Sheppard v. District of Columbia Department of Employment Services

**Sheppard v. District of Columbia Department of Employment Services** This case involved a worker named Sheppard who was seeking permanent partial disability benefits from the D.C. Department of Employment Services. Sheppard argued that under a rule called the "deemed accepted" provision, his request should automatically be approved because his employer didn't respond to it within a certain timeframe. The court disagreed with Sheppard and sided with the Department of Employment Services. The court ruled that the "deemed accepted" rule only applies to initial disability benefit claims that come with a supervisor's report. It does not apply when a worker later requests a different type of benefit, like permanent partial disability benefits, even if the employer doesn't respond. **What this means for workers:** If you're injured at work and need to file for different types of disability benefits over time, you can't rely on your employer's silence to automatically approve later requests. The "deemed accepted" rule is limited to your very first claim. Workers need to actively pursue each type of benefit claim and ensure they meet all requirements, rather than assuming non-response means approval. This makes it more important to stay on top of benefit applications and follow up appropriately.