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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B.C. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Hefner Veterans Medical Center, Salisbury, NC
B.C. (ECAB 10-1173): Schedule award denial returned for a clearer impairment opinion
B.C., a nursing assistant, claimed permanent impairment after accepted work injuries involving his back and other conditions. OWCP denied a schedule award based on a physician’s view that he had no permanent impairment. The Board found that the physician’s opinion needed clarification, including…
J.D. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Memphis, TN
J.D. (ECAB 10-1036): Left arm schedule award denial affirmed
J.D., a medical center correspondence clerk, sought a schedule award for left arm impairment after OWCP accepted carpal tunnel syndrome and an ulnar nerve lesion. Her physician rated impairment from writer’s cramp or focal dystonia. The Board found that this rating did not establish impairment from…
C.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Bellmawr, NJ
C.H. (ECAB 10-935): Knee compensation termination reversed for incomplete medical history
C.H., a postal employee, received compensation after an accepted right knee injury. OWCP ended benefits based on medical opinions that attributed her continuing knee problems to preexisting disease. The Board found those opinions unreliable because the physicians lacked a complete history of an…
M.S. and Department of the Army, Command Safety Office, Fort Drum, NY
M.S. (ECAB 10-736): Suitable work termination reversed over conflicting medical limits
M.S., an Army cook, received compensation after a work injury to her shoulder and knee. The agency offered her an office clerk position, and OWCP ended compensation after she refused it. Her treating physician and OWCP’s referral physician agreed she could work eight hours but gave substantially…
J.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Washington, DC
J.J. (ECAB 10-716): Schedule award and late hearing request denials affirmed
J.J., a postal letter carrier, sought a schedule award after accepted left arm and wrist conditions. His physician gave impairment percentages but did not explain the required rating factors under the applicable medical guide, even after OWCP requested clarification. The Board found the evidence…
D.C. and Department of Defense, DECA-West, McClellan Air Force Base, CA
D.C. (ECAB 10-624): Wage loss reduction reversed because medical opinions were stale
D.C. received wage loss benefits after an accepted work injury. OWCP reduced them based on her supposed ability to work as a telephone sales representative. The medical opinions used to support that job dated from 2002, nearly seven years before the 2009 reduction. The Board held that OWCP needed a…
T.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Del City Finance Unit, Del City, OK
T.H. (ECAB 10-595): Foot injury claim denied for lack of a medical link to workplace trip
T.H., a postal clerk, reported tripping over a metal rod in a parking bumper at work. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred but denied that it caused his right foot and ankle conditions. The Board found that his physician had not adequately explained how the trip caused the diagnosed conditions…
S.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Memphis, TN
S.C. (ECAB 10-460): Wage loss and continuation of pay denials affirmed
S.C., a postal employee, had an accepted temporary aggravation of asthma after exposure to construction dust. She sought wage loss compensation after returning to a lower paid position in Memphis. The Board found that the medical evidence did not establish work-related disability for the period…
D.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Philadelphia, PA
D.B. (ECAB 10-397): Disability and abandoned hearing rulings affirmed
D.B., a postal letter carrier, claimed wage loss for a period after an accepted right foot contusion. The Board found that her medical reports did not establish disability caused by the accepted condition during that period. She also missed a scheduled telephone hearing without requesting…
United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and American Federation of Government Employees, National Council of HUD Locals 222
HUD and AFGE Council 222 (FLRA 0-AR-4586): Promotion remedy set aside and returned to arbitrator
HUD employees alleged that they were discouraged from applying for newly created positions with promotion potential to GS-13. An arbitrator found that HUD had treated them unfairly and ordered a retroactive upgrade of their existing positions to GS-13. The Authority held that the grievance about…
Consolidation Coal Company
Seven unwarrantable-failure orders affirmed
MSHA issued seven section 104(d)(2) orders at Consolidation Coal's Loveridge No. 22 underground mine. The orders involved extensive combustible coal and coal-dust accumulations, inadequate preshift examinations that failed to report those hazards, a continuous miner returned to service with major…
North County Sand & Gravel, Inc.
