, 2013. OWCP accepted that the lifting incident occurred but denied her injury claim because the medical evidence did not establish that it caused her diagnosed conditions. The…
L.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, West Palm Beach, FL
L.G. (ECAB 14-1246): Recurrence denial and refusal to reopen affirmed
L.G., a former Postal Service clerk, had an accepted back sprain from a 1988 work injury. She claimed a recurrence of disability on September 15, 2011, after she had already stopped working in 2007. The Board found that her physician described degenerative back conditions but gave only a…
L.N. and Department of the Navy, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, VA
L.N. (ECAB 14-1168): Hearing loss award increased for tinnitus
L.N., a former Navy shipyard welder, had an accepted claim for work-related hearing loss. OWCP awarded compensation based on 21.24 percent binaural hearing loss, excluding an additional rating for tinnitus that its examining specialist had recommended. The Board found that the specialist described…
S.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Worcester, MA
S.M. (ECAB 14-750): Termination of back injury benefits affirmed
S.M., a Postal Service letter carrier, had an accepted acute lumbar strain from a work vehicle accident in May 2012. OWCP ended her wage-loss and medical benefits after its examining specialist concluded that the strain had resolved. The Board found that the specialist’s opinion was supported by a…
D.U. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, St. Louis, MO
D.U. (ECAB 14-1645): Impairment claim not reopened
D.U., a Veterans Affairs medical technologist, had an accepted claim for carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands. An earlier Board decision upheld a schedule award based on one percent permanent impairment of each upper extremity. He asked OWCP to reconsider and supplied wrist measurement worksheets…
C.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Little Rock, AR
C.W. (ECAB 14-1568): Fall claims not reopened
C.W., a Postal Service city carrier, filed two claims describing different falls on December 6, 2010. OWCP denied the claims because the factual evidence did not establish that the incidents occurred as described. She sought reconsideration with medical reports about heel pain, plantar fasciitis…
W.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Bulk Mail Center, Jersey City, NJ
W.G. (ECAB 14-1420): Shoulder injury denial affirmed with treatment expense issue open
W.G., a Postal Service mail handler, reported falling onto his right shoulder after tripping over a pallet at work. OWCP accepted that the fall occurred but denied the injury claim because the medical reports did not adequately connect his shoulder condition to it. The Board found that his…
A.B. and Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Dallas, TX
A.B. (ECAB 14-1296): Benefit suspension for missed examination affirmed
A.B., a Census Bureau employee with accepted knee injuries, missed a rescheduled medical examination that OWCP required to assess her continuing condition and disability. OWCP gave her 14 days to explain the absence and then suspended compensation when it received no explanation. The Board found…
M.B. and Department of the Army, Saudi Arabia
M.B. (ECAB 14-1032): Wage-loss claim for specific dates denied
M.B., an Army information technology specialist in Saudi Arabia, had an accepted claim for work-related worsening of depression and anxiety. After using leave and retiring, she sought wage-loss compensation for January 13 through February 6, 2013. OWCP treated the request as an initial wage-loss…
T.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Mt. Shasta, CA
T.S. (ECAB 14-0794): Left arm award upheld; right arm rating returned
T.S., a retired Postal Service carrier, had accepted injuries affecting both arms and sought additional schedule awards. OWCP rated her permanent impairment at five percent for the left arm and 17 percent for the right arm. The Board found the left arm rating supported by the examining physician’s…
B.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Rockwall, TX
B.W. (ECAB 14-0372): Temporary reduction for rehabilitation noncooperation affirmed
B.W., a Postal Service rural letter carrier with accepted hand, wrist, and shoulder conditions, was directed to participate in vocational rehabilitation, including tutoring toward a GED. OWCP reduced her compensation to zero after she missed repeated tutoring sessions and did not resume the program…
T.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Charlotte, NC
T.T. (ECAB 14-1630): Shoulder injury denial and reopening refusal affirmed
