FIRST THINGS FIRST
• Check employee’s portion of the CA-1.
• Be sure the date in item 11 on the
CA-1 is the date the employee actually
hands you the CA-1. (Should match
date in item 15).
• Be sure Item 15 is checked by the
employee electing either COP or
Sick/Annual leave .
• Always check to be sure the CA-1 is
signed and dated by the employee.
(Date should match item 11).
FIRST THINGS FIRST
(continued)
• If the date is not current, ask the
employee to re-date it and initial the
change. If the date is not current it makes
it appear that the supervisor has been
holding the claim, which is against
Federal law.
• Your responsibility is to have the CA
form completed and on it’s way to ICO by
the end of tour the date of injury (ELM
544). ICO processes and faxes the
claims on the same day of receipt.
COMPLETE THE SUPERVISOR’S
PORTION OF THE CA-1
• Complete all items.
•Item 21 should depict the schedule
for the week of the injury.
•Item 23 should be the date the
Employee actually hands you the CA-1.
• Item 34 should only be checked “yes”
if the employee is totally disabled for all
work including limited duty.
COMPLETE THE SUPERVISOR’S
PORTION OF THE CA-1 (continued)
• All agency or OWCP codes, the pay
rate (#37) and controversion (#36) will be
completed by the ICO.
• #28 Injured in performance of duty: if you did
not witness, don’t check, simply state “did not
witness”.
• Comments by the supervisor or
information which should be shared with
the IC staff should be on separate paper,
signed, dated, and attached to the CA-1.
COMPLETE THE SUPERVISOR’S
PORTION OF THE CA-1 (continued)
• Please be sure to sign and date the CA1 before forwarding it to the ICO.
• Sign and date the receipt attached to
the CA-1, detach and return it to the
employee as proof of submission.
• Do not hold claims for medical
documentation. It is the injured
employee’s responsibility to provide
medical documentation to the Postal
Service.
COMPLETE THE SUPERVISOR’S
PORTION OF THE CA-1 (continued)
• BE SURE the Authorization for Medical
Reports, is signed by the employee.
This gives us the right to request
medical documentation from the
treating physician regarding the workrelated injury.
• If employee refuses to sign, write
“refused” on form. Employee may also
state “only for the work related injury”.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
A CONTROVERSION AND A
CHALLENGE?
?
• A controversion is done according to one of
the 9 reasons listed on the instructions
attached to the CA-1. This only disputes the
payment of COP.
• A challenge is a dispute of the facts reported
by the employee.
• Challenges for violation of Postal policies are
not grounds for denial under the FECA.
PENALTIES UNDER FEDERAL
LAW FOR DELAYING CLAIMS
•
CFR Title 20, 10.23 C
“Any person charged with the responsibility
of making reports in connection with an injury
who willfully fails, neglects, or refuses to do so;
induces, compels, or directs an injured
employee to forego filing a claim; or willfully
retains any notice, report, or paper required in
connection with an injury, is subject to a fine of
not more than $500 or imprisonment for not
more than one year or both.”
REPORTING PROCEDURES
Supervisor Responsibility
ELM 540
Injury Compensation Program
• ELM 544.111 (e)
Immediately notify the control office
of an injury disease, or illness
• ELM 544.111 (f)
Prompt completion and forwarding of
Form CA-1 or CA-2 to the control
point (ICCO) by end of tour the same
day it is received from the employee.
LIMITED DUTY
• Can only use the new (2499X) triplicate copy job
offers, which includes the information for LDC and
operation numbers for the job offer.
• Form 2499X is required on all CA-1’s and CA-2’s
resulting in limited duty.
LIMITED DUTY ASSIGNMENTS
•  10.507 (c) The employer must make any job
offer in writing. However, the employer may
make a job offer verbally as long as it provides
the job offer to the employee in writing within
two business days of the verbal job offer.
• Job offers need to be updated each time the
employee’s restrictions change significantly.
THINGS TO REMEMBER
• Always notify the ICO of any
changes in work status.
• Time lost from work on the date of
injury is charged to administrative
leave.
