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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Town of Jaffrey, New Hampshire Public Works Department
In re Town of Jaffrey, New Hampshire Public Works Department (EAB NPDES Appeal No. 09-18): petition dismissed with prejudice
The Town of Jaffrey, New Hampshire, petitioned for review of its NPDES permit. After the Region modified the permit and the parties engaged in settlement discussions about an administrative compliance order, the Town no longer wished to pursue the appeal. The parties jointly requested dismissal…
Matter of X-M-C-
Withdrawal does not erase a frivolous asylum application
The Board reviewed a respondent's appeal after an Immigration Judge found that she had filed a frivolous asylum application and denied her adjustment application. The respondent had submitted materially false information, received the required written and oral warnings, chose to proceed with the…
C.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Fort Worth, TX
C.A. (ECAB 10-0591): Shoulder claim lacked a medical explanation of work causation
C.A., a Postal Service mail handler, attributed a right shoulder condition to pulling wire cages filled with mail and to compensating for pain in his left shoulder. OWCP accepted the work activities he described but denied the injury claim. An MRI report identified a partial tendon tear and other…
D.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Merrifield, VA
D.P. (ECAB 10-0424): Wage-loss claim denied while suitable limited duty was available
D.P., a Postal Service letter carrier, underwent surgery after an accepted left ankle injury. OWCP had paid wage-loss benefits when her required boot could not be accommodated under workplace safety rules. The employer later offered a limited-duty position and allowed her to work with an enclosed…
M.W. and Department of Homeland Security, Immigration & Customs Enforcement, El Paso, TX
M.W. (ECAB 10-0187): Back injury claim lacked qualifying medical evidence
M.W., an immigration and customs special agent, reported back pain after running from a workplace lunchroom to her car. She submitted reports from two chiropractors. One described a subluxation complex without clearly identifying a spinal condition shown by x-ray; the other did not diagnose spinal…
R.C. and Department of the Air Force, Elgin Air Force Base, FL
R.C. (ECAB 09-2344): Knee injury claim lacked a reliable causal opinion
R.C., an Air Force lead firefighter, reported left knee pain after exiting a crash equipment vehicle. His orthopedic surgeon diagnosed a sprain but gave only a checked box on causation and recorded no preexisting knee condition, despite earlier knee surgery. Other reports did not discuss whether…
J.W. and Department of the Navy, Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, CA
J.W. (ECAB 09-2343): Workload factor recognized, but emotional condition claim denied
J.W., a Navy accounting technician, reported depression and anxiety amid workload and management concerns. The Board found one compensable work factor: his workload increased when he assumed some duties of a departing coworker in August 2008. It found that his other claims about management actions…
T.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Huntersville, NC
T.P. (ECAB 09-2102): Back injury claim returned for medical development
T.P., a Postal Service rural carrier associate, reported back pain after lifting newspaper bundles at work. She had undergone lumbar surgery months earlier, and scans before and after the event showed a change in the L5-S1 disc finding. A physician linked her condition to the lifting event…
W.E. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Trenton, NJ
W.E. (ECAB 09-2016): Eleven percent left arm impairment award upheld
W.E., a Postal Service worker, sought a larger schedule award after a work-related left shoulder injury and surgery. Earlier proceedings had produced conflicting impairment ratings and referrals for further evaluation. The Board found that OWCP's medical adviser properly calculated an 11 percent…
R.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Philadelphia, PA
R.T. (ECAB 09-1960): Reduced work hours did not prove injury-related recurrence
R.T., a Postal Service mechanic, received compensation for a lumbar strain and herniated disc from a 1999 work injury. He returned to a limited-duty job for four hours a day, then claimed a recurrence when his doctor limited him to three hours. The Board found that the doctor's reports stated…
K.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, North Bend, WA
K.C. (ECAB 09-1666): Disability after dog-related fall was not a recurrence of accepted injury
K.C., a Postal Service carrier, had an accepted right elbow condition from a 2005 work injury. She later claimed disability after treatment for renewed arm pain and a reaction to a Toradol injection. Her doctor reported that she fell on her right arm when her dog pulled its leash in February 2008…
B.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Boston, MA
B.B. (ECAB 09-1415): Emotional condition claim lacked a compensable work factor
B.B., a Postal Service distribution supervisor, attributed anxiety to disciplinary actions, a proposed downgrade, work assignments, and alleged mistreatment by managers. The Board found that these personnel and administrative matters could support a claim only if the employer committed error or…
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 3937 (Union) and Social Security Administration, Region X (Agency)
AFGE Local 3937 and Social Security Administration (FLRA 0-AR-4648): Reconsideration of local agreement ruling denied
AFGE Local 3937 disputed whether twelve local memoranda of understanding continued after a national agreement took effect at Social Security Administration Region X. The Authority had upheld an arbitrator's finding that the agency no longer had to follow those memoranda. The union sought…
