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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D.J. and Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons, Coleman, FL
D.J. (ECAB 13-1365): Termination of back injury benefits upheld
D.J., a correctional officer, had accepted back and sacroiliac injuries from a 2008 work incident and had received disability benefits. His treating physician and an OWCP physician disagreed about whether the accepted conditions continued to disable him. An impartial orthopedic specialist found…
B.D. and U.S. Postal Service, J.A. Farley Post Office, New York, NY
B.D. (ECAB 13-1195): Termination of benefits and claim expansion denied
B.D., a postal window clerk, had accepted bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome and a cervical sprain. OWCP terminated wage-loss and medical benefits effective February 18, 2007 after impartial specialists found that the accepted conditions had resolved. The Board found their opinions reasoned and held…
K.A. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Houston, TX
K.A. (ECAB 13-1041): Airport parking garage injury claim returned
K.A., a federal air marshal, slipped while getting out of his car in an airport parking garage before his scheduled shift and claimed a back injury. OWCP initially denied the claim, reasoning that he was not yet performing work duties. On appeal, the OWCP Director acknowledged that the employer…
R.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Morgan Processing & Distribution Center, New York, NY
R.D. (ECAB 13-0574): Related claim files must be combined
R.D.’s attorney appealed an OWCP decision that had been placed in a different claim file from the one before the Board. The two files concerned the same body parts and contained similar medical evidence, but OWCP had not combined them. The Board found that it could not adjudicate the appeal in the…
Secretary of Labor, MSHA v. Gila Rock Products, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Gila Rock Products, LLC (FMSHRC WEST 2013-1081-M): Reopening denied after one-year deadline
Gila Rock Products sought to reopen an uncontested penalty assessment that had become a final Commission order. The company said its lawyer mailed a pre-penalty contest that MSHA did not receive and that the owner was not served with the later assessment. The Secretary responded that another listed…
Secretary of Labor, MSHA v. Rocky Point Rock, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Rocky Point Rock, Inc. (FMSHRC SE 2013-420-M): Reopening denied as more than one year late
Rocky Point Rock asked the Commission to reopen a penalty assessment that had become final after the company failed to contest it within 30 days. The operator said it mistakenly believed that it had contested the citations and never checked with counsel. The Secretary opposed reopening and noted…
Jim Walter Resources, Inc. v. Secretary of Labor, MSHA
Jim Walter Resources, Inc. v. Secretary of Labor (FMSHRC SE 2012-681-R): Methane imminent-danger order affirmed
Jim Walter Resources contested an imminent-danger withdrawal order issued at its underground No. 7 coal mine after an MSHA inspector measured methane above the explosive threshold in a roof cavity. Judge James G. Gilbert found that several fixed electrical sources were too far downwind to pose a…
Secretary of Labor, MSHA v. Apex Quarry, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Apex Quarry, LLC (FMSHRC KENT 2010-784-M): Equipment and training citations split
MSHA brought thirteen training, electrical, mobile-equipment, guarding, and roadway allegations against Apex Quarry, a small Kentucky limestone operation. Judge Thomas P. McCarthy affirmed six citations involving an incomplete training plan, defective parking brakes and headlights, and an uncovered…
Secretary of Labor, MSHA v. E & G Masonry Stone #2
Secretary of Labor v. E & G Masonry Stone #2 (FMSHRC CENT 2013-461-M): Paid assessment not reopened after deadline
E & G Masonry Stone sought to reopen a penalty assessment after learning that one inspection had produced multiple assessments. The company discovered the problem from a delinquency notice, later paid the debt, and had previously moved to reopen a different assessment from the same inspection. The…
B.K. and Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Cheektowaga, NY
B.K. (ECAB 13-2015): Car accident reports did not reopen back injury claim
B.K., an IRS contact representative, claimed that moving chairs at work in May 2012 aggravated a back condition. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred but denied the claim because medical causation was unproven. With a reconsideration request, B.K. submitted later medical reports about her back…
C.V. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Columbia, SC
C.V. (ECAB 13-2003): Knee claim lacked medical link to concrete-floor work
C.V., a postal distribution operations manager, attributed a right knee condition to walking on concrete floors at work. His physician documented knee pain, arthritic changes, and a meniscus tear, and supplied work restriction notes. The Board found that the notes did not give a firm diagnosis and…
K.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Hyattsville, MD
K.T. (ECAB 13-1863): Accepted robbery incident lacked medical injury evidence