T.T., a Postal Service distribution clerk, reported right arm and shoulder pain while casing parcels at work. OWCP accepted that the December 2013 incident occurred but denied the injury claim because it lacked a firm medical diagnosis connected to the incident. The Board found that the nurse…
W.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Little Rock, AR
W.D. (ECAB 14-1592): One percent left arm award affirmed
W.D., a Postal Service mail handler, sustained an accepted crush injury to his left hand and wrist. His treating surgeon rated eight percent arm impairment, but OWCP awarded one percent based on a second opinion using the applicable impairment guide. The Board found that the surgeon’s eight percent…
R.S. and Department of the Navy, Naval Shipyard, Long Beach, CA
R.S. (ECAB 14-1484): Rehabilitation reduction and reporting suspension affirmed
R.S., a former Navy shipyard employee with accepted right ankle conditions, could work within medical restrictions. A rehabilitation counselor identified customer complaint clerk and receptionist jobs and proposed computer training, but he declined to start the approved course. The Board found no…
I.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Long Branch, NJ
I.P. (ECAB 14-1266): Schedule award claim not reopened
I.P., a postal worker at the time of his 1998 injury, had an accepted neck and shoulder injury from a 1998 work vehicle accident. An earlier Board decision upheld OWCP’s denial of a schedule award for lack of injury-related permanent impairment. I.P. sought reconsideration, repeating objections to…
J.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Okolono Branch, Louisville, KY
J.T. (ECAB 14-1245): Total disability claim for limited period denied
J.T., a Postal Service employee with an accepted cervical injury, worked modified duties for 5.5 hours a day and received partial wage-loss compensation. She sought total disability compensation after stopping work in December 2013. The Board found that one physician’s reports did not address her…
S.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, O’Fallon, IL
S.J. (ECAB 14-1041): Injury denial returned for review of omitted medical report
S.J., a Postal Service mail carrier, claimed an injury after slipping and falling on concrete at work. OWCP accepted that the fall occurred but denied the injury claim for lack of medical proof connecting the fall to his conditions. On reconsideration, OWCP discussed one medical report but did not…
G.J. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
G.J. (ECAB 14-0907): Claimed recurrence of back disability denied
G.J., a Transportation Security Administration screener, had an accepted lumbar sprain from lifting baggage in 2011 and returned to modified duties. She later claimed a recurrence of disability beginning in April 2013 and stopped work in May. The Board found that one physician’s work status reports…
M.V. and U.S. Postal Service, Remote Enconding Center, Salt Lake City, UT
M.V. (ECAB 14-0838): Elbow claim returned for combined case review
M.V., a Postal Service clerk, claimed that his bilateral elbow condition arose from fine hand work and from previously accepted carpal tunnel syndrome. OWCP denied the elbow claim and later refused reconsideration. The Board found that the record before it lacked the evidence from the earlier…
R.O. and Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons, Los Angeles, CA
R.O. (ECAB 14-0835): Arm award upheld; shoulder claim returned for review
R.O., a Bureau of Prisons correctional officer, had accepted left elbow and nerve injuries and received an eight percent left arm schedule award. The Board found that OWCP’s medical adviser applied the impairment guide correctly, so it upheld that award. R.O. also claimed that he injured his right…
E.Z. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Coast Guard, Washington, DC
E.Z. (ECAB 14-0274): Electric shock claim returned for review of timely report
E.Z., a Coast Guard office clerk, reported an electric shock when plugging in a phone charger at work. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred but denied her injury claim, finding the medical evidence insufficient to connect a diagnosed condition to it. A neurologist’s report addressing causation…
Scott McGlothlin v. Dominion Coal Corporation
Subpoena for deleted emails quashed
Scott McGlothlin alleged that Dominion Coal discriminated against him because he sought protections for miners with pneumoconiosis under 30 C.F.R. Part 90. Dominion subpoenaed the Russell County Treasurer's Office for deleted emails that McGlothlin's wife may have sent from her office computer…