United States Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Small Business/Self Employed Operating Division (Agency) and National Treasury Employees Union, Chapter 68 (Union)
IRS Small Business Division and NTEU Chapter 68 (FLRA 0-AR-4480): Promotion pay correction upheld
An IRS employee moved from a temporary GS-6, step 4 promotion to a permanent GS-7 position. The agency set her new pay at step 1 by recording a return to her former GS-5 job before the promotion. An arbitrator found that she had not actually returned to that job and ordered her pay recalculated…
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 933 (Union) and United States Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Detroit, Michigan (Agency)
AFGE Local 933 and Detroit VA Medical Center (FLRA 0-AR-4408): Acting coordinator grievance denied
A licensed practical nurse at the Detroit VA Medical Center worked as an acting clinical coordinator during several periods. AFGE Local 933 claimed she should have received higher pay and that the center should have notified the union. An arbitrator found the grievance late as to assignments from…
United States Department of Commerce, Patent and Trademark Office (Agency) and National Treasury Employees Union, Chapter 243 (Union)
Patent and Trademark Office and NTEU Chapter 243 (FLRA 0-AR-4045): Promotion screening ruling upheld
A Patent and Trademark Office employee applied for a computer specialist promotion. Before the merit assignment panel rated candidates, the selecting official reviewed a small subset of applications and found hers unqualified. An arbitrator found that this sequence bypassed the roles set by the…
Blue Haven Energy, Inc.
Undelivered assessment remanded
Blue Haven asked the Commission to reopen a penalty assessment after learning about it through MSHA's website. The Secretary explained that a Federal Express delivery problem caused the assessment to be returned undelivered and did not oppose relief. The Commission concluded that the assessment…
Rogers Group, Inc.
Five assessments reopened and remanded
Rogers Group asked the Commission to reopen five penalty assessments that had become final orders after their contest periods expired. The Secretary did not oppose the requests. After reviewing the circumstances, the Commission reopened all five assessments and remanded them for further…
Matter of Jose CASILLAS-TOPETE
Agency knowledge can establish drug-trafficker inadmissibility
The Board reviewed the Department of Homeland Security's appeal from an Immigration Judge's termination of removal proceedings against a Mexican lawful permanent resident. The respondent had been convicted of facilitating the unlawful transportation of marijuana and was later admitted as a…
C.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Princeton, NJ
C.S. (ECAB 10-0359): No additional award beyond 15 percent left leg impairment
C.S., a Postal Service worker, had received a schedule award for 15 percent left leg impairment after an accepted meniscus injury and surgery. He sought a greater rating, and conflicting opinions led OWCP to obtain an impartial examination. The specialist found that x-rays showed no ratable…
James Hamilton Construction
Reopening request denied as untimely
James Hamilton Construction asked the Commission to reopen a penalty assessment more than a year after it became final. The company said it did not know about the assessment until a collection agency contacted it. The Secretary opposed reopening and presented delivery, delinquency-notice, and later…
J.B. and Department of the Army, U.S. Army Material Command, Texarkana, TX
J.B. (ECAB 10-0451): Cancer claim lacked medical evidence connecting work exposure
J.B., an Army sandblaster, filed a claim after receiving diagnoses of malignant thymoma and right lung cancer. He attributed the conditions to dust and cadmium in his work area. OWCP accepted the work factors he described but found no medical explanation linking them to the diagnoses. A pathologist…
M.P. and Department of the Army, Pentagon, Washington, DC
M.P. (ECAB 10-0245): Hand and wrist tendinitis benefits termination upheld
M.P., a former Army secretary, had accepted left hand and wrist tendinitis aggravation and left elbow compression neuropathy. OWCP ended compensation for the hand and wrist condition after a second opinion orthopedic examination found no current tendinitis. The Board found that this opinion was…
L.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Los Angeles, CA
L.L. (ECAB 10-0199): Overpayment upheld after return to full-time work
L.L., a Postal Service letter carrier, received wage-loss compensation after an accepted right shoulder injury. She returned to full-time limited duty on June 30, 2009 but received a periodic payment for June 7 through July 4. The June 30 to July 4 portion overlapped with her work. OWCP calculated…
A.G. and Department of Defense, Defense Distribution Depot San Joaquin, Tracy, CA
A.G. (ECAB 09-2297): Benefits termination reversed because referee disputed accepted knee conditions
A.G., a Defense Department depot packer, had accepted back, elbow, and bilateral knee conditions after a workplace fall. Her treating physician and an OWCP second opinion physician disagreed about continuing disability, leading to an impartial examination. The Board found that the impartial…
A.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Evergreen Park, IL
A.R. (ECAB 09-2203): Recurrence claim lacked link between new restrictions and accepted foot injury
A.R., a Postal Service carrier, worked limited duty after an accepted left foot fracture and aggravation of plantar fibromatosis. Her podiatrist later restricted her to sitting duties only, which the employer could not accommodate. The Board found no evidence that the employer had withdrawn or…
