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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A.J. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA
A.J. (ECAB 10-2162): Disability compensation denial affirmed
A.J., a medical center patient services assistant, sustained an accepted chest wall contusion when a file cabinet fell on her at work. She sought pay or disability compensation for the weeks after the incident. The hospital records documented her injury but did not address whether she was unable to…
W.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Belmont, MA
W.C. (ECAB 10-2154): Part-time wage capacity rating reversed
W.C., a postal letter carrier, returned after an accepted injury to a modified job answering phones four hours a day. OWCP used his earnings from that job to reduce his compensation and later refused to change the wage earning capacity rating. The Board found the rating erroneous because W.C. had…
T.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Macon, GA
T.L. (ECAB 10-2141): Overpayment and fault findings affirmed
T.L., a postal mail processor receiving partial wage loss compensation, worked for another business while also performing modified postal duties. Her benefits reporting form listed the postal work but did not disclose the other work, which included paperwork and helping customers. The Board held…
F.J. and Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Needles National Park, Monticello, UT
F.J. (ECAB 10-2138): General clerk wage capacity reduction upheld
F.J., a National Park Service maintenance worker, received wage loss compensation after an accepted left shoulder injury. OWCP reduced his payments based on a general clerk job identified through vocational rehabilitation. His physician found he could perform full-time limited duty, and the…
A.J. and Department of the Army, Montcrief Army Hospital, Fort Jackson, SC
A.J. (ECAB 10-2012): Compensation termination reversed
A.J., a former Army hospital worker, received compensation after OWCP accepted a temporary aggravation of chemical irritant contact dermatitis. OWCP terminated her benefits after its referral physician found no remaining contact dermatitis and said she could work in an environment without excessive…
J.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Main Post Office, Midwest City, OK
J.C. (ECAB 10-1874): Left leg impairment award returned for clarification
J.C., a former postal letter carrier, received a schedule award for 10 percent impairment of his left leg after an accepted knee condition. An examining physician rated the impairment at 20 percent, while OWCP’s medical adviser calculated 10 percent. The Board found the medical adviser’s rating…
A.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Erie, PA
A.W. (ECAB 10-1866): Five percent right leg schedule award upheld
A.W., a postal letter carrier, sought a larger schedule award for an accepted right hip labral tear. OWCP’s referral physician rated her right leg impairment at five percent based on hip motion. Its medical adviser agreed that the motion rating exceeded the four percent diagnosis based rating for…
B.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Cincinnati, OH
B.C. (ECAB 10-1856): Knee disability and surgery disputes returned for medical review
B.C., a postal mail handler, had an accepted aggravation of arthritis in both knees. She sought wage loss compensation after stopping work and authorization for left knee arthroscopic surgery. Her treating physician said the accepted condition prevented work and required surgery. OWCP’s referral…
John Richards Construction
Reopening request dismissed as moot
John Richards Construction asked the Commission to reopen a proposed penalty assessment that it believed may have become a final order. The Secretary reviewed the records and reported that the company had timely contested the assessment. Because the assessment never became a final Commission order…
Revelation Energy, LLC
Flyrock event supported accident-control order
A blast at Revelation Energy's surface mine sent a rock about six feet in diameter and weighing about two tons through a residential yard and into a creek near a road. No one was injured. MSHA issued a section 103(k) order to protect people on and off the mine site, and Revelation argued that the…
Matter of Armando RUIZ-LOPEZ
Eluding police is a crime involving moral turpitude
The Board reviewed the appeal of a Mexican national who had been ordered removed after a Washington conviction for attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle. The Board held that driving with wanton or willful disregard for the lives or property of others while eluding police is categorically a…
Caterpillar Logistics Services, Inc.
