Federal Workers Compensation Coffee Break

This episode is an emailer asking a question and being answered in the podcast episode. The scenario the emailer presented for an injured federal employee is the following: An injured worker  came in her OWCP doctor's office  for an urgent care visit appointment due to her shoulder being in severe pain and cannot raise it. This shoulder injury is an accepted condition and she is on modified d...

There is recent evidence that OWCP (under the U.S. Department of Labor) has increasingly began to outsource significant portions of claims-related services for FECA (federal workers' compensation) to third-party vendors, including private companies traditionally known for state workers' compensation claims management. This is a change in the entire structure of the FECA and OWCP governme...

CHALLENGING VALIDITY OF OWCP CLAIMS – If the validity of a claim is questioned, the Agency supervisor should investigate the circumstances and report the results to OWCP. However, filing of the claim should not be delayed whether the claim is disputed or what OWCP calls controverted.  A. Allegations Must be supported by factual evidence. 1) Different Versions of incident by several witnesses, whos...

OWCP CLAIMS PROCESSING – Certain procedures and responsibilities have to be accomplished once the forms and information have reached OWCP for appropriate adjudication of claim. A. Initial Processing – Once claim is received with all supporting documentation (when possible) claim number will be assigned to the case. OWCP will notify the employee and agency once claim has been received. Uncontrovert...

Continuation of Pay (COP) is continuation of regular pay up to 45 calendar days for periods of disability and or medical care, which occur in connection with a Traumatic Injury. COP must begin within 45 days of the injury. A. Entitlement – Permanent and Temporary employees are entitled to COP when Traumatic Injury is reported within 30 days. Medical documentation must support all periods of COP. N...

OWCP Claims for Compensation for federal - civil employees injuries, must meet certain requirements before being accepted.  These five (5) requirements ( also known as the 5 elements of coverage determination criteria) must be met within the sequence below and if not, claim will be adjudicated or held up by requesting information from the injured work to satisfy each of the 5 element requirement i...

                                  Initiating Claims with OWCP. Procedures initiating claims with OWCP for an employee who has (A) suffered a Traumatic Injury, (B) suffers from an Occupational Injury or Disease, (C) Recurrence of Injury or Disease, and (D) Death: Seasosn 5 podcast episode 1 explaining  how OWCP works from an OWCP Claims examiner's training. Today we are going over something I...

A psychiatric condition is accepted under FECA only if a qualified mental health professional diagnoses an emotional condition and provides a rationalized opinion that it was directly caused or substantially aggravated by specific, substantiated incidents or conditions of federal employment — not by general job stress or properly conducted personnel actions. If you are pursuing such a claim, almos...

CA-7 Form is used When the CE first becomes aware that the claimant is disabled from work (even if the COP period has not expired or a wage-loss claim has not yet been received). (b) The first CA-7, Claim for Compensation, is approved for a nonintermittent period of leave without pay, and medical evidence supports continued disability from work. The CA-7 form asks the claimant to reportall earning...

OWCP Schedule Awards. If you’ve got a permanent impairment from a work injury, this could mean a lump-sum payout to help with the long haul. We’ll break it down for you injured feds: Who’s eligible? What’s the filing process? And what’s this “impairment rating” everyone’s talking about? Plus, we’ll touch on how this plays out for our maritime folks under Longshore—because OWCP covers more than jus...

The Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA) provides comprehensive protections for injured federal workers during the adjudication and appeals process for claim denials, including denials of wage-loss (off-work) benefits and impairment ratings for scheduled awards. While FECA does not explicitly prohibit an employing agency from initiating administrative actions like separation for extende...

Federal Workers Compensation Coffee Break Podcast is an educational podcast that covers relevant federal workers compensation topics that affect injured government employees. Today's podcast covers relevant information about Impairment Ratings for a Schedule Award calculations and eligibility.  Schedule awards are for an OWCP accepted condition arising out of an on-the-job injury. The awards...

In this episode of the Federal Workers Compensation Coffee Break Podcast, Dr. Taylor , a seasoned OWCP and federal healthcare consultant, provides an update on the OWCP Appeal Process. Dr. Taylor discusses FECA ACT § 10.600 which covers how can final decisions of OWCP be reviewed? There are three methods for reviewing a formal decision of the OWCP ( §§ 10.125 through 10.127 discuss how decisions a...