A.W. and Department of Housing & Development, Region III, Philadelphia, c/o Lifecare Management Partners, Alexandria, VA
A.W. (ECAB 09-2129): Arm and neck claim remanded to resolve medical conflict
A.W., a secretary, attributed neck and arm conditions to repetitive reaching, lifting, and computer work. Her treating orthopedic surgeon diagnosed several nerve and shoulder conditions and explained how her duties could have caused them. An OWCP examination physician found no objective condition…
T.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Rochester, NY
T.G. (ECAB 09-1856): Leg and eye impairment award returned for current examinations
T.G., a Postal Service rural carrier, sustained leg, eye, and facial injuries in a collision while working. OWCP awarded schedule benefits for 10 percent right leg and 15 percent right eye impairment. The Board found that a treating report did not properly rate the scheduled members under the…
J.F. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Oak Brook, IL
J.F. (ECAB 09-1664): Right leg impairment award returned for specialist review
J.F., a Postal Service letter carrier, received a two percent right leg schedule award after an accepted knee injury and surgery. A neurologist later reported additional impairment based on knee imaging, range of motion, and pain. OWCP's medical adviser discounted those findings largely because the…
R.P. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Brockton, MA
R.P. (ECAB 10-0345): Burn claim denied because records described an earlier event
R.P., a VA pipe fitter, claimed that steam from a pipe burned his left arm while he worked in February 2008. The medical record he submitted documented a burn from 2005, and another note also referred to a 2005 injury. His later description of a steam line incident gave no date. The Board found…
J.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Bulkmail Center, Atlanta, GA
J.H. (ECAB 10-0248): Carpal tunnel benefits termination reversed over unaddressed test results
J.H., a Postal Service clerk, received benefits for accepted bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome and underwent surgery on both wrists. OWCP ended her medical and wage-loss benefits based on a later orthopedic examination that found no objective signs of nerve compression. The Board found that this…
J.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Bloomsburg Post Office, Bloomsburg, PA
J.G. (ECAB 10-0090): Wage capacity reduction reversed after changing clerk assignments
J.G., a Postal Service clerk, returned to modified work after accepted back conditions. OWCP used her earnings over roughly two months to reduce wage-loss compensation to zero. The Board found that she moved among branches and worked under at least two offers with different hours, duties, and…
K.W. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Salisbury, NC
K.W. (ECAB 09-2358 and 10-0076): Hernia surgery disability period extended
K.W., a VA medical center worker, had an accepted right inguinal hernia after a workplace incident. He also claimed back and foot conditions and additional periods of wage-loss compensation. The Board found that the medical evidence did not adequately link the back or foot conditions to the work…
B.E. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Decatur, GA
B.E. (ECAB 09-2340): Injury denial upheld under occupational disease analysis
B.E., a VA medical technician, initially filed a claim involving hand and wrist symptoms associated with typing and drawing blood. Years later she sought benefits for a claimed recurrence, but OWCP had never formally accepted a particular condition from the initial claim. The Board therefore…
S.F. and Department of the Interior, Wupatki National Monument, Flagstaff, AZ
S.F. (ECAB 09-2172): Rattlesnake bite during telework lunch break fell outside duty
S.F., an exhibits specialist at Wupatki National Monument, was bitten by a rattlesnake outside her residence after she stopped teleworking for lunch. She rented the residence from her employer, but her job did not require her to live there. The Board found that she had left the workspace specified…
D.F. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Houston, TX
D.F. (ECAB 09-2119): Conflicting arm impairment opinions require a new examination
D.F., a postal worker, sought an additional schedule award for arm impairment after a work-related vehicle collision. OWCP had already granted awards for both arms and denied an additional award after its examining doctor found no ratable impairment. Her treating doctor gave a different rating for…
K.T. and Department of the Navy, Naval Shipyard, Norfolk, VA
K.T. (ECAB 09-2075): Augmented compensation overpayment and fault affirmed
K.T., a former Navy shipyard worker, received workers' compensation at a higher rate after she married. She later separated from her husband, did not live with or support him, and continued receiving the higher rate. The Board found that she had no qualifying dependent during the disputed period…
R.I. and Department of Labor, Mine Safety and Health Administration, Barbourville, KY
R.I. (ECAB 09-1559): Earlier refusal of suitable work bars later knee award
R.I., a former mine inspector, sought a schedule award for left knee impairment. OWCP had ended his monetary compensation in 1998 after he refused suitable work, and the Board had upheld that termination. The Board explained that the termination also bars schedule award payments, unless the…
P.K. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Macon, GA
P.K. (ECAB 10-0434): Elbow claim lacked a reasoned medical explanation
P.K., a postal carrier, claimed that long workdays, heavy mail volume, and lifting caused right elbow tendinitis. OWCP accepted her account of the work activities but denied the claim for lack of medical evidence linking them to her condition. The Board found that one doctor diagnosed right lateral…
