Frequently Asked Questions

According to hr.commerce.gov, filing a workers compensation claim should follow a particular order. Injured federal workers first need to notify their supervisor. Proper notification of a supervisor can help to initiate the process by ensuring that proper records are being kept as soon as the injury is sustained. This can help to establish early on the how, when, where, and what of the situation. Next, injured workers need to visit a medical care provider. According to federal law, injured federal workers have the right to choose the provider of their choice [...]

Some may not be aware that they are entitled to see a physician of their choosing according to the FECA. According to the DOL, “The employee is entitled to select the physician or facility which is to provide treatment. The provider must meet the definition of ‘physician’ under the FECA and must not have been excluded from payment under the program.” This does not mean that employers cannot provide facilities and personnel for examining and treating injured employees. It simply means that an employer cannot mandate that an injured federal worker [...]

If you are an injured federal worker receiving OWCP benefits you need to understand that you are afforded the right to receive cost of living adjustments. These adjustments are based on changes to the Consumer Price Index for Wage Earners and Clerical Workers which is a program that produces monthly data on changes in the prices paid by consumers for a representative basket of goods and services. In short, this means that if the things that you need to buy are increasing in cost, then you are eligible for an [...]

Federal employees have a robust compensation package available to them if they are injured on the job. Compensation does not simply consist of financial compensation, but also includes programs to aid injured federal workers in returning to work. According to dol.gov, “The Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA) gives injured workers the right to reclaim their Federal jobs within one year of the onset of wage loss” and the DOL does a bit to help federal workers in this pursuit. That assistance can be seen in three available services: The DOL [...]

If you are in Indiana and you find yourself working in an unsafe environment, figuring out what to do can be confusing. Fear of retribution or job loss has silenced many workers that found themselves in unsafe or downright dangerous conditions, but there’s good news. The Department of Labor provides protection for whistleblowers in the event that there is indeed any sort of retributive behavior on the part of an employer. "As an employee, you have a responsibility to help maintain the safest possible working environment for yourself and your [...]

As the holidays approach, nationwide travel increases and that means that the roads become more dangerous places than they normally are. AAA projects that nearly 44 million Americans will travel 50+ miles via automobile during the Thanksgiving weekend. That much traffic can certainly increase the risks on the road. There are few things you can do to make your tip safer: 1) Use alternative routes - If possible, avoiding the highway can reduce your risk of a devastating auto accident. The highways are the preferred routes for most drivers, but if you can [...]