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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J.H. and Department of the Air Force, Air Combat Command, Randolph Air Force Base, TX
J.H. (ECAB 14-0540): Post-retirement disability claim sent back for medical opinion
J.H., an Air Force carpenter and woodcrafter, had an accepted claim for carpal tunnel syndrome and worked modified duty before retiring voluntarily in June 2009. OWCP later accepted continuing left wrist symptoms and paid disability compensation beginning with his December 2012 revision surgery…
L.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Pittsburgh, PA
L.D. (ECAB 14-0468): Injury denial sent back after wrong decision mailed
L.D., a postal letter carrier, claimed a back and leg injury from lifting at work. OWCP denied the claim and later refused her oral hearing request as late. L.D. reported that OWCP had sent her a decision belonging to another claimant rather than the decision in her case, and OWCP’s own telephone…
A.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Fort Worth, TX
A.R. (ECAB 14-0409): Twelve percent arm impairment award upheld
A.R., a postal mail handler, had an accepted right shoulder and upper arm injury and underwent two shoulder surgeries. OWCP awarded her compensation for 12 percent permanent impairment of the right upper extremity. Her treating physician calculated that rating from shoulder motion loss, and an OWCP…
J.N. and Department of the Navy, Naval Aviation Depot, Jacksonville, FL
J.N. (ECAB 13-1761): Compensation forfeiture and overpayment upheld
J.N., a former Navy aviation machinist, received FECA compensation after a work injury. While receiving benefits, he taught drums for pay and worked with a school district but reported no employment or self-employment on two required forms. OWCP forfeited compensation for the periods covered by…
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2198 (Union) and United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Medical Center, Beckley, West Virginia (Agency)
Beckley VA Medical Center and AFGE Local 2198 (FLRA 0-AR-5027): Late interest grievance denied
A physician assistant at the Beckley VA Medical Center received backpay for an earlier on-call pay grievance. Years later, the union filed a new grievance alleging that the agency had not paid interest on that backpay. An arbitrator found that the new grievance missed the labor agreement's…
Social Security Administration, Region VI (Agency) and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 3506 (Union)
Social Security Region VI and AFGE Local 3506 (FLRA 0-AR-4951): Promotion remedy upheld
An SSA employee had priority consideration for a vacancy after an earlier finding of retaliation for whistleblowing. The agency interviewed him twice but did not select him. An arbitrator found that the agency again retaliated and failed to give him genuine priority consideration, then ordered a…
Secretary of Labor v. M-Class Mining, LLC
Discovery from open agent investigation denied
M-Class Mining sought MSHA's open section 110(c) special-investigation file and a deposition of the special investigator while defending four operator citations, three of which remained disputed. Judge Margaret A. Miller denied the motion because possible individual-agent liability was not yet part…
R.E. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Indianapolis, IN
R.E. (ECAB 14-0713): Ankle wound schedule award denied
R.E., a postal letter carrier, cut his right ankle on a door at work. OWCP accepted the wound, and he later requested a schedule award for permanent loss of use of his right leg or foot. His treating doctor described the wound as healed and released him to regular duty without restrictions. The…
J.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Fremont, NE
J.D. (ECAB 14-0758): Refusal to reopen back injury claim upheld
J.D., a rural postal carrier associate, claimed a lower back injury after bending to pick up a letter at work. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred but denied her claim because the medical record did not adequately connect a diagnosed condition to it. She requested reconsideration without…
B.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Wexford Post Office, Wexford, PA
B.W. (ECAB 14-0679): Late oral hearing request denied
B.W., a rural postal carrier, sought a schedule award after an accepted low back injury. OWCP denied the award in January 2013 for lack of medical evidence of permanent impairment and maximum medical improvement. B.W. later sent a hearing request that he had dated February 2013, but its envelope…
D.C. and Department of Labor, Occupational Safety & Health Administration, Boston, MA
D.C. (ECAB 14-0663): Late reconsideration request denied
D.C., a Labor Department program assistant, claimed that she injured her knees at work in April 2008. OWCP denied the claim, and the Board upheld that merits denial in 2010. She requested reconsideration in 2013 with earlier medical reports, a new report, and a different account of how her knees…
D.N. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Franklin, TN
D.N. (ECAB 14-0657): Wage-loss claim denied after foot fractures resolved
D.N., a postal distribution clerk, developed stress fractures in both heels after prolonged standing and walking at work. OWCP accepted the fractures and paid wage-loss compensation through June 19, 2013. Her podiatrist later said the fractures had healed but recommended limits on standing, walking…
