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.
S.B. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans' Hospital
Board upholds denial of late reconsideration request (ECAB 24-0665)
A VA employee requested reconsideration of a decision involving suspension of compensation for an accepted injury. Her request arrived more than one year after the last merit decision. The Board found the request untimely and the submitted evidence insufficient to show clear error. It affirmed…
B.C. and Department of the Navy, Naval Air Station Patuxent River
Board upholds retirement offset overpayment recovery (ECAB 24-0561)
A Navy employee received FECA wage-loss compensation alongside age-related Social Security retirement benefits without an offset. The Board upheld a $30,142.18 overpayment for June 2015 through March 2019 and found the employee was without fault. It affirmed denial of waiver, recovery through…
D.H. and Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons
Board upholds retirement offset overpayment recovery (ECAB 25-0091)
A Bureau of Prisons employee received FECA wage-loss compensation and age-related Social Security retirement benefits without the required offset. The Board upheld a $25,436.53 overpayment for March 2023 through May 2024 and found the employee was without fault. It affirmed denial of waiver and…
C.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Coppell Post Office
Board upholds denial of late written-record review (ECAB 25-0053)
A postal carrier asked for review of the written record following an October 18, 2023 OWCP decision on her thumb and wrist claim. OWCP received the request November 19, two days after the 30-day deadline. The Board held the request untimely and affirmed the denial without deciding the underlying…
S.N. and Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs
Board denies claimed slip injury for insufficient proof (ECAB 25-0039)
A Bureau of Indian Affairs forestry technician reported slipping on wet ground and injuring her back at work. The Board found the record did not adequately establish the claimed incident and injury in the performance of duty. It affirmed OWCP’s denial.
S.K. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Border Patrol
Board orders clarification of leg impairment rating (ECAB 24-0936)
A Border Patrol employee challenged OWCP's refusal to reopen a wage-loss claim and a decision on permanent left-leg impairment. The Board upheld the reconsideration ruling. It found the medical adviser's 25 percent leg rating unclear as to which conditions it included and directed OWCP to clarify…
D.H. and Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration
Board finds occupational disease claim timely (ECAB 24-0783)
A former FAA employee filed a 2024 claim involving upper-extremity conditions connected to earlier accepted injuries. Although an initial form gave a 1997 injury date, she clarified that she was claiming an occupational disease and first recognized the condition's work connection in July 2023. The…
Quick Roofing, LLC
Repeat ladder-access violation affirmed
Quick Roofing employees used an extension ladder to reach the roof of a three-story apartment building under construction in Winter Garden, Florida. OSHA photographs showed that the ladder extended only about 24 inches above the roof rather than the required three feet. Even if a rope visible in…
D.M. and U.S. Postal Service, FDR Station Post Office
Board upholds overpayment after increase in work hours (ECAB 22-1237)
A postal employee continued receiving compensation calculated for ten hours of work per week after increasing his schedule to twenty hours. The Board upheld a $2,668.14 overpayment for May through July 2021 and found he was without fault. It also affirmed denial of waiver.
J.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Cape Coral Central Post Office
Board orders clear accounting of travel overpayment (ECAB 22-0739)
A postal employee received reimbursement for medical travel that OWCP found was not covered. The Board agreed an overpayment occurred and that she was at fault, which barred waiver. But OWCP's reimbursement spreadsheet had incomplete entries, leaving the $17,730.00 period and amount insufficiently…
K.A. and Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Board upholds overpayment after return to full-time work (ECAB 25-0127)
An Army Corps employee continued receiving total-disability wage-loss payments after returning to full-time work. The Board upheld a $48,057.55 overpayment for July 2023 through June 2024. It also upheld OWCP’s finding that he was at fault for accepting payments he knew or should have known were…
J.P. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center
Board upholds denial of late injury reconsideration (ECAB 25-0098)
A VA nurse sought reconsideration of an OWCP decision on a claimed shoulder injury after a patient grabbed her at work. The request came more than one year after the last merit decision. The Board found it untimely and found no clear evidence of error requiring merits review. It affirmed the denial.