Reopening denied over unexplained delay
North County said it timely mailed a penalty contest form in a self-addressed envelope but had no proof of mailing, while MSHA said it does not provide such envelopes and had no record of receiving the form. The Secretary opposed reopening and noted that the operator waited more than six months…
L.P. and U.S. Postal Service, West End Post Office, Atlanta, GA
L.P. (ECAB 10-1251): No additional right leg schedule award beyond 22 percent
L.P., a postal letter carrier, had received schedule awards totaling 22 percent impairment of his right leg after knee injuries and surgeries. He sought an additional two percent based on his physician’s opinion. The Board found that OWCP’s medical adviser properly applied the sixth edition of the…
R.L. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Altoona, PA
R.L. (ECAB 10-1181): Compensation overpayment and fault finding affirmed
R.L., a Veterans Health Administration physical therapist, continued receiving disability compensation after returning to full-time work. The Board agreed that payments for the same period as his salary created a $5,115.25 overpayment. OWCP had warned him to return payments covering time after his…
R.P. and Department of the Air Force, Logistics Readiness Squad, Robins Air Force Base, GA
R.P. (ECAB 10-1123): New impairment claim must receive a fresh schedule award decision
R.P., an Air Force supply specialist, previously had a schedule award claim denied because no ratable arm impairment was shown. He later submitted new medical evidence claiming permanent impairment from his accepted hand and wrist conditions. OWCP treated the filing as an untimely reconsideration…
C.C. and U.S. Postal Service, West Farms Station, Bronx, NY
C.C. (ECAB 10-985): Injury claim denied but emergency treatment issue returned
C.C., a postal letter carrier, reported being attacked while delivering a package and received hospital treatment the same day. OWCP accepted that the incident happened but denied his injury claim because he submitted no medical evidence establishing the claimed conditions. The Board affirmed that…
J.H. and Department of Labor, Post Office, Trumbull, CT
J.H. (ECAB 10-966): No greater arm impairment than prior three-percent award
J.H., a letter carrier, had an accepted right elbow condition and a prior schedule award for three percent right arm impairment. She sought a larger award based on physicians’ ratings under an older edition of the medical guide. The Board found that the medical adviser’s rating under the applicable…
K.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Haiku, HI
K.M. (ECAB 10-695): Termination of wage loss after forehead injury affirmed
K.M., a rural postal carrier, sustained a forehead laceration in a vehicle incident at work and received compensation. OWCP later ended wage loss benefits. The Board found that her attending physician supported a return to regular work and that other reports did not establish continuing disability…
B.F. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Philadelphia, PA
B.F. (ECAB 10-635 and 10-636): Arm awards returned for medical and pay rate review
B.F., a postal clerk, received schedule awards for impairment of both arms after accepted shoulder and carpal tunnel conditions. Her examining physician and OWCP’s medical adviser disagreed about the impairment percentages, including the proper treatment of grip strength and sensory loss. The Board…
N.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Pittsburgh, PA
N.A. (ECAB 10-307): Resolution of shoulder and neck injuries supports benefit termination
N.A., a postal employee, claimed continuing effects from a work fall that injured his left shoulder and neck. OWCP relied on an impartial orthopedic specialist after the treating and referral physicians disagreed. The specialist found that the accepted contusion and sprain had resolved and…
N.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Havertown, PA
N.H. (ECAB 10-1434): Workplace slip established, but injury claim remains denied
N.H., a postal letter carrier, said he slipped on wet grass while delivering mail and developed left knee symptoms. OWCP disputed whether the incident occurred. The Board found that the evidence supported his account of the workplace slip, but the physicians had not adequately explained how it…
R.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Philadelphia, PA
R.T. (ECAB 10-1417): Leg impairment claim returned for complete impartial examination
R.T., a postal mail handler, had an accepted right hip contusion and low back strain from a work fall and had received an eight percent right leg award. She sought a larger award. The impartial specialist examined her knee but did not evaluate the accepted hip and back conditions or explain whether…
J.T. and Department of the Army, Anniston Army Depot, Anniston, AL
J.T. (ECAB 10-1404): Reconsideration request was timely by postmark
J.T., an Army depot painter, sought reconsideration of a denied emotional condition claim. OWCP received her request one day after the one-year deadline and treated it as late. The Board found that the envelope was postmarked two days before the deadline, which made the request timely under OWCP’s…
S.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, New York, NY
S.C. (ECAB 10-1333): Back injury claim denied for insufficient medical explanation
