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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Matter of Y-S-P-T-
Motion to reopen denied for lack of waiver eligibility
The Board considered a timely motion to reopen filed by a Jamaican national who sought adjustment of status after his United States citizen wife obtained approval of an immigrant petition for him. He had convictions for sexual offenses and sought a waiver of inadmissibility under section 212(h) of…
Matter of A-G-O-F-, et al.
Humanitarian asylum grant vacated and CAT issue remanded
The Board reviewed the Department of Homeland Security's appeal from a grant of humanitarian asylum to a Brazilian lead respondent and derivative family members. The Board held that the proposed groups of “Brazilian children” and “abandoned Brazilian children” were not sufficiently particular, and…
Joe Holton v. Hobet Mining, Incorporated
Holton v. Hobet Mining (BRB 24-0409): Trust Fund directed to pay benefits
Joe Holton sought black lung benefits in a claim involving Hobet Mining and its former parent company, Arch Resources. After a federal appeals court ruling on insurer liability, the Board dismissed both from payment responsibility. The Director of the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs did…
Gloss v. Tata Chemicals North America
CAA claims affirmed, SOX findings reversed and remanded
Rodney Gloss was a finance executive at Tata Chemicals North America, a company that mines trona ore and processes it into soda ash. He alleged that the company retaliated against him after he reported environmental reporting and accounting concerns to auditors. The ARB affirmed the ALJ's rulings…
G.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Grants Post Office
Postal worker's shoulder claims returned to combine related files (ECAB 26-0366)
A postal worker sought expanded injury acceptance, disability benefits, and surgery authorization involving both shoulders. He said a left shoulder claim resulted from overusing that arm to compensate for a right-sided injury. The Board found the related files had not actually been combined in the…
D.T. and U.S. Postal Service, New Orleans Post Office
Postal worker's oral hearing request denied (ECAB 26-0354)
A postal worker requested an oral hearing on an injury claim after she had already sought reconsideration. The Board held she no longer had a hearing as a matter of right. It also found that OWCP reasonably exercised its discretion because the issue could be addressed through reconsideration. The…
S.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Lansing Processing & Distribution Center
Postal worker's intermittent disability claim denied (ECAB 26-0352)
A postal mail processing clerk sought compensation for intermittent absences after an accepted right shoulder strain. A doctor forecast absences from flare-ups of a rotator cuff tear, which was not an accepted condition, and did not explain disability from the accepted strain on the claimed dates…
Matter of A-W-M-K-
Bond appeal dismissed based on flight risk
The Board dismissed an appeal from an Immigration Judge's denial of bond. It held that a USCIS denial of the respondent's adjustment application and related records were admissible because they were probative of the respondent's prospects for lawful status and flight risk. The Board agreed that…
Bobby Mullins v. Kanawha Coal, LLC
Mullins v. Kanawha Coal (BRB 25-0221 BLA): benefits award and responsible operator affirmed
Bobby Mullins was awarded black lung benefits after the administrative law judge found total disability due to pneumoconiosis. The employer did not challenge entitlement on appeal, but argued that a later coal mine employer should be responsible for payment. The Board held that Kanawha Coal…
Jose Alvarez Duenas v. Constellis Group/Triple Canopy, Incorporated
Alvarez Duenas v. Constellis Group/Triple Canopy (BRB 24-0368): Psychological injury denial affirmed
Jose Alvarez Duenas worked as a security guard and driver for Constellis Group/Triple Canopy in Iraq. He sought benefits for psychological conditions that he attributed to war zone events. The judge found he had invoked the work injury presumption but that the employer rebutted it with a…
A.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Los Angeles Network & Distribution Center
Postal worker's appeal withdrawn and dismissed (ECAB 26-0575)
A postal worker appealed a May 2026 OWCP merits decision. Three days after the Board docketed the appeal, counsel asked to withdraw it. The Board granted the request and dismissed the appeal without deciding the underlying benefits dispute.