G.S. and Department of the Navy, Naval Station, Norfolk, VA
G.S. (ECAB 14-1933): Reconsideration refusal returned for explanation
G.S., a Navy electrician, claimed stress and anxiety after an alleged exchange with a supervisor. OWCP denied the injury claim because it found the incident unproven. His attorney requested reconsideration with factual and medical arguments, but OWCP refused without discussing those arguments. The…
A.E. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Oakland, CA
A.E. (ECAB 14-1496): Occupational back condition claim denied
A.E., a Postal Service clerk, claimed that years of mail handling had worsened her back condition and caused leg symptoms. She also had an accepted back strain from a separate 1999 incident. The Board found that her physician described work activities only in broad terms and did not account for the…
C.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Ashdown, AR
C.G. (ECAB 14-1430): Shoulder injury claim and reopening request denied
C.G., a Postal Service clerk, felt shoulder pain while lifting a heavy parcel at work. OWCP accepted that the lifting incident occurred but denied her injury claim because the medical evidence did not adequately connect her diagnosed rotator cuff tear to it. The Board found that her surgeon relied…
L.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing & Distribution Center, Little Rock, AR
L.P. (ECAB 14-1394): Nine percent left arm award affirmed
L.P., a retired Postal Service mail handler, had accepted left shoulder conditions and sought a schedule award. His treating surgeon rated 18 percent arm impairment, while OWCP’s examining physician calculated nine percent under the applicable impairment guide. The Board found that the nine percent…
G.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Memphis, TN
G.M. (ECAB 14-1341): September wage-loss claim denied
G.M., a Postal Service mail carrier with an accepted right shoulder tear and sprain, sought wage-loss compensation for several days in September 2013. OWCP had paid for October 1 and 2 but denied the earlier dates. The Board found that her physician’s work slips identified shoulder pain and…
C.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Menlo Park, CA
C.C. (ECAB 14-1317): Consequential injury claims after ankle injury denied
C.C., a Postal Service carrier, had an accepted right ankle injury from stepping out of a mail vehicle. He claimed that ankle weakness caused falls at home and at a medical facility in July 2009, leading to further back and neck injuries. The Board found significant gaps and inconsistencies in the…
L.P. and Department of the Air Force, Los Angeles Air Force Base, El Segundo, CA
L.P. (ECAB 14-1224): Emotional condition claim denied
L.P., an Air Force contract negotiator, claimed that a heavy workload and her supervisor’s conduct caused an emotional condition. She also described disputes over assignments, leave, training, and overtime. The Board found that the record did not establish excessive workload or corroborate the…
S.E. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Gaithersburg, MD
S.E. (ECAB 14-1223): Late reconsideration request denied
S.E., a Postal Service employee, sought reconsideration after OWCP terminated her compensation because she also received Veterans Administration benefits for the same injury. She argued that her March 2014 request was timely because the Board had issued a decision in February 2014. The Board…
T.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Urbana, IL
T.P. (ECAB 14-1207): Earlier wage earning capacity rating upheld
T.P., a Postal Service letter carrier with an accepted hip condition, worked as a rehabilitation clerk after hip replacements. OWCP rated his wage earning capacity using his earnings from that job in 1998. When the Postal Service later said it had no work within his restrictions, he sought…
M.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Airport Station, Mobile, AL
M.M. (ECAB 14-363): Bilateral elbow injury claim denied
M.M., a Postal Service rural mail carrier, claimed that repetitive work caused or aggravated conditions in both elbows. OWCP denied the claim after finding she had not established the work factors she described. The Board found that her carrier duties and an expanded route were established by the…
United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service, Law Enforcement and Investigations, Region 8 (Agency) and National Federation of Federal Employees, Local 5300 (Union)
Forest Service Region 8 and NFFE Local 5300 (FLRA 0-AR-5032): Scheduled overtime pay upheld