K.C. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Egg Harbor Township, NJ
K.C. (ECAB 10-0425): Fall during training lacked medical proof of shoulder injury
K.C., a federal air marshal, fell during a running exercise while carrying equipment and reported left shoulder pain. OWCP accepted that the fall occurred during work but denied his injury claim. The Board found that the radiologist's report described only a suspected partial tear and did not…
D.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing and Distribution Center, St. Louis, MO
D.J. (ECAB 10-0291): OWCP must assess new knee evidence for reconsideration
D.J., a postal worker with an accepted left knee injury, requested reconsideration after OWCP denied a schedule award. He submitted records of later surgery and a new doctor's impairment rating. OWCP listed the evidence but declined to review it, saying it belonged to a separate schedule award…
M.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Lancaster, PA
M.S. (ECAB 10-0262): Knee injury claim lacked firm medical causation evidence
M.S., a letter carrier, tripped on an uneven sidewalk while delivering mail and later sought compensation for a right knee condition. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred but denied his claim for lack of medical proof that it caused an injury. The Board found that one physician said the patella…
M.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Detroit, MI
M.L. (ECAB 09-2330): Termination of physical and psychiatric disability pay affirmed
M.L., a postal clerk, had accepted claims for carpal tunnel syndrome, thoracic outlet syndrome, and depression. OWCP ended wage-loss and medical benefits for the physical conditions and ended wage-loss pay for depression, while continuing medical coverage for depression. The Board found that a…
S.P. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Norfolk, VA
S.P. (ECAB 09-2316): Bag lifting proved, but medical causation remained unproved
S.P., an airport security screener, claimed that lifting heavy luggage caused right foot and leg symptoms. OWCP doubted that the incident happened as described and denied her claim. The Board found that her account and a coworker's statement established that she lifted the bags on September 21…
M.C. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
M.C. (ECAB 09-2314): Unqualified caregivers barred attendant care reimbursement
M.C., a VA nurse with an accepted right arm injury, needed help with personal care after shoulder surgery because her other arm was paralyzed by a preexisting condition. Her doctor documented that need, and she sought reimbursement for help from her sister and a housemate's family. The Board found…
P.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Nashville, TN
P.M. (ECAB 09-2285): Mower accident claim lacked a reasoned medical link
P.M., a postal custodian, reported a back injury after a riding mower flipped while he was mowing a slope at work. OWCP accepted that the accident occurred but denied his compensation claim. He submitted scans showing changes in his lower back and doctors' opinions relating his symptoms to the…
E.S. and Department of the Army, Commander, Fort Shafter, HI
E.S. (ECAB 09-2227): Late reconsideration request showed no clear error
E.S. sought to reopen a 1993 denial of his emotional condition claim. He argued that workplace incidents, including alleged harassment and duties beyond his restrictions, were compensable employment factors. OWCP denied his 2009 reconsideration request as late and found no clear evidence of error…
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2437 (Union) and United States Department of Veterans Affairs, North Texas Health Care System, Medical Center, Dallas, Texas (Agency)
AFGE Local 2437 and Dallas VA Medical Center (FLRA 0-AR-4664): Arbitration exceptions denied
AFGE Local 2437 challenged an arbitration award involving the Dallas VA Medical Center. The Authority denied the exceptions because the union did not establish a permissible basis to overturn the arbitrator's procedural arbitrability ruling and did not identify the law its contrary-to-law claim…
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1906 (Union) and United States Department of Defense, Defense Contract Management Agency (Agency)
AFGE Local 1906 and Defense Contract Management Agency (FLRA 0-AR-4663): Procedural arbitration ruling upheld
AFGE Local 1906 challenged an arbitration award involving the Defense Contract Management Agency. The Authority denied its exceptions under the rule limiting challenges to an arbitrator's procedural arbitrability ruling. The short decision does not state the grievance's subject, the procedure at…
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 3438 (Union) and Social Security Administration (Agency)
AFGE Local 3438 and Social Security Administration (FLRA 0-AR-4639): Debt grievance timeliness ruling upheld
The Social Security Administration sought to collect a reimbursement it said had been overpaid to an employee. The employee disputed the debt and sought a waiver, but an arbitrator found that her union had invoked expedited arbitration too late. The Authority upheld that threshold ruling. It found…
United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Wapato Irrigation Project (Agency) and Indian Educators Federation, Local 4526, American Federation of Teachers (Union)
Wapato Irrigation Project and Indian Educators Federation (FLRA 0-AR-4406): Removal award challenge dismissed
The Bureau of Indian Affairs removed a Wapato Irrigation Project operator after a driving-under-the-influence arrest led it to revoke his driving privileges under agency policy. An arbitrator found the removal improper, ordered reinstatement, and directed the agency to stop applying the policy…
Oak Grove Resources, LLC.
