Federal Agency Decisions
Federal workers' compensation appeals from the Department of Labor's Employees' Compensation Appeals Board (ECAB), federal-sector labor-relations cases from the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), mine-safety cases from the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission (FMSHRC), workplace-safety cases from the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC), Longshore Act and Black Lung Benefits Act appeals from the Department of Labor's Benefits Review Board (BRB), precedent decisions of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), environmental permit and penalty appeals from the EPA's Environmental Appeals Board (EAB), and whistleblower and other labor appeals from the Department of Labor's Administrative Review Board (ARB), each with a plain-English summary, the law it cites, and whether it counts as precedent. More agencies are coming.
No decisions match these filters
Try fewer or different words, check the spelling, or clear the filters to browse everything.
G.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Harvey, IL
G.B. (ECAB 14-0790): Wage-loss claim returned for medical review
G.B., a Postal Service letter carrier, had an accepted lumbar sprain after escaping a dog and an accepted recurrence in January 2012. He claimed wage loss from January 9 through March 19, 2012, but OWCP denied it using medical opinions that addressed whether back surgery should be authorized. The…
Infineum USA L.P.
In re Infineum USA L.P. (EAB TSCA Appeal No. 14-03C): consent agreement ratified
EPA and Infineum USA L.P. signed a Consent Agreement resolving the Toxic Substances Control Act matter. The Environmental Appeals Board incorporated the agreement into its Final Order and ratified it. Infineum was ordered to comply with all of the agreement’s terms and assessed a civil penalty of…
Secretary of Labor on behalf of Gary Kittelson v. Northern Aggregate Inc.
Economic reinstatement ordered after termination
Judge John Kent Lewis had ordered Northern Aggregate to temporarily reinstate Gary Kittelson while MSHA's discrimination proceeding remained pending. Northern Aggregate terminated Kittelson on October 13, 2014, in violation of that order. The Secretary moved to enforce temporary reinstatement and…
K.K. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Buffalo, NY
K.K. (ECAB 14-1527): Written record review request denied as late
K.K., a Postal Service mail handler with an accepted lumbar injury, sought review of OWCP’s denial of requested medical procedures. He mailed his request for a written record review more than a year after OWCP’s April 15, 2013 decision. The Board held that the request was outside the 30-day period…
A.W. and Social Security Administration, Office of Disability Adjudication & Review, Falls Church, VA
A.W. (ECAB 14-1508): No ratable impairment from shoulder injury
A.W., a Social Security Administration administrative law judge, had an accepted left shoulder dislocation after a fall at work. He sought a schedule award for permanent impairment. His treating physician estimated substantial impairment, but the Board found that the rating did not properly apply…
G.A. and Department of Homeland Security, Emergency Preparedness & Response, Biloxi, MS
G.A. (ECAB 14-1505): Reconsideration of wage earning capacity ruling denied
G.A., a Homeland Security employee, previously challenged a reduction in compensation based on her capacity to work as a personnel clerk. After the Board upheld that determination, her lawyer sought reconsideration by arguing that the occupational directory used to describe the job was outdated…
F.C. and Department of Defense, Defense Intelligence Agency, Washington, DC
F.C. (ECAB 14-1475): Hearing loss claim held untimely
F.C., a former Defense Intelligence Agency employee, claimed hearing loss from noise exposure while working in Iraq from 2004 to 2005. He stated that he recognized the hearing loss and its possible work connection on May 12, 2010, but filed his claim in March 2014. The Board held that the claim was…
T.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Butler, PA
T.C. (ECAB 14-1375): Forearm injury claim denied for lack of incident detail
T.C., a Postal Service city carrier assistant, reported right forearm pain while delivering mail on November 13, 2013. OWCP asked him to describe the specific activity or incident that caused the claimed injury, but he did not supply the requested details. The Board found that saying he was…
E.S. and Department of the Navy, Naval Facility Engineering Command, Jacksonville, FL
E.S. (ECAB 14-1320): Increased schedule award denied
E.S., a Navy employee, previously received schedule awards for impairment in both arms and both legs from accepted conditions associated with workplace manganese exposure. He sought a larger award in 2013. OWCP asked for an updated medical impairment rating under the applicable guidelines, but he…
