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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J.S. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Dallas VA Medical Center
Board rejects expanded injury and disability claims (ECAB 26-0155)
A Veterans Affairs employee sought to add further conditions to an accepted injury claim and sought wage-loss benefits for disability beginning October 9, 2024. The Board found that the medical evidence did not adequately connect the additional conditions or claimed disability to the accepted…
P.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Chicago Post Office
Board upholds suspension for missed medical examination (ECAB 26-0048)
A postal worker did not attend an OWCP-scheduled second opinion medical examination. OWCP suspended wage-loss compensation and medical benefits effective February 26, 2025 under FECA's examination rule. The Board found that OWCP had properly notified her and upheld the suspension.
Matter of I-B-M-S-, et al.
Change of venue vacated and proceedings remanded
The Department of Homeland Security appealed an Immigration Judge's decision granting the respondents' request to change venue from Boston to Chelmsford after their individual hearing had begun. The Board held that the Immigration Judge did not properly weigh the good-cause factors, did not fully…
Delta Western, LLC
In re Delta Western, LLC (EAB CAA Appeal No. 26-06C): fuel-importer compliance settlement approved
Delta Western, LLC imports gasoline and diesel fuel from Canada into Alaska and Washington. EPA alleged that Delta Western imported fuel without registering the fuels or itself as an importer, failed to sample and test the fuel before distribution, and did not meet reporting, recordkeeping…
K.F. and Department of the Air Force, Defense Commissary Agency
Medical record does not connect arm symptoms to work incident (ECAB 26-0320)
A Defense Commissary Agency worker reported arm and hand symptoms after an accepted April 26, 2025 work incident. His physician diagnosed cervical radiculopathy and right wrist carpal tunnel syndrome but did not give an opinion linking them to the incident. The Board affirmed OWCP's denial for lack…
G.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Raeford Post Office
Board orders review of signed medical report (ECAB 26-0293)
A postal carrier sought reconsideration of a denied shoulder injury claim and submitted a signed physician report addressing how her work could have caused the condition. OWCP had previously received an unsigned version but had not reviewed the signed report on the merits. The Board found the…
K.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Maywood Post Office
Board rejects renewed disability claim without causal proof (ECAB 26-0269)
A postal worker sought compensation for disability beginning September 17, 2025, tied to an accepted September 2012 injury. The Board found that the submitted medical evidence did not establish that the later inability to work was caused by that accepted injury. It affirmed OWCP's denial of the…
National Treasury Employees Union, Chapter 337 and Commodity Futures Trading Commission
NTEU Chapter 337 and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (FLRA 0-NG-3675): Authority rejects remote-work proposal
NTEU Chapter 337 proposed a remote-work program for Commodity Futures Trading Commission employees. One section would give an employee 60 days to return to the reporting office after the agency terminated a remote-work agreement, unless misconduct required a shorter period. The Authority held that…
Larry W. Barker v. Cumberland Resources Corporation
Barker v. Cumberland Resources (BRB 25-0197): Benefits denial returned for medical review
Larry Barker sought black lung benefits after 31 years of qualifying coal mine employment. The judge denied the claim because he found no totally disabling respiratory impairment. The Board held that the judge had improperly discounted a doctor's assessment of exercise testing without addressing…
Emil Kjushterov v. Global Integrated Security
Kjushterov v. Global Integrated Security (BRB 24-0340): Disability claim returned for review
Emil Kjushterov sustained psychological injuries while working for Global Integrated Security in Afghanistan. The judge found the injuries work-related and awarded medical benefits, but denied disability compensation after finding that Kjushterov could still do his usual work. The Board held that…
S.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Blossom Hill Post Office
Board upholds retirement benefit overpayment and deductions (ECAB 26-0307)
A postal worker received FECA wage-loss compensation and Social Security age-related retirement benefits without the required offset. The Board upheld OWCP's $13,581.91 overpayment finding for December 2023 through September 2025, though the worker was without fault. It also upheld denial of waiver…
D.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Seattle Network Distribution Center
Postal worker's back claim lacks medical causation evidence (ECAB 26-0267)
A postal worker attributed a back condition to accepted factors of his work. The Board reviewed physician reports but found they did not provide an adequately reasoned explanation linking the diagnosed condition to those employment factors. It affirmed OWCP's denial for lack of medical causation…
J.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Sylmar Post Office
Board returns unexplained reconsideration denial (ECAB 26-0220)
A postal worker sought reconsideration of a denied claim. OWCP rejected the request in a summary decision that did not adequately explain its findings under the applicable FECA rules. The Board set that decision aside and directed OWCP to issue a reasoned decision addressing the request.