Oak Grove Resources, LLC (FMSHRC SE 2009-487 and SE 2009-261-R): Safeguard summary motions denied
Oak Grove moved for summary decision on a safeguard citation arising from a fatal haulage accident. It argued that MSHA had voided an earlier waiver without formally reissuing the 1986 safeguard and, alternatively, that a safeguard violation could not receive an S&S designation. Judge William B…
P.S. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Richard L. Roudebush Medical Center, Indianapolis, IN
P.S. (ECAB 10-0488): Shoulder diagnosis lacked any medical link to linen duties
P.S., a VA housekeeping aide, claimed that pulling dirty linen at work contributed to his right shoulder condition. A surgeon diagnosed rotator cuff tendinitis and impingement but did not discuss his work activities or give an opinion about causation. The Board found no medical evidence connecting…
J.R. and Department of the Air Force, Lackland Air Force Base, TX
J.R. (ECAB 10-0392): Unsupported hearing loss claim and late hearing request denied
J.R., an aircraft mechanic, claimed that years of aircraft engine noise caused hearing loss. OWCP asked him for supporting information, but he submitted no evidence before it denied the claim. The Board affirmed that denial because the record did not establish the exposure or a work-related hearing…
V.D. and Social Security Administration, Headquarters, Baltimore, MD
V.D. (ECAB 10-0302): Existing arm awards exceed current impairment rating
V.D., a Social Security Administration worker with accepted carpal tunnel syndrome in both arms, sought more schedule award compensation. OWCP had previously awarded 13 percent impairment for each arm. After reviewing a later medical report under the sixth edition of the standard impairment guides…
N.M. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Illiana Health Care System, Danville, IL
N.M. (ECAB 10-0283): Back claim lacked explanation of work-related aggravation
N.M., a VA food server, claimed that repeated pushing, pulling, lifting, and bending at work aggravated a preexisting back condition. OWCP accepted the described work activities but denied the occupational disease claim. His physician diagnosed low back strain and myofasciitis and said work…
A.N. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Sepulveda, CA
A.N. (ECAB 10-0247): Emotional condition claim lacked a proven compensable work factor
A.N., a VA telephone operator, attributed an emotional condition to alleged discrimination and mistreatment by a supervisor and coworker. He also challenged a reassignment and performance evaluation. The Board found that the record did not sufficiently support his allegations of discrimination or…
K.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Detroit, MI
K.W. (ECAB 10-0239): OWCP must develop current arm impairment evidence
K.W., a postal worker with accepted carpal tunnel syndrome in both arms, sought a schedule award. Her doctor gave impairment ratings under an older edition of the standard medical guides. OWCP's medical adviser said more information was needed to rate her impairment under the sixth edition and…
V.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Lebanon, MO
V.G. (ECAB 09-2323): Medical evidence warrants more development of mail carrier claim
V.G., a rural mail carrier, claimed that repeated reaching, lifting, and head turning caused or worsened conditions in her neck, shoulders, and upper back. OWCP denied the occupational disease claim despite doctors' reports discussing possible links to those duties. The Board found that the reports…
P.C. and Department of Defense, Fort Belvoir, VA
P.C. (ECAB 09-2069): First direct deposit requires a separate waiver review
P.C., a Defense Department worker, received disability payments after returning to work. The Board affirmed OWCP's calculation of a $2,627.27 overpayment for November 10 through December 20, 2008. It found she was without fault for the overpaid portion of the first direct deposit because the record…
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.