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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American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2145 (Union) and United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Medical Center, Richmond, Virginia (Agency)
VA Richmond and AFGE Local 2145 (FLRA 0-AR-4994): Premature attorney-fee denial removed
Laundry workers at a VA medical center challenged outdated position descriptions and the agency's failure to conduct a desk audit. An arbitrator ordered an audit and conditional backpay if any positions were upgraded, but denied attorney fees because the labor agreement did not provide for them…
Gupta v. Headstrong, Inc.
Gupta v. Headstrong (DOL ARB 14-058): Interim appeal declined
Arvind Gupta asked the Board to review a judge's orders keeping Headstrong as the sole respondent and denying a default motion while his case was still pending. The judge had denied Gupta's request to certify an issue for interim appeal. The Board found no exceptional circumstances to justify…
D.S. and Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Washington, DC
D.S. (ECAB 14-0547): Hearing loss award request returned for review of timely evidence
D.S., an FBI employee, requested reconsideration of a denied increase in his hearing loss schedule award. He submitted a new audiology report, and OWCP received it before issuing its decision. OWCP nevertheless said the report had not been enclosed and refused to reopen the claim. The Board held…
D.O. and U.S. Senate Sergeant-at-Arms, Law Enforcement and Security Operations, Washington, DC
D.O. (ECAB 14-0497): No additional arm impairment award for cervical condition
D.O., a Senate security employee, had accepted shoulder and cervical disc conditions after a work injury. OWCP had already awarded 12 percent right arm impairment for his shoulder, but he sought a separate award for effects of the cervical condition on his arms. A doctor reported sensory findings…
B.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Rahway, NJ
B.B. (ECAB 14-0464): Late reconsideration request denial upheld
B.B., a postal letter carrier, sought reconsideration after an earlier Board decision upheld denial of his bilateral knee claim. His request was dated and mailed before the one-year anniversary of that decision, but OWCP received it two days after the deadline. The Board held that receipt, rather…
D.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Indianapolis, IN
D.W. (ECAB 14-0347): Wage earning capacity reduction upheld
D.W., a postal carrier with accepted back conditions, lost her modified assignment when work within her restrictions became unavailable. OWCP assessed her capacity to work in a billing machine operator position after vocational rehabilitation services. The Board found that the job fit her…
P.H. and Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons, Elkton, OH
P.H. (ECAB 14-0323): Emotional condition claim over work assignments denied
P.H., a Bureau of Prisons gardener supervisor, attributed stress and anxiety to staffing changes, work expectations, memoranda from managers, and alleged harassment. The Board accepted that managers issued the memoranda and assigned him duties after another supervisor position became vacant. It…
A.N. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Morgan, NY
A.N. (ECAB 14-0322): Wage earning capacity issue returned for merit review
A.N., a postal employee with an accepted hernia claim, sought renewed compensation after a wage earning capacity determination based on modified work. Her representative argued that her work related condition had worsened and that the earlier determination was erroneous. OWCP treated the submission…
W.F. and Department of the Navy, Military Sealift Command, Norfolk Naval Station, VA
W.F. (ECAB 14-0015): Airport injury claim denied after unapproved travel change
W.F., a civilian seaman, said he injured his neck and back lifting luggage at an airport while traveling to his first ship assignment in Italy. OWCP accepted that the lifting incident occurred. The Navy had authorized a June 13 departure, but he missed that flight and returned to the airport two…
E.M. and Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Los Fresnos, TX
E.M. (ECAB 14-0002): Back disability recurrence denied after incident at home
E.M., a federal employee with an accepted lumbar sprain, remained in a light duty job for years after the injury. He claimed a recurrence after his back became painful while reaching into a sock drawer at home in January 2013. The Board treated that incident as an intervening cause rather than a…
R.D. and Department of Labor, Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs, Dallas, TX
R.D. (ECAB 13-2182): Hand condition claim denied over disputed workload increase
R.D., a DOL claims examiner, claimed trigger finger and tendinitis in her hands from increased repetitive work. She documented that her assigned caseload grew, but her employer supplied figures showing that some work categories rose while others fell. The Board found the evidence did not support…
A.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, San Francisco, CA
A.B. (ECAB 13-1465): Refusal to reopen recurrence claim affirmed