Work-related elbow illness should have been recorded
A Caterpillar employee developed epicondylitis while repeatedly scanning and handling parts in a distribution facility. The condition led to work restrictions, time away from work, reassignment, and medical treatment. The judge found the company's same-day ergonomic review deficient because it…
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2022 (Union) and United States Department of the Army, Blanchfield Army Community Hospital (Agency)
AFGE Local 2022 and Blanchfield Army Community Hospital (FLRA 0-AR-4756): Union exceptions denied
AFGE Local 2022 challenged an arbitration award involving Blanchfield Army Community Hospital. The Authority found no ground to set the award aside. It cited decisions concerning unsupported claims that an arbitrator exceeded authority, claims that an award violated law without identifying a…
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1738 (Union) and United States Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salisbury, North Carolina (Agency)
AFGE Local 1738 and Salisbury VA Medical Center (FLRA 0-AR-4751): Pager-pay exception dismissed
VA Medical Center employees sought overtime pay for carrying pagers while off duty. An arbitrator denied their grievance after finding no violation of the collective bargaining agreement. The union challenged the award by saying it conflicted with the agreement's plain language. The Authority…
United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Federal Correctional Institution, Allenwood, Pennsylvania (Agency) and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 4047, Council of Prison Locals, Council 33 (Union)
FCI Allenwood and AFGE Local 4047 (FLRA 0-AR-4691): Prison officers' overtime award partly remanded
Correctional officers at FCI Allenwood sought pay for activities before and after their shifts. The Authority upheld compensation for time after officers collected charged radio batteries, including travel to their posts, because that collection began their continuous workday. It set aside…
United States Department of the Navy, Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida (Agency) and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1960 (Union)
Naval Air Station Pensacola and AFGE Local 1960 (FLRA 0-AR-4688): Uniform allowance award upheld
Naval Air Station Pensacola required police officers and firefighters to wear uniforms. After increasing uniform allowances in 2007, it delayed the increases until 2010 and used employee self-certifications of past spending to calculate payments. An arbitrator found that the annual allowance had to…
United States Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Medical Center, Dayton, Ohio (Agency) and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2209 (Union)
Dayton VA Medical Center and AFGE Local 2209 (FLRA 0-AR-4523): Retroactive promotion award upheld
A purchasing agent at the Dayton VA Medical Center sought a prosthetics representative position but was rated at a lower grade and was not interviewed. An arbitrator found that the agency's treatment of her was influenced by her union activity and violated the parties' promotion procedures. He…
United States Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (Agency) and National Treasury Employees Union (Union)
Customs and Border Protection and NTEU (FLRA 0-AR-4438): Officers' scheduling award upheld
Customs officers challenged schedule changes under Customs and Border Protection's revised assignment policy. An arbitrator found that federal work-scheduling protections applied to the officers, that the agency had not justified an exception, and that it had failed to answer the union's…
Nuco International, Inc.
Final penalty assessment reopened
Nuco International asked the Commission to reopen a penalty assessment that had become final after it was not timely contested. The Secretary did not oppose the request. The Commission found the circumstances sufficient to reopen the matter, using the relief principles in Federal Rule of Civil…
Overton Sand & Gravel Company
Reopening denied without prejudice
Overton Sand & Gravel missed the deadline to contest a penalty assessment after requesting a conference about the underlying citations. The company said it misunderstood the process and that a personnel transfer disrupted handling of MSHA mail, while the Secretary emphasized that MSHA had clearly…
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1367 (Union) and United States Department of the Air Force, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas (Agency)
AFGE Local 1367 and Lackland Air Force Base (FLRA 0-AR-4737): Five-day suspension upheld
Lackland Air Force Base suspended an employee for five days after five absences it treated as unauthorized. An arbitrator found that the employee repeatedly failed to contact the supervisor designated to handle unscheduled leave requests, despite direct instructions, and upheld the suspension. The…
United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Federal Medical Center, Carswell, Texas (Agency) and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1006, Council of Prison Locals, Council 33 (Union)
FMC Carswell and AFGE Local 1006 (FLRA 0-AR-4641): Overtime damages and fees remanded
Correctional officers and vocational nurses at Federal Medical Center Carswell sought pay for work before and after scheduled shifts. An arbitrator found compensable work and awarded backpay, liquidated damages, fees, and costs. The Authority upheld the finding that collecting and returning charged…
Social Security Administration, Fredericksburg District Office (Agency) and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1923 (Union)
Fredericksburg Social Security office and AFGE Local 1923 (FLRA 0-AR-4445): Higher performance award upheld
