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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S.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing and Distribution Center, Dulles, VA
S.S. (ECAB 14-1182): Shoulder injury claim lacked a reasoned causation opinion
S.S., a postal employee, said he developed right shoulder pain while helping a coworker move a mail processing rack. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred but denied the injury claim. The Board found that physicians diagnosed shoulder conditions without explaining how the pulling incident caused…
M.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Lombard, IL
M.G. (ECAB 14-1127): Two percent right leg impairment award upheld
M.G., a postal carrier, sought a schedule award after an accepted right knee injury and surgery. Her examining physician estimated 10 percent permanent leg impairment, but OWCP’s medical adviser rated it at two percent. The Board found that the higher rating applied to both medial and lateral…
J.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Philadelphia, PA
J.J. (ECAB 14-1113): Competing left arm ratings require impartial review
J.J., a postal clerk, received a schedule award for three percent permanent impairment of his left arm after an accepted shoulder condition. His treating physician rated it at five percent, while OWCP’s medical adviser rated it at three percent using different examination findings. The Board found…
D.M. and Department of the Army, Camp Lejeune, NC
D.M. (ECAB 14-0887): Carpal tunnel recurrence claim lacked medical bridge
D.M., a former mechanic with accepted bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, sought wage-loss compensation for a claimed recurrence of disability beginning in 2007. His physicians said he could no longer perform his former mechanic job, but the Board found that their reports did not explain why the…
K.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Martinsburg, WV
K.S. (ECAB 14-0740): Intervening events defeated claimed PTSD recurrence
K.S., a postal employee, had an accepted claim for PTSD and an acute anxiety reaction following a 1994 workplace incident. She sought compensation for a recurrence of disability beginning in 2010. Her psychiatrist attributed renewed symptoms to later events, including personnel action and events…
Secretary of Labor v. Nordic Industries, Inc.
Three equipment citations modified to $300 total
MSHA cited Nordic Industries for an unguarded platform opening, bent excavator footholds, and a badly damaged wheel-loader seatbelt. Judge Richard W. Manning upheld all three violations but reduced the platform citation's gravity and negligence to low because access was limited and the plant was…
D.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing and Distribution Center, Teterboro, NJ
D.B. (ECAB 14-1388): Late request did not reopen back injury claim
D.B., a postal processing clerk, sought reconsideration of a denied claim for a back injury while handling mail. OWCP received her request more than one year after its last decision on the claim’s merits. The Board found the request late and the new medical records insufficient to show clear error…
E.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Bridgeview, IL
E.D. (ECAB 14-1370): One day late request did not reopen wage-loss issue
E.D., a postal carrier, had accepted left leg reflex sympathetic dystrophy after a knee injury. OWCP ended both medical and wage-loss benefits, then reinstated medical coverage because that accepted condition had not resolved. He asked OWCP to reconsider why it had restored medical coverage without…
L.M. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Memphis, TN
L.M. (ECAB 14-1352): Pat-down training claim lacked physician evidence
L.M., a Transportation Security Administration officer, claimed several injuries following pat-down training at work. OWCP accepted that the training occurred but denied the injury claim. The Board found that her only medical report was signed by a nurse practitioner and was not countersigned by a…
R.R. and Department of Homeland Security, Customs & Border Patrol, Tucson, AZ
R.R. (ECAB 14-1294): Shoulder injury denial affirmed for lack of medical causation
R.R., a Customs and Border Patrol officer, reported left shoulder pain after a push-up during a work fitness assessment. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred and that he had a diagnosed shoulder condition, but denied the claim because the medical evidence did not link the two. The Board found…
R.A. and U.S. Postal Service, General Mail Facility, White Plains, NY
R.A. (ECAB 14-1271): Late reconsideration request did not show clear error
R.A. sought to expand an accepted cervical sprain claim to include other neck conditions. Her representative requested reconsideration more than one year after OWCP’s last merits decision. OWCP refused to reopen the claim, finding that the request was late and did not show clear evidence of error…
S.B. and Department of the Army, Army Depot, New Cumberland, PA
S.B. (ECAB 14-1159): Request for overpayment hearing was late
OWCP determined that S.B. had been overpaid $6,424.96 after it reimbursed landscaping costs and gave him 30 days to request a hearing before collection. His request reached OWCP after that period. The Board found that a request signed before the deadline did not arrive until October 17, 2013, and a…