I.K. and Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Leesburg, VA
I.K. (ECAB 14-0587): Refusal to reopen stress claim upheld
I.K., a federal air traffic control specialist, claimed post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression from work. OWCP denied the claim because she had not established specific compensable employment factors. She sought reconsideration using a pleading from an Equal Employment Opportunity…
B.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Philadelphia, PA
B.H. (ECAB 14-0423): Termination of back injury benefits upheld
B.H., a postal distribution clerk, received compensation for a back sprain, sciatica and radiculitis after lifting a tub of mail. OWCP later ended her benefits, relying on an impartial orthopedic examiner who found no continuing residuals of the accepted injury. B.H. challenged how the examiner was…
A.K. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Toledo, OH
A.K. (ECAB 14-0416): Refusal to reopen recurrence claim upheld
A.K., a postal letter carrier, sought benefits for a recurrence of disability after an accepted 1993 back and knee injury. OWCP denied her request to reconsider the claim, and she appealed that refusal. The Board could review only the refusal to reopen because no merits decision had been issued…
S.S. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Arlington, VA
S.S. (ECAB 14-0177): Four percent leg impairment award upheld
S.S., a federal air marshal, injured his right ankle and Achilles tendon during training and underwent surgery. OWCP awarded compensation for four percent permanent impairment of his right leg. His physician rated the impairment at eight percent, including six percent for the ankle and two percent…
S.S. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Asheville, NC
S.S. (ECAB 14-0156): Wrist claim and reconsideration denial upheld
S.S., a medical instrument technician, attributed a right wrist condition to repetitive twisting tasks at work. OWCP accepted her description of the duties but denied the claim because she submitted no medical evidence confirming the condition or linking it to those duties. She asked OWCP to…
L.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Rochester, NY
L.C. (ECAB 13-1744): Wage-earning capacity case remanded for medical evidence
L.C., a former postal employee, sought to change a 1998 determination that he could earn wages as an automobile salesperson. OWCP rejected his request, relying on an earlier physician’s opinion and finding that post-traumatic stress disorder was not an accepted condition. A later physician whom…
Professional Grade Construction Group, Inc.
Citations affirmed by default
OSHA issued Professional Grade Construction Group thirteen serious items and two repeat items under the construction standards, with $43,560 in proposed penalties. The company filed a notice of contest but did not answer the Secretary's complaint. A show-cause order sent to the company's record…
Schmitt Tree Experts
Crane-inspection recordkeeping failure affirmed
Schmitt Tree Experts did not contest an earlier citation alleging that required monthly crane-inspection certification records were unavailable. OSHA later issued a failure-to-abate notification after the company still could not produce records of subsequent inspections. The judge found that the…
R.L. and Department of the Navy, Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest, San Diego, CA
R.L. (ECAB 14-0642): Retired Navy worker’s hearing-loss claim held untimely
R.L., a retired Navy engineering technician, said workplace noise caused his hearing loss and tinnitus. He reported recognizing the connection in 1985 but continued working until December 31, 1999. The Board treated his last exposure as the start of the three-year filing period. He filed his claim…
C.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Bellmawr, NJ
C.H. (ECAB 14-0620): Missed telephone hearing treated as abandoned
C.H., a postal carrier, sought compensation after reporting foot, shoulder and arm injuries from an incident while leaving his truck. OWCP denied the injury claim, and he requested a hearing. OWCP mailed notice of a telephone hearing, but C.H. did not call in, ask to postpone it or explain his…
A.M. and Department of Agriculture, Farmers Home Administration, Lares, PR
A.M. (ECAB 14-0513): Late reconsideration request did not show clear error
A.M. sought compensation after a 1994 fall at work, but OWCP denied the claim for lack of medical evidence connecting her conditions to the fall. In 2013, she asked OWCP to reconsider and submitted an x-ray and later treatment instructions. The Board held that the request came outside the one-year…
R.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing & Distribution Center, Philadelphia, PA
R.M. (ECAB 14-0428): Overpayment upheld, fault finding set aside
R.M., a postal maintenance mechanic, received wage-loss compensation for a period when he also elected federal retirement benefits. OWCP found a $2,667.45 overpayment and held him at fault, which would prevent waiver of recovery. The Board upheld the overpayment because the two benefits could not…
A.T. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Salisbury Veterans Administration Medical Center, Salisbury, MD