A claims representative in Social Security's Fredericksburg office challenged her performance ratings. An arbitrator kept her Interpersonal Skills rating but raised her Participation rating from Successful to Outstanding after crediting testimony that she regularly helped coworkers. The higher…
United States Department of the Army, Womack Army Medical Center, Fort Bragg, North Carolina (Agency) and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1770 (Union)
Womack Army Medical Center and AFGE Local 1770 (FLRA 0-AR-4305): Repayment-waiver remedy set aside
Womack Army Medical Center mistakenly paid a nurse midwife at GS-12 before correcting her grade to GS-11 and seeking repayment. An arbitrator found that the GS-12 promotion was unlawful because the employee had not met the federal time-in-grade requirement, but ordered the agency to waive repayment…
United States Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Washington, D.C. (Agency) and Professional Airways Systems Specialists (Union)
FAA and Professional Airways Systems Specialists (FLRA 0-AR-4267): Market-survey disclosure award upheld
The Federal Aviation Administration commissioned a salary survey for contract negotiations, and the union asked for the survey and supporting information. An arbitrator found that the union needed the information for recurring pay-band reviews and ordered the agency to provide it or explain why…
C.S. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Fort Myers, FL
C.S. (ECAB 10-1935 and 11-0243): Related back claims returned for joint review
C.S. appealed decisions in two related back injury claims. In one claim, OWCP’s hearing representative said no evidence had been submitted after the hearing, although relevant physician reports had arrived before the decision. Each claim also referred to evidence in the other file. The Board held…
M.D. and U.S. Postal Service, National Distribution Center, Seattle, WA
M.D. (ECAB 10-2261): Arm claim returned for review of timely medical report
M.D., a postal mail handler, claimed bilateral arm and hand problems from his work. OWCP denied the claim, stating that he had submitted no medical evidence. A neurologist’s report had reached OWCP the day before that denial, but the decision did not consider it. The Board held that OWCP must…
J.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Baltimore, MD
J.S. (ECAB 10-2259): Schedule award claim returned to complete the record
J.S. sought a larger schedule award for left arm impairment after receiving earlier awards for carpal tunnel syndrome. OWCP calculated a new award using the prior rating, but the records for the carpal tunnel claim were absent from the file sent to the Board. The Board could not review a…
H.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, North Metro, GA
H.S. (ECAB 10-2257): Back claim returned for complete file review
H.S. appealed the denial of a postal work related back claim. OWCP said it had combined his three related claim files and relied on the history of an earlier claim. The complete record for that earlier claim was absent from the file sent to the Board. The Board found that it could not review a…
D.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Seven Oaks Station, Detroit, MI
D.M. (ECAB 10-2237): Timely hearing request returned for scheduling
D.M., a postal employee, requested a hearing after OWCP denied her claim for an injury from a fall on ice. She mailed the request within 30 days, but OWCP did not schedule the hearing and later ruled on a reconsideration request. The Board held that the timely hearing request had to be addressed…
P.G. and Department of the Air Force, Lackland Air Force Base, TX
P.G. (ECAB 10-2209): Eye impairment award returned for an uncorrected vision rating
P.G., an Air Force mechanic, received a schedule award after an accepted right eye injury and cataract. OWCP rated visual impairment at 15 percent using reports based on his best corrected vision. The Board held that the governing rule required the loss of vision to be measured without regard to…
C.C. and Department of the Navy, Naval Construction Battalion Center, Gulfport, MS
C.C. (ECAB 10-2204): Finger impairment claim returned for medical adviser review
C.C., a Navy equipment repairer, injured his left small finger at work and later sought a schedule award. His treating surgeon found no ratable impairment. C.C. also submitted measurements from a physical therapist, which OWCP found insufficient as a medical opinion. The Board held that OWCP still…
J.K. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Sheridan, WY
J.K. (ECAB 10-2199): Suitable work refusal termination reversed
J.K., a former medical center worker with an accepted back condition, was offered a job after receiving compensation. He wrote that he accepted and suggested a start date, but the employer did not confirm when or where he should report. OWCP terminated compensation because he had not arranged to…
M.L. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Louisville International Airport, Louisville, KY
M.L. (ECAB 10-2193): Carpal tunnel claim returned for combined file review
M.L., a transportation security employee, appealed the denial of an occupational disease claim for carpal tunnel syndrome. OWCP’s decision relied on medical reports from two different injury files, and it considered whether one alleged factor belonged to an earlier claim. The Board found that a…
R.H. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Medical Center, Long Beach, CA
R.H. (ECAB 10-2144): Wage loss claim returned to clarify the medical record
R.H., a medical center animal caretaker, sought wage loss compensation after an accepted concussion from a fall. OWCP denied the claim based on the accepted concussion, while its records also referred to earlier back conditions and authorized treatment without identifying all conditions involved…