A.N. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Columbus, OH
A.N. (ECAB 14-1222): Parcel incident established, injury claim denied
A.N., a Postal Service rural carrier, reported arm pain after catching a heavy parcel that slipped during delivery. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred but denied the injury claim. The Board found that her doctor's reports did not adequately explain how catching the parcel caused a diagnosed…
V.Z. and Department of the Navy, Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake, CA
V.Z. (ECAB 14-1012): Shoulder impairment rating sent back for review
V.Z., a Navy electronics engineer, received a schedule award for 25 percent impairment of his right arm after accepted shoulder injuries. He sought a higher rating. OWCP based the award on a second opinion examiner's shoulder motion measurements as recalculated by a medical adviser, while his…
J.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Atlanta, GA
J.M. (ECAB 14-0822): Merit review of terminated benefits denied
J.M., a Postal Service carrier, challenged OWCP’s termination of compensation for an accepted cervical condition. She sought reconsideration with a chiropractor's x-ray report listing a cervical subluxation and an unsigned scan. The Board reviewed only OWCP’s refusal to reopen the case, because the…
Big Cat, Inc. d/b/a The Rex
Restaurant chemical-safety items affirmed and power-strip item vacated
OSHA cited The Rex restaurant for inadequate eye and hand protection when employees handled corrosive cleaning chemicals, improper use of a power strip for a refrigerator, and the absence of a written hazard communication program. The judge affirmed the PPE items because safety data sheets required…
Secretary of Labor v. Hecla Limited
Injured former employee denied intervention
Michael Marek was injured in a fall of ground at Hecla's Lucky Friday Mine that killed his brother, and he later brought a civil action against Hecla. He asked to intervene in MSHA's related civil penalty cases as an affected miner, although he no longer worked for Hecla or at the Lucky Friday…
G.C. and Social Security Administration, Joliet, IL
G.C. (ECAB 14-1577): Merit review of terminated benefits denied
G.C., a Social Security Administration field representative, had accepted hand and wrist conditions, but OWCP terminated his compensation after a medical review. He later requested reconsideration and submitted reports from his treating doctors. The Board found that those reports repeated earlier…
M.N. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Minneapolis, MN
M.N. (ECAB 14-1457): Shoulder condition claim denied
M.N., a Postal Service letter carrier, claimed that her repetitive duties caused right shoulder rotator cuff tendinitis. OWCP accepted that she performed those duties and had the diagnosed condition but denied the claim for lack of a medical causal connection. On reconsideration she submitted a…
E.S. and Department of Defense, Defense Logistics Agency, Gulfport, MS
E.S. (ECAB 14-1376): Back injury claim denied for lack of medical link
E.S., a Defense Logistics Agency warehouse leader, reported back pain while packing materials for shipment. OWCP accepted that the September 2013 work incident occurred. The Board found that the medical evidence did not establish that the incident caused a lower back injury. The physician who…
A.L. and Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, Castiac, CA
A.L. (ECAB 14-1285): Benefit termination reversed, neck claim denied
A.L., a Census Bureau enumerator, had accepted injuries from a work-related vehicle accident and received wage-loss benefits. OWCP ended those benefits and denied her claim that a later neck condition was a consequence of the accepted injuries. The Board found that the medical opinion OWCP relied…
S.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, North Metro, GA
S.C. (ECAB 14-1026): Fall claim denied without medical injury proof
S.C., a Postal Service technician, reported becoming dizzy, reaching for a chair that rolled away, and falling at work. OWCP accepted that the December 2013 incident occurred but denied the injury claim. The Board found that the physician's reports listed medical conditions without explaining…
G.P. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Coast Guard, Curtis Bay, MD
G.P. (ECAB 14-1005): Earlier wage rating set aside, benefit termination upheld
G.P., a Coast Guard mechanic helper, received compensation after a back injury and later worked part time as a private sector driver. OWCP used that job to set his wage earning capacity in 1996. The Board found that OWCP had not explained why earnings from a part-time job fairly represented the…
S.T. and Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Gooding, ID
S.T. (ECAB 14-0895): Wrist injury claim and reopening request denied