J.A. and Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration
Energy agency worker's late appeal dismissed (ECAB 26-0560)
An employee of the National Nuclear Security Administration appealed a 2024 OWCP decision in June 2026. The Board found the 180-day filing period had expired in December 2024. The appeal also identified a supposed May 2026 decision, but the record contained no adverse final OWCP decision from that…
T.B. and Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network
VA nursing assistant's shoulder injury claim denied (ECAB 26-0381)
A VA nursing assistant reported right shoulder symptoms while moving a patient with a lift. OWCP accepted the work incident but denied the claim for lack of a medical diagnosis connected with it. The Board found that a later report describing shoulder pain and prior surgery did not establish a firm…
J.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Festus Post Office
Postal worker's knee claim returned to combine earlier file (ECAB 26-0362)
A rural carrier sought to expand an accepted right knee injury claim after stepping in a hole at work. Another claim file also concerned her right knee, but the Board could not review its evidence. It directed OWCP to combine that file with the current claim and issue a new decision. A later…
Leonard W. Workman v. Hobet Mining, Incorporated
Workman v. Hobet Mining (BRB 24-0376): Trust Fund directed to pay benefits
Leonard W. Workman sought black lung benefits in a claim involving Hobet Mining and its former parent company, Arch Resources. After a federal appeals court ruling on insurer liability, the Board dismissed both from payment responsibility. The Director of the Office of Workers' Compensation…
Ricky Q. Paynter v. Hobet Mining, Incorporated
Paynter v. Hobet Mining (BRB 24-0267): Trust Fund directed to pay benefits
Ricky Q. Paynter sought black lung benefits in a claim involving Hobet Mining and its former parent company, Arch Resources. After a federal appeals court ruling on insurer liability, the Board dismissed both from payment responsibility. The Director of the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs…
R.J. and U.S. Postal Service, North Texas Processing & Distribution Center
Postal worker's appeal dismissed for lack of final OWCP decision (ECAB 26-0388)
A postal worker appealed a January 2026 notice adjusting compensation to offset Social Security retirement benefits attributable to federal service. The Board found the notice advised him of a payment calculation but did not constitute a final adverse OWCP decision. Without an appealable decision…
J.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Bellevue Post Office
Postal carrier's late reconsideration request denied (ECAB 26-0353)
A rural carrier sought reconsideration of a claim involving injuries reported after a vehicle collision at work. OWCP found the request was filed after the one-year period. The Board agreed and found that the request did not present clear evidence of error in the earlier decision. It affirmed the…
S.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Jack D. Watson Window Unit Post Office
Postal worker's request to add shoulder conditions denied (ECAB 26-0331)
A postal distribution clerk asked about adding shoulder conditions to an older accepted injury claim. OWCP requested supporting evidence, but received no response. The medical records in the file addressed mainly back and lower extremity conditions and did not connect a shoulder condition to the…
National Treasury Employees Union and United States Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection
NTEU and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (FLRA 0-NG-3528): Authority denies reconsideration of VERA and VSIP ruling
The National Treasury Employees Union asked the Authority to reconsider an earlier ruling that a proposal requiring Customs and Border Protection to offer early-retirement authority and separation incentive payments was outside the duty to bargain. The union argued that the Authority had failed to…
Matter of T-A-G-
Motion to pretermit remanded for a new decision
The Board reviewed the Department of Homeland Security's interlocutory appeal from an Immigration Judge's order denying a motion to pretermit three asylum applications while the respondents awaited decisions on pending Form I-130 petitions. The respondents were citizens of Belize and were…
Lottie M. Burgess (on behalf of and survivor of Ozie E. Burgess) v. Apogee Coal Company LLC
Burgess v. Apogee Coal (BRB 24-0131 and 25-0016): Trust Fund directed to pay benefits
Lottie Burgess pursued black lung benefit claims on behalf of, and as survivor of, Ozie Burgess. The Board dismissed Apogee Coal and its insurer from payment responsibility after a federal appeals court ruling about Arch Resources' liability as a self-insurer. The Director of the Office of Workers'…
Szmurlo v. ThyssenKrupp Elevator
Interlocutory appeals dismissed
Pete Szmurlo filed a Sarbanes-Oxley Act retaliation complaint against ThyssenKrupp Elevator and sought immediate review of several ALJ orders about discovery, a subpoena, sanctions, and related issues. The ARB held that the challenged orders could be reviewed after the ALJ issued a final decision…
J.N. and Department of the Interior, National Park Service
Park ranger's elbow disability claim denied (ECAB 26-0379)
A park ranger claimed disability after an accepted right elbow sprain during training. A medical form scheduled a biceps repair and said he should remain off work pending further evaluation. The Board found it did not explain disability from the accepted elbow sprain during the specific claimed…
T.P. and Department of the Air Force, Wright Patterson Air Force Base
Air Force plumber's request for larger thumb award denied (ECAB 26-0351)
An Air Force plumber sought additional compensation after a work injury to his right thumb and wrist. The Board reviewed the permanent impairment ratings under the applicable medical guides. It found that the evidence did not establish more than the 15 percent right thumb impairment for which he…
M.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Citygate Retail Post Office
Postal worker's left arm rating upheld; right arm issue returned (ECAB 26-0166)
A retired postal mail handler sought a larger left arm schedule award and compensation for right arm impairment. The Board found the impartial medical evidence supported the existing 12 percent left arm rating. OWCP had not resolved whether an accepted cervical injury caused a right arm condition…
Matter of P-A-C-
Discretionary relief denied while withholding affirmed
The Board reviewed a Cameroonian respondent's appeal from the denial of asylum, adjustment of status, and cancellation of removal as matters of discretion. The Immigration Judge had granted withholding of removal to Cameroon, but denied the other applications after weighing the respondent's family…
L.W. and Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service
IRS worker's appeal withdrawn and dismissed (ECAB 26-0382)
An IRS worker appealed a March 2026 OWCP merits decision. Through counsel, the worker later asked to withdraw the appeal. The Board granted the request and dismissed the matter without deciding the underlying compensation issue.
