Posts Tagged ‘owcp attorney’

OWCP Forms 101

Wednesday, May 16th, 2012

Which form does what? Of course most federal employees are not familiar with OWCP forms because they’ve never had an on the job injury. But if you or someone you know does ever have an injury, you must know which forms do what!

Here is a quick and simple refreshment to help us all remember some of the most important forms involved with OWCP Federal Workers Compensation claims.

CA-1  Notice of Traumatic Injury and Claim for Continuance of Compensation

CA-2  Notice of Occupational Disease and Claim for Compensation

CA-2a  Notice of Recurrence

CA-7  Claim for Compensation (leave without pay, leave buy back, other wages, schedule award)

CA-10  What a federal employee should do when injured at work

CA-17  Duty Status Report

CA-20  Attending Physician’s Report

OWCP-5a  Work Capacity Evaluation Psychiatric/Psychological Conditions

OWCP-5b  Work Capacity Evaluation Cardiovascular/Pulmonary Conditions

OWCP-5c  Work Capacity Evaluation Musculoskeletal Conditions

OWCP-915  Claim for Medical Reimbursement

OWCP-957  Medical Travel Refund Request

There are many more forms that may be used during the course of a federal employees workers compensation claim and you can find the full list and links to these forms here.

If your doctor is not familiar with these forms, share this information with them. It is vitally important to all federal employees with ongoing OWCP workers compensation claims that their doctor understands how to help them keep their ligament claim alive! This again is why FedDoctor.com exists. To help connect injured federal employees with doctors who understand OWCP.

 

 

The OWCP Causation Process

Friday, October 7th, 2011

One reason that federal employees have difficulty getting their OWCP claims accepted is that their medical provider is not familiar with how to word a federal workers compensation medical narrative or causation report. That is not to say that their doctor doesn’t understand a medical condition or the treatment options, but simply that the majority of physicians and caretakers are not familiar with the federal workers compensation system and the special requirements that are necessary to satisfy the OWCP.

Whenever a federal employee is injured on the job, it is extremely important that they seek medical attention for their injuries and make sure that their doctor documents the cause of the injury. The Office of Workers Compensation Programs generally disputes cause of injury more than the injury’s existence. Many doctors are not concerned with cause, they are simply interested in treating the condition and returning the patient to a pre-injury state if possible. In a federal workers compensation claim, cause may be the most important factor in determining the acceptance of the claim.

The OWCP will not approve any treatment or compensation payments for lost time if the medical condition claimed is not accepted under the file. Finding a doctor who is familiar with the federal workers compensation system can be very difficult. We are trying to compile the most complete list of doctors who both understand and pursue federal employees. Use your zip code and search for a local doctor to help you get on your way to recovery.

Adding Doctors’ office numbers

Friday, October 7th, 2011

One way that we help the physicians on our site is assistance with the patient inquiry process. Remember that we do not offer any treatment ourselves, we simply help you find the best federal doctors available. Our telephone number can be used to ask questions and talk about particular care providers who might be a good fit for you.

You may notice that we are adding the direct office numbers to many of the member doctors listed on the site. Our goal is that you get in touch with the right federal doctors, the ones who really know the OWCP and how the federal workers compensation offices process claims. That is why we are now including the direct line to the doctors’ offices on their listings.

Be sure to tell them that you found out about them here at FedDoctor.com. We want everyone to know that we are trying to help federal employees and OWCP doctors make the connection that can mean the difference in an accepted and denied OWCP claim. Benefits from the federal workers compensation district offices can be fickle at best and downright difficult in many cases. If you have experience dealing with an on-the-job injury claim, you probably understand how important a competent doctor is when it comes to interacting with the OWCP.

Take the time to look around. This site is designed to help you, the federal employee, find the doctor that can make your federal workers compensation claim work.

Leave us your info!

Thursday, October 6th, 2011

We keep any and all information left by site visitors private and confidential. If we do not have a doctor listed in your commuting area, leave us your contact info and we will let you know when we do! This helps you stay informed on what’s happening in the federal workers compensation world and know when a local doctor has been located to help you with your OWCP claim.

If you are currently being treated by a doctor who is getting paid by OWCP, please tell us who they are! They might be interested in helping more federal employees with OWCP claims and medical conditions. We would be happy to talk with them to see if they are interested in helping more federal employees and being a part of the solution to a nationwide problem.

We have the experience and understanding of the OWCP and federal workers comp medical treatment issues that many federal employees face on a daily basis. We want to help doctors become aware of how they can get more business while helping those who are in desperate need.

Subscribe to our blog, follow us @FedDoctor on Twitter, and Like our Facebook page. Tell your union brothers and sisters that help has arrived.

Don’t take a chance, get a federal doctor who is on your side! Visit FedDoctor.com today!

Why should you tell your union about FedDoctor?

Tuesday, September 20th, 2011

Because it will help your fellow members!

FedDoctor is an important tool in the lives of the federal employee. If you get injured on the job and need medical care, finding a doctor who dedicates a portion of their practice to federal workers compensation can be difficult, but can also be the difference in whether you get your benefits. It is always best to see this type of doctor immediately after the injury. If you can inform your union about FedDoctor.com, they can make sure that injured employees get the type of treatment they need right away.

Understanding where the OWCP is

Monday, September 19th, 2011

The Office of Workers Compensation Programs (OWCP) is a branch under the Department of Labor (DOL). It specifically adjudicates and governs the laws under the Federal Employees Compensation Act (FECA). They deal with all the rules and regulations under the federal workers compensation system.

