United States Department of Labor

Employees’ Compensation Appeals Board

__________________________________________

V.M., Appellant

and

U.S. POSTAL SERVICE, GEORGE W. YOUNG 

POST OFFICE, Detroit, MI, Employer

__________________________________________

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Docket No. 21-1096

Issued: May 5, 2023

Appearances: Case Submitted on the Record

Appellant, pro se

Office of Solicitor, for the Director

ORDER REMANDING CASE

Before:

ALEC J. KOROMILAS, Chief Judge

PATRICIA H. FITZGERALD, Deputy Chief Judge

VALERIE D. EVANS-HARRELL, Alternate Judge

On July 13, 2021 appellant filed a timely appeal from a March 23, 2021 merit decision of 

the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP). The Clerk of the Appellate Boards 

assigned Docket No. 21-1096.

1

On February 12, 2021 appellant, then a 62-year-old rural carrier associate, filed a traumatic 

injury claim (Form CA-1) alleging that on December 21, 2020 she contracted COVID-19 when 

she was exposed to individuals infected with COVID-19 when delivering mail while in the 

performance of duty. She stopped work on December 28, 2020.

In support of her claim, appellant submitted a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) COVID19 test result dated December 30, 2020, which indicated that she tested positive for COVID-19. 

On March 23, 2021 OWCP accepted the claim for COVID-19.

1 The Board notes that following the March 23, 2021 decision, OWCP received additional evidence and appellant 

submitted additional evidence on appeal. However, the Board’s Rules of Procedureprovides: “The Board’s review 

of a case is limited to the evidence in the case record that was before OWCP at the time of its final decision. Evidence 

not before OWCP will not be considered by the Board for the first time on appeal.” 20 C.F.R. § 501.2(c)(1). Thus, 

the Board is precluded from reviewing this additiona l evidence for the first time on appeal. Id.
2

By decision dated March 23, 2021, OWCP denied appellant’s claim for continuation of 

pay (COP), finding that she had failed to report the December 21, 2020 employment injury on a 

form approved by OWCP within 30 days, as required. It advised her that the denial of COP did 

not affect her entitlement to compensation.

The Board, having duly considered the matter, finds that this case is not in posture for 

decision.

Section 8118(a) of FECA authorizes COP, not to exceed 45 days, to an employee who has 

filed a claim for a period of wage loss due to a traumatic injury with his or her immediate superior 

on a form approved by the Secretary of Labor within the time specified in section 8122(a)(2) of 

this title.2 This latter section provides that written notice of injury shall be given within 30 days. 3 

The context of section 8122 makes clear that this means within 30 days of the injury.4

OWCP’s regulations provide, in pertinent part, that to be eligible for COP, an employee 

must: (1) have a traumatic injury which is job related and the cause of the disability and/or the 

cause of lost time due to the need for medical examination and treatment; (2) file Form CA-1 

within 30 days of the date of the injury; and (3) begin losing time from work due to the traumatic 

injury within 45 days of the injury.5

FECA Bulletin No. 21-09 at subsection II.2., however, provides that, “The FECA program 

considers COVID-19 to be a traumatic injury since it is contracted during a single workday or shift 

(see 20 C.F.R. § 10.5(ee)), and considers the date of last exposure prior to the medical evidence 

establishing the COVID-19 diagnosis as the Date of Injury since the precise time of transmission 

may not always be known due to the nature of the virus.”

6

 

In denying appellant’s claim for COP, OWCP failed to consider the date of last exposure 

as the date of injury in accordance with the guidance in FECA Bulletin No. 21-09. This case will 

therefore be remanded for application of FECA Bulletin No. 21-09 with regard to appellant’s claim 

2

5 U.S.C. § 8118(a).

3

Id. at § 8122(a)(2).

4 E.M., Docket No. 20-0837 (issued January 27, 2021); J.S., Docket No. 18-1086 (issued January 17, 2019);

Robert M. Kimzey, 40 ECAB 762-64 (1989); Myra Lenburg, 36 ECAB 487, 489 (1985).

5

20 C.F.R. § 10.205(a)(1-3); see also T.S., Docket No. 19-1228 (issued December 9, 2019); J.M., Docket No. 09-

1563 (issued February 26, 2010); Dodge Osborne, 44 ECAB 849 (1993); WilliamE. Ostertag, 33 ECAB 1925(1982).

6 FECA Bulletin No. 21-09.II.2 (issued April 29, 2021). On March 11, 2021 the American Rescue Plan Act of 

2021 (ARPA) was signed into law. Pub. L.No. 117–2. OWCP issued FECA Bulletin No. 21-09 to provide guidance 

regarding the processing of COVID-19 FECA claims as set forth in the ARPA. Previously, COVID-19 claims under 

FECA were processed under the guidelines provided by FECA Bulletin No. 20-05 (issued March 31, 2020) and FECA 

Bulletin No. 21-01 (issued October 21, 2020). FECA Bulletin No. 21-09 supersedes FECA Bulletin Nos. 20-05 and 

21-01.
3

for COP.7 Following this and other such further development as deemed necessary, OWCP shall 

issue a de novo decision. Accordingly,

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED THAT the March 23, 2021 decision of the Office of 

Workers’ Compensation Programs is set aside and the case is remanded for further proceedings 

consistent with this order of the Board.

Issued: May 5, 2023

Washington, DC

Alec J. Koromilas, Chief Judge

Employees’ Compensation Appeals Board

Patricia H. Fitzgerald, Deputy Chief Judge

Employees’ Compensation Appeals Board

Valerie D. Evans-Harrell, Alternate Judge

Employees’ Compensation Appeals Board

7

See Order Remanding Case, K.W., Docket No. 22-0769 (issued February 23, 2023); Order Remanding Case, 

K.C., Docket No. 22-1066 (issued December 23, 2022);Order Remanding Case, T.S., Docket No. 22-0830 (issued 

December 19, 2022); Order Remanding Case, G.C., Docket No. 21-1016 (issued September 27, 2022).