J.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Memphis Processing and Distribution Center
Board orders supplemental opinion on disability period (ECAB 24-0889)
A postal employee sought compensation for disability from July 2022 through May 2023 related to an accepted injury. OWCP's referral physician assessed current conditions but did not adequately address disability throughout the disputed period. The Board directed OWCP to obtain a supplemental…
C.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Denver Post Office
Board orders review of omitted disability reports (ECAB 24-0823)
A postal custodian sought disability compensation after an accepted back strain. OWCP denied the disputed period while stating that he submitted no supporting evidence, although it had received medical reports covering that period. The Board directed OWCP to consider those reports and issue a new…
K.K. and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Board denies FDIC employee's emotional-condition claim (ECAB 23-0545)
An FDIC analyst attributed stress and related symptoms to workplace events. The Board found the allegations did not establish a compensable employment factor involving assigned duties or substantiated management error or harassment. It affirmed OWCP’s denial without reaching medical causation.
United States Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Seattle, Washington and National Treasury Employees Union, Chapter 139
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Seattle and NTEU Chapter 139 (FLRA 0-AR-5742): Authority remands attorney-fee amount
Customs and Border Protection conceded that it violated the agreement by delaying written notice explaining a temporary firearm-authorization revocation. The union sought more than $4,800 in overtime relief, but an arbitrator awarded only $93.48 plus interest and later granted the full requested…
P.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Mid-Island Processing and Distribution Center
Board orders combined review of postal driver’s related stress claims (ECAB 25-0119)
A postal tractor trailer operator filed one claim for panic attacks and another for cardiac symptoms, both tied to alleged harassment by a supervisor. OWCP denied both after finding no compensable work factors. The Board found that the claims involved overlapping allegations and medical evidence…
P.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Mid-Island Processing and Distribution Center
Board orders combined review of related stress claims (ECAB 25-0118)
A postal employee filed two claims involving alleged supervisor harassment and related stress, anxiety, and cardiac symptoms. OWCP denied them separately. The Board held that the overlapping facts and medical issues required the files to be combined, with consideration of whether the second claim…
A.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Peachtree Postal and Distribution Center
Board upholds overpayments after return to work (ECAB 24-0943)
A postal employee kept receiving total-disability compensation after returning to work. The Board upheld $1,792.33 in payments made without her fault and $12,546.28 in later payments for which she was at fault, totaling $14,338.61. It also affirmed OWCP’s denial of waiver for both portions.
L.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Wallingford Post Office
Board orders clarification of left-leg impairment (ECAB 24-0903)
A postal employee sought larger schedule awards for both legs. The Board upheld a finding of no ratable right-leg impairment. It found that the medical adviser had not fully explained grade adjustments for the left-leg rating, which already carried a two percent award. It directed OWCP to obtain a…
J.A. and U.S. Postal Service, South Suburban Processing and Distribution Center
Board denies consequential left-knee claim (ECAB 23-0256)
A postal employee with an accepted right-knee injury sought to add a consequential left-knee condition. The Board found the medical record did not sufficiently explain how the accepted right-knee injury caused or aggravated the left-knee condition. It affirmed OWCP’s denial.
R.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Billerica Post Office
Board denies claim based on alleged coworker assaults (ECAB 22-1316)
A postal employee reported physical and emotional harm from alleged coworker assaults and harassment. The Board found the disputed incidents were not established by corroborating evidence, despite records showing that she reported them. It affirmed the claim denial without reaching medical…
Secretary of Labor v. Road & Rail Services
Prompt action supported reopening
Road & Rail missed a penalty contest deadline after several problems converged, including a missing copy of the citation, illness of its safety director, difficulty interviewing involved people, and the Thanksgiving holiday. The Secretary did not oppose reopening but urged the operator to prevent…
Secretary of Labor v. Georgetown Sand & Gravel, Inc.
