Lepre v. Department of Labor

275 F.3d 59, 348 U.S. App. D.C. 280, 2001 U.S. App. LEXIS 27008, 2001 WL 1635884
CourtCourt of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
DecidedDecember 21, 2001
Docket00-5053
StatusPublished
Cited by38 cases

This text of 275 F.3d 59 (Lepre v. Department of Labor) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lepre v. Department of Labor, 275 F.3d 59, 348 U.S. App. D.C. 280, 2001 U.S. App. LEXIS 27008, 2001 WL 1635884 (D.C. Cir. 2001).

Opinions

Opinion for the Court filed by Circuit Judge ROGERS.

Concurring opinion filed by Senior Circuit Judge SILBERMAN.

ROGERS, Circuit Judge:

This appeal concerns the judicial review provision of the Federal Employees Compensation Act (“FECA”), 5 U.S.C. § 8128(b) (1994), in a case involving the suspension of temporary total disability benefits to an employee for failing to appear for a required medical examination. In rejecting Gerald Steven Lepre’s claim that he never received notice of the examination, the Department of Labor’s Employees’ Compensation Appeals Board (“Board”) relied on the presumption that mail sent has been received. Lepre now appeals the dismissal of his complaint, contending that the district court erred in rejecting his due process challenge based on lack of notice and in ruling that § 8128(b) barred judicial review of his claim that the Secretary of the Department of Labor violated the clear statutory mandate of FECA.

We hold that § 8128(b) does not bar judicial review of Lepre’s due process challenge to the Department’s alleged systemic reliance on the mailbox presumption. We further hold that Lepre’s due process challenge is unpersuasive. We do not reach the question of whether § 8128(b) bars judicial review of a claimed violation by the Secretary of a clear statutory mandate because Lepre’s complaint fails to allege a facial violation of FECA. Accordingly, we affirm the dismissal of the complaint.

I.

Under FECA, “an employee shall submit to examination by a medical officer of the United States, or by a physician designated or approved by the Secretary of Labor, after the injury and as frequently and at the times and places as may be reasonably required.” 5 U.S.C. § 8123(a). “If the employee refuses to submit to or obstructs an examination, his right to compensation is suspended until the refusal or obstruction stops.” Id. § 8123(d).

In November 1993, while Lepre was employed as a federal corrections officer in Otisville, New York, a prisoner struck him with a wooden industrial floor broom, causing a lumbosacral strain. Lepre filed a claim for disability benefits with the Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (“OWCP”), and was awarded continuation of pay followed by wage loss benefits for temporary total disability under FECA, 5 U.S.C. §§ 8101 et seq. Lepre received regular payments for temporary total disability through December 13, 1994. His benefits were interrupted for approximately ten months in 1995, after which he received compensation for the period ending March 31, 1995. Following another interruption, he eventually received compensation from OWCP for the period between April 1, 1995, and September 17,1995. Although his benefits were restored as of August 18, 1996, when he indicated that he was willing to submit to a medical examination, Lepre has never received benefits for the period between September 18, 1995, and August 18, 1996, because of OWCP’s position that he failed [62]*62to comply with requests to submit to a second opinion medical examination.

In a letter addressed to “Gerald S. Lepre” dated June 30, 1995, OWCP informed Lepre that in order to “clarify the cause and extent of [your] injury-related impairment,” he was to see a physician on August 3, 1995, and that failure to appear “may result in the suspension of your right to compensation under Title 5 U.S.C. 8123(d) until the refusal or obstruction is deducted from the period for which compensation is payable.” Lepre did not appear for the medical appointment. In a follow-up letter addressed to “Gerald Lep-ri” on August 14, 1995, OWCP stated that Lepre needed to explain why he failed to keep the appointment, and that “any action on your part short of full cooperation could result in suspension of benefits.” No response to this letter was ever received. Finally, in a letter addressed to “Gerald S. Lepre” dated September 18, 1995, OWCP informed Lepre that his claim for benefits had been disallowed because of his failure to attend or explain his nonattendance at the scheduled medical examination. All three of OWCP’s letters were addressed to Lepre at 106 Willow Avenue, Susquehanna, PA 18847.

On September 20, 1995, Lepre wrote to OWCP advising of the problems he was having with his “claim.” He attached what he described as “a current set of forms” as well as his affidavit stating that he had complied with all prior medical appointments. Although he did not expressly state in his affidavit that he had not received OWCP’s pre-suspension notices, he demanded proof of service and stated that he was not notified, as the claims examiner averred in her findings of fact, of the August 3, 1995 medical examination, and that the presumption that he was notified had prejudiced him. In his affidavit, he also stated that all future correspondence should be sent to him by certified mail, return receipt requested, to:

Gerald S., Lepre, Sui Juris, Juris et de jure
c/o 106 Willow Avenue 34th Judicial district Susquehanna Depot borough Susquehanna, Pennsylvania commonwealth Republic state

OWCP treated Lepre’s letter as a request for reconsideration of the suspension of his benefits, and denied the request on September 29, 1995. OWCP did not interpret Lepre’s letter to indicate his willingness to submit to a medical examination and declined to change Lepre’s mailing address, because it would not be recognized by the U.S. Postal Service for lack of a zip code.

Nearly a year later, on August 19, 1996, Lepre appealed to the Employees’ Compensation Appeals Board, advising that he had not heard anything from OWCP and was willing to attend a medical examination if notified. The Board denied Lepre’s appeal and subsequent request for reconsideration. In determining that Lepre had failed to offer sufficient reasons for failing to cooperate with the second opinion medical examination, the Board relied on the “mailbox rule,” pursuant to which:

It is presumed, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, that a notice mailed to an individual in the ordinary course of business was received by that individual. This presumption arises when it appears from the record that the notice was properly addressed and duly mailed. The appearance of a properly addressed copy in the case record, together with the mailing custom or practice of the Office itself, will raise the presumption that the original was received by the addressee. While in his request for reconsideration, [Lepre] requested that all mail be sent to another address, prior to that time, the address [63]*63of record was correctly used by the Office. As [Lepre] has not provided any evidence to the contrary, it is presumed that he was duly notified of the scheduled appointment.

The Board declined to consider Lepre’s contention that the federal statutes applied by OWCP are inapplicable to him as a citizen of the State of Pennsylvania, stating that the Board “has long recognized that it is not the proper forum to challenge the constitutionality of an act of Congress,” citing its decision in Christino Rodriguez,

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Bluebook (online)
275 F.3d 59, 348 U.S. App. D.C. 280, 2001 U.S. App. LEXIS 27008, 2001 WL 1635884, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lepre-v-department-of-labor-cadc-2001.