D.R. and Department of the Interior, Volcanoes National Park, Volcano, HI
D.R. (ECAB 10-2000): Leg impairment awards returned for a new guide calculation
D.R. appealed a decision denying any additional schedule award for both legs. A prior Board decision had set aside the original awards, yet OWCP recalculated the impairment using the older edition of the medical guides. The Board held that the later decision was an initial award determination…
J.K. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Newark, NJ
J.K. (ECAB 10-1945): Knee impairment award returned for a reasoned decision
J.K., a transportation security supervisor, sought a schedule award for an accepted right knee injury. Physicians gave different impairment ratings, and an impartial specialist rated the right leg at seven percent under the newer medical guides. OWCP adopted that rating but did not explain how the…
S.R. and Department of the Army, Fort Campbell, KY
S.R. (ECAB 10-1897): New impairment evidence requires a merits decision
S.R., an Army employee, sought a schedule award for permanent impairment from an accepted condition affecting both wrists. After an earlier denial, her attorney submitted a new physician’s impairment report, and OWCP obtained additional medical opinions. OWCP then treated the request as an untimely…
R.V. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing & Distribution Center, Shreveport, LA
R.V. (ECAB 10-1791): Schedule award denial returned for medical review
R.V., a postal mail handler with an accepted lumbar injury, sought a schedule award. OWCP denied the claim after its medical adviser stated that there was no work-related lower extremity impairment. The Board found that the adviser did not explain that conclusion and had not reviewed a later report…
V.G. and Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Washington, DC
V.G. (ECAB 10-1767): Incomplete record and reasoning require a new claim decision
V.G. sought compensation for an emotional condition. The case file sent to the Board omitted a letter describing events that the employing agency had answered. OWCP also denied the claim without adequate findings on the evidence or reasons for rejecting it. The Board found that it could not decide…
G.G. and Department of Labor, Mine Safety & Health Administration, Pikeville, KY
G.G. (ECAB 10-1662): Medical evidence ruling needs clear findings and reasons
G.G. challenged OWCP’s treatment of new medical evidence and an asserted conflict between two physicians. OWCP described its ruling as a refusal to reopen the claim but actually weighed the physicians’ opinions, conducting a merits review. The Board found that OWCP did not explain why it favored…
T.B. and Department of the Navy, Naval Shipyard, Charleston, SC
T.B. (ECAB 10-1570): Wage-earning capacity ruling returned for explanation
T.B., a former shipyard painter with an accepted back injury, asked OWCP to change a 1999 finding that he could earn wages as a management trainee. He submitted medical reports stating that his work-related condition had worsened and prevented work. OWCP denied the request without explaining why…
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 738 (Union) and United States Department of the Army, Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas (Agency)
AFGE Local 738 and Fort Leavenworth (FLRA 0-AR-4726): Performance-rating exceptions dismissed
An Army employee at Fort Leavenworth received an unsuccessful overall performance rating and challenged it through a union grievance. An arbitrator found that the evaluation met the parties' agreement and applicable law, and denied the grievance. The union then filed exceptions alleging a range of…
American Federation of Government Employees, National Border Patrol Council, Local 2724 (Union) and United States Department of Homeland Security, United States Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, Office of Border Patrol, Ramey Sector, Ramey, Puerto Rico (Agency)
AFGE Local 2724 and Ramey Border Patrol Sector (FLRA 0-AR-4242): Rotation grievance denial upheld
Border Patrol agents assigned to the Ramey Sector in Puerto Rico challenged delays in rotating back to positions in the continental United States. An arbitrator denied their grievance after reading the parties' rotation agreement as allowing the agency to adjust tours for operational and…
United States Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Wage and Investment Division, Austin, Texas (Agency) and National Treasury Employees Union, Chapter 72 (Union)
IRS Austin and NTEU Chapter 72 (FLRA 0-AR-3977): Damages upheld, leave restoration remanded
An IRS employee won an arbitration grievance alleging disability discrimination, a hostile work environment, and retaliation. After an earlier Authority remand, the arbitrator again awarded $200,000 in compensatory damages and restoration of leave used in 2002 and 2003. The Authority upheld the…
Dandelion Inn
Late contests dismissed and citations left final
OSHA issued Dandelion Inn two sets of citations with combined proposed penalties of $4,450. The hotel filed its notices of contest months after the applicable 15-working-day deadlines. It argued that confusion, abatement submissions, staff changes, unreturned calls, and the informal-conference…
Matter of Hieu Trung LE
K-2 child's age fixed at admission for adjustment
The Board reviewed the appeal of a Vietnamese national who entered the United States on a K-2 visa as the derivative child of a K-1 fiancé(e) visa holder. The respondent was 19 when admitted but had turned 21 by the time his adjustment application was adjudicated. The Board held that a K-2…
D.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Shared Service Center, Pittsburgh, PA