J.D. and Department of the Navy, Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet
Accepted hearing loss did not qualify for schedule award (ECAB 26-0108)
A Navy safety specialist developed hearing loss associated with workplace noise exposure. The Board credited the medical adviser's calculation of zero percent ratable hearing loss under the impairment guides. Because the hearing loss was not ratable, tinnitus did not add an impairment rating, and…
Paul King v. Enterprise Mining Company, LLC
King v. Enterprise Mining (BRB 25-0181): Benefits denial returned for disability review
Paul King sought black lung benefits after 50 years of coal mine employment. The judge denied the claim, and an earlier Board appeal required him to reconsider evidence of total disability. The judge again denied benefits, and King appealed without a lawyer. The Board found that the breathing tests…
Larry E. Stiltner v. Misty Bec Coal Company
Stiltner v. Misty Bec Coal (BRB 25-0179): Black lung award affirmed without presumption
Larry Stiltner sought black lung benefits after a prior denial. An earlier Board appeal overturned the judge's finding that he had at least fifteen years of qualifying coal mine work. On remand, the judge found Stiltner could not use the fifteen-year presumption but that medical opinions directly…
T.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Processing and Distribution Center
Late reconsideration request fails clear-error standard (ECAB 26-0290)
A postal clerk sought reconsideration of a denied foot and ankle claim more than one year after OWCP's last merit decision. The Board found the request untimely and the submission insufficient to demonstrate clear evidence of error. It affirmed OWCP's nonmerit refusal to reopen.
A.M. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Work-related hearing loss not ratable for award (ECAB 26-0274)
A Customs and Border Protection agent sought a schedule award for hearing loss attributed to workplace noise. Medical testing and the applicable impairment calculation did not establish ratable hearing loss. The Board affirmed OWCP's denial of a schedule award despite the recognized work…
R.T. and Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons
Board orders medical adviser review of knee impairment (ECAB 26-0234)
A federal correctional officer sought a schedule award for permanent knee impairment after an accepted injury. His physician provided detailed impairment calculations, but OWCP denied the claim without referring that report to its district medical adviser. The Board set aside the denial and…
E.E. and U.S. Postal Service
Board rejects claimed recurrence of disability (ECAB 24-0593)
A postal carrier sought benefits for disability from October 16 through November 12, 2023 after an accepted January 2023 injury. The Board found that the medical evidence did not establish that the later period of disability was caused by the accepted injury. It affirmed OWCP's denial of recurrence…
Secretary of Labor v. W.G. Yates & Sons Construction Company
Hot-work fire citation affirmed
Yates was cutting steel in a phosphate mine building when hot slag entered an uncovered drain and ignited a rubber-lined discharge pipe. The fire burned for about 17 minutes, produced thick black smoke, and required the mine rescue team to extinguish it after six fire extinguishers proved…
E.A. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Doris Miller VA Medical Center
Board recognizes patient-assault incident and returns claim (ECAB 26-0286)
A Veterans Affairs nurse reported that a patient assaulted him at work on June 27, 2025. His account was consistent with prompt treatment and his supervisor's acknowledgment. The Board found that the duty incident occurred, reversed OWCP's contrary finding, and directed further consideration of…
S.L. and U.S. Postal Service
Board rejects shoulder claim for lack of medical causation (ECAB 26-0275)
A postal carrier reported a right shoulder injury after grabbing a falling package from her work vehicle. OWCP accepted the September 6, 2025 incident, but the Board found that the medical evidence did not establish a causal link to a diagnosed condition. It affirmed the denials.
R.T. and U.S. Postal Service, Detroit Post Office
Board upholds payments made after return to work (ECAB 26-0236)
A postal worker returned to work on May 19, 2025 but continued to receive total-disability FECA payments through June 14. The Board upheld OWCP's $3,979.87 overpayment finding, though she was without fault, and affirmed denial of waiver. It found the overpayment arose from payments after the return…
S.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Cardiss Collins Post Office
Board grants withdrawal of postal worker's appeal (ECAB 26-0200)
A postal worker appealed an OWCP decision issued December 1, 2025. The worker later asked to withdraw the Board appeal. The Board granted that request and dismissed the case without deciding the underlying compensation issue.