S.E. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing & Distribution Center, Dayton, OH
S.E. (ECAB 14-1125): Renewed disability after return to work not established
OWCP accepted S.E.’s back sprains after he lifted a heavy parcel at work and paid wage-loss compensation through December 2, 2012. His physician released him to full duty on December 3, but S.E. stopped work two days later and sought renewed compensation. The Board found that later medical notes…
M.J. and Department of Homeland Security, Emergency Preparedness & Response, Alexandria, VA
M.J. (ECAB 14-1100): Timely reconsideration request returned to OWCP
OWCP denied M.J.’s traumatic injury claim on March 20, 2013. Her request for reconsideration reached OWCP on March 20, 2014, but OWCP treated it as more than one year late and declined a merits review. The Board held that the one-year period began the day after the original decision and ended on…
A.A. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Butler, PA
A.A. (ECAB 14-1081): Reconsideration request received on anniversary was timely
OWCP denied A.A.’s occupational exposure claim on August 20, 2012. Her reconsideration request reached OWCP on August 20, 2013, but OWCP treated it as one day late and refused a merits review. The Board held that the one-year period began the day after the original decision and included August 20…
L.H. and Department of Homeland Security, Customs & Border Protection, Jamaica, NY
L.H. (ECAB 14-1060): Termination of injury benefits affirmed
OWCP had accepted several back and neck conditions from L.H.’s work injuries and later terminated her medical and wage-loss benefits. Her treating physician and an OWCP examiner disagreed about whether active effects remained, so OWCP obtained an impartial specialist’s opinion. The Board found that…
E.S. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN
E.S. (ECAB 14-1004): Schedule award denial returned to combine claim files
E.S. sought a schedule award for permanent impairment of his lower extremities. In an earlier appeal, the Board directed OWCP to combine two related claim files before deciding the award. OWCP cross-referenced the files but did not combine them, then denied the award after obtaining a medical…
J.K. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Baltimore, MD
J.K. (ECAB 14-0827): Ankle claim returned to combine related files
J.K., a postal letter carrier, claimed that walking his route caused a right ankle condition. OWCP denied that claim, citing an earlier accepted claim involving his lower extremities and evidence from its separate file. The earlier file was not before the Board, even though OWCP relied on…
R.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Albany, NY
R.P. (ECAB 14-0771): One overpayment reduced and another reversed
R.P., a postal carrier receiving wage-loss compensation, did paid cleaning work that she did not report on benefit forms. The Board upheld forfeiture for the covered period but reduced the associated overpayment from $66,119.04 to $64,969.08 after correcting the payment calculation. It also upheld…
Hecla Limited v. Secretary of Labor; Secretary of Labor v. Cementation USA, Inc.; Secretary of Labor v. Hecla Limited
Fire-hazard order and citation vacated
An arsonist set fire to a waste pile in Hecla's underground Lucky Friday Mine, prompting MSHA to cite Hecla and contractor Cementation for allowing waste to accumulate in quantities that could create a fire hazard. The mine was safely evacuated, and no one was injured. Judge L. Zane Gill found that…
Secretary of Labor v. Campbell County Highway Department
Loader leak and blocked walkway orders upheld
MSHA issued two withdrawal orders at Campbell County's quarry for hydraulic fluid pooled in a loader cab and rock debris covering an elevated hammer-mill walkway. Judge Alan G. Paez found the fluid violation S&S and unwarrantable because the leak had been documented for five months, the loader…
Secretary of Labor v. Black Beauty Coal Company
Four combustible-accumulation orders draw $125,077
MSHA issued four orders over 40 days for loose coal, coal fines, and float coal dust accumulating around energized conveyor tailpieces at Black Beauty's gassy Air Quality #1 Mine. Judge Alan G. Paez found that each condition violated the combustible-accumulations standard and was S&S because the…
Secretary of Labor v. Mach Mining, LLC
Escapeway charger and coal accumulations affirmed
MSHA cited Mach Mining for placing a battery charging station in a primary escapeway and for extensive coal accumulations at a belt-transfer point. Judge Alan G. Paez upheld high negligence on the charger citation because the standard expressly barred charging stations in primary escapeways, an…
Secretary of Labor v. Excel Mining, LLC
Three violations settled for $10,500
Excel Mining and the Secretary resolved three training and accident-reporting violations on the scheduled hearing date. The original proposed penalties totaled $12,143, and the parties agreed to $10,500 after placing their terms and supporting reasons on the record. Judge Alan G. Paez found the…
Lu Yuan, Inc. and Zhejiang Yongkang Luyuan Industrial & Trading, Co. Ltd.
