To download and/or print a checklist for what to do when injured on the job, click here.
This page will serve as a guide to help carriers with issues surrounding injuries on the job - what to do when they occur, recommendations for how to make an injury claim move as smoothly as possible, and troubleshooting for problems that may arise.
WHAT YOU SHOULD DO
WHEN INJURED AT WORK
Report your injury to your supervisor and fill out form CA1 (get a receipt and a copy of the completed form
CA1). If possible also report your injury to your union rep at this time. When making your statement on the CA1, be sure to include time, date, place, all body parts injured and include what you were doing when your injury occurred. For example only; On March 9, 2014 at 2:30pm while delivering mail in my duties as a letter carrier for the USPS, I slipped on ice and injured my right ankle and my back. Also be sure to check the box indicating your request for COP (Continuation of Pay). It is important to include that you were performing duties of your employment with the USPS.
-You will need a form CA16 (authorization for medical treatment).
-you will need a form CA17 (to address possible restrictions).
If you need immediate medical treatment, (bleeding, head injury, or life threatening injury) go to the Hospital/ Emergency Room.
After you receive emergency treatment at the hospital, they will schedule a follow up appointment, You can accept the appointment; however, when you get home immediately contact the doctor of YOUR CHOICE and or specialist if required, confirm OWCP participation and make an appointment. Then call and cancel the follow up appointment made by the hospital/ER. DO NOT GO TO THE APPOINTMENT SCHEDULED BY THE HOSPITAL/ER, OR URGENT CARE! The doctor/ medical provider that you see for your second treatment or follow up will be your “doctor of record”. This doctor will manage your treatment. Although you may enter the hospital through the clearly marked Emergency, once you inform the staff that you have a work related injury you will be unknowingly taken into the Workers’ Comp clinic. The doctors and staff of this office are under contract with your employer and may not be acting in your best interests.
Report your injury to your union representative AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! We can teach you how to track your claim status and view all submitted bills to the DOL. Your bills should not be submitted to your primary insurance; that is insurance fraud.
If your injury does not require emergency treatment, GO TO THE DOCTOR OF YOUR CHOICE! The doctor may be your family doctor or of the specialty your injury requires. When you make the appointment confirm the doctor will accept OWCP patients and is an approved OWCP participant. Your doctor will treat your injury with your best interest in mind.
Keep the USPS informed about your availability and restrictions for work. Diagnosis and treatment information are protected and confidential between you, your medical provider and the DOL. Disclosing diagnosis and treatment information to postal management may open your claim up for second guessing and unsolicited opinions from people without medical expertise. When discussing your restrictions and possible return to work with your doctor, understand the necessity for informing your doctor of postal interpretation of implied restrictions.
When you receive your claim number from the Department of Labor, it is your responsibility to give it to all medical providers involved in your treatment. They cannot properly send YOUR bills to the DOL without your claim number. If your providers do not get this information, you may end up in the Credit Bureau.
Never discard correspondence of bills from medical providers, DOL, or the USPS. Make copies and give copies to your union Representative, NOT MANAGEMENT. Keep all originals for your records.
Be careful not to confuse the Postal Service’s injury Compensation Office with the Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation. The Postal Service’s injury Compensation Office has no authority to approve or disapprove any aspect of your claim. All decisions will be made by the US Department of Labor’s OWCP Claim Representative assigned to your claim based on your statement and your doctor’s medical rationale. It is the claimants responsibility to prove that they were injured performing work-related duties.
WHAT YOU SHOULD DO
WHEN INJURED AT WORK
Report your injury to your supervisor and fill out form CA1 (get a receipt and a copy of the completed form
CA1). If possible also report your injury to your union rep at this time. When making your statement on the CA1, be sure to include time, date, place, all body parts injured and include what you were doing when your injury occurred. For example only; On March 9, 2014 at 2:30pm while delivering mail in my duties as a letter carrier for the USPS, I slipped on ice and injured my right ankle and my back. Also be sure to check the box indicating your request for COP (Continuation of Pay). It is important to include that you were performing duties of your employment with the USPS.
-You will need a form CA16 (authorization for medical treatment).
-you will need a form CA17 (to address possible restrictions).
If you need immediate medical treatment, (bleeding, head injury, or life threatening injury) go to the Hospital/ Emergency Room.
After you receive emergency treatment at the hospital, they will schedule a follow up appointment, You can accept the appointment; however, when you get home immediately contact the doctor of YOUR CHOICE and or specialist if required, confirm OWCP participation and make an appointment. Then call and cancel the follow up appointment made by the hospital/ER. DO NOT GO TO THE APPOINTMENT SCHEDULED BY THE HOSPITAL/ER, OR URGENT CARE! The doctor/ medical provider that you see for your second treatment or follow up will be your “doctor of record”. This doctor will manage your treatment. Although you may enter the hospital through the clearly marked Emergency, once you inform the staff that you have a work related injury you will be unknowingly taken into the Workers’ Comp clinic. The doctors and staff of this office are under contract with your employer and may not be acting in your best interests.
Report your injury to your union representative AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! We can teach you how to track your claim status and view all submitted bills to the DOL. Your bills should not be submitted to your primary insurance; that is insurance fraud.
If your injury does not require emergency treatment, GO TO THE DOCTOR OF YOUR CHOICE! The doctor may be your family doctor or of the specialty your injury requires. When you make the appointment confirm the doctor will accept OWCP patients and is an approved OWCP participant. Your doctor will treat your injury with your best interest in mind.
Keep the USPS informed about your availability and restrictions for work. Diagnosis and treatment information are protected and confidential between you, your medical provider and the DOL. Disclosing diagnosis and treatment information to postal management may open your claim up for second guessing and unsolicited opinions from people without medical expertise. When discussing your restrictions and possible return to work with your doctor, understand the necessity for informing your doctor of postal interpretation of implied restrictions.
When you receive your claim number from the Department of Labor, it is your responsibility to give it to all medical providers involved in your treatment. They cannot properly send YOUR bills to the DOL without your claim number. If your providers do not get this information, you may end up in the Credit Bureau.
Never discard correspondence of bills from medical providers, DOL, or the USPS. Make copies and give copies to your union Representative, NOT MANAGEMENT. Keep all originals for your records.
Be careful not to confuse the Postal Service’s injury Compensation Office with the Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation. The Postal Service’s injury Compensation Office has no authority to approve or disapprove any aspect of your claim. All decisions will be made by the US Department of Labor’s OWCP Claim Representative assigned to your claim based on your statement and your doctor’s medical rationale. It is the claimants responsibility to prove that they were injured performing work-related duties.
Questions not covered by this guide, or about your specific claim can also be directed to Bill Lodek, Branch Rep, at 610-678-9031. Please have your information (forms, claim numbers, etc) ready so he can clearly and quickly give help.