Tinsley C. Keyes, Jr. v. Consol Mining Company, LLC
Keyes v. Consol Mining (BRB 25-0183): Black lung benefits award affirmed
Tinsley Keyes sought black lung benefits after more than fifteen years of underground coal mine work. The judge found a totally disabling respiratory impairment and applied the statutory presumption that pneumoconiosis caused the disability. Consol Mining challenged the disability finding and…
D.O. and Department of Justice, U.S. Marshals Service
Chest symptoms not medically linked to accepted incident (ECAB 26-0264)
A deputy U.S. marshal reported chest tightness during an accepted incident restraining an inmate. The medical record diagnosed chest pain and rhinovirus but did not explain how the accepted work incident caused a medical condition. The Board affirmed OWCP's denial for lack of medical causation…
A.H. and U.S. Postal Service, North Miami Post Office
Board recognizes work-related rash but denies continuation of pay (ECAB 26-0211)
A postal worker attributed a skin rash to mold exposure over time at work. The Board agreed that this was an occupational disease claim rather than a single-shift traumatic injury, so continuation of pay was unavailable. It found the rash connected to accepted work factors, reversed OWCP's injury…
United States Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2499, National Border Patrol Council
U.S. Customs and Border Protection and AFGE Local 2499 (FLRA 0-AR-5872): Authority narrows vehicle-policy bargaining award
AFGE Local 2499 challenged Customs and Border Protection's refusal to negotiate proposals related to a revised vehicle-pursuit policy. An arbitrator interpreted the parties' agreement as granting the union a right to initiate midterm bargaining and found that the agency violated both the agreement…
M.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Madison Post Office
Arm diagnoses not linked to accepted work incident (ECAB 26-0262)
A postal worker sought FECA coverage for arm conditions after an accepted July 5, 2025 work incident. Physicians diagnosed wrist and elbow conditions, but the Board found that the reports did not adequately explain how the accepted incident caused them. It affirmed OWCP's denial for lack of medical…
S.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Regional Facility
Board upholds claim denial and refusal to reopen (ECAB 26-0259)
A postal worker sought coverage for a condition attributed to an accepted January 2, 2025 incident. The Board found that the record did not establish a diagnosed medical condition connected to the incident. It also upheld OWCP's refusals to reopen the claim because the reconsideration submissions…
J.V. and Department of Justice, U.S. Marshals Service
Board orders further review of hearing-loss claim (ECAB 26-0092)
A deputy U.S. marshal sought coverage for hearing loss and tinnitus attributed to workplace noise. The employer had not supplied requested exposure and audiogram information, and the second opinion did not clearly address whether the accepted noise exposure could have caused the hearing condition…
United States Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration and National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Federal Aviation Administration and NATCA (FLRA 0-AR-6045): Authority remands discipline award for clarification
An arbitrator overturned a 14-day suspension of an air traffic controller after finding that the agency denied due process and lacked just cause. The Federal Aviation Administration argued that the award was contrary to law and based on nonfacts. The Authority could not tell whether the arbitrator…
Matter of Y-H-L-
Reconsideration and reopening denied
The Board denied a Chinese respondent's motion to reconsider and motion to reopen after it had previously dismissed her appeal from the denial of asylum and withholding of removal. The Board held that the respondent had not shown an error in requiring reasonably available corroboration for her…
Matter of V-A-B-
Withholding vacated, CAT claim remanded
The applicant, a Mexican citizen, sought withholding of removal based on abuse by her former husband and a proposed group of married Mexican women unable to leave their relationships. The Immigration Judge granted withholding, but the Board held that the group was circularly defined and lacked…
Patricia Sparks (o/b/o Estate of Ricky Allen Sparks) and Donald Ray Marcum v. Locust Grove, Incorporated and Excel Mining, LLC
Sparks and Marcum (BRB 24-0472 and 25-0076): attorney fee denials vacated and remanded
The Department of Labor sought reimbursement of interim medical benefits paid for treatment in two miners' black lung cases, and the employers contested whether the treatment was compensable. The administrative law judge awarded medical benefits but denied the miners' lawyers' fee petitions…
Patricia Sparks (on behalf of Ricky Allen Sparks) v. Locust Grove, Incorporated; Donald Ray Marcum v. Excel Mining, LLC