K.T., a letter carrier, reported that he was robbed at gunpoint while delivering mail in May 2013. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred as described. It asked him to clarify the injury he was claiming and provide medical evidence, but he submitted no medical report or diagnosis. The Board found…
R.B. and Department of the Navy, Commander U.S. Pacific Fleet Shipyards, Bremerton, WA
R.B. (ECAB 13-1858): Hearing loss not linked to federal workplace noise
R.B., a Navy shipyard welder, had documented workplace noise exposure and claimed it caused permanent hearing loss. Audiograms showed hearing loss, but a specialist concluded that the small change between 1997 and 2012 was consistent with aging rather than federal workplace noise. The Board…
J.W. and Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Richmond, VA
J.W. (ECAB 13-1852): Physician change denied and wages rated at actual earnings
J.W., an IRS revenue agent with accepted hand and wrist conditions, returned to full-time modified work within his medical restrictions. He asked OWCP to approve a new treating physician whose office was about 300 miles from his home. The Board found that OWCP reasonably denied the change because…
T.W. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Asheville, NC
T.W. (ECAB 13-1706): Termination of injury benefits reversed
T.W., a Veterans Affairs employee, received compensation for accepted back and muscle conditions following a workplace fall. OWCP ended her wage-loss and medical benefits based on a second opinion that said her work injury had resolved. The Board found that the physician did not explain how his…
H.L. and Department of Veterans Affairs, South Texas Health Care System, San Antonio, TX
H.L. (ECAB 13-1581): Wage-loss claim denied after employment ended
H.L., a Veterans Affairs radiology technician, sought wage-loss compensation after her employer removed her from service. OWCP had accepted several shoulder and arm injuries. A previous Board decision reversed a benefit termination based on refusal of suitable work because she had actually…
Z.S. and Department of the Air Force, Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH
Z.S. (ECAB 13-1499): Denial of additional hip condition affirmed
Z.S., an Air Force logistics specialist, had an accepted temporary aggravation of left hip osteoarthritis after falling on ice at work. She claimed that the fall, later work duties in Germany, and physical therapy caused lasting hip and piriformis conditions. After an earlier Board remand to…
W.J. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Iron Mountain, MI
W.J. (ECAB 13-1440): Injury claim denied after parking-lot fall
W.J., a Veterans Affairs radiologist, fell in a parking lot while walking to his car after work. OWCP accepted that the fall occurred but denied his claim for a related neck or right arm condition. The Board found that nurse practitioner reports did not qualify as physician evidence under FECA and…
R.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Milwaukee, WI
R.B. (ECAB 13-0961): No increase in arm impairment awards or additional back condition
R.B., a postal employee, had received schedule awards for 29 percent impairment of his right arm and 27 percent of his left arm after accepted nerve and cervical conditions. He sought larger awards and recognition of an additional back condition. The Board found that his physicians' new impairment…
D.K. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Jamaica, NY
D.K. (ECAB 13-0953): Postal worker's wage-capacity rating reversed
D.K., a postal distribution clerk with accepted back conditions, worked in a modified part-time position after her injury. OWCP used that position's actual wages to determine her earning capacity in October 1999, and later declined to change the rating. The Board found that OWCP had not shown she…
S.K. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Knoxville, TN
S.K. (ECAB 13-0670): Reconsideration denied without a merits review
S.K., a former postal carrier with accepted injuries and depression, had her wage-loss benefits terminated after refusing a modified position in 2004. She sought reconsideration again in 2012, repeating her claim that OWCP had violated its procedures. Her representative argued on appeal to the…
All Erection & Crane Rental Corp.
Medical-services and asbestos-survey items vacated
All Erection & Crane Rental supervised temporary workers cleaning debris from a deteriorated building in Cleveland. One worker suffered a head injury when a table leg struck her, and a supervisor offered to take her to a nearby hospital, but she declined. The Commission held that the offer made…
Brenda A. Cullinan v. Peabody Twentymile Mining LLC
Discrimination complaint dismissed
Former fire boss Brenda Cullinan alleged that Peabody Twentymile fired her because she repeatedly reported safety hazards at the Foidel Creek Mine. Judge Richard W. Manning found that her hazard reports were protected activity and that management knew of them and showed some hostility toward her…
Stewart Electric Co., Inc.
Arc-flash citations vacated for lack of employer knowledge
A Stewart Electric crew leader and helper were severely burned by an arc flash while replacing a circuit breaker inside an energized 480-volt panel at an automobile dealership. The crew leader did not use the two sets of protective equipment supplied at the site and used a non-insulated…
M.V.P. Piping Co., Inc.