A.T. (ECAB 14-0417): Schedule award claim not reopened
A.T., a medical technician, sought a schedule award for leg impairment after accepted back and neck sprains from a fall at work. OWCP denied the award after relying on an impartial specialist who found no ratable impairment. A.T. requested reconsideration, challenging the impairment method and…
B.J., claiming as son of B.J., and Tennessee Valley Authority, Shawnee Fossil Plant, Chattanooga, TN
B.J. (ECAB 14-0340): Late request to reopen death-benefits claim denied
B.J. sought benefits after his father, a Tennessee Valley Authority employee, died of cancer. An earlier Board decision found that he had not established a connection between the death and his father’s work. He requested reconsideration more than one year after that decision, arguing that workplace…
J.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Drexel Hill, PA
J.H. (ECAB 14-0333): Leg impairment award returned for fuller explanation
J.H., a postal letter carrier, had received schedule awards for impairment in both legs after an accepted work injury and vascular conditions. OWCP denied an additional award after a physician and its medical adviser rated his impairment under a vascular disease table. The Board found that neither…
T.S. and Environmental Protection Agency, Headquarters, Washington, DC
T.S. (ECAB 14-0255): Some workplace-exposure findings upheld, other symptoms remanded
T.S., a retired EPA program analyst, attributed respiratory and other symptoms to his office environment. OWCP had accepted reactive airways disease but denied additional claimed conditions. The Board held that an impartial rheumatologist’s opinion supported the denial for the fatigue syndrome and…
United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (Respondent) and National Treasury Employees Union (Charging Party)
Nuclear Regulatory Commission and NTEU (FLRA WA-CA-10-0444): Performance-awards dispute settled
The National Treasury Employees Union charged the Nuclear Regulatory Commission with refusing to provide information about employee performance awards. An Authority judge found an unfair labor practice, and the commission filed exceptions. Before the Authority ruled on those exceptions, the parties…
Secretary of Labor on behalf of Roberto Vega v. Cantera El Tuque, Inc.
Miner temporarily reinstated after safety complaints
Roberto Vega supervised work at Cantera El Tuque and testified that he reported unsafe dust and defective mobile equipment to an MSHA inspector and the mine owner before he was terminated. Judge William B. Moran found credible substantial evidence of protected safety complaints, management…
Energy Answers, LLC
In re Energy Answers, LLC (EAB PSD Appeal No. 14-04): motion to reconsider denied for lack of jurisdiction
Leonardo Ramos-Hernandez petitioned for review of a Clean Air Act Prevention of Significant Deterioration permit issued by EPA Region 2 to Energy Answers Arecibo Puerto Rico Renewable Energy Project. The Board had remanded the matter, and Region 2 later issued a final permit decision on April 10…
Austin Powder Company v. Secretary of Labor and Secretary of Labor v. Austin Powder Company
Austin Powder Company v. Secretary of Labor (FMSHRC PENN 2012-116-R, PENN 2012-172): oversized summary motions ordered resubmitted
Austin Powder Company and the Secretary submitted more than 1,180 pages, seven DVDs, and competing factual accounts in cross-motions concerning whether Austin Powder and its subsidiary should be treated as a unitary operator for penalty purposes. Judge Priscilla M. Rae found that the record was…
A.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Laguna Hills, CA
A.T. (ECAB 14-0880): Hand impairment award denied for lack of medical rating
A.T., a postal distribution clerk, had accepted right hand conditions, including trigger finger, carpal tunnel syndrome and a ganglion cyst. He underwent surgery and later requested a schedule award for permanent impairment. OWCP asked for a physician’s report rating the impairment under the…
E.E. and Department of Homeland Security, Immigration & Customs Enforcement, Deming, NM
E.E. (ECAB 14-0709): Late wrist-claim reconsideration denied
E.E., an immigration enforcement special agent, reported injuring his right wrist while searching a vehicle and lifting heavy objects. OWCP denied his claim, and he later sought reconsideration with reports from orthopedic physicians. The Board found that the July 2013 request came more than a year…
C.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Phyllis, KY
C.J. (ECAB 14-0675): Thumb injury claim denied for insufficient medical explanation
C.J., a postmaster, felt pain in her right thumb while lifting a tub of mail. OWCP accepted that the lifting incident occurred, and her orthopedic surgeon diagnosed a thumb sprain. The surgeon checked a box saying the condition was work related and later gave the same conclusion in a report. The…
L.D. and Department of Engraving, Bureau of Printing & Engraving, Fort Worth, TX
L.D. (ECAB 14-0606): Patrol officer’s back injury claim denied
L.D., a federal police officer, reported back and leg pain while entering and leaving a patrol vehicle in a newly required armored vest. OWCP accepted that the work activity occurred, and his physician diagnosed back and sacroiliac conditions. The Board found that the physician’s reports repeated…
