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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Jayson Turner v. National Cement Company of California
Discrimination complaint dismissed, then remanded
Electrician Jayson Turner alleged that National Cement discharged him for raising concerns about electrical gloves, manlift lighting, mislabeled equipment, and work near heat and gases. Judge Jacqueline R. Bulluck found that Turner engaged in protected activity but did not prove that it motivated…
Secretary of Labor v. The Banner Company, LLC
One-day-late penalty contest reopened
The Banner Company submitted its penalty contest one day after the deadline because of confusion about the due date. The Secretary did not oppose reopening. The Commission granted relief in the interests of justice and remanded the case for penalty proceedings. It directed the Secretary to file a…
United States Department of the Air Force, Air Force Materiel Command, Space and Missile Systems Center, Detachment 12, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico (Respondent) and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2263, AFL-CIO (Charging Party/Union)
Air Force Detachment 12 and AFGE Local 2263 (FLRA SF-CA-04-0502): Office changes and meeting violated bargaining rights
At Kirtland Air Force Base, the Air Force changed employees' office locations and reorganized a support directorate without giving AFGE the required notice and chance to bargain. Management also held a required meeting about the reorganization without notifying the union so it could attend. The…
Secretary of Labor v. Northern Lakes Concrete, Inc.
Renewed reopening request granted
The Commission had denied Northern Lakes Concrete's first request to reopen three assessments because the company did not explain its late filings in enough detail. Northern Lakes promptly submitted a second motion supported by an affidavit that more fully described the delay. The Secretary did not…
Secretary of Labor on behalf of Lige Williamson v. CAM Mining, LLC
Temporary reinstatement denied, then reversed
Lige Williamson alleged that CAM Mining discharged him after he complained to his foreman about ventilation. Judge Jerold Feldman assumed the complaint occurred but found no reasonable connection between that activity and Williamson's discharge after a confrontation with the foreman. The judge…
United States Department of the Army, Human Resources Command, St. Louis, Missouri and United States Departnment of the Army, Information Support Activity, St. Louis, Missouri (Respondents) and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 900, AFL-CIO (Charging Party)
Army St. Louis commands and AFGE Local 900 (FLRA DE-CA-04-0219; DE-CA-04-0220): Union activity claims returned for decision
AFGE alleged that two Army commands in St. Louis restricted its president and chief steward because of their union activity. The restrictions included fixed hours, exclusion from their usual workplaces, reporting to the union office, and military escorts. An administrative law judge dismissed…
Social Security Administration (Respondent) and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 3448, AFL-CIO (Charging Party/Union)
Social Security Administration and AFGE Local 3448 (FLRA CH-CA-04-0351): Overtime remedy ordered, credit-hours issue returned
Employees at a Social Security Administration office in Painesville, Ohio, had worked available overtime and earned credit hours until 7 p.m. The office then told them they could no longer work after 5:45 p.m. without giving AFGE notice and a chance to bargain. The Authority upheld the finding that…
R.F. v. CSA, Limited
R.F. v. CSA (BRB 09-0252 and 09-0252A): personal skin treatment outside overseas work risk
R.F. worked in Kuwait for CSA as a digital imaging specialist and sought benefits for a reported skin condition and related psychological harm. He linked the condition to a cosmetic chemical peel he used while working overseas. An administrative law judge denied benefits but treated the overseas…
T.A. and Department of the Navy, Puget Sound Naval Base, Bangor, WA
T.A. (ECAB 09-0686): Vehicle incident claim lacked medical evidence
T.A., a Navy tile and plate setter, reported knee, neck, and lower back injuries after a van she was riding in stopped abruptly at a security barrier. OWCP accepted that the incident happened but denied the injury claim. The Board found no physician’s report diagnosing the claimed conditions or…
H.N. and Tennessee Valley Authority, Paradise Fossil Plant, Drakesboro, KY
H.N. (ECAB 09-0636): Lung impairment claim returned for diffusion test review
H.N., a retired Tennessee Valley Authority iron worker, had an accepted claim for coal workers’ pneumoconiosis and sought a lung impairment schedule award. OWCP denied an award after finding that earlier pulmonary function results did not establish a ratable impairment. A later study measured…
R.K. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, San Diego, CA
R.K. (ECAB 09-0622): Late request did not reopen rehabilitation decision
R.K., a postal worker with an accepted neck strain, sought reconsideration of a decision involving his participation in vocational rehabilitation. OWCP received his request more than two years after the last merit decision. The Board found it untimely and held that the medical records he submitted…
P.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Riverside, NJ
P.B. (ECAB 09-0538): Knee replacement impairment requires a new rating
