S.F. and U.S. Postal Service, Cross County Post Office (Board decision, July 7, 2026)

ECAB remand decision. The Board granted the Director's motion, set aside OWCP's June 5, 2025 decision, and remanded for a new decision. A party may petition the Board for reconsideration within 30 days of issuance unless this order specifies another period, under 20 C.F.R. § 501.7(a). FECA compensation decisions are generally not subject to court review under 5 U.S.C. § 8128(b).

Plain-English summary

A postal worker appealed denial of a schedule award. OWCP's decision referred to a district medical adviser report, but the Director told the Board the file had never been sent to that adviser and no such report existed. The Board granted the Director's request to set aside the denial. OWCP must review the medical evidence and issue a new decision.

Decision snapshot

• Authority: Federal Employees' Compensation Act, 5 U.S.C. § 8101 et seq.; 20 C.F.R. §§ 501.2(c), 501.3.
• Outcome: Schedule award denial set aside and remanded.
• Key point: A decision could not rest on a medical adviser report that did not exist.

Full text (ECAB public release)

United States Department of Labor
Employees’ Compensation Appeals Board

________
)
S.F., Appellant
)
)
and ) Docket No. 25-0689
) Issued: July 7, 2026
U.S. POSTAL SERVICE, CROSS COUNTY
)
POST OFFICE, North Charleston, SC, Employer )
__________ )

Appearances: Case Submitted on the Record
Appellant, pro se
Office of Solicitor, for the Director

ORDER GRANTING REMAND

Before:
ALEC J. KOROMILAS, Chief Judge
PATRICIA H. FITZGERALD, Deputy Chief Judge VALERIE D. EVANS-HARRELL, Alternate Judge

On July 12, 2025 appellant filed a timely appeal from a June 5, 2025 merit decision of the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP). The Clerk of the Appellate Boards docketed the appeal as No. 25-0689.

By decision dated June 5, 2025, OWCP denied appellant’s schedule award claim, finding that the evidence of record was insufficient to establish permanent impairment of a scheduled member or function of the body, warranting a schedule award.

The Clerk of the Appellate Boards served the Director of OWCP with a copy of appellant’s appeal and requested that the Director transmit the case record to the Board in accordance with the Board’s Rules of Procedure.1 The Director forwarded the case record to the Board.

On December 4, 2025, the Board issued an Order to Complete Record Within 30 Days finding that OWCP had not transmitted the complete contents of appellant’s case record for review

1
20 C.F.R. § 501.4. because the case record did not include the report of the district medical adviser (DMA) upon which OWCP’s June 5, 2025 decision rested.2

On December 18, 2025, the Director of OWCP filed a motion to remand requesting that the Board set aside OWCP’s June 5, 2025 decision and remand the case for OWCP to review the relevant medical evidence of record and issue a de novo decision. The Director noted that OWCP was unable to provide a copy of a report from the DMA because appellant’s claim file had not been referred to a DMA and, therefore, no such report existed. The Director clarified that the reference to a DMA in OWCP’s June 5, 2025 decision was inaccurate and appeared to be the result of a clerical or typographical error. Therefore, the Director requested that the Board set aside OWCP’s June 5, 2025 decision and remand the case so that, following review of the relevant medical evidence, OWCP can issue a de novo decision.

The Clerk of the Appellate Boards served appellant with a copy of the Director’s motion to remand. No response was received.

The Board, having duly considered this matter, grants the Director’s motion. On remand, OWCP shall review the relevant medical evidence of record and, after such further development as deemed necessary, issue a de novo decision. Accordingly,

2
Order to Complete Record Within 30 Days, Docket No. 25-0689 (issued December 4, 2025).
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED THAT the motion to remand filed by the Director of the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs is granted. The decision of the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs dated June 5, 2025 is set aside, and the case is remanded for further proceedings consistent with this order of the Board.

Issued: July 7, 2026
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