How
do OWCP and FECA Work?
OWCP
provides compensation for lost wages and medical benefits to
civilian employees of the United States for disability due to
personal injury sustained while in the performance of duty or
to employment-related disease.
An employee who sustains a disabling, job-related traumatic
injury may request continuation of regular pay for a period of
disability not to exceed 45 calendar days. If disability
continues beyond the 45 days or the employee is not entitled
to continuation of pay, the employee may use either sick or
annual leave or enter a leave without pay status and claim
compensation from OWCP. When disability results from an
occupational disease, the employing agency is not authorized
to continue the employee's pay. The employee may use sick or
annual leave or enter a leave without pay status and claim
compensation.
An injured employee is entitled to medical, surgical and
hospital services and supplies needed for treatment of an
injury as well as transportation for obtaining care. The
injured employee has the initial choice of physician and may
seek any qualified local physician or hospital to provide the
necessary treatment or may use Agency medical facilities if
available. Except for referral by the attending physician, any
change in the treating physician after the initial choice must
be authorized by OWCP. The term "physician" includes
surgeons, osteopathic practitioners, podiatrists, dentists,
clinical psychologists, optometrists and chiropractors within
the scope of their practice as defined by state law. Payment
for chiropractic services is limited to treatment consisting
of manual manipulation of the spine to correct a subluxation
as demonstrated by x-ray to exist.
The FECA
also provides a schedule of benefits for permanent impairment
of certain bodily members, functions and organs of the body
such as the eye, arm, or kidney and for serious disfigurement
of the head, face or neck. For example, an award of 160 weeks
of compensation is payable for the total loss of vision in one
eye. In addition, compensation for loss of earning capacity
may be paid if an employee is unable to resume regular work
because of an injury-related disability. This compensation is
paid on the basis of the difference between an employee's
capacity to earn wages after an injury and the wages of the
job he or she held when injured. OWCP may also arrange for
vocational rehabilitation. A disabled employee who
participated in an OWCP-approved training or vocational
rehabilitation program is paid at the compensation rate for
total disability.
Compensation payments on account of disability or death which
occurred more than one year before March 1st of each year, are
increased on that date by a percentage change in the Consumer
Price Index published for December of the preceding year.