Unreliable processing defeated reopening
Georgetown Sand filed its penalty contest after the 30-day deadline and blamed an oversight and a communication breakdown between its president and office manager. The Secretary opposed reopening because the explanation lacked details and the operator had recently filed another reopening motion…
Secretary of Labor v. St. Mary's Cement
Secretary of Labor v. St. Marys Cement (FMSHRC LAKE 2024-0086): Repeated processing failures defeated reopening
St. Marys missed a penalty contest deadline because its plant manager emailed the assessment to general counsel but omitted outside counsel. The operator attributed the mistake to safety-department turnover and explained that its general counsel, who was distracted by a family death, did not notice…
Secretary of Labor v. AA Quarry, LLC
Misdirected contest form supported reopening
AA Quarry intended to contest one of ten citations and pay the other nine, but it mailed the contest form with its payment to the wrong MSHA location. The Secretary confirmed the timely payment and did not oppose reopening the contested citation. The Commission found that the misdirected form was…
Reinaldo Ayala Minaya v. Constellis Group and Continental Insurance Company
Minaya v. Constellis Group (BRB 24-0228): Defense Base Act benefit denial affirmed
Reinaldo Ayala Minaya reported psychological symptoms after working as a security guard and escort driver in Iraq for Constellis Group. He sought benefits under the Defense Base Act, arguing that his work experiences caused his condition. An administrative law judge applied the work-relatedness…
S.K. and Department of Defense, Defense Logistics Agency
Board orders reasoned ruling on late reconsideration (ECAB 25-0101)
A Defense Logistics Agency employee requested written-record review and reconsideration of an OWCP decision. The Board agreed the written-review request and reconsideration request were late. It found OWCP had not adequately addressed a submitted medical report or explained why the reconsideration…
D.K. and U.S. Postal Service, Edison Bulk Mail Center
Board rejects justification for refusing suitable work (ECAB 25-0084)
A postal mail handler challenged the consequences of refusing a job previously found suitable for her. The Board found she did not establish a sufficient justification for refusing that work. It affirmed OWCP’s decision.
R.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Chicago International Service Center
Board denies claimed intermittent disability dates (ECAB 25-0054)
A postal employee sought wage-loss compensation for several days in February, May, June, July, and September 2023 after an accepted 2020 injury. The Board found the medical evidence insufficient to establish disability on those dates caused by the accepted injury. It affirmed OWCP’s denial.
A.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Downtown Fort Worth Post Office
Board upholds refusal to reopen postal injury claim (ECAB 25-0035)
A postal carrier sought reconsideration of a prior injury decision. The Board found his request did not identify a legal error, offer a new relevant legal argument, or provide evidence meeting the requirements for reopening. It affirmed OWCP’s decision without reconsidering the underlying claim.
D.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Waialua Post Office
Board orders specialist review of right-knee claim expansion (ECAB 24-0512)
A postal employee sought to add right-knee osteoarthritis or a meniscal tear to an accepted injury claim. A treating physician offered an explanation supporting a work connection. The Board found the record required further medical development and directed OWCP to obtain a reasoned specialist…
X.F. and Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Connecticut Healthcare System
Board denies stress claim despite accepted work factor (ECAB 24-0386)
A VA employee claimed an emotional condition from stressful work in an oncology department. OWCP accepted that the work setting was a compensable employment factor. The Board found the medical reports did not adequately establish that a diagnosed condition was caused by that factor. It affirmed the…
Secretary of Labor v. The National Lime and Stone Company
One portable-crusher citation affirmed and two vacated
National Lime operates a portable crusher that moves among several of its Ohio mines and carries its own MSHA Mine ID. MSHA cited the company for lacking a crusher-specific hazard-communication program, training plan, and workplace-examination record. The Judge held that National's existing company…
Maxie Barber on behalf of and as widow of Charles Barber v. Triple B Corporation and Kentucky Central Insurance Company
Barber v. Triple B (BRB 23-0396 and 23-0397): miner and survivor awards affirmed
Maxie Barber pursued her late husband Charles's black lung claim and her own survivor claim after an administrative law judge had denied both. On modification, another judge found complicated pneumoconiosis, awarded the miner's benefits, and awarded derivative survivor benefits. Triple B challenged…
Maxie Barber on behalf of and as widow of Charles Barber v. Triple B Corporation and Kentucky Central Insurance Company
Barber v. Triple B (BRB 23-0396 and 23-0397): miner and survivor awards affirmed
Maxie Barber pursued her late husband Charles's black lung claim and her own survivor claim after an administrative law judge had denied both. On modification, another judge found complicated pneumoconiosis, awarded the miner's benefits, and awarded derivative survivor benefits. Triple B challenged…
Lewis v. American Express
SOX appeal dismissed after federal-court filing
Sophia Lewis appealed an administrative judge's Sarbanes-Oxley decision involving American Express. After missing an extended opening-brief deadline, she notified the Board that she intended to file a de novo federal action. The Board explained that an expression of intent did not end the…
DeBuse v. Corr Flight S.
