Latest / Breaking OWCP with Chris & Gini / How to Protect Your Federal Job While on OWCP Workers' Comp

Transcript

How to Protect Your Federal Job While on OWCP Workers' Comp · Breaking OWCP with Chris & Gini

0:00
SPEAKER_04: The pain of the system shouldn't be worse than the injury itself, but it is.
0:04
SPEAKER_04: And one of the painful things is you're out of work too long, and the next thing you know, your supervisors are threatening your job.
0:10
SPEAKER_04: And I want you to avoid that.
0:12
SPEAKER_04: So let's start here.
0:13
SPEAKER_04: Let's all have an understanding that OWCP is not a vacation.
0:17
SPEAKER_04: And I'm sorry to say it like that, but if I don't, then somebody's gonna think, well, if I am out on a work injury, I can just take my time off and it's like vacation.
0:26
SPEAKER_04: It's not like vacation.
0:27
SPEAKER_04: No.
0:27
SPEAKER_04: The longer you're out, the more likely it is you're gonna stay out longer, and the harder it is to get back, and then your supervisor is just giving you a hard time.
0:38
SPEAKER_01: Yep.
0:38
SPEAKER_04: USPS.
0:40
SPEAKER_04: And I'm gonna deal with the other agencies outside of USPS.
0:44
SPEAKER_04: But quite simply, for everyone except for a role carrier, if you're out of work for a year or more, then you run the risk of losing your position.
0:57
SPEAKER_04: They can give you six month increments after that to help you get back.
1:02
SPEAKER_04: But if you're not back full duty, it gets tricky.
1:06
SPEAKER_04: Okay.
1:06
SPEAKER_04: For a rule carrier, that's a two-year period.
1:10
SPEAKER_04: And so that's the first thing I want to talk to you about is don't be out of work for more than a year if you don't have to.
1:15
SPEAKER_04: And a lot of people will just, you know, passively go along, and the doctor is not really active, and you know, they take him off of work with the CA 17.
1:24
SPEAKER_04: There's not a lot of treatment happening, or you know, not at Federal Injury Centers, but it happens.
1:29
SPEAKER_04: And next thing you know, like this year passes and you're not ready for work.
1:33
SPEAKER_04: And now you've got to make a decision on how do I fight my supervisors on you know what they're trying to do, which is take my route away, for example.
1:46
SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to the Breaking O WCP Podcast.
1:51
SPEAKER_00: Join Chris and Jeannie as they bring you expert advice on Federal WorkersCom, guiding you step by step to get back to work the right way.
1:59
SPEAKER_00: Let's break down the barriers and get you the help you deserve.
2:03
SPEAKER_03: Welcome to Wednesday night OWCP chats with Chris and Jeannie.
2:09
SPEAKER_04: Two weeks in a row on Wednesday night chats.
2:11
SPEAKER_04: Yes.
2:12
SPEAKER_04: It feels so good.
2:13
SPEAKER_04: We've got a big topic for you tonight, so big that I actually did research.
2:19
SPEAKER_03: You have to do the research.
2:21
SPEAKER_04: I didn't actually have to do it.
2:22
SPEAKER_04: But we're not playing Stump the Chump tonight.
2:24
SPEAKER_04: So I made sure that I had all the available information.
2:27
SPEAKER_04: But it's a great topic because a lot of people are out of work for a long time and don't realize the consequence of being out of work.
2:34
SPEAKER_01: Yep.
2:35
SPEAKER_04: And I'm gonna talk to you about what those bad things can be and how to avoid them tonight, you know, in the process of getting better and back to work.
2:43
SPEAKER_03: Yes.
2:43
SPEAKER_03: So while I'm sharing, you guys hop on, hop on, share.
2:49
SPEAKER_03: This is a really big topic.
2:50
SPEAKER_03: You guys have been asking for this topic for quite some time.
2:56
SPEAKER_03: So we decided to do this.
2:58
SPEAKER_04: Invite some friends, do at in your friend's name so they can see it.
3:02
SPEAKER_04: The problem is, is you get hurt at work and you got to take some time off.
3:07
SPEAKER_04: And OWCP gives you lots of ways to be off.
3:09
SPEAKER_04: They give you continuation of pay, which is good for up to 45 days of time off.
3:13
SPEAKER_04: They give you LWAP that you're allowed to use when you're out of work and your claim is accepted.
3:19
SPEAKER_04: You have sick and annual leave that I don't like you to use, but it's there for you.
3:23
SPEAKER_04: And then you can go get it back with leave buyback.
3:26
SPEAKER_04: But what a lot of people don't know is that if you're out of work too long, you can lose your position.
3:31
SPEAKER_04: Yes.
3:32
SPEAKER_04: And that's really, really bad if you didn't see that coming.
3:36
SPEAKER_04: And so I'm gonna talk about that tonight, about the different crafts within the postal service and how it differs from everybody outside of USPS.
3:46
SPEAKER_04: And then I'm gonna give you some really specific things you can do to help protect your job along the way.
3:53
SPEAKER_04: And I want to start, and I'll probably say it in the middle, and I'm gonna end with it for sure, that the surest way to get paid is to clock in.
4:01
SPEAKER_04: I say this all the time.
4:02
SPEAKER_04: It's one of it's one of my top criticisms that I say the surest way to get paid is to clock in.
4:08
SPEAKER_04: You know, when you're out of work and you're on LWAP, you've got to jump through hoops.
4:12
SPEAKER_04: You have to get documentation, you gotta fill out forms, your supervisor's got to fill out a form.
4:16