A.B., a postal employee with accepted emotional conditions, claimed that the employer effectively withdrew her light duty position when it asked for medical clearance after an extended absence. OWCP denied the recurrence claim, and she later sought reconsideration. The Board found that the…
Levvintre Construction, LLC
Residential fall and ladder violations affirmed
Five Levvintre Construction employees performed residential roofing work on an approximately 11-foot-high roof without fall protection. The company had harnesses available but left it to each employee to decide whether to use one and had no alternative fall-protection plan. Employees also used a…
Secretary of Labor v. Taft Production Company
Housekeeping and guarding violations upheld, seatbelt citation vacated
Taft Production mined and processed clay for products including cat litter. Judge Richard W. Manning upheld two housekeeping violations involving material in conveyor access areas, but reduced one negligence finding and removed the significant-and-substantial designation from the other. He affirmed…
S.K. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Nashville, TN
S.K. (ECAB 14-0509): Continuation of pay denied after late injury form
S.K., a nurse at a veterans hospital, injured her right thumb and knee in a fall at work. OWCP accepted the injuries but denied continuation of pay because her injury form was filed more than 30 days after the fall. She said she was unable to come to work to file sooner and that other people knew…
T.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Philadelphia, PA
T.W. (ECAB 14-0456): Arm impairment rating returned for impartial examination
T.W., a postal mechanic with accepted right carpal tunnel syndrome, disputed OWCP’s finding of three percent permanent right arm impairment. His treating doctor rated the arm at seven percent, while OWCP physicians supplied ratings of three or five percent using different assessments of his test…
D.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Edison, NJ
D.L. (ECAB 14-0442): Bilateral hip claim denied for lack of medical rationale
D.L., a postal mail processing clerk, attributed hip conditions to years of standing, walking, bending, lifting, and moving mail. She had undergone surgery to replace both hips. Her treating surgeon diagnosed avascular necrosis and connected it to her work, but the Board found that he did not…
D.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Hartford, CT
D.B. (ECAB 14-0397): Overpayment amount upheld; first deposit fault finding set aside
D.B., a postal worker, received total disability payments by direct deposit after returning to full time work. The Board upheld OWCP’s finding that he was overpaid $23,806.65. It found he could not immediately decline the first mistaken direct deposit and was without fault for the $2,788.17…
L.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Hughsonville, NY
L.L. (ECAB 14-0384): Neck disability recurrence denial upheld
L.L., a postal officer in charge, stopped work after an accepted neck sprain and claimed a recurrence of total disability. OWCP had not accepted a herniated cervical disc or her other chronic spinal conditions as work related. Her doctor described worsening symptoms and attributed ongoing…
U.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, West Sacramento, CA
U.G. (ECAB 14-0355): Nerve block treatment and wage loss sent back for review
U.G., a postal distribution clerk, sought payment for two days away from work after nerve block injections. OWCP had accepted thoracic outlet syndrome and had previously authorized similar treatment, but denied this request for treatment and wage loss because it found the medical record…
S.B., attorney for W.A., and Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Atlanta, GA
S.B. for W.A. (ECAB 14-0271): Attorney fee reduction sent back for notice
S.B., an attorney for W.A., requested approval of $340.50 in fees for work before OWCP. W.A. did not approve the listed fees, and OWCP approved only $13.50, saying the other services were unrelated to the claim. The Board noted that OWCP’s procedure required notice and an opportunity to respond…
I.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Textile Finance Post Office, Los Angeles, CA
I.C. (ECAB 14-0170): Reconsideration request found timely
I.C., a postal sales associate clerk, claimed that repetitive work injured her neck, shoulders, arms, and hands. After OWCP denied the claim, her attorney sent a letter with new medical evidence and asked OWCP to review the file. OWCP treated later correspondence as an untimely reconsideration…
Secretary of Labor v. Mach Mining, LLC
Non-S&S and high-negligence findings affirmed
MSHA cited Mach Mining after a primary escapeway at its Mach #1 Mine was narrowed from the required four feet to 26 inches at a ventilation regulator. The judge found a violation of 30 C.F.R. § 75.380(d)(4)(ii), but determined that it was not significant and substantial and resulted from relatively…
J.O. and Department of the Army, Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, TX
J.O. (ECAB 14-0511): Exposure and lifting injury claim denial upheld