Pilot's AIR21 suspension award affirmed
Colin DeBuse, a commercial pilot employed by Corr Flight Services, refused to train with a captain after observing conduct he believed was unsafe and contrary to federal aviation rules. Corr Flight placed him on unpaid leave because of that refusal, and an administrative judge found the refusal…
S.C. and Department of Housing and Urban Development, Region III
Board dismisses appeal from void OWCP decision (ECAB 25-0123)
A HUD employee appealed an OWCP decision on medical causation. OWCP had issued it while the same issue was already pending before the Board in another appeal. The Board held that OWCP lacked simultaneous jurisdiction, making its decision void. With no valid adverse decision to review, it dismissed…
D.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Marcellus Post Office
Board denies continuation of pay after late injury notice (ECAB 25-0066)
A postal delivery worker sought continuation of pay after an accepted right-knee injury. She filed her injury notice more than 30 days after the incident. The Board held that the filing deadline for continuation of pay was not met and affirmed the denial.
M.S. and Department of the Navy, Marine Corps Depot Maintenance Command
Board denies heat-exhaustion injury claim (ECAB 25-0058)
A Navy industrial specialist reported fainting during a workplace heat event. The Board found that the emergency report described syncope, a symptom, but did not diagnose a medical condition caused by the accepted event. It affirmed OWCP’s denial.
L.M. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans' Hospital
Board orders new review of disability recurrence (ECAB 25-0055)
A VA employee returned to part-time work in June 2023 and stopped again in August, claiming renewed disability from an accepted injury. The Board found OWCP had applied the wrong evidentiary standard to a recurrence claimed within 90 days of return to duty. It directed OWCP to review the claim…
J.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Gretna Post Office
Board denies occupational disease claim and reopening (ECAB 25-0028)
A postal employee sought compensation for a medical condition attributed to accepted work factors. The Board found the medical evidence did not establish causation. It also found her reconsideration request lacked a qualifying new argument or evidence. It affirmed both OWCP decisions.
S.C. and Department of Housing and Urban Development, Region III
Board dismisses appeal at claimant's request (ECAB 24-0911)
A HUD employee appealed an August 2024 OWCP decision, then asked the Board through counsel to dismiss the appeal. The Board granted that request. It did not decide the underlying compensation dispute.
Secretary of Labor v. Belt Tech., Inc.
Nonreceipt prevented the assessment from becoming final
MSHA mailed a proposed assessment to Belt Tech's correct address, but the Postal Service returned it to MSHA 13 minutes after receiving it. Belt Tech never received the assessment and later contacted MSHA about the penalties. The Commission held that the 30-day contest period never began, so the…
Secretary of Labor v. Nelson Quarries, Inc.
Wrong email address prevented a final default
Nelson Quarries sought relief from a default entered after it appeared not to answer the Secretary's penalty petition. The operator said it never received the petition, and the Secretary confirmed that both the petition and the Commission's show-cause order were sent to an incorrect email address…
K.P. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration
Board reduces collection rate for retirement offset debt (ECAB 25-0040)
A TSA employee received FECA wage-loss compensation and age-related Social Security retirement benefits without an offset. The Board upheld a $3,653.08 overpayment and denial of waiver. It found OWCP's proposed $567.81 deduction every 28 days exceeded its 25 percent net-compensation guideline…
C.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Birmingham Post Office
Board denies claimed back-injury disability period (ECAB 25-0010)
A postal worker sought wage-loss compensation from April through September 2022 after an accepted back injury. The Board found the medical reports did not establish work disability throughout the claimed period caused by that injury. It affirmed the denial.
J.D. and U.S. Postal Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service
Board denies claimed ankle and knee conditions (ECAB 25-0007)
A postal employee sought compensation for right ankle and knee conditions after an accepted September 2022 incident. The Board found the medical opinions did not establish a definite causal link between those conditions and the incident. It affirmed OWCP’s decisions.