In re Lu Yuan, Inc. and Zhejiang Yongkang Luyuan Industrial & Trading, Co. Ltd. (EAB CAA 14-03C): consent agreement ratified
The Environmental Appeals Board received a Consent Agreement resolving an EPA Clean Air Act enforcement matter against Lu Yuan, Inc. and Zhejiang Yongkang Luyuan Industrial & Trading, Co. Ltd. The Board incorporated the agreement by reference into a Final Order and ratified it under 40 C.F.R. §…
Bardav, Inc., d/b/a Martha's Vineyard Mobile Home Park
Willful cave-in violation affirmed after excavation collapse
Bardav employees entered an excavation to repair a leaking water pipe after a plumbing technician warned that the unstable soil required shoring. Water flooded the excavation, its walls collapsed, and two employees were injured. The Commission affirmed a willful cave-in protection violation because…
United States Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (Agency) and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1210, National Immigration and Naturalization Service Council (Union)
Customs and Border Protection and AFGE Local 1210 (FLRA 0-AR-4901): Foreign-language pay award set aside
After Customs and Border Protection combined immigration and customs inspector roles, customs inspectors continued receiving foreign-language awards while immigration inspectors did not. An arbitrator found that this disparity violated statutes and the union agreement. The Authority held that the…
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 44, National Joint Council of Food Inspection Locals (Union) and United States Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service (Agency)
AFGE Local 44 and USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FLRA 0-AR-4867): Fee request remanded
An arbitrator reduced a food safety inspector's five-day suspension to a written reprimand and awarded backpay. After that award became final, the union requested attorney fees, which the arbitrator denied without analyzing whether fees were justified. The Authority held that the Back Pay Act…
C.G. and Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Renton, WA
C.G. (ECAB 14-1268): Ankle sprain resolved; arthritis question remanded
C.G., an air traffic controller, sprained his right ankle when he tripped at work. OWCP later terminated his medical and wage-loss benefits after finding that the accepted sprain had resolved. The Board agreed that the record supported termination of benefits for the sprain itself. His treating…
Kao v. Areva Inc.
Kao v. Areva (DOL ARB 14-084): Late-filing dispute returned to the judge
Shih-Ping Kao filed objections to OSHA's dismissal of his Energy Reorganization Act whistleblower complaint two days after the 30-day deadline. A Labor Department judge accepted the objections under equitable tolling because Kao had served required parties on time. Areva sought immediate Board…
Timmons v. CRST Dedicated Services, Inc.
Timmons v. CRST Dedicated Services (DOL ARB 14-051): Blacklisting finding and $17,000 award affirmed
Grant Timmons settled an earlier trucking whistleblower complaint with CRST Dedicated Services under an agreement barring disparaging job references. When he applied to another carrier, an employment verification report from CRST said he had been terminated for failing to meet company standards and…
M.L. and Department of Homeland Security, Customs & Border Protection, Dallas, TX
M.L. (ECAB 14-1208): Hearing loss claim lacked proof of workplace noise exposure
M.L., a Customs and Border Protection special agent, claimed that firearm and aircraft engine noise at work caused his hearing loss. He submitted weapons qualification logs and hearing tests, but the Board found that the logs did not establish the type or duration of firearm exposure or whether he…
G.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Appleton, WI
G.M. (ECAB 14-1151): Foot injury claim returned for review of timely statement
G.M., a postal carrier, reported right foot pain after walking her route and initially filed a traumatic injury claim. OWCP asked her to explain the work event and whether she meant to claim an occupational disease. She sent a statement describing the walking and explaining why she believed the…
C.Z. and U.S. Postal Service, University Park Station, San Antonio, TX
C.Z. (ECAB 14-1074): Benefit termination for refusing suitable work affirmed
C.Z., a postal carrier with accepted neck and wrist conditions, declined a modified carrier position offered by his employer. The Board found that the job’s duties fit the medical restrictions in both claim files and that he submitted no medical evidence showing he could not perform them. It also…
M.E. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing & Distribution Center, Kearny, NJ
M.E. (ECAB 14-1064): Knee injury claim lacked medical causation opinion
M.E., a postal motor vehicle operator, had an earlier accepted right knee injury and returned to limited duty in March 2013. He claimed that walking to and from his work area on the first day aggravated his knees. The Board found that his physician did not explain how that walking caused or…
O.V. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Elizabeth, NJ
O.V. (ECAB 14-0997): Knee surgery request returned to combine injury files
O.V., a postal carrier, sought authorization for right knee surgery after an accepted knee contusion. OWCP denied the request and cited a prior work-related right knee injury in a separate claim file. The Board found that the record before it lacked the earlier file, even though OWCP had relied on…