Willful trench penalty increased to $22,000
M.V.P. Piping sent two employees into a 6-foot-4-inch-deep excavation with vertical walls and no cave-in protection. The company used gravel backfill, an exit ramp, and spotters as a temporary safety plan, but none of those measures could prevent a potentially fatal collapse. The Commission held…
L.S. and Department of the Army, Lyster Army Health Clinic, Fort Rucker, AL
L.S. (ECAB 13-1968): Hypertension and eye injury claim denied
L.S., an Army clinic personnel specialist, claimed that stress from a workplace dispute caused high blood pressure and a left eye vein occlusion. OWCP accepted that the verbal dispute occurred. The Board found that her ophthalmologist attributed the eye condition to poorly controlled hypertension…
E.F. and Department of the Navy, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, VA
E.F. (ECAB 13-1914): Right leg impairment award and reconsideration denial affirmed
E.F., a Navy shipyard worker, had received schedule awards totaling 27 percent impairment of his right leg after an accepted knee injury. Following knee replacement surgery, OWCP awarded another four percent, bringing the total to 31 percent. The Board found that OWCP's medical adviser used the…
E.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Trenton, NJ
E.M. (ECAB 13-1864): Consequential emotional condition claim denied
E.M., a postal letter carrier with accepted knee, back, and arm injuries, claimed that those injuries caused major depression. Two psychologists attributed his symptoms to pain, lost work, and other consequences of the injuries. The Board found that their report did not explain how the specific…
C.E. and Department of Labor, Occupational Health & Safety Administration, Cleveland, OH
C.E. (ECAB 13-1860): Emotional condition claim denied
C.E., a Department of Labor safety specialist, claimed that supervisory actions and alleged harassment caused stress and depression. Her allegations involved a reprimand, performance plan, case assignments, leave requirements, telework, and asserted discrimination and overwork. The Board treated…
M.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Sumner, WA
M.G. (ECAB 13-1750): Overpayment and denial of waiver affirmed
M.G., a former postal employee, received too much compensation because OWCP used an incorrect pay rate. After an earlier Board remand, OWCP determined that her pay rate at the time of injury exceeded her rate when disability recurred. The Board upheld that calculation and the resulting overpayment…
L.E. and U.S. Postal Service, Philadelphia Performance Cluster, Philadelphia, PA
L.E. (ECAB 13-1743): Foot and ankle occupational disease claim denied
L.E., a postal letter carrier, reported left foot, ankle, and elbow pain associated with years of walking and carrying mail. OWCP accepted the described work factors and diagnoses but denied the occupational disease claim for lack of medical proof connecting them. The Board found that one physician…
I.A. and Department of the Air Force, 544th Propulsion Maintenance Squadron, Tinker Air Force Base, OK
I.A. (ECAB 13-1701): Right arm occupational disease claim denied
I.A., an Air Force painter, reported that his right hand locked while he used a paint gun in November 2012. He had an earlier accepted claim for right carpal tunnel syndrome, but the Board found no current diagnosis of that condition in this claim. A clinic physician diagnosed a forearm muscle…
E.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, San Diego, CA
E.C. (ECAB 13-1396): Compensation reduction for missing vocational training affirmed
E.C., a postal clerk with an accepted foot condition, stopped working when the Postal Service withdrew his limited-duty position. OWCP directed him to attend vocational training and reduced his compensation after he did not appear. The Board found that medical evidence supported his ability to work…
Secretary of Labor, MSHA on behalf of Clinton Ray Ward v. Argus Energy WV, LLC
Secretary of Labor on behalf of Clinton Ray Ward v. Argus Energy WV, LLC (FMSHRC WEVA 2012-1448-D): Temporary reinstatement tolled after mine closure
Clinton Ray Ward had remained temporarily reinstated while his discrimination case proceeded against Argus Energy. Argus closed Deep Mine No. 8 amid a regional coal-market collapse, laid off 56 of 62 employees, and retained only workers selected for the skills and certifications needed to close the…
Secretary of Labor, MSHA v. John Richards Construction
Secretary of Labor v. John Richards Construction (FMSHRC WEST 2011-129-M): Simplified proceeding set and depositions denied
MSHA alleged that John Richards Construction operated machinery without a securely installed guard and proposed a $100 penalty. Judge William B. Moran designated the single-citation case for the Commission's simplified-proceedings track and denied the operator's request to take depositions. He…
Secretary of Labor, MSHA v. REBCO Coal, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. REBCO Coal, Inc. (FMSHRC SE 2012-341, SE 2012-386): Five mine-safety violations affirmed
MSHA cited REBCO Coal during rehabilitation of its Valley Mine No. 1 for a battery charger left in the primary escapeway, two loose-rib conditions, roof support that did not follow the approved plan, and extensive combustible accumulations around a feeder. Judge William S. Steele affirmed all five…
American Coal Company v. Secretary of Labor, MSHA