S.T., an Agriculture Department conservationist, was ejected from an all-terrain vehicle during work and claimed a left wrist injury. The Board accepted that the accident occurred but found the initial medical evidence insufficient to establish a related injury. The emergency report came from a…
C.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Main Post Office, Fayetteville, GA
C.G. (ECAB 14-0453): Consequential emotional condition claim denied
C.G., a Postal Service rural carrier associate, had accepted right wrist injuries and claimed that they caused or aggravated an emotional condition. Her medical records described depression, anxiety, and other psychiatric conditions, including symptoms predating the work injury. The Board found…
Brody Mining, LLC v. Secretary of Labor; Secretary of Labor v. Brody Mining, LLC
Pattern charge dismissed and underlying citations decided
MSHA placed Brody Mine No. 1 on a pattern of violations based on 54 citations and orders involving escapeway, roof and rib, ventilation, and methane hazards. Judge William B. Moran dismissed the pattern charge because the Secretary would not identify before the hearing what connected the alleged…
J.C. and Department of Veterans Affairs, West Los Angeles Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
J.C. (ECAB 14-1537): Knee and ankle injury claim denied
J.C., a Veterans Affairs police officer, reported knee and ankle problems after apprehending a suspect at work. OWCP accepted that an incident occurred and that doctors diagnosed conditions, but denied the claim for lack of a supported medical causal connection. The Board found that his physician's…
J.W. and Department of the Air Force, Robins Air Force Base, GA
J.W. (ECAB 14-1531): Health coverage overpayment recovery upheld
J.W., an Air Force mail clerk receiving compensation, changed health coverage from self to family after marrying, but the higher premiums were not fully deducted from benefits. OWCP calculated a $344.69 overpayment and found J.W. was not at fault. The Board upheld the calculation. It also upheld…
B.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Los Angeles, CA
B.S. (ECAB 14-1506): Wage earning capacity rating left in place
B.S., a Postal Service employee with accepted injuries, had her wage earning capacity rated using a selected customer complaint clerk job. Her lawyer argued that the occupational directory used to describe that job was obsolete and the position did not exist in the current labor market. The Board…
L.H. and Department of the Navy, Fleet & Industrial Supply Center, Norfolk, VA
L.H. (ECAB 14-1462): Merit review of late injury claim denied
L.H., a former Navy budget clerk, filed a claim in 2012 for a back injury he said occurred while moving furniture in 1997. OWCP had denied the claim as untimely, and the Board reviewed only OWCP’s later refusal to reopen it. L.H. argued that OWCP had misaddressed development letters and submitted…
V.C. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Hines, IL
V.C. (ECAB 14-1124): Dental assistant's hand condition claim denied
V.C., a Veterans Affairs dental assistant, attributed right hand and arm symptoms to work with a left-handed dentist while a physician’s report separately described an October 2012 event involving a patient. The Board found that she gave too little detail about the frequency and nature of the…
E.M. and Department of the Army, Fort McCoy, Sparta, WI
E.M. (ECAB 14-1075): Schedule award barred by overlapping compensation
E.M., an Army boiler fireman, had an accepted neck injury and later sought schedule awards for permanent arm impairment. OWCP had ended monetary benefits in 1994 after a refusal of suitable work. The Board found that the proposed schedule award period began when the condition reached maximum…
D.B. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Dublin, GA
D.B. (ECAB 14-0924): Patient incident established, injury claim denied
D.B., a Veterans Affairs nurse, reported that a patient struck her while she was helping him and that she developed neck, shoulder, back, and arm symptoms. OWCP denied her claim after finding the incident unproven. The Board found that the patient did strike her and that differences among witness…
B.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Merrifield, VA
B.J. (ECAB 14-0821): End of back and neck benefits upheld
B.J., a Postal Service driver, had accepted neck and back sprains after pushing a mail container. Her treating doctors and an OWCP examiner disagreed about whether work-related residuals and disability continued. OWCP obtained an impartial medical examination to resolve that conflict. The Board…
J.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Cleveland, OH
J.S. (ECAB 14-0774): No ratable arm impairment from neck injury
J.S., a Postal Service letter carrier, had accepted neck and back sprains after a vehicle incident and sought a schedule award for impairment in both arms. The Board explained that FECA does not provide a schedule award for the spine itself but can cover arm impairment resulting from a spinal…
Stark Excavating, Inc.
