McCamey v. District of Columbia Department of Employment Services

McCamey v. District of Columbia Department of Employment Services

What Happened

Ms. McCamey, an employee of DC Public Schools, filed a claim for workers' compensation benefits due to psychological injuries she said resulted from a workplace accident. Workers' compensation typically covers medical expenses and lost wages when employees are hurt on the job.

The Court's Decision

The court sided with the government agency that denied her claim. The judge ruled that when workers claim psychological injuries from workplace accidents, there's a specific test that must be met: the injury must be severe enough that a person of ordinary sensitivity would have experienced similar psychological harm. The court found that Ms. McCamey did not meet this standard.

Why This Matters for Workers

This ruling established that psychological injuries from workplace accidents face a higher burden of proof than physical injuries. Workers claiming mental health damage must demonstrate their reaction was typical—not unique or unusually sensitive. This means psychological injury claims require stronger evidence of how serious the workplace event was, which can make these claims harder to win than physical injury claims.