S.P. and Department of Homeland Security, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
Training instructor's occupational condition claim denied (ECAB 26-0378)
A federal law enforcement training instructor attributed neck, shoulder, arm, and hand conditions to years of physical training demonstrations. OWCP accepted the described job factors but denied the claim for lack of adequate medical proof linking them to a condition. The Board found the medical…
T.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Oak Creek Annex
Postal worker's wage loss and medical benefit termination reversed (ECAB 26-0365)
A postal mail handler received benefits for an accepted right shoulder injury. OWCP terminated benefits based on a second opinion that attributed continuing symptoms to degeneration. The doctor observed a positive impingement sign but did not adequately explain why the accepted injury had ceased to…
A.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Detroit Post Office
Postal worker's right arm claim returned to combine related files (ECAB 26-0278)
A postal city carrier appealed a decision concerning an injury to her right arm and shoulder after a fall in a mail truck. Another OWCP claim file also involved her right upper extremity. The Board found that the files needed to be combined for a full review. It directed OWCP to combine them and…
Matter of H-I-A-H-
Asylum grant remanded for credibility and relocation findings
The Board reviewed the Department of Homeland Security's appeal from an Immigration Judge's decision granting asylum to a Nicaraguan national. It found that the Immigration Judge's favorable credibility finding did not meaningfully address inconsistencies in testimony, witness accounts, and…
Matter of H-L-S-M-
CAT deferral grant vacated for insufficient individualized evidence
The Board reviewed the Department of Homeland Security's appeal from a grant of deferral of removal under the Convention Against Torture to an applicant for removal to Mexico and Guatemala. The applicant feared harm from gang members because he had cooperated with law enforcement in the United…
Ryan Carballo v. Prock Marine Company
Carballo v. Prock Marine (BRB 24-0458): Appeal dismissed while settlement awaits approval
Ryan Carballo's Longshore Act case against Prock Marine was on appeal by the employer and its carrier. The parties then reached a proposed settlement and jointly sought to return the case for approval. The Board dismissed the appeal without prejudice and sent the case to the administrative law…
R.N. and U.S. Postal Service, Dominick V. Daniels Processing & Distribution Center
Postal worker's back injury claim denied (ECAB 26-0291)
A postal mail processing clerk reported back pain while placing mail onto a machine. Her physician diagnosed a lumbar disc condition and linked it to the work incident, but the Board found his explanation of causation insufficient. Other medical evidence did not supply the missing connection. The…
G.V. and U.S. Postal Service, Melville Post Office
Postal carrier's retirement benefit overpayment upheld (ECAB 26-0232)
A postal city carrier received FECA wage loss compensation and Social Security age-related retirement benefits attributable to federal service during overlapping periods. OWCP had not applied the required offset and found a $14,720.03 overpayment, although the worker was without fault. The Board…
Matter of A-C-M-
Safe-third-country bar remanded for prompt decision
The Board reviewed the Department of Homeland Security's interlocutory appeal from an Immigration Judge's refusal to decide a motion to pretermit a Cuban respondent's asylum, withholding, and Convention Against Torture applications without a full evidentiary hearing. DHS argued that an asylum…
MSE Supplies, LLC
In re MSE Supplies, LLC (EAB FIFRA Appeal No. 26-02C): misbranded-device settlement approved
MSE Supplies, LLC imported five devices: two water-filtration systems, a compounding hood, an autoclave, and a clean booth. EPA cited purification or bacteria-removal claims for the filtration systems and sterilization claims for the other devices. EPA alleged that the devices were misbranded…
Everett R. Hounshell v. Diamond May Mining Company
Hounshell v. Diamond May Mining (BRB 25-0213): Black lung benefits award affirmed
Everett Hounshell sought black lung benefits after years of coal mine work. On an earlier appeal, the Board returned his claim for a fuller assessment of breathing tests and medical opinions. The judge then found that Hounshell had a totally disabling respiratory impairment and qualified for a…