Forest Service officers worked extended days at a recurring event in Ocala National Forest. The agency paid their extra hours through an annual premium for irregular overtime instead of the time-and-a-half overtime rate under the Fair Labor Standards Act. An arbitrator found that the extended hours…
B.G. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Dublin, GA
B.G. (ECAB 14-1582): Schedule award denial sent back for further review
B.G., a former Veterans Affairs file clerk, had an accepted claim for carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands and underwent surgery. She requested a schedule award for permanent upper extremity impairment, which OWCP denied. The Board found that the doctors' impairment ratings had problems and did not…
R.E. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Jacksonville, FL
R.E. (ECAB 14-1569): Late reconsideration request denied
R.E., a Postal Service clerk, sought reconsideration of OWCP’s denial of her claim for a back or shoulder condition. OWCP received her request more than a year after its March 21, 2013 merit decision. Her representative acknowledged missing the filing deadline, but the Board found that this did not…
S.E. and Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Mount Rainier National Park, Ashford, WA
S.E. (ECAB 14-1500): Merit review of disability claim denied
S.E., a National Park Service laborer, had an accepted lumbar strain and sought wage-loss compensation for claimed total disability beginning in September 2004. OWCP denied the claim and later declined to reopen it after she requested reconsideration. The Board reviewed only the refusal to reopen…
J.F. and Department of the Army, Fort Hood, TX
J.F. (ECAB 14-1412): Health insurance premium overpayment upheld
J.F., an Army motor vehicle operator, received compensation without deductions for his health insurance premiums after his employer mistakenly reported that he had no coverage. The Board upheld OWCP’s determination that this created a $570.72 overpayment for October 2013 through January 2014 and…
P.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Cincinnati, OH
P.T. (ECAB 14-1403): Life insurance premium overpayment upheld
P.T., a Postal Service employee receiving wage-loss compensation, had no postretirement life insurance premiums deducted from her payments for part of 2012 and 2013. OWCP calculated a $2,404.38 overpayment and found that she was not at fault. The Board upheld that determination and affirmed the…
K.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Philadelphia, PA
K.W. (ECAB 14-1325): Schedule award claim returned for combined review
K.W., a Postal Service custodian, had several accepted back injury claims and sought a larger schedule award for lower extremity impairment. OWCP considered the award under one claim file, while another file contained evidence and awards related to the same lumbar spine. The Board found that the…
C.P. and Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Decatur, TX
C.P. (ECAB 14-1316): Overpayment reversed after improper claim rescission
C.P., an Agriculture Department soil conservationist, received compensation after OWCP accepted injuries associated with a seizure at work. OWCP later rescinded that acceptance and treated $17,563.12 in paid compensation as an overpayment. The Board found no record that OWCP had given the required…
B.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Fairfax, VA
B.C. (ECAB 14-1281): Timely reconsideration request sent back for review
B.C., a Postal Service rural carrier, had an accepted injury claim but was denied compensation for a later claimed recurrence of disability. Her lawyer requested reconsideration in July 2011, within a year of OWCP’s October 2010 merit decision, and later sent several reminders after OWCP did not…
K.V. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Bensalem, PA
K.V. (ECAB 14-1122): End of medical benefits upheld
K.V., a Postal Service clerk, had an accepted coccyx contusion after a fall on ice and sought continuing benefits. Her treating doctor and an OWCP doctor disagreed about whether she still had a work-related condition, so OWCP obtained a referee examination. The Board found that the referee had been…
T.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, New Orleans, LA
T.H. (ECAB 14-0909): Occupational disease claim held untimely
T.H., a former Postal Service employee, filed an occupational disease claim in 2013 for a psychiatric condition he connected to work that ended in January 1989. The Board found the claim was outside the three-year filing period, measured no later than his last work exposure. Letters about his…
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.