The OWCP has offices spread throughout the United States and they try to work your file at a nearby office. District Offices are located in Boston (District 1), Philadelphia (3), New York City (2), Washington, D.C. (25), Jacksonville, FL (6), Cleveland (9), Chicago (10), Kansas City (11), Dallas (16), Denver (12), San Francisco (13) and Seattle (14). Your OWCP claims numbers will start with a two digit number signifying the district office the claim was originated in. However anyone who has dealt with OWCP knows that all the mail is sent to London, KY.

The London, KY office is simply a mail room. There are no claims examiners there at all. All submissions are scanned into an electronic database and forwarded to the appropriate district office. Remember that people in all of these districts need medical care and are looking for qualified federal OWCP doctors who can help them get the care they need and benefits they deserve. That is why FedDoctor exists.

Tell your friends and coworkers not to fight OWCP alone. Visit today and get started on recovery.

What if there is no local federal doctor where you live?

Tuesday, September 13th, 2011

This is important! We need your help and so do all of your co-workers and fellow federal employees. If no doctor comes up in your zip code search, please leave us your contact information. Once we find a doctor in your area we will contact you to let you know. We may be in the process of adding a new federal doctor in your local community right now and would have no way of informing you unless we have your contact information.

In the interim, you can search the zip code of your closest major city to see if one is there. You might be interested in a commute if it meant help with your OWCP claim.

Federal workers compensation claims are difficult and confusing. An OWCP doctor is working for the agency to determine if you are ready to return to work. A federal doctor, like the ones found on our site, is on your side making sure you are treated fairly. We want to help you find quality care and get the documentation that you need for your claim.

While you may not need to be anywhere near a federal attorney, we know that you need a doctor that you can see for treatment. However, if you need an impairment rating in order to file for a schedule award, most of our member doctors are familiar with how to rate using the 6th Edition of the AMA Guides. You do not need to treat regularly with them; you can visit them for a one time appointment.

Remember, you can help us and your fellow federal employees by leaving us your information and continuing to check our blogs, Twitter, and Facebook for udpdates on new doctors as we continue to find them.

How far am I allowed to travel to see a federal doctor?

Monday, September 12th, 2011

This is a great question. You can travel any distance to see any doctor that you choose. The OWCP will reimburse claimants for necessary travel expenses when they go to see the doctor for an accepted federal workers compensation claim. However there are some limitations on the reimbursement.

Some OWCP Claims Examiners might not want to reimburse you for travel expenses if you are traveling extraordinarily long distances. If there are no doctors near to you, it may be permitted and approved. However, you are still allowed to see any doctor that you want, you just might not get paid for your travel expenses.

At FedDoctor, our goal is to find great federal doctors and help you connect with them. We do not charge you anything for our service. We think that you deserve quality medical care for your OWCP injury claim. Help us to spread the word and find more doctors! If you know one, tell us about them!!!

Causation is key to an accepted OWCP claim

Sunday, September 11th, 2011

Whenever a federal employee gets hurt at work, the most important factor in determining whether the OWCP will accept the claim is causation.

Causation is simply the rationale that factors of employment have contributed to the injury. The most important person or persons in determining causation is your treating physician(s). Their opinion of the cause of the medical condition or conditions is a major determining factor as to whether your claim gets accepted or not.

Many doctors do not have experience working with the OWCP and are unfamiliar with their procedures and regulations. At FedDoctor, we try to locate the very best physicians who have experience and an interest in helping federal employees with their workers comp claims.

Search for your new doctor now and find out how to get your claim accepted!

FedDoctor helps federal workers compensation patients get medical care

Saturday, September 10th, 2011

When a federal employee gets hurt at work, they face many obstacles that they must overcome in order to receive the benefits that they are entitled to.

An injured federal employee must first file a claim and “prove” that the medical conditions resulted from the job. Once a claim is opened, many claimants continue to have to fight with the OWCP to prove their ongoing treatments are necessary and that medical benefits be provided to pay the medical personnel. If the injury results in lost time, the claimant must prove that it was truly the condition that caused the missed time and provide medical rationale to support it. Once the conditions stabilize, the claimant must file paperwork for a schedule award if permanent residuals result.

To make matters worse, doctors often don’t accept DOL or OWCP as a form of payment or simply do not understand how to complete the paperwork and provide adequate documentation to the claims examiner. Federal attorneys are equally difficult to find if the situation in not being properly adjudicated.

FedDoctor.com is here to help with the problem. Every time a federal employee needs medical care, we want to be the resource that helps them to find a physician that understands the federal workers compensation system and can provide all of the medical rationale and documentation to help ensure that the necessary evidence is available to the claimant or the claimant’s federal lawyer.

So start searching here at FedDoctor to see if we already have found someone near you to help you with your OWCP claim. We are always looking to find more doctors who understand and are willing to devote a part of their practice to working with federal employees. Stay tuned to watch the list of doctors grow and expand across the country. If we don’t have a doctor listed in your part of the country yet, leave us your information so that we can contact you back or add you to our email list and keep you up to date when we do find a physician near you!

Visit our Facebook page and Like us! Follow us on Twitter. Subscribe to blogs, but whatever you do, help us to spread the word across the nation that help is on the way. And best of all, it is absolutely free to use!

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