American Coal Company v. Secretary of Labor (FMSHRC LAKE 2010-408-R): Smoldering-stockpile order affirmed on remand
MSHA issued a section 103(k) control order after inspectors observed smoke, smoldering coal, heat, and white ash on American Coal's New Future stockpile. On an initial remand from the Commission, Judge Margaret A. Miller applied the Secretary's definition of a mine fire as including smoldering…
Secretary of Labor, MSHA v. Kentucky Fuel Corporation and Lloyd K. Branham
Secretary of Labor v. Kentucky Fuel Corporation and Lloyd K. Branham (FMSHRC KENT 2011-1557, et al.): Defective-dozer and ground-control violations affirmed
MSHA cited Kentucky Fuel after inspectors found numerous unresolved defects on an operating dozer and a full catch bench that allowed rocks and debris to travel toward occupied homes below the Beech Creek Surface Mine. Judge Margaret A. Miller affirmed two S&S dozer citations, including an…
R.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Grand Rapids, MI
R.H. (ECAB 13-1987): Knee injury denial and late review request affirmed
R.H., a city mail carrier, said he twisted his left knee while stepping onto a curb during his route. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred, but the emergency physician diagnosed pain rather than a medical condition and did not explain how the incident caused an injury. Notes from physician…
S.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, New York, NY
S.W. (ECAB 13-1903): Wrist and thumb claim lacked medical causation
S.W., a postal mailhandler, attributed wrist and thumb conditions to repetitive mail sorting, labeling, and cutting tasks. OWCP accepted the work duties and the existence of diagnosed conditions, but denied the claim because the medical evidence did not establish a causal link. Some reports…
E.U. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Denver, CO
E.U. (ECAB 13-1853): Epidural injection authorization denial affirmed
E.U., a postal letter carrier, had accepted neck and left shoulder injuries after carrying mail with her left arm. Her treating physician requested authorization for a cervical epidural steroid injection. The Board found that the treating reports did not adequately explain why the injection was…
A.F. and Department of Health & Human Services, Indian Health Service, Aberdeen, SD
A.F. (ECAB 13-1736): Forfeiture start date corrected; wage-loss denial affirmed
A.F., an Indian Health Service housekeeper, had an accepted lumbar disc injury after moving a washing machine at work. OWCP suspended his benefits from November 14, 2012 after a felony conviction and denied wage-loss compensation for February 9 and 10, 2012. The Board held that forfeiture began…
P.D. and Department of Commerce, 2010 Decennial Census, Dallas, TX
P.D. (ECAB 13-1720): Timely reconsideration request sent back to OWCP
P.D. sought wage-loss compensation after a work-related motor vehicle accident while employed by the Census. OWCP denied the wage-loss claim on June 24, 2011, and her attorney requested reconsideration in a letter dated June 22, 2012. OWCP received the letter on June 27 and treated the request as…
D.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Columbus, OH
D.R. (ECAB 13-1591): Termination of compensation for lumbar sprain affirmed
D.R., a postal carrier, received compensation for an accepted lumbar sprain after reporting a back injury while delivering mail. Her treating physician said she remained disabled, while an OWCP referral physician found no continuing effects from the accepted injury. OWCP obtained an impartial…
E.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, San Diego, CA
E.C. (ECAB 13-1485): Emotional condition claim denied after job withdrawal
E.C., a postal mail processing clerk, had an accepted foot condition and later stopped working when the Postal Service withdrew his limited-duty assignment under its National Reassessment Process. He sought compensation for depression, which his psychiatrist attributed to losing his job. The Board…
S.R. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH
S.R. (ECAB 13-1149): New impartial examination required for right knee claim
S.R., a VA nursing assistant, claimed that an accepted left knee injury led to a right knee condition. Her treating physician supported that link, while an OWCP referral physician rejected it. OWCP obtained an impartial specialist’s opinion and denied the right knee claim. The Board found that the…
S.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Detroit, MI
S.C. (ECAB 13-2026): Refusal to reopen back injury claim affirmed
S.C., a postal mail handler, reported low back pain after lifting mail at work. OWCP denied her injury claim and later declined to reopen it when she requested reconsideration by checking a box on an appeal form. The Board could review only that refusal, because the appeal was filed more than 180…
P.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Charlotte, NC
P.L. (ECAB 13-1803): Wage-earning capacity determination left in place
P.L. returned to full-time modified work after an accepted back injury. OWCP found in 2002 that earnings from the modified postal position reflected wage-earning capacity and reduced compensation to zero. The Postal Service withdrew the position in 2011, and P.L. sought wage-loss compensation and…
C.K. and Department of Homeland Security, Customs & Border Protection, Washington, DC
C.K. (ECAB 13-1794): Late reconsideration request rejected