J.O., an Army medical center supply technician, attributed dizziness, diarrhea, and low back pain to liquid nitrogen containers, forklift exhaust, and lifting at work. He had previously sustained an accepted low back injury. The Board found that he had not described the nature and extent of the…
R.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Clendenin, WV
R.B. (ECAB 14-0489): Shoulder injury claim denial upheld
R.B., a postal sales and service distribution associate, reported that her right shoulder popped while she lifted a heavy package at work. OWCP accepted that the lifting occurred but denied her injury claim. The Board found that the nurse practitioner’s treatment notes did not qualify as medical…
T.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Columbia, SC
T.A. (ECAB 14-0371): Wage loss overpayment and fault finding upheld
T.A., a postal mail carrier, returned to full-time work without wage loss after receiving benefits for an accepted back condition. She continued receiving disability compensation for the period after her return. The Board found that OWCP correctly calculated $9,443.64 in overpaid benefits. OWCP had…
A.O. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Augusta, GA
A.O. (ECAB 14-0251): Shoulder claim denial and refusal to reconsider upheld
A.O., a postal sorting machine operator, said repetitive casing of mail caused conditions in both shoulders and her right rotator cuff. OWCP accepted that she performed the described work but denied her claim. Her doctor identified shoulder conditions and attributed pain to lifting and sorting…
D.C. and Department of the Army, Garrison, Fort Hunter Liggett, CA
D.C. (ECAB 14-0243): Shoulder injury denial upheld
D.C., an Army maintenance mechanic, said his right shoulder popped while he was installing a stove hood at work. OWCP accepted that the October 2012 incident occurred. Medical imaging showed a rotator cuff tear and other shoulder conditions, and the record also showed an earlier rotator cuff injury…
L.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Louisville, KY
L.B. (ECAB 14-0140): Recurrence of disability denial upheld
L.B., a postal carrier, sought wage loss benefits after working in a modified position following accepted neck and other injuries. His surgeon proposed a lower lifting limit, and L.B. said his assignment required lifting beyond his restrictions. The Board found that the medical reports gave…
B.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Poplarville, MS
B.L. (ECAB 13-1422): Retirement offset overpayment and repayment terms upheld
B.L., a postal employee receiving disability compensation, also received Social Security benefits that included a federal retirement component. OWCP had not applied the required offset and calculated a $40,099.72 overpayment. The Board upheld that calculation and found B.L. at fault for parts of…
B.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, West Sacramento, CA
B.B. (ECAB 13-1204): Leg impairment award sent back for new examination
B.B., a postal distribution clerk, sought a greater schedule award after an accepted back injury and surgery. A hearing representative directed OWCP to obtain a new specialist’s evaluation, but the district office sent the file back to its earlier medical adviser and relied on that opinion to award…
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (Agency) and National Treasury Employees Union (Union/Petitioner)
FDIC and NTEU (FLRA WA-RP-12-0062): student-intern remand later vacated
The National Treasury Employees Union asked to add twenty-seven FDIC student interns to an existing bargaining unit without an election. The unit's certification expressly excluded the interns. The union argued that changes in their job circumstances now justified adding them, but a Regional…
Energy Answers, LLC
In re Energy Answers, LLC (EAB PSD Appeal No. 14-04): appeal dismissed for lack of jurisdiction
Leonardo Ramos-Hernandez appealed a Clean Air Act Prevention of Significant Deterioration permit issued by EPA Region 2 to Energy Answers Arecibo Puerto Rico Renewable Energy Project. The Environmental Appeals Board had previously upheld an earlier version of the permit and remanded it for limited…
United States Department of the Navy, Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base, New Orleans, Louisiana (Agency) and National Association of Independent Labor (Union)
New Orleans Naval Air Station and NAIL (FLRA DA-RP-14-0004): School liaison excluded from unit
A Navy installation and a union had agreed to include a school liaison in a bargaining unit for nonprofessional employees. The Navy later argued that her duties made her a professional employee who could not remain in that unit without the required vote. A Regional Director found that the liaison's…
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1945 (Union) and United States Department of the Army, Anniston Army Depot, Anniston, Alabama (Agency)
Anniston Army Depot and AFGE Local 1945 (FLRA 0-AR-4958): Reconsideration denied
AFGE Local 1945 asked the Authority to reconsider an earlier expedited ruling on its exception to an arbitration award involving Anniston Army Depot. The Authority held that the union had not shown the extraordinary circumstances required for reconsideration. A disputed procedural point could not…
Seneca Resources Corp.