S.C., a postal window clerk, reported back pain after bending to file an item at work. OWCP accepted that the movement occurred but denied that it caused a compensable back injury. Her physicians diagnosed back conditions and referred to the work event, but the Board found that they did not explain…
R.O. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Kenner, LA
R.O. (ECAB 10-1176): Back injury and late written review request denials affirmed
R.O., a transportation security officer, reported back pain after repetitive lifting at work. OWCP accepted that the lifting occurred but denied the injury claim. The Board found that her physician did not connect the diagnosed back condition to the lifting and, in one report, attributed the pain…
S.H. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Marion, IL
S.H. (ECAB 10-1086): New back condition claim denied for lack of medical link
S.H., a community health nurse, said prolonged sitting and driving at work worsened her back condition after she returned from an earlier injury. OWCP accepted that she performed the duties she described but found no adequate medical link between those duties and a new back condition. The Board…
D.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing and Delivery Facility, Huntington, WV
D.W. (ECAB 10-1000): No increase to two percent left leg schedule award
D.W., a postal electronic technician, received a schedule award for two percent left leg impairment after an accepted knee injury and surgery. He sought a larger award and submitted higher ratings from physicians. A second opinion examiner and OWCP’s medical adviser each calculated one percent…
S.W. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Shreveport, LA
S.W. (ECAB 10-0607): Injury denial sent back for review of chiropractor’s x-rays
S.W., a nurse, reported pain after assisting a patient at work. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred but denied the injury claim because it found no qualifying medical opinion linking the incident to an injury. Her chiropractor reported spinal subluxations on x-rays, while a radiologist’s…
S.K. and Department of the Army, Vermont National Guard, Colchester, VT
S.K. (ECAB 10-0577): Nine more hours of treatment time awarded
S.K., a National Guard human resources specialist, returned to part time work after an accepted knee injury. OWCP had paid four hours of disability compensation per workday but denied additional hours she claimed in February and March 2009. The Board found that medical and therapy records supported…
D.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Edison, NJ
D.M. (ECAB 10-0285): Arm impairment dispute sent to a second impartial specialist
D.M. sought an award above the 33 percent right arm impairment already recognized for accepted shoulder and carpal tunnel conditions. An impartial specialist rated impairment higher but did not adequately explain how he rated weakness and carpal tunnel syndrome under the impairment guides. OWCP’s…
D.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Chicago, IL
D.S. (ECAB 10-1548): Claimed recurrence of total disability denied
D.S., a postal clerk, returned to limited duty after accepted neck, shoulder and wrist conditions. She stopped working in March 2009 and claimed that the earlier injury now prevented all work. Her physicians reported pain and an inability to work, but the Board found they did not explain a change…
L.C. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Coatesville, PA
L.C. (ECAB 10-1389): Eleven percent right arm schedule award upheld
L.C., a Veterans Affairs firefighter, sought a larger schedule award for accepted shoulder and cervical conditions. His physician rated 23 percent right arm impairment, including amounts for a distal clavicle resection and pain. The Board found that the surgery record did not show a distal clavicle…
T.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, New York, NY
T.D. (ECAB 10-1261): Refusal to reopen terminated benefits claim upheld
T.D., a postal mail handler, sought to reopen OWCP’s 2008 termination of benefits for an accepted back condition. He argued that the impartial medical opinion was stale and submitted reports describing continuing disability and other diagnoses. The Board found that those arguments and reports…
F.G. and U.S. Postal Service, JFK Airport Mail Facility, New York, NY
F.G. (ECAB 10-1254): Late reconsideration request did not reopen recurrence claim
F.G., a postal clerk with an accepted ankle injury, asked OWCP in 2009 to reconsider its 2001 denial of a claimed disability recurrence. The Board found the request outside the one year period for OWCP reconsideration. His submission asserted that the earlier medical evidence proved the recurrence…
N.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Wilson, NC
N.P. (ECAB 10-1219): Refusal to reopen back condition claim upheld
N.P., a postal clerk, attributed a back condition to years of lifting mail and standing at work. OWCP denied the claim because the medical reports did not adequately link the condition to those duties. On reconsideration she submitted a duty status report that diagnosed a herniated disc and limited…
A.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, New York, NY
A.T. (ECAB 10-0843): Recurrence of disability after neck injury unproven
A.T., a postal motor vehicle operator, had accepted neck and shoulder injuries from a 2001 work accident and later underwent cervical surgery. He claimed that renewed neck and arm symptoms made him unable to work beginning July 28, 2008. The Board found that his physicians described symptoms and…
