Federal employees who have sustained injuries or illnesses as a result of work are provided with compensation benefits by the Federal Employees Compensation Act (FECA). Upon recovery from the injury or illness, the law guarantees them certain job rights. When the employee returns to work, he/she will be treated as though they never left due to the rights and benefits provided by the act. Federal employee workers’ compensation benefits are provided to United States civilian employees for disability as a result of personal injury that was sustained during performance of duty.
The compensation benefits provided by FECA include medical care payment, wage replacement, and medical/vocational rehabilitation assistance for employees returning to work. The department is committed to provide medical treatment, referral, and follow up on an employee, when he/she sustains job-related injury or illness. Furthermore the organization may provide OWCP doctors for treatment of your injuries if you choose to go to a federal medical center.
Types of benefits available
Medical benefits
The OWCP covers medical costs for federal employees injured during the course of their work. The costs include treatment, medications, and transportation costs. The injured federal worker may choose his/her initial care provider, but any changes in providers must first be approved by the OWCP. The cost of vocational rehabilitation services which is necessary to help the injured employee get back to work is also included in the medical costs.
Temporary total disability
An employee can receive continuation of pay (COP) for traumatic injuries. An injured person may also be required to complete OWCP physical therapy authorization form in order to receive compensation for medical therapy services. The COP is paid for the first 45 days of disability. However, if an employee sustains a disabling job-related injury they are eligible to receive 2/3 of the pre-disability wages and ¾ if the employee has any dependents.
Permanent effects
If an injured federal worker suffers from a specific work-related permanent partial impairment like the loss of a limb or a body organ, he/she may be entitled to schedule award after they have exhausted temporary total disability benefits. The schedule award comprises of monetary payments for a certain period according to the statutes and regulations. The amount of money a federal employee will receive depends on the part of the body injured and the wage rate.
Death benefits
If an employee dies from a work-related injury or illness, his/her dependents are eligible for compensation benefits. The dependents include spouse, children, dependent parents, and siblings. The amount given depends on the age of the survivors and the relationship to the deceased employee. It should be noted that, a deceased workers’ family are eligible to receive up to $800 in burial expenses.
Types of incidents are not covered
Workers compensation covers injuries or illnesses that are work-related. Although there is a broad range of injuries and illnesses covered, there are limits. The injured federal worker can be denied the compensation benefits if the employee tests positive for drug and alcohol testing. If at the time of the injury the employee was under the influence of alcohol or drugs, they may not receive the compensation benefits. If the injuries were self-inflicted the compensation can be denied. This entails injuries where the employee was not on the job and also where the employee was violating the company policy.
Types of expenses covered by the workers compensation
The workers compensation benefits cover the following;
Medical care from the day of injury or illness
Replacement income
Cost for retraining
Compensation for permanent injuries
Benefits to dependents in case the injured employee dies
The workers compensation benefit helps to replace the wages of injured workers thereby pay for their medical treatment in addition to providing vocational rehabilitation programs for them to go back to work. The injured employee has to first complete the OWCP form which is then sent to the relevant offices together with the doctors report.
There is a big difference between federal workers compensation and state workers compensation. State workers compensation programs are administered according to the state you are in. Separate workers compensation programs are administered by the federal government for specific groups. These include federal employees, coal miners, and longshore workers. It is also important to note that employees do not contribute to the workers compensation premiums.
What do you need to obtain federal workers’ compensation?
You must prove you were injured. There are two factors which the claims examiner will look at. These are; (A). Determine the event occurred. (B).Review medical records.
Your injury or illness notice should be provided in a timely manner.
Your injury or illness occurred while you were a federal employee. You must be an employee of the federal government.
The injury must have occurred as a result of your performance on the job.