R.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Coppell, TX
R.A. (ECAB 14-0539): Wage-loss overpayment and fault finding upheld
R.A., a postal carrier, returned to full-time work at his regular salary but continued receiving wage-loss compensation by paper check. OWCP calculated a $3,776.54 overpayment for 40 calendar days after his return. The Board upheld the amount, explaining that periodic compensation covers calendar…
S.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Smithtown, NY
S.B. (ECAB 14-0441): Compensation termination for refusing suitable work upheld
S.B., a postal letter carrier, received compensation after an accepted knee condition and surgery. Her employer offered a modified position that the Board found matched the restrictions set by OWCP’s examining physician. She had chosen disability retirement and rejected the job. OWCP notified her…
J.C. and Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Alexandria, VA
J.C. (ECAB 14-0189): Claim involving object thrown from vehicle remanded
J.C., a FEMA project specialist, reported that an object thrown from a passing vehicle struck his chest while he was working at a site. OWCP denied his claim because it found the incident insufficiently established. The Board found his account consistent with a same-day police report and medical…
G.J. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA
G.J. (ECAB 14-0137): Impartial examiner selection upheld, medical opinion returned
G.J., a VA travel clerk, claimed that repetitive work caused cervical and right arm conditions. OWCP denied the claim after an impartial orthopedic examiner attributed her conditions to degeneration rather than work. The Board found that the records documented proper selection of the examiner…
R.Y. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Honolulu, HI
R.Y. (ECAB 14-0018): Work-stress claim returned for merits review
R.Y., a VA health systems specialist, claimed that working conditions caused stress and aggravated his diabetes. OWCP denied the claim after finding no compensable work factor, then refused to reconsider it. R.Y. argued that being required to remain at work with little assigned work and limited…
United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service (Agency) and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 407 (Union)
National Park Service and AFGE Local 407 (FLRA 0-AR-4883): Overtime award upheld
The National Park Service scheduled employees to work a Saturday anniversary event at Shenandoah National Park and gave them another day off that week. An arbitrator found that the agency changed the schedules to avoid overtime pay, contrary to its labor agreement, and later awarded backpay. The…
National Treasury Employees Union, Chapter 160 (Union) and United States Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Brownsville, Texas (Agency)
NTEU Chapter 160 and CBP Brownsville (FLRA 0-AR-4862): Food-stop ban upheld
Customs and Border Protection barred officers from stopping to buy food while traveling between worksites. The union said the ban changed a longstanding practice and should have been bargained over first. An arbitrator rejected the grievance, finding that the union had not established the asserted…
Secretary of Labor v. Saiia Construction, LLC and Frederick Looney
Loader citation and supervisor liability affirmed
Saiia Construction continued using a front-end loader at a limestone quarry after preshift reports repeatedly described several inches of movement in its steering column. Judge Alan G. Paez held that the defect affected safety because uneven stockpile terrain could jostle the controls during an…
Leslie A. Pride v. Highland Mining Company, LLC
Injury-report discrimination claim allowed to proceed
Leslie Pride alleged that Highland Mining repeatedly refused to issue reports for back injuries he said occurred at work, preventing him from obtaining workers' compensation and other benefits. Highland sought summary decision based on the late filing, lack of protected activity, lack of adverse…
J.B. and Department of Homeland Security, Yuma Station, Yuma, AZ
J.B. (ECAB 14-0726): Training injury claim denied for lack of specific medical diagnosis
J.B., a border patrol agent, reported upper chest pain after practicing handcuffing techniques during training. OWCP accepted that the training event occurred but denied the claim for lack of adequate medical evidence of injury. An emergency physician wrote only “sprains and strains” without a…
L.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Flushing, NY
L.B. (ECAB 14-0698): Continuing disability after benefits termination not established
L.B., a postal mail handler, received compensation after an accepted aggravation of cervical and lumbar radiculopathy from a fall at work. OWCP ended benefits based on a second opinion that the accepted effects had resolved and that remaining symptoms came from diabetic neuropathy. L.B. submitted a…
V.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Raleigh, NC
V.S. (ECAB 14-0697): End of wage-loss benefits after ankle recovery upheld
V.S., a postal mail handler, received wage-loss benefits after a work-related right ankle fracture and surgeries. Her treating orthopedic surgeon later found the fracture healed and released her to work without restrictions. OWCP ended wage-loss compensation, and V.S. appealed. The Board found the…