In re Seneca Resources Corp. (EAB UIC Appeal Nos. 14-01, 14-02, and 14-03): Review denied on threshold grounds
EPA Region 3 issued Seneca Resources Corporation a permit for a Class II underground injection well. The Board considered three consolidated petitions that raised concerns about drinking water, abandoned wells, seismic activity, and the permit process. It denied Susan Swanson's petition because it…
R.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Osage Beach, MS
R.H. (ECAB 13-1193): Emotional condition claim sent back for medical review
R.H., a postmaster, attributed a worsening emotional condition to heavy workload and other conditions at her postal office. OWCP accepted several work factors but denied the claim for lack of sufficient medical proof. The Board found that responsibility for lost keys was another compensable factor…
Kip Allen Keim v. Cordero Mining, LLC
Retaliation complaint dismissed for lack of protected activity
Kip Allen Keim alleged that Cordero Mining fired him from its Wyoming surface coal mine because he used an internal hotline to complain about a coworker's conduct. Cordero said the hotline complaint was routed to its former owner's contractor by mistake and that it terminated Keim for…
Secretary of Labor v. Knox Creek Coal Corporation
Four violations held S&S and penalties remanded
MSHA cited Knox Creek Coal Corporation at its methane-prone Tiller No. 1 underground coal mine for three impermissible electrical enclosures, a damaged trailing cable, and extensive combustible accumulations on a conveyor belt. The judge found all five violations were not significant and…
J.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Cleveland Heights, OH
J.W. (ECAB 14-0250): Termination of injury benefits reversed
J.W., a postal custodian, received benefits for accepted back and right knee injuries. OWCP stopped both compensation and medical benefits after a second opinion doctor said the work conditions were no longer active. The Board found that the doctor treated accepted disc herniations as unrelated to…
S.C. and Peace Corps, Volunteer Services, Washington, DC
S.C. (ECAB 14-0383): Peace Corps back condition claim denial upheld
S.C., a former Peace Corps volunteer in Ukraine, attributed back pain to uncomfortable beds, frequent travel, and carrying luggage and backpacks. The Board recognized a rebuttable presumption that a volunteer abroad sustained an injury in the performance of duty. It found that his doctor reported…
D.A. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Jamaica, NY
D.A. (ECAB 14-0375): Reduction of compensation for missed training reversed
D.A., a former import specialist, received compensation for accepted neck conditions. OWCP directed her to attend a 15-week training program aimed at receptionist work and reduced her compensation when she did not attend. Its second opinion doctor said her physical restrictions allowed the program…
R.L. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, San Francisco, CA
R.L. (ECAB 14-0279): Knee incident recognized, injury claim still denied
R.L., a medical center maintenance worker, said he struck his left knee with a chemical container at work. OWCP denied the claim in part because it questioned whether the incident occurred. The Board found his account consistent with the record and accepted the incident as described. It nonetheless…
L.G. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Chicago, IL
L.G. (ECAB 14-0247): Back condition claim and reconsideration denials upheld
L.G., a transportation security officer, attributed her low back and disc conditions to repeated lifting and other tasks at work. Her doctors identified disc problems and restricted her work, but the Board found that their reports did not adequately explain how specific duties caused or aggravated…
S.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Miami, FL
S.R. (ECAB 13-1788): First direct deposit fault finding set aside
S.R., a postal carrier, received full disability payments by direct deposit after returning to full-time work. The Board upheld OWCP’s calculation of a $15,048.09 overpayment. It found that she was not at fault for the first incorrect deposit because the record did not show she knew or should have…
G.V. and Department of the Treasury, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Washington, DC
G.V. (ECAB 14-0876): Late back condition claim and reconsideration denial upheld
G.V., a former Treasury employee, said frequent work travel contributed to a back condition. He reported awareness of the condition and its work connection by April 1997 but filed a claim in July 2013. The Board found that the filing missed FECA’s three-year limit and that the record did not show a…
M.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Cleveland, OH
M.J. (ECAB 14-0541): Late reconsideration refusal upheld
M.J., a postal mail clerk, sought compensation for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome. OWCP denied the claim in April 2012, and she later asked it to reconsider. The Board found her December 2013 request missed the one-year deadline, leaving the stricter clear-error standard. A new doctor’s report…
M.G. and U.S. Marine Corps, Air Station, Cherry Point, NC
M.G. (ECAB 14-0386): Wage earning capacity modification denial upheld