Joyce E. Jones (on behalf of and survivor of Addison Jones) v. Apogee Coal Company, LLC
Jones v. Apogee Coal (BRB 24-0377 and 24-0433): Trust Fund directed to pay benefits
Joyce E. Jones pursued black lung claims on behalf of and as the survivor of Addison Jones. After a Fourth Circuit decision held that Arch could not be held liable as a self-insurer for benefits arising from a former Hobet subsidiary when Patriot Coal later became bankrupt, Core Natural Resources…
Joyce E. Jones (on behalf of and survivor of Addison Jones) v. Apogee Coal Company, LLC
Jones v. Apogee Coal (BRB 24-0377 and 24-0433): Trust Fund directed to pay benefits
Joyce Jones pursued black lung benefit claims on behalf of, and as survivor of, Addison Jones. After a federal appeals court ruling on Arch Resources' liability as a self-insurer, the Board dismissed Apogee Coal and Arch from payment responsibility. The Director of the Office of Workers'…
L.S. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Port of Calexico
Border officer's work-related COVID claim recognized (ECAB 26-0370)
A customs officer claimed she contracted COVID-19 through contact with travelers, coworkers, and the public at a port of entry. OWCP accepted her exposure but denied the condition. The Board found a physician's report adequately connected her positive COVID-19 diagnosis to the accepted work…
S.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Detroit Post Office
Postal carrier's disability and late written review requests denied (ECAB 26-0368)
A postal city carrier sought disability compensation after an accepted ankle injury. The medical reports supporting time off work focused on hip and back conditions and did not explain disability from the accepted ankle conditions. She also requested written review more than 30 days after the OWCP…
T.E. and U.S. Postal Service, Scranton Processing & Distribution Center
Postal worker's disability claim denial upheld (ECAB 26-0248)
A postal mail handler sought wage loss compensation after a heavy box struck her head at work. OWCP accepted aggravation of cervical conditions. Doctors documented symptoms and stated she could not work, but the Board found they did not adequately explain how the accepted injury disabled her…
Social Security Administration, Baltimore, Maryland and American Federation of Government Employees, Council 215, AFL-CIO
Social Security Administration and AFGE Council 215 (FLRA WA-CA-20-0257): Authority dismisses Skype-status complaint
The Social Security Administration made explicit a requirement that employees keep an accurate Skype status while working both remotely and at an agency office. AFGE Council 215 alleged that the agency committed an unfair labor practice by implementing the policy without notice and an opportunity…
Disciplinary Proceeding In Re Andy Carson
Attorney discipline inquiry sent for hearing
An Administrative Law Judge referred attorney Andy Carson for possible discipline after Carson accused the Judge of bias and of seeking to aid false testimony. The Commission had already rejected those accusations while deciding the related mine case. It made a preliminary finding that further…
Allen L. McAndrews v. Helvetia Coal Company, LLC
McAndrews v. Helvetia Coal (BRB 25-0157): Benefits denial returned for disability review
Allen McAndrews sought black lung benefits after 24 years of underground coal mine work. The judge denied benefits because he found no totally disabling respiratory condition. McAndrews appealed, and Helvetia Coal challenged the judge's finding of legal pneumoconiosis. The Board held that the judge…
Julio Arroyo Cordero v. Constellis Group
Arroyo Cordero v. Constellis Group (BRB 24-0393): Attorney fee rates returned for explanation
Julio Arroyo Cordero received disability and medical benefits for a psychological injury linked to his work for Constellis Group in Iraq. His lawyers requested fees and costs; the judge awarded $64,320 in fees and $1,810.18 in costs, using lower hourly rates than they sought. The lawyers appealed…
Mary Maynard (on behalf of and widow of Robert Maynard) v. Apogee Coal Company, LLC
Maynard v. Apogee Coal (BRB 24-0233 and 24-0234): Trust Fund directed to pay benefits
Mary Maynard pursued black lung benefit claims on behalf of, and as survivor of, Robert Maynard. After a federal appeals court ruling on Arch Resources' liability as a self-insurer, the Board dismissed Apogee Coal and Arch from payment responsibility. The Director of the Office of Workers'…
Mary Maynard (on behalf of and widow of Robert Maynard) v. Apogee Coal Company, LLC
Maynard v. Apogee Coal (BRB 24-0233 and 24-0234): Trust Fund directed to pay benefits