D.W. and Department of the Army, Rock Island Arsenal, Rock Island, IL
D.W. (ECAB 14-0662): Deployment-related knee and foot claim denied
D.W., an Army quality assurance specialist, claimed knee, foot and shoulder conditions after working in Afghanistan. OWCP accepted the described work factors but denied the claim for insufficient medical evidence of causation. The Board found that several treatment records did not identify a…
S.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Philadelphia, PA
S.M. (ECAB 14-0640): Temporary job’s end did not establish disability; surgery period remanded
S.M., a temporary postal mail handler, injured her shoulder and worked modified duty until her appointment ended as scheduled. She sought wage-loss compensation after the job ended. The Board held that the end of the temporary appointment, rather than the accepted shoulder injury, caused her…
S.W. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs & Border Protection, Laredo, TX
S.W. (ECAB 14-0585): Emotional-condition claim lacked specific work factors
S.W., a border patrol agent, claimed that his duties aggravated preexisting post-traumatic stress disorder. He identified training, meetings, night work, heat and contact with management as contributing factors. OWCP asked for details of specific duties or incidents and supporting evidence. The…
J.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Rome, GA
J.P. (ECAB 14-0454): Knee occupational claim and reopening request denied
J.P., a postal letter carrier, attributed a right knee condition to duties including climbing in and out of her mail truck. Her physician diagnosed cartilage damage and a possible meniscus tear, and said work activities aggravated her symptoms. The Board found that he did not medically explain how…
L.M. and Department of Homeland Security, Transporation Security Administration, Little Rock, AZ
L.M. (ECAB 14-0426): Schedule award denial remanded for complete report review
L.M. sought a larger schedule award after receiving an award for seven percent left arm impairment. Her physician submitted a report in three parts and rated impairment in both arms. OWCP’s medical adviser concluded that the report lacked the physician’s own examination findings, and OWCP denied…
C.F. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Huntington Veterans Administration Medical Center, Huntington, WV
C.F. (ECAB 14-0194): Recurrence of disability after return to work not established
C.F., a VA program specialist, returned to full-time work after an accepted cervical disc injury and later claimed renewed disability beginning in December 2012. Her physicians described pain and work restrictions, including difficulty with computer duties in a later job. The Board found that their…
United States Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (Agency) and National Treasury Employees Union (Union)
CBP and NTEU (FLRA 0-AR-4989): Work-unit overtime remedy upheld
Customs and Border Protection regularly assigned employees outside the work units they had selected through an annual bidding process. An arbitrator found that this violated the union agreement and set up a process for employees to prove any overtime they lost as a result. The agency challenged the…
Secretary of Labor v. Gordon Sand Company
Four citations affirmed after default
Gordon Sand Company faced four citations issued under section 104(a) of the Mine Act and a proposed penalty of $400. The company did not participate in a scheduled conference call, file an answer, or enter an appearance. Judge Richard W. Manning issued an order to show cause and warned that an…
Secretary of Labor v. Alabama Marble Company, Inc.
Four penalty matters reopened, settlement left intact
Alabama Marble asked the Commission to reopen five matters after a paid representative allegedly failed to contest or defend MSHA penalties totaling nearly $80,000. The Commission refused to vacate one approved settlement because the company had an opportunity to be heard and had agreed to its…
Secretary of Labor v. Clintwood Elkhorn Mining Company, Inc.
Late review petition denied
Clintwood Elkhorn filed a petition for discretionary review on June 16, 2014, three days after the deadline measured from the Judge's May 14 decision. The Commission held that a May 15 amended decision correcting a clerical error did not restart the 30-day filing period under its procedural rule…
Matter of Ingrid Carolina DUARTE-LUNA, Respondent; Matter of Bessy Beatriz LUNA, Respondent
Matter of DUARTE-LUNA and LUNA (BIA ID 3804): parent history cannot establish a child's TPS eligibility
The Board reviewed the Department of Homeland Security's appeal from an Immigration Judge's grant of Temporary Protected Status to two sisters from El Salvador. The sisters entered the United States as minors after the dates required for El Salvador's TPS designation, and the Immigration Judge had…
Secretary of Labor v. Cold Spring Granite Company
Seven shop penalties reopened after filing mistake
Cold Spring Granite timely contested four penalties but paid 13 others, then asked to reopen seven paid penalties arising from its shot saw shop. The company explained that it intended to challenge all shop citations on MSHA-jurisdiction grounds but initially failed to recognize that the additional…
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.