Traumatic Injuries: What To Do When Injured At Work
Jesse Slade - OWCP Specialist • March 6, 2020
As a federal employee, workplace injuries can be stressful. Often, managers do not know what to do or understand the process. If you sustain an injury at work, or realize your job has contributed to a medical condition, follow these steps:
Report to Supervisor:
Every job-related injury should be reported to your supervisor as soon as possible.
*Injury also means any illness or disease that is caused or aggravated by the employment.
Medical Care:
Before you obtain medical treatment, ask your supervisor to authorize medical treatment by use of form CA-16. You may initially select the physician to provide necessary treatment. This may be your private physician.
Take the form CA-16 and form OWCP-1500/HCFA-1500 to the provider you select.
Emergency medical treatment can be obtained without prior authorization.
*The form OWCP-1500/HCFA 1500 is the billing form physicians must use to submit bills to OWCP. Hospitals and pharmacies may use their own billing forms.
File Written Notice:
Complete the employee's portion of Form CA-1. You can obtain the form from your employing agency, or online at https://www.dol.gov/owcp/regs/compliance/ca-1.pdf
For #13 cause of injury, provide a brief description. If required, you will be asked by OWCP to provide a more detailed description.
For #15, select Continuation of Pay*, (COP). You can also use your leave if you wish, but using your leave is not required.
Once complete, turn the CA-1 in to your supervisor as soon as possible. This constitutes Written Notice.
*Continuation of Pay:
If you cannot work due to traumatic injury, you may claim COP. This ensures the agency pays you for the first 45 calendar days after your injuries.
If you can work but require medical treatment, COP pays you to attend medical appointments. COP is calculated only by days so if you leave work and attend a medical appointment for four hours, your COP is charged one day.
Obtain Receipt of Notice:
A "Receipt" of Notice of Injury is attached to each Form CA-1 (page 4). Your supervisor should complete the receipt and return it to you for your personal records. If it is not returned to you, ask your supervisor for it.
Other Important Information:
- The agency may give you an ‘injury packet’. This will have different forms the agency will instruct you to complete.
- The majority of these forms are created by the agency, to benefit the agency and are not required to file your claim.
- If you cannot work due to your injuries, only the CA-1 form needs to be completed.
- If you can work but require physical restrictions, then you would take the PEPR and MPIS forms to your doctor and have your doctor complete the forms. Keep a copy for yourself, send a copy to OWCP and give the agency a copy.
- None of the other forms should be completed, signed, and returned to the agency, especially the FECA Rights and Responsibilities and the Medical Release forms.
- The agency may assign a nurse to you. You have no obligation to talk to the nurse, discuss anything relating to your claim, or provide the nurse any information or any documentation.
- The agency’s nurse has no authority in your claim and is hired by the agency to help the agency not you. The agency’s nurse has no ability to facilitate or authorize anything relating to your claim.
- Any medical documentation is sent to OWCP, not the agency. The agency only gets the completed CA-1 and the PEPR and MPIS forms if you can work.
- The agency makes no decisions in your OWCP claim. Only the Department of Labor has the authority to make a decision in your claim.
- Write your claim number in the upper right hand corner of every page sent to OWCP for identification. Remember to keep copies for yourself.
- If you upload documents, you’ll be given a Document Control Number, (DCN) once your upload is complete. Write this DCN on your uploaded document for future reference.
Keeping thorough records and having proper documentation will ensure you are in the best possible position to advance your federal worker compensation claim.
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