E.C. and Department of the Navy, Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, MD
E.C. (ECAB 10-0766): Old wage capacity finding sent back for medical review
E.C. had an accepted back injury from 1962, and OWCP later based his compensation on the ability to work part time as a telephone solicitor. He sought a change to that wage capacity finding and total disability compensation for January 1999 through August 2008. His doctors reported that the work…
K.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Staten Island, NY
K.M. (ECAB 10-0655): Cervical strain recurrence claim denied
K.M., a postal letter carrier, returned to modified work after an accepted 1999 cervical strain. She later stopped working and claimed disability from the same injury beginning in October 2004. Her doctor diagnosed cervical disc herniations, but the Board found that he did not explain how the…
R.K. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Lebanon, PA
R.K. (ECAB 10-0415): Hearing loss and tinnitus claim sent back for medical review
R.K., a Veterans Affairs social worker, claimed hearing loss and tinnitus after exposure to a loud fan at work in July 2004. OWCP denied the claim after several specialist evaluations. The Board found that the latest referral physician could not give a definite opinion on whether the noise caused…
N.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Brooklyn, NY
N.G. (ECAB 10-0353): Emotional condition claim denial affirmed
N.G., a Postal Service clerk, claimed an emotional condition after a dispute with a senior clerk and a meeting with management. The Board found insufficient evidence of threats, harassment, or error in management’s handling of the dispute. It held that N.G. had not established a compensable…
Secretary of Labor, MSHA on behalf of Harry Lee Beckman v. Mettiki Coal (WV), LLC
Secretary of Labor on behalf of Harry Lee Beckman v. Mettiki Coal (WV), LLC (FMSHRC WEVA 2009-1526-D): Discrimination complaint denied
Harry Lee Beckman was a 28-year Mettiki employee, a longtime miners' representative, and the source of safety complaints about wet track and inadequate ballast. Mettiki discharged him six days after a diesel-locomotive collision injured two miners, one of whom required hospital treatment. The…
Secretary of Labor, MSHA on behalf of Chad Alex Green and William Donnie Smith v. D & C Mining Corporation
Secretary of Labor on behalf of Chad Alex Green and William Donnie Smith v. D & C Mining Corporation (FMSHRC KENT 2010-535-D): Two miners win retaliation case and back pay
D & C Mining laid off Chad Alex Green and William Donnie Smith after water leaked from behind a mine seal and inspectors arrived at the mine. The judge found that the company believed the two miners had caused the inspection and then singled them out by refusing to recall them while other employees…
United States Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, El Paso, Texas (Respondent) and American Federation of Government Employees, National Border Patrol Council, Local 1929, AFL-CIO (Charging Party)
Border Patrol, El Paso, and AFGE Local 1929 (FLRA DA-CA-09-0286): Birthday leave complaint returns for a merits decision
Border Patrol employees in El Paso had received administrative leave near their birthdays under an established practice. Management announced a change, but the union said the notice did not make clear whether the leave itself would end or only which supervisors could approve it. The union requested…
M.L. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Beckley, WV
M.L. (ECAB 10-1439): Denial of emotional condition claim affirmed
M.L., a VA social worker, attributed emotional and physical symptoms to changed job duties and alleged retaliation by her supervisor. The Board found no evidence that the employer erred or acted abusively when it changed her duties. It also found that she had not substantiated the alleged off-site…
B.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Tennessee Performance Cluster, Nashville, TN
B.J. (ECAB 10-1283): Claimed recurrence of total disability denied
B.J. claimed that accepted right wrist and arm injuries from 1980 and 1984 caused a recurrence of total disability beginning in July 2006. The Board found that her surgeon described symptoms and work restrictions but did not explain how the accepted conditions made her unable to perform any work…
M.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Walnut Hill Post Office, Petersburg, VA
M.P. (ECAB 10-1272): Back injury recurrence denial affirmed
M.P., a Postal Service letter carrier, had an accepted lumbar sprain and later worked in a limited duty position. He claimed a recurrence of disability beginning September 11, 2008. The Board found no evidence that his limited duty requirements changed or that the accepted injury had worsened…
W.F. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Lakeland, FL
W.F. (ECAB 10-1218): Claimed neck injury denial affirmed
W.F., a Postal Service clerk, reported increased neck and back pain after two hours of work on May 28, 2009. The Board accepted that the work incident happened as described. It found that the medical reports did not explain how that work caused or aggravated a diagnosed condition. Some reports…
D.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing & Distribution Facility, Duluth, MN
D.L. (ECAB 10-1199): Shoulder impairment award affirmed