Sparks and Marcum (BRB 24-0472 and 25-0076): Attorney fee petitions returned for review
Patricia Sparks and Donald Marcum were parties to separate disputes over whether their employers had to reimburse the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund for medical benefits it had paid. Their lawyers participated in hearings that resulted in awards of medical benefits. The judge denied the lawyers'…
Henry Andrade v. Electric Boat Corporation
Andrade v. Electric Boat (BRB 24-0359): Doctor's report cost returned for review
Henry Andrade injured his hands and arms while using vibrating tools at Electric Boat. His lawyer later requested $750 for a doctor's examination and report, a cost omitted from an earlier fee agreement that the employer had paid. The district director denied the request after treating it as a…
S.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Melrose Park Post Office
Board upholds termination of compensation and medical benefits (ECAB 26-0285)
A postal carrier had received benefits for an accepted hamstring injury. OWCP ended wage-loss compensation and medical benefits after a second opinion found no continuing disability or residuals related to that injury. The Board found OWCP had met its burden and upheld termination effective January…
S.A. and U.S. Postal Service, Cardiss Collins Post Office
Board rejects thumb claim for lack of medical explanation (ECAB 26-0222)
A postal worker reported right hand symptoms after an accepted June 2, 2025 work incident. His physician diagnosed carpal tunnel syndrome and suggested a relationship to work, but did not explain how the incident caused or aggravated that condition. The Board affirmed OWCP's denial for insufficient…
Secretary of Labor v. Mitsubishi Cement Corporation
Unsupported default request denied
Mitsubishi timely contested an MSHA citation but later defaulted after the Commission received neither its answer to the penalty petition nor its response to an order to show cause. The company said its safety superintendent had prepared both answers, but it supplied no filing documentation and the…
Secretary of Labor v. Nally & Hamilton Enterprises, Inc.
Six reopening motions denied
Nally sought to reopen six penalty assessments after mine personnel decided to contest them but emails to counsel were either not received or overlooked. The communication failures continued for about three months, and the company did not explain why its system failed. MSHA also sent delinquency…
Matter of Rasheen Stefan BEST
Waiver and adjustment grants vacated
The Board reviewed the Department of Homeland Security's appeal from an Immigration Judge's decision granting a Barbados citizen a waiver of inadmissibility and adjustment of status. The Board held that the emotional and financial difficulties the respondent's wife, children, and mother would face…
Roy Lee Breedlove v. Canada Coal Corporation
Breedlove v. Canada Coal (BRB 25-0169): Benefits denial returned for medical findings
Roy Breedlove sought black lung benefits after 21 years of qualifying coal mine work. The judge denied his claim after finding no totally disabling respiratory impairment. On this third Board review, the Board held that the judge had not adequately resolved conflicting medical opinions or explained…
M.Z. and Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Metropolitan Correctional Center Chicago
Board returns leave buyback claim for a reasoned decision (ECAB 26-0288)
A Bureau of Prisons dental hygienist sought to buy back leave used after accepted shoulder surgery. OWCP denied the request by saying she had already received wage-loss compensation, but did not identify evidence supporting payment for the claimed periods or clearly explain its findings. The Board…
J.D. and Department of the Air Force
Claimed thyroid condition lacks qualifying medical causation proof (ECAB 26-0282)
An Air Force aircraft mechanic attributed hypothyroidism to exposure to fire suppressant foam at work. The Board found that the submitted nurse practitioner evidence could not provide the physician causation opinion required under FECA, and the record otherwise did not establish the needed medical…
R.M. and Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau
Board upholds denial of late hearing request (ECAB 26-0260)
A Census Bureau worker requested an oral hearing after OWCP's decision on an injury claim. The Board found that the request was made after the statutory 30-day period and that OWCP properly exercised its discretion in denying a late hearing. It affirmed the procedural decision without reaching the…
Matter of C-P-Y-
Most recent arrival controls serious crime bar
The respondent, a Mexican citizen and lawful permanent resident, appealed denials of cancellation of removal, asylum, withholding of removal, and CAT protection. The Board held that the serious nonpolitical crime bar refers to the respondent's most recent arrival in the United States, not only the…
