USPS OIG Report: Workers’ Compensation Program Update

Background Postal Service employees who sustain a work-related injury or occupational disease are covered by the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA). These benefits include wage-loss compensation, medical and rehabilitation services, and death benefit payments to surviving dependents. The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Workers’ Compensation Program has the exclusive authority to administer, implement, and…

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APWU: COLA Updates for FERS, CSRS, SS and FECA

FERS COLA After the second quarter of 2021, the third quarter for the 2022 COLA adjustment period, the quarterly average has increased by 4.1%. The 2022 FERS retiree COLA is based on the third quarter (July, August, September) average CPI-W index (1982-84=100) in 2021 over the 2020 third quarter average. However, if the CPI-W quarterly…

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USPS: Federal Injury Compensation Training

Basic training on federal injury compensation rules and procedures is now available through the HERO platform. The self-paced tutorial was developed by the Labor Department’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs. The training is part of FECA Overview, a curriculum of 26 courses on rights and responsibilities under the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act. Topics include: •…

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USPS OIG Report: Payments to Injured Employees

Objective Our objective was to determine whether the Postal Service is properly paying its injured employees. Postal Service employees are covered by the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA). The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) administers FECA, determines injured employees’ eligibility for benefits, and pays direct compensation to claimants or…

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USPS OIG Report: Workers’ Compensation Program Cost Containment Activities

Objective The Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA) program provides coverage for and assistance to about 2.6 million federal civilian and Postal Service employees who have sustained work-related injuries or disease by providing appropriate monetary and medical benefits and assistance in returning to work. The modern FECA program was created in 1916 with the overall intention…

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APWU: OWCP Online Claim Filing, Rollout Dates

(This article first appeared in the November/December 2019 issue of the American Postal Worker magazine) By APWU Human Relations Director Sue Carney November 20, 2019 All postal employees who are injured on duty will soon have the option of filing Office of Workers’ Compensation (OWCP) claims online through the Employees’ Compensation Operation and Management Portal…

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USPS OIG: Workers’ Compensation Provider Fraud

The financial impact to the U.S. Postal Service from workers’ compensation fraud cases is so significant, it warrants a good deal of investigative attention. Our special agents – often working with other law enforcement partners – investigate fraud by claimants or providers. The Federal Employees’ Compensation Act provides workers’ compensation benefits to civilian federal employees,…

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OIG: Impact of Prescribed Opioids on Postal Employees Under the Federal Workers’ Comp Program

Objective Our objective was to determine the impact of opioids being prescribed to U.S. Postal Service employees through the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA) program. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, pharmaceutical companies in the 1990s assured the medical community that opioid pain relievers were not addictive. As…

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