In this episode of the Federal Workers Compensation Coffee Break Podcast, Dr. Taylor, a seasoned OWCP and federal healthcare consultant, provides an update on effectively communicating with the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) as an injured federal employee. The podcast focuses on using the Employees' Compensation Operations & Management Portal (ECOMP) for online corre...

Federal Workers Compensation Coffeebreak is with an OWCP Consultant, Dr. Stephen Taylor, who is a medical provider in Tampa & Pensacola Florida and Daphne Alabama who has been helping government employees with OWCP, DOL and Longshore work-related injuries, disability, FERS Disability, VA disability and other types of Federal program filings for 30 years.  Understanding LWOP denials and common...

Dr. Stephen Taylor is an OWCP -  DOL provider and consultant who enjoys teaching all things federal workers compensation related. This is an educational short form format podcast for learning how to successfully file federal workers compensation claims. So grab a cup of coffee and lets begin. You will be glad you did! Here at this podcast we discuss all sorts of topics related to  federal  workers...

Navigating a Biased Second Opinion in Workers' Compensation Claims If you're an injured worker whose workers' compensation claim has been accepted but now faces a second opinion examination that seems prejudiced or improperly conducted, you may be at risk of losing your benefits. This guide provides practical tips and remedies to protect your rights and ensure fair treatment when a...

Government Agency -Medical and Occupational Health Program consists  of agency personnel that provide administrative functions, wellness initiatives, and other medically related activities designed to address the health and safety of employees in the workplace. The mission of the National Medical and Occupational Health Program is to reinforce the relationship between health, productivity, and the...

Federal Workers Compensation Coffee Break Podcast is about all things related to Federal Workers Compensation, FECA, OWCP, DOL & Longshore claim filing as an injured federal worker.  The podcast is an educational and informative training on how to navigate the DOL -OWCP claims filing process for all types of injured US government and federal workers. The podcaster has 30 years in assisting wit...

Federal Workers Compensation Coffee Break Podcast is an educational and informative training on how to navigate the DOL -OWCP claims filing process for all types of injured US government and federal workers. The podcast is free and is educational. If you need help with anything related to a federal workers compensation claim... help is just a cup of coffee away. Step-by-Step Tutorial: How to Fill...

An OWCP  traumatic injury is defined as: “A wound or other condition of the body caused by external force, including stress or strain, which is identifiable as to the time and place of occurrence and member or function of the body affected. The injury must be caused by a specific event or incident or series of events or incidents within a single work day or work shift.” Notifying your supervisor a...

OWCP reversed course on that new announcement literally two weeks later with no real explanation why they reversed course. On January 10, 2025, the Division of Federal Employees' Compensation (DFEC) announced significant updates to the Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA) Procedure Manual, specifically Chapter 2-0808, addressing schedule awards and permanent disability claims. Thes...

Simplifying FECA Bulletin No. 24-06: A New Streamlined Process for War Hazards Compensation Act (WHCA) Claims CLAIM FOR REIMBURSEMENT OF BENEFIT PAYMENTS AND CLAIMS EXPENSE                     UNDER THE WAR HAZARDS COMPENSATION ACT The U.S. Department of Labor has introduced a new process to speed up decisions on claims made under the War Hazards Compensation Act (WHCA). This process allows insura...

  War Hazards Compensation Act (WHCA) Overview The War Hazards Compensation Act (WHCA) extends additional benefits to federal employees and contractors injured due to war-related hazards, including: - Hostile Actions: Injuries resulting from acts of war, terrorism, or civil disturbances in foreign countries. - Detention Benefits: Compensation for employees detained by hostile forces. - Reimburseme...

On January 10, 2025, the Division of Federal Employees' Compensation (DFEC) announced significant updates to the Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA) Procedure Manual, specifically Chapter 2-0808, addressing schedule awards and permanent disability claims. These updates, outlined in FECA Transmittal 25-03 , introduce changes aimed at enhancing fairness and efficiency in the claims...