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 34 should only be checked “yes” if the employee is totally disabled for all work including limited duty. Item 23 should be the date the Employee actually hands you the CA-1.

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 CA- 1 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 work- related 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, 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 (e) Immediately notify the control office of an injury disease, or illness ELM (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 n ew (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  (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 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. Provide employee with Form CA-35 – Evidence Required in Support of a Claim for Occupational Disease.

PROCESSING CA-2’S (continued) DO Employee may request limited duty (it has been the policy of the NOVA District to provide limited duty while awaiting adjudication from DOL- OWCP). Review the employees portion for completion and check the employees signature and date signed.

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 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 complete the back of a CA-7. On this one CA form, ICO completes the supervisor’s section. Never write on the front of a CA-1, CA-2, CA-2a, CA-7, or the physician's portion of a CA-17.

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.