Post-traumatic stress complaint denied

A former Pepco employee who said he suffered post-traumatic stress disorder after he was fired for being drunk on the job has been denied workers' compensation.

The Washington Examiner reports that Benjamin Ramey was working as a conduit installer in 2003 when he was called into work around midnight during the Labor Day weekend. Around 3 a.m. Ramey was called into his supervisor's office; the supervisor said his speech was slurred, he was unsteady on his feet and he smelled of alcohol.

Ramey was taken to an alcohol testing facility and later suspended after testing positive for drug or alcohol use.

Later Ramey filed a workers' comp case alleging that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder because of the way he was "mistreated and disrespected" during his alcohol testing. He also said he urinated on himself when he wasn't allowed to use the bathroom, and that he was embarrassed because co-workers were talking about him.

The D.C. Court of Appeals ruled he was not entitled to payments.