D.B. (ECAB 10-2376): Claim for higher left leg impairment rating needs a complete calculation
D.B., a postal employee with an accepted knee injury, received a schedule award for 10 percent impairment of his left leg. On an earlier remand, OWCP obtained an impartial specialist’s report that also rated impairment at 10 percent. The Board found that the specialist selected a default rating but…
P.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, San Juan, PR
P.M. (ECAB 10-2302): Postal worker’s back claim requires further medical development
P.M., a postal sales service associate, claimed that sitting and standing at work aggravated his back and neck conditions. A treating doctor linked the conditions to his duties, but did not fully address an earlier injury. The Board found that the uncontradicted opinion was enough to require OWCP…
H.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Westport, CT
H.L. (ECAB 10-2011): Carpal tunnel claim lacked a reasoned medical link to work
H.L., a postal mail carrier, attributed bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome to his work. The medical reports documented the condition but did not explain how specific work duties caused or aggravated it. One doctor referred to a different injury date, and other doctors offered conclusions without…
P.E. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Washington, DC
P.E. (ECAB 10-1868): Five percent thumb award and reconsideration denial upheld
P.E., a postal review clerk, sought a higher schedule award for an accepted left hand and wrist condition. Her physician rated her thumb under an older edition of the medical guides, while OWCP’s examiner used the required edition and rated impairment at five percent. The Board found that the…
C.B. and U.S. Postal Service, New Tampa Station, Tampa, FL
C.B. (ECAB 10-1743): Emotional condition claim lacked a medical link to an accepted work factor
C.B., a postal employee, alleged harassment and other workplace events caused an emotional condition. The Board found that most alleged events were not established as compensable employment factors. OWCP had accepted last-minute scheduling of meetings as a work factor, but the medical reports did…
S.M. and Department of the Army, Installation Management Agency, Fort Campbell, KY
S.M. (ECAB 10-1699): Termination of compensation reversed for inadequate medical support
S.M., an Army secretary, received compensation for accepted neck and spine conditions. OWCP terminated benefits after relying on a medical examination it treated as impartial. The Board found that there had been no genuine conflict over the accepted conditions that gave the examiner special weight…
L.S., personal representative of the estate of C.S., and Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Washington, DC
L.S., personal representative of the estate of C.S., (ECAB 10-1677): Disability claim returned to clarify an impartial medical opinion
L.S., representing the estate of an FAA employee, sought compensation for disability after OWCP stopped benefits for an accepted anxiety condition. OWCP relied on an impartial specialist who concluded that the employee did not have dementia. The Board found that the specialist had not answered…
Ultra Commercial Interiors, Inc.
Unsecured and unmarked floor-cover violations affirmed
An Ultra Commercial Interiors foreman stepped on an unsecured plywood board that covered a floor opening and fell 16 feet, sustaining serious knee and ankle injuries. The cover was neither secured nor marked as a hole or cover. The judge found constructive knowledge because company supervisors knew…
P.S. and Department of Health & Human Services, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
P.S. (ECAB 10-1560): Injury denial upheld while medical expense issue returns to OWCP
P.S., an NIH employee, claimed an injury from a January 2010 incident and requested an oral hearing after OWCP denied the claim. The Board found that she had not established the injury and that her hearing request was postmarked one day after the 30-day deadline. It held, however, that OWCP still…
E.R. and Department of the Army, Fort Lewis, WA
E.R. (ECAB 10-1470): Board finds recurrence of disability from knee injury
E.R., an Army employee with an accepted right knee injury, sought compensation after she could no longer perform light duty in June 2008. Her treating surgeon explained that the knee condition had worsened and caused work restrictions. An OWCP physician also recognized worsening but later gave an…
Lakeview Rock Products, Inc.
Truck-scale guardrail citation vacated
MSHA cited Lakeview Rock Products because six elevated truck scales had eight-inch rub rails rather than rails reaching the 20-to-24-inch mid-axle height of trucks using them. The trucks were required to stop before entering and idle across the scales, and Lakeview submitted videos showing a truck…
Randolph Young v. Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company
Young v. Newport News Shipbuilding (BRB 10-0678): earnings reporting issue remanded
Randolph Young injured both knees while working at Newport News Shipbuilding and had a longstanding permanent total disability award. On modification, a judge continued total benefits through July 1, 2007, then awarded scheduled partial benefits after suitable alternative jobs became available. The…
C.S. and Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Richmond, VA
C.S. (ECAB 10-2389): Overpayment ruling needs findings and waiver review
C.S. challenged OWCP’s finding that she owed $2,890 in compensation overpayments. OWCP did not adequately explain how it calculated the amount. It also refused waiver because her financial information lacked documentation without first requesting the missing records as its procedure required. The…
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.