D.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing & Distribution Center, Carol Stream, IL
D.W. (ECAB 14-0912): Overpayment finding returned for pay-rate review
OWCP found that D.W., a postal employee with an accepted hand condition, had received $2,884.86 too much in compensation because it used the wrong pay rate. The Board found that a work stoppage was not required for a recurrent pay rate if a new period of total disability occurred. Whether D.W…
J.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Hartford, CT
J.G. (ECAB 14-0266): Left knee occupational claim lacked reasoned medical link
J.G., a postal letter carrier, attributed a left knee condition to walking his route and climbing stairs. His physicians documented knee symptoms and diagnosed conditions, and one attributed them to years of walking at work. The Board found that the reports did not explain medically how those…
L.C. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Portland, OR
L.C. (ECAB 13-1934): Actual nurse earnings supported wage-capacity ruling
L.C., a nurse with an accepted hand injury, worked in a modified compliance office position after medical restrictions limited some right-hand tasks. OWCP used her earnings in that position to calculate her wage-earning capacity and reduce compensation. She argued that the position was makeshift…
I.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Thousand Oaks, CA
I.C. (ECAB 13-1686): Neck and back claim returned for medical clarification
I.C., a postal letter carrier with an accepted carpal tunnel claim, sought to add neck and back conditions. After an earlier Board remand, OWCP obtained a physician’s report and again denied the additional conditions. The Board found that the physician had not addressed specific spine findings in…
Ryder Transportation Services
Skylight citation vacated because construction standards applied
Ryder hired an electrical contractor to install circuits, wiring, switches, and other equipment at its vehicle-parts rebuild center. A contractor employee went onto the roof to test exhaust fans, fell through an unguarded skylight, and sustained fatal injuries. OSHA cited Ryder under a general…
United States Postal Service
Recordkeeping citation narrowed under FMLA confidentiality rules
OSHA cited the United States Postal Service for failing to enter two employees' work-related illnesses on required injury and illness forms. For one employee, the only document identifying the illness as work-related was a medical certification submitted for Family and Medical Leave Act leave. The…
Secretary of Labor v. Recon Refractory & Construction
Four electrical citations affirmed and examination citation vacated
RECON, a subcontractor at Drake Quarry, was cited for an ungrounded generator, missing continuity testing, damaged extension cords with exposed wiring, missing grounding prongs, and an alleged failure to perform workplace examinations. Judge Alan G. Paez held RECON strictly liable for the…
M.P. and Department of the Air Force, Tinker Air Force Base, OK
M.P. (ECAB 14-1289): Back condition not linked to accepted knee injury
OWCP accepted M.P.’s torn right knee meniscus; he later underwent surgery. He later claimed that an altered gait from that injury caused a low back condition. The Board found that his physician did not identify a clear back diagnosis or explain how the gait affected the disc findings shown on…
W.W. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Northport, NY
W.W. (ECAB 14-1267): Wrist injury claim lacked medical link to accepted incident
W.W., a nursing assistant, reported that a patient struck his left wrist while he covered the patient with a blanket. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred but denied the injury claim. The Board found that one physician recorded wrist pain without a firm diagnosis and another diagnosed…
A.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Bellmawr, NJ
A.G. (ECAB 14-1234): Termination of lumbar strain benefits affirmed
OWCP accepted A.G.’s lumbar strain after a fall at work and later terminated compensation. The treating physician and an OWCP examiner disagreed about continuing effects, prompting an impartial medical examination. The Board found that the impartial specialist adequately explained why the strain…
J.J. and Department of Human Resources, Washington, DC
J.J. (ECAB 14-1205): Neck condition claim barred by filing deadline
J.J., a former workers’ compensation program manager, claimed that workplace stress aggravated a neck condition. He retired in 2001 and filed the claim in April 2013. The Board found that medical reports and his own statements showed awareness of a possible work connection by 2001, so the…
D.J. and Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Oklahoma City, OK
D.J. (ECAB 14-1145): Fainting injury claim lacked medical causation evidence
D.J., a FEMA logistics specialist, fainted and struck his face. He said he was on deployment, while the employer said he was off duty; the Board did not decide that dispute. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred but denied his injury claim. The Board found that the emergency physician diagnosed…
J.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Bellmawr, NJ
J.P. (ECAB 14-1014): Reconsideration request did not warrant merits review