P.B., a postal carrier, had an accepted left knee injury and later underwent partial knee replacement. OWCP rated her permanent left leg impairment at 26 percent using cartilage loss and meniscus loss. The Board found that a different A.M.A. Guides method applied after a partial knee replacement…
W.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Billings, MT
W.P. (ECAB 09-0504): Suitable-work case not reopened for merit review
W.P., a postal carrier with accepted shoulder and carpal tunnel conditions, sought to reopen a decision ending wage-loss benefits after he did not report for an offered light-duty position. OWCP denied reconsideration. The Board found that his new arguments and records did not address whether he…
L.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Lakewood, NJ
L.M. (ECAB 09-0421 erratum): Board corrects stated issue date
The Board issued this short erratum in L.M.’s schedule award case. It states that an earlier decision’s printed issue date of August 9, 2009 should have been September 9, 2009. The decision PDF currently linked in the official index instead prints September 30, 2009. The erratum does not change the…
L.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Lakewood, NJ
L.M. (ECAB 09-0421): Arm impairment rating returned for clarification
L.M., a postal worker, received a schedule award for three percent left arm impairment after an accepted hand injury. The impartial medical examiner assigned values for a wrist scar and pain but did not clearly decide whether a measurable impairment resulted from the accepted injury. The Board held…
D.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Chrisney, IN
D.W. (ECAB 09-0417): Elbow injury benefit termination reversed
D.W., a postal carrier, received benefits for an accepted left elbow contusion and epicondylitis. OWCP ended those benefits after a second opinion doctor said she could return to work without restrictions. Her treating doctor limited her to right-hand work and recommended further pain management…
K.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, South Euclid, OH
K.R. (ECAB 09-0415): 2009 remand later vacated on reconsideration
K.R., a postal worker in a permanent modified position, sought wage loss for one day when the Postal Service withdrew his light-duty assignment. In this 2009 decision, the Board agreed that he had not shown grounds to change his standing wage-earning capacity determination. It nevertheless directed…
R.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Abscon, NJ
R.B. (ECAB 09-0107): Two percent right leg impairment award upheld
R.B., a postal letter carrier, sought a larger right leg schedule award after an accepted worsening of a herniated lumbar disc. His physician proposed a higher impairment rating, and OWCP obtained an impartial medical examination to resolve conflicting medical views. The impartial specialist rated…
B.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing & Distribution Center, Eatontown, NJ
B.S. (ECAB 09-0076): Unreported family-business work led to forfeiture
B.S. received disability compensation after an accepted postal work injury and submitted forms reporting no employment or self-employment. The Board found that she regularly worked in a gas station operated with her husband and had signed its lease. The forms required reporting work in a family…
A.Q. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Chicago, IL
A.Q. (ECAB 08-2298): Thumb impairment award returned for a new rating
A.Q., a postal carrier, received a schedule award for two percent left arm impairment after accepted thumb and wrist conditions. The Board found that OWCP’s medical adviser had rounded a sensory rating down when the applicable calculation called for rounding up, producing a combined three percent…
K.G. (Administrator for the Estate of T.B.) and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Stratford, NJ
Estate of T.B. (ECAB 08-1327): Wage-earning capacity ruling left in place
K.G., administrator of former postal carrier T.B.’s estate, challenged OWCP’s refusal to change an earlier wage-earning capacity determination. The claim concerned whether T.B.’s accepted neck and shoulder conditions had materially worsened when she stopped work in February 2000. The Board gave…
National Air Traffic Controllers Association (Union) and United States Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration (Agency)
NATCA and FAA (FLRA 0-NG-2864): One reassignment proposal negotiable, two rejected
NATCA proposed rules on personal electronic devices in air traffic facilities and on delays or denials of employee reassignments. The Authority found that allowing silent cell phones and pagers in work areas would interfere with the FAA's internal security practices by risking communications…
National Treasury Employees Union (Union) and United States Customs Service (Agency)
NTEU and Customs Service (FLRA 0-NG-2637): Midterm bargaining proposals negotiable on remand
NTEU proposed requiring midterm bargaining on subjects that the parties' agreement or a memorandum had not specifically addressed. An earlier Authority decision found the proposals negotiable only if the Customs Service chose to bargain, and a federal appeals court returned the case for further…
United States Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Denver, Colorado (Agency) and National Treasury Employees Union, Chapter 32 (Union)
IRS Denver and NTEU Chapter 32 (FLRA 0-AR-4068): Alternative schedule award upheld
Four IRS customer service representatives in Denver worked four ten-hour days with Monday off. The IRS changed their day off to Wednesday to handle heavier Monday call volume. An arbitrator found that the agency had not obtained the required agency-head adverse-impact determination before making…