J.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Troy Post Office
Board upholds schedule-award overpayment (ECAB 24-0927)
A postal carrier received a schedule award calculated with an incorrect pay rate. The Board upheld a $2,067.98 overpayment for October 2022 through March 2023 and found she was without fault. It also affirmed denial of waiver.
E.O. and U.S. Postal Service, James A. Farley Post Office
Board reverses zeroing of benefits during vocational referral (ECAB 24-0925)
A postal employee's compensation was reduced to zero for failure to cooperate with vocational rehabilitation. Her treating physician and OWCP's examiner disagreed about whether she could work at all. The Board held OWCP should have resolved that medical conflict before referring her to…
C.N. and U.S. Postal Service, Jacksonville Post Office
Board orders new examination of regional pain syndrome claim (ECAB 24-0913)
A postal carrier sought to add aggravation of preexisting complex regional pain syndrome to an accepted forearm injury. Both his treating physician and OWCP's examiner related an aggravation to the injury, but the extent and duration required clarification. The Board ordered an updated statement of…
Secretary of Labor v. Geneva Rock Products, Inc.
Indefinite criminal-investigation stay was vacated
This penalty case followed a fatal ground-collapse accident involving a haul truck at Geneva Rock's Hansen Pit, with MSHA proposing $381,500 for one citation and three orders. The ALJ stayed the civil case indefinitely while the Department of Justice considered a parallel criminal investigation…
Superstratum Co.
In re Superstratum Co. (EAB FIFRA Appeal No. 24-02C): unregistered pesticide settlement approved
Superstratum Co. sold products marketed with claims about preventing or removing mold, mildew, bacteria, viruses, and other microbes, as well as devices marketed to destroy or reduce those organisms. EPA alleged that the company distributed unregistered pesticide products and misbranded devices…
Secretary of Labor v. Explosive Contractors, Inc.
Persistent conference efforts supported reopening
Explosive Contractors missed its penalty contest deadline while waiting for MSHA to act on a conference request it had pursued by phone and email for months. The operator promptly sought a formal hearing and reopening after learning that the conference request had been denied, and the Secretary did…
Ergül Aydin, widow of Ufuk Aydin, on behalf of herself and her children v. Kolin Construction
Aydin v. Kolin Construction (BRB 23-0317 and 23-0317A): survivor claim needs contract and student findings
Ergül Aydin sought death benefits for herself and her children after her husband Ufuk, who worked for Kolin Construction in Afghanistan, was killed in a vehicle explosion. The judge awarded benefits to Ergül and benefits to the children only until age 18. On the employer's appeal, the Board held…
Ergül Aydin, widow of Ufuk Aydin, on behalf of herself and her children v. Kolin Construction
Aydin v. Kolin Construction (BRB 23-0317 and 23-0317A): survivor claim needs contract and student findings
Ergül Aydin sought death benefits for herself and her children after her husband Ufuk, who worked for Kolin Construction in Afghanistan, was killed in a vehicle explosion. The judge awarded benefits to Ergül and benefits to the children only until age 18. On the employer's appeal, the Board held…
L.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Salisbury Post Office
Board dismisses appeal filed one day late (ECAB 25-0114)
A postal employee appealed a May 17, 2024 OWCP decision on November 14, 2024. The Board calculated that the 180-day filing period ended November 13. With no documented compelling reason for the delay, it dismissed for lack of jurisdiction.
C.B. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Border Patrol
Board upholds refusal to reopen old stress claim (ECAB 25-0107)
A Border Patrol employee requested reconsideration of a 2015 decision on an emotional-condition claim. The request came well beyond the one-year period and did not demonstrate clear evidence of error. The Board affirmed OWCP’s refusal to reopen the case.
D.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Elmer Post Office
Board orders new medical examiner for injury claim (ECAB 25-0071)
A postal employee sought recognition of conditions after an accepted 2015 work incident. OWCP's referral physician did not provide an adequate causation opinion, and a supplemental report did not cure the problem. The Board directed OWCP to obtain a new examiner's reasoned opinion and issue a new…
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.