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Library workers and union say delays, missing guidance blocked access to workers' comp after MLK Library death
Summary
At a Feb. 27 oversight hearing, union and DC Public Library employees described delayed eRisk reporting, limited training, and a lack of local paneled providers after a December 2024 patron death, and ORM said it would expand outreach and publish more guidance.
Union leaders and library staff told the Committee on Public Works and Operations on Feb. 27 that gaps in agency training and documentation hindered employees' ability to access the public-sector workers' compensation program after a December 2024 patron suicide at Martin Luther King Jr. Library.
"Managers don't know that they're required to report injuries to ORM through e risk," Yonah Vrambergaber, president of Local 18, testified, saying managers and some administrators lack basic compliance knowledge. Vrambergaber urged mandatory annual compliance training for managers, more transparency about denial and provider-paneling criteria, and prioritizing DC‑based providers to reduce travel and delays for injured workers.
Library associate Molly Stratton described being among the first staff to respond to the December 2024 incident. She said she was "very messed up" by the event, received limited guidance from managers and human resources, and spent months attempting to access mental-health care. "It took 2 months of that time just for me to find a therapist," Stratton testified, and she said there was no clear path for mental‑health leave despite clinical advice supporting time off.
The witnesses also criticized ORM's online guidance for the Public Sector Workers' Compensation Program, saying only a few chapters of the program manual are published and that omissions slow appeals and staff navigation of the process. During the hearing, Jed Ross, ORM's chief risk officer, acknowledged the committee's concerns and said ORM's staff engaged with DC Public Library after claims were filed and that the agency conducts trainings and meet-and-greets with providers to improve access.
Committee members pressed for clearer timelines and for ORM to ensure agency managers and risk representatives are held accountable for reporting. The council indicated it would follow up with written requests for documentation and timelines for additional manual chapters and training rollouts.