Secretary of Labor v. A Mining Group, LLC
Penalty reopened after citation-only contest
A Mining Group timely contested a citation but did not separately contest the later proposed penalty assessment for that citation. The operator said it had no record of receiving the assessment and tried repeatedly to contact MSHA after a delinquency notice, while FedEx records showed delivery. The…
D.W. and Department of the Army, U.S. Army Dental Activity, Fort Drum, NY
D.W. (ECAB 09-0705): Recurrence and reopening denials affirmed
D.W., an Army information technology specialist, had an accepted cervical spine injury from moving boxes and returned to modified work after surgery. She claimed that she became unable to work again in November 2007 because of the accepted injury or duties beyond her restrictions. The Board found…
E.K. and Department of the Interior, Glacier National Park, West Glacier, MT
E.K. (ECAB 09-0692): Left thigh occupational disease claim denied
E.K., a fee collector at Glacier National Park, said the sill of her work kiosk pressed against her left thigh while she served visitors. Her doctor diagnosed thigh muscle atrophy and attributed it to pressure. The Board found that the short medical report did not explain how her specific duties…
D.H. and Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Philadelphia, PA
D.H. (ECAB 09-0645): Cold exposure denial upheld; reconsideration reopened
D.H., an IRS customer service representative, claimed asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and carpal tunnel syndrome from conditions at work. OWCP accepted her exposure to cold but denied the claim because the medical reports did not explain how that exposure caused or worsened the conditions. The Board…
D.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Jamaica, NY
D.C. (ECAB 09-0638): Mail sorting injury claim denied
D.C., a postal letter carrier, reported arm and hand tingling while sorting mail on January 3, 2008. OWCP accepted that the incident happened but denied his claim for a cervical injury. The Board found that his doctor diagnosed a herniated disc and related conditions without explaining how the…
C.F. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration Medical Center, St. Cloud, MN
C.F. (ECAB 09-0603): Lung impairment award denial sent back for review
C.F., a former VA pipe fitter and boiler plant operator, had an accepted asbestosis claim and sought a schedule award for permanent lung impairment. OWCP denied the award after its doctors described little or no impairment. The Board observed that a reported diffusion capacity measurement appeared…
L.G. and Department of the Air Force, Kirtland Air Force Base, NM
L.G. (ECAB 09-0560): Hearing abandonment ruling set aside
L.G., an Air Force safety specialist, claimed an arm injury after catching a falling fire extinguisher. OWCP denied the claim and later found that she had abandoned her requested telephone hearing when she did not call in. The Board found that OWCP mailed the hearing notice fewer than 30 days…
M.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Los Angeles, CA
M.C. (ECAB 09-0296): Wage-loss compensation ended after suitable job refusal
M.C., a postal clerk with an accepted back condition, declined a full-time modified distribution clerk job. An impartial orthopedic specialist found that she could work eight hours with restrictions that the offered job accommodated. Her treating doctor limited her to shorter hours but did not…
P.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Westville, NJ
P.H. (ECAB 09-0229): Left elbow impairment requires further explanation
P.H., a postal letter carrier, received a schedule award for 11 percent impairment of his left arm and sought a larger award for accepted wrist and elbow conditions. OWCP relied on an impartial specialist who rated the wrist condition at five percent and found no elbow impairment. The Board found…
Y.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Bakersfield, CA
Y.P. (ECAB 09-0203): Postal worker’s occupational injury claim remanded
Y.P., a postal distribution clerk, claimed shoulder, back, chest, and wrist conditions from repetitive mail handling. OWCP accepted the described duties but found the medical evidence insufficient to link the conditions to work. The Board agreed that the supporting reports did not yet establish the…
K.H. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Buffalo, NY
K.H. (ECAB 08-2086): Suitable work refusal termination affirmed
K.H., a TSA screener with an accepted back condition, declined a limited duty security officer position. Her treating doctor and OWCP’s second opinion doctor disagreed about her ability to work, so OWCP sought an impartial examination. The impartial doctor found that she could work eight hours…
J.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Princeton, NJ
J.C. (ECAB 08-1464): Left arm award upheld; right arm award increased
J.C., a postal carrier with accepted carpal tunnel syndrome in both arms, had received schedule awards based on 10 percent impairment in each arm. An impartial specialist supported the left arm rating but calculated an alternative 11 percent rating for the right arm. The Board rejected J.C.’s…
National Association of Government Employees, Local R1-109 (Union) and United States Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Connecticut Healthcare Systems, Newington, Connecticut (Agency)
NAGE Local R1-109 and VA Connecticut (FLRA 0-NG-2770): Lawful accommodation bargaining proposal approved