One cave-in item held willful, another serious, and eyewear item vacated
OSHA cited Stark Excavating after finding unprotected excavations at two Illinois worksites, improper eyewear at one site, and spoil piles too close to an excavation. The Commission affirmed the Champaign cave-in item as serious because the competent person made an incorrect but not consciously…
Secretary of Labor v. Ronald Sand & Gravel
Ten violations upheld and penalties set at $1,366
MSHA cited Ronald Sand & Gravel for 11 safety, training, and reporting violations at its small basalt crushing operation. The allegations included failures to lock out equipment, provide required training, use hard hats and eye protection, guard moving parts, provide sanitary facilities, and file a…
Jeanne Johnston v. Hayward Baker
Johnston v. Hayward Baker (BRB 14-0032): death benefits denial returned for widow status review
Roy Johnston, a crane operator, died of lung cancer after he and Jeanne Johnston had legally separated. Jeanne sought Longshore Act death benefits, alleging that workplace diesel exhaust and silica exposure contributed to his death. An administrative law judge denied the claim because he found that…
Matter of Ezra Kibichii BETT, Respondent
Matter of Ezra Kibichii BETT (BIA ID 3818): Form I-9 evidence supported removal charge
The Board reviewed a Kenyan respondent's appeal after an Immigration Judge found him removable and denied his application for adjustment of status. The Board held that Form I-9 employment eligibility forms are admissible in immigration proceedings and may support a removability charge or a decision…
Vitakraft Sunseed, Inc.
Housekeeping and warning-sign violations affirmed, general duty item vacated
Vitakraft Sunseed manufactured small-animal products at a facility where its dust collection system deposited agricultural dust into a wagon inside a dust room. OSHA cited accumulated combustible dust, the absence of warning signs, and an alleged general duty clause violation based on fire and…
MB Consultants, Ltd. d/b/a Murray's Chicken
Lockout, guarding, and chemical-training items largely affirmed
Separate safety and health inspections at Murray's Chicken produced lockout, machine-guarding, hazard-communication, and injury-recording citations. The judge affirmed serious lockout items for inadequate machine-specific procedures, deficient periodic inspections, and insufficient…
General Services Administration, Eastern Distribution Center, Burlington, New Jersey (Agency) and American Federation of Government Employees, Council of GSA Locals C-236 (Union)
GSA Eastern Distribution Center and AFGE Council C-236 (FLRA 0-AR-4953): Union activity scooter award upheld
A GSA distribution-center employee used an agency scooter to deliver packages and also performed union representative duties on official time. After a dispute over his union time, managers barred him from using the scooter. An arbitrator found that the restriction was motivated by his protected…
United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Medical Center, Perry Point, Maryland (Agency) and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 331 (Union)
VA Perry Point and AFGE Local 331 (FLRA 0-AR-4940): Temporary promotion pay upheld
A VA Perry Point information technology specialist performed duties previously assigned to higher graded employees. An arbitrator found that the collective bargaining agreement entitled her to temporary promotion pay and awarded 120 days of pay at the higher grade. The Authority rejected the…
United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Federal Detention Center, Miami, Florida (Agency) and American Federation of Government Employees, Council of Prison Locals 33, Local 501 (Union)
Bureau of Prisons Miami and AFGE Local 501 (FLRA 0-AR-4880): Light-duty award upheld