• No one has the authority to authorize
COP other than the ICO.
• Always report any outside activities
which are in conflict with restrictions
or disability, etc.
CA-2
OCCUPATIONAL
INJURIES, DISEASES, AND
ILLNESSES
REPETITIVE MOTION
&
AGGRAVATION OF PREEXISTING CONDITIONS
PROCESSING CA-2’S
WHEN THE EMPLOYEE FILES A CA-2
• Advise the employee that OWCP will
not take financial responsibility for
occupational diseases until the condition
is accepted as work-related.
•This includes medical care, diagnostic
testing, and time lost from work.
• If sick or annual leave is used, only the
portion used during the initial adjudication
period is eligible for leave-buy-back.
PROCESSING CA-2’S
(continued)
DO NOT
• Issue a CA-16.
• Authorize medical treatment or
prescriptions.
• Pay COP.
PROCESSING CA-2’S
(continued)
DO
• Provide employee with Form CA-35 –
Evidence Required in Support of a Claim for
Occupational Disease.
• Advise the employee to collect all
medical documentation and submit it
with the CA-2 .
• Review the employees portion for
completion and check the employees
signature and date signed, making sure
it is the date they submit to you.
PROCESSING CA-2’S
(continued)
DO
• Review the employees portion for completion and
check the employees signature and date signed.
• Employee may request limited duty (it has been
the policy of the NOVA District to provide limited
duty while awaiting adjudication from DOLOWCP).
PROCESSING CA-2’S
(continued)
DO
• Write a supervisors’ narrative detailing
the employee’s daily work duties.
• If you have direct knowledge of the
employee’s outside activities (such as
sports, part-time jobs, hobbies,
accidents, etc.,) include in your
narrative.
PROCESSING CA-2’S
(continued)
COMPLETE SUPERVISOR’S
PORTION
• Item 22 should be the work schedule for the
week the CA-2 is submitted.
• Item 25 should not be “Yes” unless the medical
documentation indicates no work of any type.
• Item 26 should be the date the employee
actually submits the completed CA-2.
•Do not leave blanks, if the employee has not
stopped work, write “Has not stopped” in Item
27.
PROCESSING CA-2’S
(continued)
DO
• If employee is still working write “NA”
in Item 28, “Currently” in Item 29, and
“NA” in Item 30.
• If you have provided light duty, write the
basic duties in Item 31. If the employee
is a limited duty employee, write their
limited duties in Item 31.
• Sign and date the receipt attached to the
CA-2 and return to the employee as proof
of submission.
THINGS TO REMEMBER
• The same Federal regulations apply to the CA-2
as the CA-1. The CA-2 and any supporting
documents provided by the employee are to be
forwarded to ICO by end of tour the day of your
receipt of the CA-2
PRIVACY ISSUES
• The only medical documentation a supervisor
is entitled to is the CA-17 or work tolerance form.
Medical narratives, FCE’s, & FFD’s may not be
provided to the supervisor. Any documentation
provided to the supervisor should not be left in
plain view for other employees to read. It is a
violation of the Privacy Act.
GENERAL GUIDELINES
• Always forward all medical
documentation to the ICO on the date
received.
• Always call the ICO or email the ICO if you
have questions or concerns regarding the
proper procedure for work-related injuries.
• Never send anything straight to OWCP.
GENERAL GUIDELINES
(continued)
• Compensation for time lost from work due
to a work-related injury after the end of the
COP period, is submitted on a CA-7, which
may be obtained through the ICO.
• Never write on the front of a CA-1, CA-2,
CA-2a, CA-7, or the physician's portion of
a CA-17.
• Never complete the back of a CA-7. On this
one CA form, ICO completes the
supervisor’s section.
GENERAL GUIDELINES
(continued)
• Physician’s Assistants and Nurse
Practitioners are not qualified to treat
work-related injuries under FECA.
• Chiropractors are only qualified under
FECA to treat subluxation of the spine,
with X-rays on date of injury or first date
of treatment to demonstrate subluxation.
Sometimes referred to as Disc
Displacement.
• Please respond to the ICO promptly when
information or documentation is requested.