The VA required its police officers to qualify with a designated firearm. NAGE proposed bargaining over lawful accommodation measures if the VA determined that an officer could not qualify for physical or psychological reasons. The VA argued that the proposal conflicted with its internal security…
National Treasury Employees Union (Union) and United States Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Washington, D.C. (Agency)
NTEU and IRS (FLRA 0-AR-4266): Promotion procedure grievance denial upheld
The IRS revised how it credited employee awards in promotion selections after earlier contract language was disapproved. It implemented the new procedure before bargaining concluded, and NTEU grieved the change as an unfair labor practice and a violation of promotion regulations. An arbitrator…
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2382 (Union) and United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Carl T. Hayden Medical Center, Phoenix, Arizona (Agency)
AFGE Local 2382 and Phoenix VA Medical Center (FLRA 0-AR-4067): Rotating workweek award upheld
An administrative officer at the Phoenix VA Medical Center worked a rotating schedule that could place six or seven workdays in a row across two administrative workweeks. AFGE argued that the agency should have scheduled a Monday through Friday workweek under federal law. An arbitrator found that…
United States Department of the Air Force, 355th MSG/CC, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona (Respondent) and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2924 (Charging Party/Union)
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and AFGE Local 2924 (FLRA DE-CA-06-0373): New security duties required bargaining
At Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, a motor pool driver was assigned daily checks of a security fence and parked aircraft, plus electronic reporting of his findings. The Air Force added these duties without giving AFGE notice and a chance to bargain. An administrative law judge found the new work had…
United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Federal Correctional Institution, Fort Dix, New Jersey (Respondent/Agency) and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2001 (Charging Party/Union)
Fort Dix prison and AFGE Local 2001 (FLRA BN-CA-06-0188): Information complaint dismissed
After two Fort Dix correctional officers were passed over for promotion, AFGE requested the rating plan used to score applicants. The prison gave the union access to the promotion file but withheld the rating plan. The Authority held that the union had not explained with enough detail why the…
J.S. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Los Angeles, CA
J.S. (ECAB 09-0698): Building superintendent wage capacity upheld
J.S., a former TSA screener with accepted shoulder and back strains, stopped work and completed training in property management. OWCP reduced his compensation after a vocational counselor identified building superintendent work that matched his medical restrictions and was available in his…
T.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Tiburon, CA
T.D. (ECAB 09-0683): Bilateral arm impairment awards vacated
T.D., a postal letter carrier with accepted hand and wrist conditions, received schedule awards for 11 percent right arm and 8 percent left arm impairment. She argued that her surgeon’s 40 percent hand strength finding deserved more weight. The Board found that the surgeon had not justified using…
D.P. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Chicago, IL
D.P. (ECAB 09-0667): Leg impairment dispute requires impartial examiner
D.P., a TSA screener with an accepted back strain and knee contusions, received schedule awards for two percent right leg and one percent left leg impairment. Her treating neurologist assigned additional impairment for leg weakness, while OWCP’s medical adviser found no documented motor deficit to…
H.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Southeastern, PA
H.C. (ECAB 09-0597): Nerve injury claim returned for development
H.C., a postal mail clerk, claimed nerve and shoulder conditions after an earlier accepted shoulder injury and a return to modified mail work. OWCP denied the new claim. The Board found that his orthopedic surgeon described the original mail tray incident, diagnosed nerve and shoulder conditions…
D.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Charlotte, NC
D.D. (ECAB 09-0547): Hearing required on denied knee condition
D.D., a postal clerk, claimed a left knee injury after incidents at work. OWCP accepted a knee contusion but denied that a lateral meniscus tear was work related. She requested an oral hearing within 30 days, but OWCP refused on the theory that its decision was not adverse to her. The Board held…
P.J. and Department of the Navy, Naval Air Systems Command Stations, Cherry Point, NC
P.J. (ECAB 09-0513): Hearing loss claim and written review request denied
P.J., a Navy machine operator and sandblaster, claimed bilateral hearing loss from years of workplace noise. The Board accepted that noise exposure occurred, but gave weight to a specialist’s opinion that the measured high frequency loss was present when P.J. began federal work. The other…
S.S. and Department of the Treasury, Grand Island, NE
S.S. (ECAB 09-0295): Security guard wage capacity reduction upheld
S.S., a former Treasury bank examiner with accepted carpal tunnel syndrome, challenged a reduction based on the wages of a security guard position. She pointed to specific local security jobs whose duties exceeded her restrictions and argued that she could not find suitable work. The Board relied…