D.L., a Postal Service maintenance mechanic, had accepted injuries to both shoulders and received a schedule award for permanent impairment. He sought a higher rating for his left arm. The Board found that OWCP’s medical adviser used the sixth edition of the AMA Guides and that the record did not…
R.S. and Department of Homeland Security, Secret Service, Washington, DC
R.S. (ECAB 10-1180): Benefit overpayment and waiver denial affirmed
R.S., a former Secret Service officer, received OWCP wage loss compensation while also receiving federal retirement benefits. The Board found that this produced an overpayment of $13,735.17 between November 2006 and October 2008. OWCP found him without fault, but he did not return the requested…
P.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Main Post Office, Youngstown, OH
P.B. (ECAB 10-1145): Late reconsideration request denied
P.B. asked OWCP in June 2009 to reconsider the termination of her compensation benefits. The Board held that her request came more than a year after its February 2006 merit decision. It reviewed the new submissions under the clear evidence of error standard and found that the medical reports did…
C.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Bloomfield, MI
C.D. (ECAB 10-1115): Right shoulder injury claim denied after vehicle collision
C.D., a Postal Service letter carrier, claimed a right shoulder injury after her vehicle was struck from behind while she was working. OWCP accepted that the collision occurred, and her physician diagnosed and surgically treated a shoulder tear. The Board found that the physician did not adequately…
M.C. and Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Andover, MA
M.C. (ECAB 10-0936): Overpayment decision returned for capacity review
OWCP found that M.C. owed $17,112.36 in overpaid compensation and denied a telephone conference requested by her son, who claimed to hold a power of attorney. The Board found that OWCP had overlooked medical evidence of Alzheimer’s disease and advanced dementia when deciding whether her son could…
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1815 and United States Department of the Army, U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence, Fort Rucker, Alabama
AFGE Local 1815 and Fort Rucker (FLRA 0-AR-4666): Nonarbitrability award left in place
Fort Rucker employees underwent periodic medical exams, and their union grieved over who should pay when employees used private doctors or facilities. The arbitrator treated the request for an agreement about payment as an attempt to require midterm bargaining and dismissed the grievance as…
Northeast Solite Corporation
Final penalty assessment reopened
Northeast Solite asked the Commission to reopen a penalty assessment that had become final when it was not contested within 30 days. The Secretary did not oppose reopening. After reviewing the circumstances, the Commission granted the request and remanded the matter to the Chief Administrative Law…
White Flame Energy, Inc.
Final penalty assessment reopened
White Flame Energy asked the Commission to reopen a penalty assessment that had become final when it was not contested within 30 days. The Secretary did not oppose reopening. After reviewing the circumstances, the Commission granted the request and remanded the matter to the Chief Administrative…
C.F. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Modesto, CA
C.F. (ECAB 10-1264): Mail tub lifting injury claim denied
C.F., a Postal Service mail carrier, reported right arm pain after lifting a tub of mail at work. OWCP accepted that the lifting incident occurred. The Board found that one physician diagnosed probable ulnar neuropathy without explaining its connection to the incident. Another said the lifting…
R.P. and Department of the Navy, Marine Corps, Barstow, CA
R.P. (ECAB 10-1174): Voluntary break time jogging injury denied
R.P., a Marine Corps sandblaster, injured his leg while jogging during a work break on a military base. The Board found that his run was voluntary, was not part of his duties, and gave the employer no substantial direct benefit beyond general employee health and morale. It held that the injury did…
B.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Buffalo, NY
B.R. (ECAB 10-1159): Ankle injury recurrence and reconsideration denied
B.R. claimed that a lump on her right foot and ankle reflected a recurrence of an accepted 1994 ankle strain. The Board found that her physician did not explain how the new condition or claimed disability was caused by the old work injury. The physician’s later report repeated earlier information…
J.H. and Department of Justice, Parole Commission, Chevy Chase, MD
J.H. (ECAB 10-1075): Termination of back injury benefits affirmed
J.H. received compensation for an accepted aggravation of a lower back condition from a 1989 work injury. OWCP later ended benefits after a second opinion physician concluded that the accepted condition had resolved. The Board found that physician’s examination and test results supported his…
D.C. and Department of the Interior, Fish & Wildlife Service, Portland, OR
D.C. (ECAB 10-1046): Overpayment and repayment plan affirmed
D.C., a Fish and Wildlife Service employee, received wage loss payments at the total disability rate after a schedule award ended, although OWCP had set a lower rate based on his wage earning capacity. The Board upheld OWCP’s calculation of a $50,481.07 overpayment from April 2002 through October…
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.