FedDoctor.com is a free service that allows federal employees to find talented doctors in their local area that have experience and an interest in helping them with not only treatment, but paperwork from their federal workers compensation claims.
Many of you who have never suffered a federal work related injury may not understand the significance of this service. The Department of Labor’s Office of Workers Compensation Programs (OWCP), is a form of self insurance. In most states, employers are required to purchase workers compensation insurance in case one of their employees is injured on the job. The federal government employs over 2.5 million men and women, but instead of buying insurance from a company, it chooses to self insure. The OWCP is the agency that governs the rules and regulations.
Because that is different from any other employer in your home state, most doctors are not familiar with their system. Remember that federal employees are outnumbered 50-1 in most areas and most doctors do not take the time to learn about the different rules for 2% of the potential patient base. They instead choose to stay with their regular, non-federal patient systems.
This puts federal employees at a disadvantage. When they get injured on the job and the OWCP starts asking for form completion or detailed causation narratives, many doctors will give it a try, become disheartened by the OWCP seeming lack of cooperation, and then give up on the process.
Why would they want to spend all of that extra time just for one patient? It doesn’t make sound business sense.
But some doctors have learned the federal workers compensation system. They are few and far between, but they can make the difference in whether your claim is approved or denied, whether you get certain treatments or surgeries, or whether you are ever compensated for your injury.
This doesn’t mean that you need to switch doctors right now. But if you or anyone else that you know gets hurt on the job, you need to see a federal doctor as quickly as possible. These doctors can help you document your injury from the very beginning.
But we need your help! FedDoctor is a new idea and is absolutely the first of its kind. We need for you to tell everyone you know. Every union member, every federal employee, even your current doctor. If your doctor has helped in the past with an OWCP claim, tell him to contact us. We may have already received emails from federal employees in that area who would like to start seeing him.
Please get up at your next union meeting and share. Forward our newsletter to your union stewards and like our Facebook page. We have a twitter feed and blogs that we update very often. Subscribe and be the light to your area. The information and doctors that are found on this website will absolutely change the lives of the people that read it.
FedDoctor is here to help you get treated…Fairly.
Tags: federal doctor, federal workers comp doctor, federal workers compensation doctor, owcp doctor, schedule award doctor