Employees at a Bureau of Prisons detention center requested temporary light-duty assignments for non-work-related medical conditions. An arbitrator found that the agency had changed a long-standing approval practice without giving the union notice and an opportunity to bargain under their…
Hecla Limited v. Secretary of Labor
Overlapping post-accident withdrawal orders affirmed
MSHA issued a section 103(k) withdrawal order after a November 2011 fall of ground at Hecla's Lucky Friday Mine. A December rockburst then injured seven miners, and MSHA issued a second order covering the entire underground mine. Hecla argued that the mine-wide order made the first order moot and…
S.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing & Distribution Center, Savannah, GA
S.R. (ECAB 14-1350 and 14-1974): Hearing abandonment and elbow claim affirmed
S.R., a Postal Service employee, reported striking her right elbow on a bin while moving mail. OWCP later accepted that the November 7, 2012 workplace incident occurred, but denied compensation because the medical evidence did not establish that it caused her diagnosed elbow condition. The Board…
D.P. and Department of the Navy, Naval Base Kitsap, Bangor, WA
D.P. (ECAB 14-1448): Lower impairment rating yields no added schedule award
D.P., a Navy engineering technician, injured her right knee and elbow in a fall on an icy parking lot. She previously received schedule awards covering a total 24 percent impairment of her right arm. A later physician rated the impairment at 15 percent, and she requested another award. The Board…
M.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, San Francisco, CA
M.L. (ECAB 14-1446): Twelve percent shoulder impairment award affirmed
M.L., a Postal Service letter carrier, injured her left shoulder while releasing a mail truck brake and later had two shoulder operations. OWCP’s consulting surgeon rated her arm impairment at five percent based on impingement syndrome. Its medical adviser instead used the diagnosis of an…
L.P. and Tennessee Valley Authority, Stevenson, AL
L.P. (ECAB 14-1360): Federal work not shown to cause hearing loss
L.P., a boilermaker and welder for the Tennessee Valley Authority, claimed that workplace noise caused his hearing loss. His federal work occurred intermittently over roughly three years between 1979 and 1990, and he also had noise exposure outside that employment. The Board found that his…
K.R. and Independent Agencies, U.S. Senate, Capital Police Department, Washington, DC
K.R. (ECAB 14-0552): Stairway fall established, injury claim still denied
K.R., a vehicle and materials screener, fell on steps at work and sought compensation for a left knee condition. The Board found that her account and a witness statement established the fall, correcting OWCP’s contrary finding. It still denied the injury claim because her physicians did not explain…
United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, United States Penitentiary, Coleman II, Florida (Agency) and American Federation of Government Employees, Council of Prison Locals, Local 506 (Union)
Bureau of Prisons Coleman II and AFGE Local 506 (FLRA 0-AR-4956): Overtime award narrowed
Correctional officers at a federal penitentiary sought overtime pay for work before and after their scheduled shifts. An arbitrator awarded pay to officers who relieved other officers and to officers who reported to other posts. The Authority upheld pay for the relief officers' principal activities…
Metrex Research, LLC
In re Metrex Research, LLC (EAB FIFRA Appeal No. 14-01C): consent agreement ratified
EPA and Metrex Research, LLC signed a Consent Agreement resolving the matter. The Environmental Appeals Board incorporated the agreement into its Final Order and ratified it. Metrex was ordered to comply with every term of the agreement immediately.