J.P., a postal carrier, sought reconsideration of OWCP’s denial of a claimed back injury after a December 2011 work incident. He submitted earlier medical reports, an acceptance letter from a separate back claim, and a light-duty job offer. The Board found that the reports had already been…
N.M. and Small Business Administration, Office of Disaster Personnel, Atlanta, GA
N.M. (ECAB 14-0954): Overpayment decision returned for review of timely response
OWCP preliminarily found that N.M. had been overpaid $10,010.11 in disability compensation because it used an incorrect pay rate. He submitted a response seeking a telephone conference and waiver based on financial hardship before OWCP issued its final decision. OWCP nevertheless said it had…
N.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, St. Charles, MO
N.L. (ECAB 14-0864): Back injury claim returned to combine prior files
N.L., a postal rural carrier, claimed a back injury after turning and bending to retrieve mail. OWCP denied the claim because it found no medical evidence establishing a causal link to work. Its hearing representative also noted two earlier back claims. The Board found that the earlier claim files…
S.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Philadelphia, PA
S.P. (ECAB 14-0467): Contingent representative fee denied
S.P.’s former representative sought OWCP approval of $4,130 for services on her compensation claim. Their agreement capped the bill at 25 percent of any recovery and said no fee would be charged if he obtained none. The Board found that this was a contingency fee arrangement, which FECA procedures…
B.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing & Distribution Center, Greensboro, NC
B.S. (ECAB 13-2010): Knee injury denial and late hearing refusal affirmed
B.S., a postal maintenance mechanic, claimed that he twisted his right knee while descending a ladder at work. He requested an oral hearing more than 30 days after OWCP denied his claim, and the Board upheld OWCP’s refusal to grant that late request. The Board treated OWCP’s later reconsideration…
L.L. and Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration, Kansas City, MO
L.L. (ECAB 13-1122): Separate acceptance made back claim moot
L.L. filed a claim that work aggravated degenerative disc disease in his lower back. OWCP denied the claim as untimely, even after combining it with two earlier accepted back claim files. The Board found that OWCP had accepted the same lumbar disc disease as work related under one of those other…
J.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, North Metro, GA
J.H. (ECAB 13-1032): Benefit termination reversed over tainted medical evidence
OWCP had accepted J.H.’s neck and shoulder strains and later ended wage-loss benefits after obtaining new medical opinions. The Board found that one physician’s changed opinion followed a meeting with Postal Service investigators, lacked an explanation, and was obtained outside OWCP’s control. The…
M.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, New Orleans, LA
M.D. (ECAB 13-0867): Emotional condition claim returned for new medical opinion
M.D., a Postal Service budget manager, claimed an emotional condition linked to workplace events. OWCP accepted that she worked extended hours and helped displaced employees after Hurricane Katrina but rejected the other alleged work factors. The Board agreed that she had not established additional…
United States Department of Energy, Western Area Power Administration, Lakewood, Colorado (Agency) and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 3824 (Union)
Western Area Power Administration and AFGE Local 3824 (FLRA 0-AR-5001): Reconsideration denied
An arbitrator awarded an employee at Western Area Power Administration twelve hours of overtime pay after finding that the agency mishandled a grievance under its labor agreement. On the agency's earlier appeal, the Authority rejected interest above the statutory rate and declined to hear a…
United States Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Agency) and American Federation of Government Employees, National Council 118 (Union)
Immigration and Customs Enforcement and AFGE Council 118 (FLRA 0-AR-4957): Bargaining order upheld
Immigration and Customs Enforcement changed the intake worksheet used by field offices and planned to automate it. AFGE requested information and a briefing, then submitted further bargaining proposals within fifteen workdays after receiving the briefing slides. The agency refused to bargain…
Secretary of Labor v. Signal Peak Energy, LLC
Briefing ordered on late-reporting penalty cap
An ALJ found that Signal Peak failed to notify MSHA within 15 minutes after a roof cave-in injured a miner and increased the proposed $51,400 penalty to $74,250. Both parties agreed that amount exceeded the $70,000 general maximum for a non-flagrant violation. The Commission identified a further…
Dessie L. Brumfield d/b/a Brumfield Properties, LLC
In re Dessie L. Brumfield d/b/a Brumfield Properties, LLC (EAB TSCA Appeal No. 13-04): Lead-disclosure violations added and penalty increased
EPA Region 5 appealed an administrative law judge's decision involving residential lead-based-paint disclosure requirements for housing owned by Dessie Brumfield. The ALJ found twenty violations but dismissed ten others after concluding that a contract to lease had to be written. The Board held…
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.