M.B. and Gettysburg National Military Park, Gettysburg, PA
M.B. (ECAB 08-2366): Photojournalist wage capacity reduction reversed
M.B. sustained a work-related shoulder and arm injury while removing a fence at Gettysburg National Military Park. OWCP reduced his compensation using the wages it said he could earn as a photographer or photojournalist. He challenged the reduction with a vocational specialist’s report disputing…
L.G. and National Archives & Records Administration, Federal Records Center, Denver, CO
L.G. (ECAB 08-2343): Additional conditions and disability recurrence denied
L.G. had accepted back and neck conditions from a 1983 work injury and sought to add hip and other back conditions to her claim. She also claimed that her disability recurred in February 2007. The Board gave special weight to an impartial physician’s opinion that her hip condition was unrelated to…
A.G. and Department of the Interior, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Mineral, CA
A.G. (ECAB 08-2265): Overpayment upheld; suitable work termination reversed
A.G., a seasonal motor vehicle operator at Lassen Volcanic National Park, received compensation after a 1994 work injury. OWCP later found that it had used an incorrect pay rate, producing a $15,378.79 overpayment. The Board upheld that amount and the denial of waiver because A.G. had not supplied…
Bremerton Metal Trades Council (Union) and United States Department of the Navy, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington (Agency)
Bremerton Metal Trades Council and Navy shipyard (FLRA 0-AR-4237): Asbestos pay grievance remains closed
The Bremerton Metal Trades Council sought environmental differential pay for shipyard employees exposed to asbestos. An arbitrator found the grievance could not proceed because a federal law set the qualifying threshold at OSHA's permissible exposure limit and the union had not shown a right to pay…
K.S. v. Service Employees International, Incorporated
K.S. v. Service Employees International (BRB 08-0583R): overseas wages control this remand
K.S. was injured while working overseas for Service Employees International under the Defense Base Act. The Board had ordered his average weekly wage recalculated using only his higher overseas pay instead of combining it with lower United States earnings. On reconsideration, the employer argued…
D.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Cleveland, OH
D.S. (ECAB 08-2520): Disability recurrence found; wage capacity ruling unchanged
D.S., a postal employee with accepted neck and shoulder injuries, had worked in a modified position that OWCP used to set her wage-earning capacity in 2002. She claimed total disability after the Postal Service stopped providing work within her restrictions in November 2007. The Board found an…
L.G. and U.S. Postal Service, Woodstock Post Office, Woodstock, VA
L.G. (ECAB 08-2481): Emotional condition claim denied over personal dispute
L.G., a city carrier at the Woodstock Post Office, sought compensation for emotional distress she attributed to conflict with coworkers. The Board found that her principal dispute with one coworker grew from their relationship outside work and was carried into the workplace. It also considered a…
G.B. and Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Holtsville, NY
G.B. (ECAB 08-2470): Wage-loss claims returned for further review
G.B., an IRS tax examining technician, sought wage-loss compensation after an accepted fall at work. His claims covered periods of asserted total disability and time missed for physical therapy and medical appointments. The Board found that OWCP’s medical opinion did not adequately address the…
R.F. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Arlington, TX
R.F. (ECAB 08-2397): Emotional condition claim denied for lack of a covered work factor
R.F., a postal clerk, attributed depression and other emotional symptoms to disputes about assignments, discipline, and alleged workplace harassment. The Board found no evidence that the Postal Service required him to work beyond his medical restrictions or mishandled the disciplinary actions at…
L.G. and Department of the Navy, Naval Electronics System Communication, Charleston, SC
L.G. (ECAB 08-2377 and 09-0196): Additional conditions and sleep test denied
L.G., a Navy computer technician, had accepted swallowing, throat, and asthma conditions after exposure to paint fumes at work. She sought to add several respiratory and other conditions, including sleep apnea, and requested a sleep study to assess whether she still needed CPAP. The Board found…
R.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Columbus, OH
R.C. (ECAB 08-2342): Wage capacity reduction reversed over job availability
R.C., a postal employee with an accepted right knee injury, received total disability compensation after knee replacement revision surgery. OWCP reduced his compensation based on earnings from customer service and telemarketer jobs identified by a vocational counselor. The Board accepted an…
L.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Grand Rapids, MI
L.M. (ECAB 08-2220): Disability after postal injury not established
L.M., a postal letter carrier, had accepted neck and right shoulder strains after a motor vehicle accident at work in June 2005. He sought wage-loss compensation after stopping work that November. His treating physician placed him off work but diagnosed conditions OWCP had not accepted and did not…
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.