L.E. and Department of the Navy, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, San Diego, CA
L.E. (ECAB 14-1551): Hearing tests made late filed claim timely
L.E., a former Navy shipfitter and shipbuilding specialist, claimed hearing loss from hazardous workplace noise. He filed his claim long after his last noise exposure, so OWCP denied it under the three year filing limit. The Board found that audiograms from the employer’s hearing conservation…
R.L. and Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Washington, DC
R.L. (ECAB 14-1479): Spine rating did not establish an arm award
R.L., a National Park Service laborer, had accepted shoulder and neck injuries and later sought a schedule award. His physician rated a 19 percent impairment of the cervical spine after fusion surgery. The Board held that FECA does not pay a schedule award for the spine itself, and the physician…
M.G. and Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons, Federal Correctional Institution, Milan, MI
M.G. (ECAB 14-1444): Repayment required after return to work
M.G., a federal correctional officer, received wage loss compensation after a knee injury. He returned to full time work on November 19, 2013, but compensation payments continued through December 14, creating a $2,275.53 overpayment. The Board agreed that he was not at fault for receiving the…
R.D. and Department of the Army, Military Science Department, Eastern Oregon University, La Grange, OR
R.D. (ECAB 14-1413): ROTC injury claim lacked line of duty finding
R.D., an Army ROTC cadet, reported bat bites during a training exercise in Guyana and later received rabies vaccinations. He sought FECA coverage for the treatment. The Board explained that an ROTC injury must occur in the line of duty and that the military department or its designee must make that…
E.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Phoenix, AZ
E.D. (ECAB 14-1277): Heat exposure claim lacked medical support
E.D., a Postal Service carrier, reported a headache and other symptoms while delivering mail in extreme heat. OWCP accepted that the workplace exposure occurred but denied his claim for a resulting injury. The Board found that the emergency room reports did not explain the cause of his symptoms and…
Y.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Washington, DC
Y.D. (ECAB 14-1031): No added award for right knee impairment
Y.D., a Postal Service letter carrier, injured her right knee and previously received an award for seven percent impairment of her right leg. She sought an additional award after her doctor rated the impairment at 40 percent. OWCP’s medical adviser found that the doctor had not supplied the joint…
F.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Durham, NC
F.M. (ECAB 14-1009): New anxiety claim lacked a proven work factor
F.M., a Postal Service clerk, had an earlier accepted anxiety claim related to a wrongful termination. In this separate claim, he said a supervisor’s discussion of tardiness and management’s handling of his return to work worsened his anxiety. The Board held that these were supervisory and…
W.A. and U.S. Postal Service, North Miami Branch Post Office, Miami, FL
W.A. (ECAB 14-0350): Beach trips led to recoverable travel overpayment
W.A., a former Postal Service carrier, received reimbursements for trips to swim at Miami Beach over several years. His physician had generally recommended aquatic exercise, but the Board found no prescription for therapy at a Miami Beach medical facility and no such facility at the address he put…
United States Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, Border Patrol, Big Bend Sector (Agency) and American Federation of Government Employees, National Border Patrol Council, Local 2509 (Union)
Border Patrol Big Bend Sector and AFGE Local 2509 (FLRA 0-AR-5036): Regular overtime pay award set aside
A Border Patrol agent stayed past the end of his shift to complete arrest paperwork and received administratively uncontrollable overtime pay for the extra 8.5 hours. An arbitrator ordered the agency to pay him at the regularly scheduled overtime rate instead. The Authority held that this rate…
American Federation of Government Employees, Council of Prison Locals, Local 4052 (Union) and United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Metropolitan Detention Center, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico (Agency)
AFGE Local 4052 and Bureau of Prisons Guaynabo (FLRA 0-AR-4650): Staffing settlement enforced
A Bureau of Prisons detention center had agreed to assign a second correctional officer when a housing unit held more than 150 inmates. After the agency stopped following that agreement, an arbitrator ordered it to comply. The Authority denied the agency's challenge because an earlier decision in…
J.E. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, St. Louis, MO
J.E. (ECAB 14-1562): Late reconsideration request did not show clear error
J.E., a Postal Service clerk, sought reconsideration of OWCP’s denial of a claim involving a 2001 back incident and later surgery. OWCP received his request more than one year after its last merits decision, so he had to show clear evidence of error to obtain review. He submitted medical reports…
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.