William D. Kutsey, Jr. v. Ronald Bush Coal Company
Kutsey v. Ronald Bush Coal (BRB 25-0154): Disability claim reassigned after remand errors
William Kutsey sought black lung benefits, but the judge again denied the claim after an earlier Board remand required a fuller review of a doctor's opinion on total disability. The Board held that the judge had repeated errors and had not followed its instructions to compare the doctor's account…
Ulsemer Vega Ruiz v. SOC, LLC
Vega Ruiz v. SOC (BRB 24-0394): Denial of psychological injury benefits affirmed
Ulsemer Vega Ruiz worked for SOC as an armed security guard in Iraq and sought benefits for an alleged psychological injury. The judge found that he invoked the work injury presumption but that the employer rebutted it with a psychiatrist's opinion. After weighing the medical evidence, the judge…
M.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Evanston Post Office
Board rejects long disability period without causal proof (ECAB 26-0252)
A postal worker sought total-disability benefits from July 31, 2022 through June 8, 2025 based on an accepted February 2021 injury. The Board found that the medical record did not establish inability to work throughout that period due to the accepted condition. It affirmed OWCP's denial of the…
C.J. and U.S. Postal Service, Livingston Post Office
Board requires employer route evidence for vehicle injury claim (ECAB 26-0216)
A postal worker reported injuries after another vehicle struck the one she was driving during work. OWCP asked the worker for route and accident details but did not request available information from the employer about her official duties and route. The Board directed OWCP to obtain that…
R.H. and Department of Homeland Security
Board rejects expansion to occipital neuralgia (ECAB 26-0188)
A Homeland Security employee sought to add bilateral occipital neuralgia to an accepted injury claim. The Board reviewed the medical opinions developed after an earlier conflict and found that the record did not establish the additional condition as caused by or consequential to the accepted…
D.W. and Department of the Navy
Board orders further medical review of hearing-loss claim (ECAB 26-0113)
A Navy employee sought coverage for hearing loss and tinnitus attributed to workplace noise. The Board found the second opinion unclear because it recognized noise exposure sufficient to cause hearing loss but did not clearly explain why the employee's condition was unrelated to federal work. It…
MDLG, Inc., dba Phenix Lumber Company
Twenty-eight violations and $2.47 million penalty affirmed
MDLG operated Phenix Lumber Company, where an employee died after falling into a woodchipper auger while trying to clear a jam. OSHA cited five serious violations, 22 willful-serious violations, and one repeat violation involving lockout/tagout, guarding, fall protection, powered industrial trucks…
C.W. and U.S. Postal Service
Ongoing work exposure makes occupational claim timely (ECAB 26-0257)
A postal carrier claimed shoulder conditions from years of mail handling and filed in August 2025. Although she reported first recognizing the work relationship in 2021, the employer said she remained exposed to the implicated work factors until June 25, 2025. The Board held that the three-year…
V.D. and Department of the Navy, Naval Medical Center
Board reverses termination of long-running wage-loss benefits (ECAB 26-0229)
A former Navy data transcriber had received FECA benefits for a long-standing accepted injury. OWCP ended wage-loss compensation after concluding that related disability had ceased. The Board found that OWCP's medical evidence did not meet its burden to justify termination and reversed the decision.
R.R. and Department of the Navy, Naval Supply Systems Command
Board upholds denial of late reconsideration requests (ECAB 26-0212)
A Navy logistics worker submitted two requests to reconsider an earlier denied claim. Both came more than one year after the last merit decision. The Board found they were untimely and did not demonstrate clear evidence of error, so it upheld OWCP's nonmerit denials.
Joseph Anthony Reyna
Authority declines guidance extending federal labor law to nonemployees
Joseph Anthony Reyna, acting as founder and director of a nonprofit organization, asked the Authority to explain whether nonemployees performing agency-oversight or compliance work could receive protections similar to federal employees and labor organizations. The Authority began with the statutory…
Matter of C-L-R-
Safeguards upheld in withholding-only proceedings
The Board reviewed an appeal by a Honduran applicant with serious mental health conditions whose withholding-only proceedings included a finding of incompetence and appointment of a qualified representative. The Board held that the Immigration Judge provided adequate safeguards, including…
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.