M.G., a Marine Corps boiler plant operator, accepted a motor vehicle dispatcher job after an accepted right knee injury. OWCP used his earnings in that job to set his wage earning capacity. After he stopped working, he sought to change that determination, pointing to knee problems and concern that…
S.S. and Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Covington, KY
S.S. (ECAB 14-0297): Late reconsideration refusal upheld
S.S., an IRS tax examiner technician, sought acceptance of depression and anxiety as consequences of an accepted fall injury. OWCP denied those additional conditions, and she later sought reconsideration. The Board found her request was received after the one-year deadline, so it had to show clear…
E.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Fort Hamilton Station, Brooklyn, NY
E.M. (ECAB 14-0284): Refusal to reconsider leg impairment awards upheld
E.M., a postal custodian, had received schedule awards for two percent permanent impairment of each leg after an accepted back injury. He asked OWCP to reconsider, describing radiating pain and a worsened disc condition. The Board found that he had offered no new medical evidence addressing whether…
M.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Capital Vehicle Maintenance Facility, Washington, DC
M.B. (ECAB 14-0060): Late reconsideration refusal upheld
M.B., a postal vehicle mechanic, claimed a neck injury from a collision while towing a vehicle. OWCP had denied his injury claim because the evidence did not establish the incident as alleged or include a medical diagnosis connected to it. His later request for reconsideration was untimely. The…
M.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Kahului, HI
M.A. (ECAB 13-1342): Wage earning capacity finding sent back for development
M.A., a postal employee, sought a change to an earlier wage earning capacity finding after her limited-duty position was withdrawn. On a prior remand, the Board had directed OWCP to apply its procedures for positions withdrawn during the national reassessment process. OWCP relied on a brief…
J.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, San Francisco, CA
J.R. (ECAB 13-1055): Surveillance monitor wage capacity finding reversed
J.R., a postal carrier, received compensation for accepted knee, hip, hand, and wrist conditions. OWCP reduced his compensation using wages it said he could earn as a surveillance system monitor. A second opinion doctor said J.R. could perform that job but requested a job analysis to confirm the…
United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Metropolitan Detention Center, Guaynabo, San Juan, Puerto Rico (Agency) and American Federation of Government Employees, Council of Prisons Locals C-33, Local 4052 (Union)
Guaynabo detention center and AFGE Local 4052 (FLRA 0-AR-4228): Home-leave remedy remanded again
Employees at a federal detention center in Puerto Rico challenged the denial of home leave and other benefits. In an earlier decision, the Authority held that federal law barred home leave for employees who worked and permanently resided in Puerto Rico, and it directed the arbitrator to devise…
Secretary of Labor v. Winn Materials, LLC
Seven guarding violations modified and penalties reduced
An anonymous complaint led MSHA to cite seven missing or inadequate tail-pulley guards at Winn Materials' surface limestone mine in Tennessee. Winn Materials accepted the underlying guarding violations but disputed the S&S, unwarrantable-failure, reckless-disregard, flagrant, and penalty findings…
Secretary of Labor v. Cemex de Puerto Rico
Four safety actions and $29,711 in penalties affirmed
MSHA issued four enforcement actions involving Cemex's Ponce Cement Plant and Cantera Canas Mine in Puerto Rico. Two citations concerned a welder working untied on top of a mill and reaching it by climbing handrails and mill structure instead of using safe access. A third citation covered multiple…
Secretary of Labor v. Black Beauty Coal Company
S&S finding affirmed for inaccessible lifeline
MSHA found that a directional lifeline at Black Beauty Coal Company's Francisco Mine hung seven to twelve feet above the floor for 100 to 110 feet and could not be pulled within reach. The Commission affirmed the judge's significant-and-substantial finding because emergency lifeline rules are…
Secretary of Labor v. Big Ridge, Inc.
S&S lifeline finding affirmed
MSHA found a 20-foot gap in the directional lifeline for a secondary escapeway at Big Ridge's Willow Lake Mine. The missing section was at a heavily traveled crosscut intersection near a conveyor belt, and at least 40 miners could have needed that route during an emergency. The Commission affirmed…
H.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, New York, NY
H.P. (ECAB 14-0475): Lifting injury claim denial upheld
H.P., a postal carrier, reported groin pain after lifting a tub of magazines at work. OWCP accepted that the lifting incident occurred. It asked H.P. for a medical report identifying an injury and explaining its connection to the incident, but he did not provide one before the decision. The Board…
R.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Columbia, SC
R.D. (ECAB 14-0474): Late hearing request denial upheld
R.D., a postal postmaster, sought an oral hearing after OWCP rescinded acceptance of several conditions and ended her compensation. She mailed the hearing request more than 30 days after that decision. The Board found that she had lost the right to a hearing because the deadline had passed. It also…
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.