Mary Maynard pursued black lung benefit claims on behalf of, and as survivor of, Robert Maynard. After a federal appeals court ruling on Arch Resources' liability as a self-insurer, the Board dismissed Apogee Coal and Arch from payment responsibility. The Director of the Office of Workers'…
M.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Cleveland Post Office
Postal worker's knee swelling recognized; other knee conditions denied (ECAB 26-0357)
A former postal delivery manager reported repeated trips on uneven sidewalks while shadowing a carrier. An emergency physician observed right knee swelling soon afterward, which the Board found sufficiently connected to the accepted incident. The medical evidence did not establish a separate knee…
K.W. and Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons
Correctional officer's expanded knee claim returned for clearer medical opinion (ECAB 26-0349)
A correctional officer sought to add left and bilateral knee conditions to a long-standing accepted right knee claim. After an earlier remand, OWCP obtained a supplemental medical opinion, but the physician only said prior left knee surgery may have contributed to osteoarthritis. The Board found…
A.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Springdale Postal Annex
Postal worker's wage loss claim returned for missing second opinion (ECAB 26-0345)
A postal mail processing clerk sought wage loss compensation after an accepted injury. OWCP scheduled a second opinion examination but decided the claim before receiving the doctor's report. The Board held that OWCP had to complete the medical development it initiated. It directed OWCP to obtain…
K.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Richmond Main Post Office
Postal truck driver's leave buyback overpayment upheld (ECAB 26-0324)
A postal tractor trailer operator received and negotiated a wage loss check for dates covered by approved leave buyback. OWCP determined the payment should have gone to the employer and found a $3,534.77 overpayment, although the worker was without fault. The Board agreed and held that he had not…
W.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing & Distribution Center
Postal worker's expanded back claim denied; disability issue returned (ECAB 26-0313)
A postal transportation supervisor sought to add lumbar disc conditions to an accepted back strain claim and obtain continued disability compensation. The Board found her physician's explanation insufficient to link the added conditions to work. On disability, OWCP had considered only one report…
T.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Santa Clarita Post Office
Postal worker's appeal withdrawn and dismissed (ECAB 26-0294)
A postal worker appealed a January 2026 OWCP merits decision. Her representative later requested withdrawal of the appeal. The Board granted that request and dismissed the case without deciding the underlying compensation dispute.
J.L. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Border officer's hearing loss claim returned for employer records (ECAB 26-0152)
A customs officer claimed gradual hearing loss from years around transportation and firearms training noise. He tried to obtain employer hearing records, but the agency's records team could not locate his medical folder. The Board found OWCP had not adequately sought employer records needed to…
Matter of Ricardo MOMPLAISIR
DHS records properly authenticated and proceedings remanded
The Board reviewed the Department of Homeland Security's appeal from an Immigration Judge's decision terminating proceedings against a lawful permanent resident. The Immigration Judge had excluded a Form I-213 and Form I-94 because DHS had not shown that the records were properly authenticated. The…
Matter of Felipe De Jesus HERRERA-NUNEZ
Sua sponte reopening denied
The Board denied a Mexican respondent's untimely motion to reopen removal proceedings that had become final in 2015 and denied his request for a stay as moot. The respondent sought sua sponte reopening so he could pursue adjustment of status based on his 2019 marriage and pending visa petition, and…
Matter of Felipe De Jesus HERRERA-NUNEZ
Stay request deferred under new filing policy
The Board addressed a Mexican respondent's request for a stay of removal filed with a motion to reopen. The Board held that an alien subject to a final removal order should first request a stay from the Department of Homeland Security and provide proof of that request before the Board considers a…
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.