C.K. had an accepted claim for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome and sought wage-loss compensation for later periods. OWCP issued its last merits decision on the wage-loss matter on December 2, 2011, and received her reconsideration request on December 4, 2012. The Board found the request outside…
C.H. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Omaha, NE
C.H. (ECAB 13-1661): Duplicate evidence did not reopen injury claim
C.H., a VA nursing assistant, reported falling at work and injuring her right shoulder and hip. OWCP accepted that the fall occurred but denied the claim because the medical evidence did not establish a causal link to the claimed conditions. In a later reconsideration request, her attorney referred…
L.F. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Indianapolis, IN
L.F. (ECAB 13-1631): $1,807.88 overpayment and fault finding affirmed
L.F., a postal employee with accepted arm conditions, received total disability compensation while away from work. She returned to light-duty work at full pay on November 30, 2012, but a compensation payment also covered November 30 through December 15. The Board upheld OWCP’s $1,807.88 overpayment…
J.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing & Delivery Center, San Francisco, CA
J.D. (ECAB 13-1464): New hand and wrist injury claim denied
J.D., a postal mail processing clerk, filed a new claim for hand and wrist symptoms that she attributed to repetitive work. She had earlier accepted claims, including one for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, but her compensation for that condition had been terminated. A later nerve study showed…
L.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Coronado Station, Santa Fe, NM
L.B. (ECAB 13-1308): No additional day of disability pay owed
L.B., a postal employee, sought an additional $88.57 of disability compensation after a prior Board decision restored benefits. He believed one day had been omitted from a payment covering February 2012. The Board found that a letter from OWCP had mislabeled the payment period, causing the…
J.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing & Distribution Center, Los Angeles, CA
J.H. (ECAB 13-1129): Work incident established but injury claim denied
J.H., a postal general expeditor, reported being thrown forward when a ramp chain popped up at work and claimed back and foot injuries. The Board accepted that the incident happened as described. It found that a physician assistant’s report could not establish medical causation under FECA, while a…
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1622 (Union) and United States Department of Defense, Army and Air Force Exchange Service, Fort Meade Exchange Shoppette, Fort Meade, Maryland (Agency)
Fort Meade Exchange Shoppette and AFGE Local 1622 (FLRA 0-AR-4909): Freezer pay claim denied
Employees at an Army and Air Force Exchange Service grocery entered freezers briefly while stocking food. Their union sought environmental differential pay for the cold exposure, but an arbitrator found that the short, occasional trips did not qualify. The Authority denied the union's exceptions…
B.L. and Department of the Army, Test & Evaluation Command, White Sands Missile Range, NM
B.L. (ECAB 13-1869): Benefit suspension and hearing denial affirmed
B.L., an Army IT specialist, received benefits for an accepted lumbar sprain. OWCP scheduled a second-opinion examination in El Paso, but she did not attend and did not respond within 14 days to its proposed suspension. She said she had not received the notices. The Board found that the notices…
K.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing & Distribution Center, Coppell, TX
K.A. (ECAB 13-1842): Wage-loss claim lacked reasoned medical support
K.A., a postal maintenance mechanic, injured his back while moving scrap metal at work. OWCP accepted thoracic and lumbar neuritis and radiculitis, but denied his claim for total disability from December 19, 2010 through April 18, 2011. The Board found that several physicians’ reports did not…
D.G. and Social Security Administration, Jamaica, NY
D.G. (ECAB 13-1785): Elevator incident claim lacked medical proof of causation
D.G., a Social Security Administration contract representative, reported that an elevator dropped abruptly while she was riding it. OWCP accepted the incident but denied her claim for neck, back, limb and emotional conditions. The Board found that the chiropractor’s opinion lacked the x-ray…
K.C. and Department of Labor, Office of Workers’ Compensation, Boston, MA
K.C. (ECAB 13-1767): Right leg impairment rating sent back for review
K.C., a DOL claims examiner, had accepted right shoulder, hip and lumbar conditions and received schedule awards totaling 47 percent impairment of the right leg. She challenged the rating, arguing that the examining physician and medical adviser used the wrong table for impairment arising from a…
Y.M., claiming as widow of J.M., and Department of the Navy, Naval Air Station, San Diego, CA
Y.M. (ECAB 13-1766): Widow’s claim returned for medical clarification
Y.M. sought survivor benefits after her husband, a former Navy employee, died in 2011. His accepted work-related conditions included aggravations of diabetes, hypertension and obesity. His treating physician linked the progression of those conditions to his death, while an OWCP medical adviser…
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.