Who is Eligible Under OWCP / DOL Federal Workers' Compensation?
Because of the Federal Employees' Compensation Act, injured federal workers can seek compensation. Here's what you need to know about OWCP / DOL Federal Workers' Compensation.
The Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) of the United States Department of Labor (DOL) oversees four major disability compensation programs that provide wage replacement benefits, medical treatment, vocational rehabilitation, and other benefits to certain workers or their dependents who suffer from a work-related injury or disease.
In this article, we briefly discuss the office of workers' compensation programs and who is eligible for the program.
Understanding OWCP and Federal Wage Compensation
The Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer is in charge of the Headquarters Federal Employee's Workers' Compensation Program, which assists and compensates Federal employees injured on the job.
This office responds to questions, maintains forms and files, and acts as a liaison between this agency and the Office of DOL OWCP, the agency in charge of program administration.
The OWCP provides compensation benefits to civilian employees who are disabled due to a personal injury sustained while on duty or an occupational disease. Benefits cannot be paid if the employee's willful misconduct or intent to cause their own or another's injury causes the injury or if intoxication (by alcohol or drugs) is the proximate cause of the injury.
Who is eligible?
The Federal Employees' Compensation Act covers approximately three million federal and postal workers. Coverage includes both work-related injuries and occupational diseases.
FECA applies to all civilians employed by the federal government, including executive, judicial, and legislative branches. Those acting in a federal capacity include Peace Corps and Vista volunteers, Civil Air Patrol volunteers, federal jurors, Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadets, state and local law enforcement officers, and Job Corps and Youth Conservation Corps enrollees, may be covered.
FECA does not cover non-appropriated fund employees. Under certain conditions as per DOL OWCP, contract employees loaned employees and volunteers are covered, while temporary employees are covered on the same basis as permanent employees.
While there is no list of medical conditions not covered, benefits will get denied if intoxication, willful misconduct, or intent to injure or kill yourself caused your injury or illness.
What type of benefits are available?
Federal employees who are injured or become ill on the job and the survivors of employees killed on the job are eligible for FECA benefits. The federal workers' compensation program provides the following benefits:
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Medical advantages
You may be eligible for medical treatment, therapy, medications, and the cost of devices and transportation. You may select the initial care provider as a worker, but OWCP must approve any changes in providers.
Medical expenses may also include the cost of vocational rehabilitation services deemed necessary to assist the employee in returning to work.
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Total temporary disability
Beneficiaries who sustain a traumatic injury may be entitled to a continuation of their full pay for the first 45 days they are disabled. If you have a disabling job-related injury or illness, you may be entitled to 2/3 of your pre-disability earnings. If you have one or more dependents, this figure can rise to 3/4 of your pre-disability earnings.
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Long-term consequences
Accidents such as limb loss are permanent effects for workers suffering from specific job-related permanent partial disabilities. Wage-loss benefits are paid out for a set number of weeks according to statutes and regulations, and this benefit is sometimes referred to as a schedule award.
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Benefits on death
If you are the survivor or dependent of an employee killed on the job, you may be eligible for death benefits. The spouse, children and dependent parents, grandparents and grandchildren, and siblings are eligible.
The amount of benefits is determined by the survivor's relationship with the deceased employee and whether or not they had children. The family of a deceased worker may also receive up to $800 in burial expenses as per DOL OWCP. and You can find the center by searching for the owcp doctors near me.
What are the different types of workplace injuries?
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Traumatic injury
External forces, such as physical stress and strain, can cause a wound or other condition. It must be the result of a single event or incident, or a series of events or incidents, occurring during a single work shift/day.
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Occupational disease
Being caused by systemic infections, long-term or repeated stress or strain, exposure to toxins, poison fumes, noise, and so on in the workplace.
To qualify as a disease, the injury must have been caused by exposure or activities over at least two days.
To Conclude:
The OWCP / DOL Federal Workers' Compensation laws can be challenging to understand, so you should consult with an experienced federal workers' compensation attorney. Even the slightest error or omission can cause your claim to be delayed or rejected.
The attorney can assist you in avoiding costly mistakes. They will collaborate with you to ensure that your compensation claim is accurate, complete, and timely.