SPEAKER_04: And even though it's just one page, they screw up every time or a lot of times.
4:21
SPEAKER_04: And it's not easy to get paid.
4:23
SPEAKER_04: And then you can do everything right and still get a denial letter instead of payment.
4:28
SPEAKER_04: And then, you know, say you have COP and then your claim is not approved, and next thing you know, you get this demand letter from your agency saying you owe us your time back, your 45 days.
4:38
SPEAKER_04: So all this stuff can happen to you when you're out of work.
4:42
SPEAKER_04: I remember the first time that I was getting just hundreds, if not thousands, of notices from federal employees saying, I'm not getting paid.
4:50
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I'm turning my CA7, I'm not getting paid, and I'm attaching documentation.
4:54
SPEAKER_04: And so that's when we at Federal Industry Centers found out you need a disability narrative explaining medically why you're off of work.
5:01
SPEAKER_04: And then everyone started getting paid.
5:02
SPEAKER_04: You got to understand, I don't mean everyone, but by and large, you guys started getting paid.
5:08
SPEAKER_04: But then you start hearing about people that are off work for a long time and they're surprised when their job's at risk.
5:16
SPEAKER_04: And so I want to be able to help you with that tonight and you know, just help you avoid that because you guys work so hard for so long.
5:24
SPEAKER_04: I go to union events where people say they've done their job for 20 or 30 years, and then next thing you know, you get hurt, and your job's at jeopardy after decades of service.
5:35
SPEAKER_04: Yep.
5:35
SPEAKER_04: And that's not fair.
5:37
SPEAKER_04: OWCP is not spelled F-A-I-R, but when you have the information you need, it seems to get a little more fair.
5:46
SPEAKER_03: I just wanted to go over some little housekeeping before we start because this is a important topic that you guys requested week after week.
5:54
SPEAKER_03: I want to talk to you guys about this OWCP, America's OWCP tour with Chris and Jeannie.
6:01
SPEAKER_03: Oh no, America's OWCP couple tour with Chris and Jeannie.
6:06
SPEAKER_03: So, what we're gonna do is try to find places to do the training close by probably a major city or where lots of people can make it.
6:16
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
6:17
SPEAKER_03: We're gonna try to make it, we're not gonna go in two, like we're not gonna hit up two cities.
6:22
SPEAKER_03: Like if we're in, you know, New York, we're not gonna go to Long Island and Manhattan.
6:26
SPEAKER_03: We'll just be in Manhattan so that you know.
6:29
SPEAKER_03: So I would love it if you guys, I'm gonna repost the flyer and I want you guys to put down your cities that you're in so that way I can find out when it's time to come to your city or in your state, we can see where the vast majority of you guys are at.
6:46
SPEAKER_04: Now, look, like all training events that we do, this will not be a sales or marketing thing for us.
6:52
SPEAKER_04: If you're somebody out there thinking, okay, these guys are just coming to try to get me to go to their doctor.
6:58
SPEAKER_04: No, you're probably not gonna hear us mention our doctors.
7:00
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
7:00
SPEAKER_04: I am not out there trying to promote federal interest centers.
7:04
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, we're there just to teach you guys how to file your claims.
7:08
SPEAKER_04: And federal interest centers just exist.
7:10
SPEAKER_04: The only reason it exists at all is because at some point I realized you didn't have any doctors, and that was a problem I could solve.
7:16
SPEAKER_04: So I solved it.
7:18
SPEAKER_04: The next thing you know, you guys don't have the information.
7:20
SPEAKER_04: So we solved it.
7:21
SPEAKER_04: Here we are.
7:21
SPEAKER_04: We've written books, we can do training.
7:23
SPEAKER_04: So we do all the things with the unions and we help out.
7:26
SPEAKER_04: Whatever we can do to help you have success once you've been hurt on the job, is what we do.
7:32
SPEAKER_04: But we'd love to see you at these events, and just so just know it's not a sales event.
7:37
SPEAKER_04: We're genuinely gonna do some OWCP training, some question and answer, and it's gonna be a lot of fun.
7:42
SPEAKER_04: I think I'm the only person out there, wherever out there is, that makes OWCP a fun topic.
7:49
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, so this is the same training that we're bringing to you.
7:53
SPEAKER_03: It's gonna be in two hours, and uh, this is the same training that we would normally do when we go to a state or national convention.
8:01
SPEAKER_04: Look, if you want me to autograph your shirt or your forehead, bring a sharpie.
8:06
unknown: Yeah.
8:08
SPEAKER_04: That was a joke.
8:09
SPEAKER_03: To our Bureau of Prison guys and gals.
8:12
SPEAKER_03: We will be seeing you all next week.
8:15
SPEAKER_03: We will be headed to Fort Lauderdale on Monday morning and get to hang out with you guys.
8:20
SPEAKER_03: We have two of our case managers coming.
8:22
SPEAKER_03: You guys always hear about Emmy and Jennifer.
8:25
SPEAKER_03: They are going to be there.
8:27
SPEAKER_03: I'll say hello and get things going to help you guys.
8:31
SPEAKER_03: All right, guys.
8:32
SPEAKER_03: Again, tonight's topic is how to protect your federal job while you're out of work.
8:38
SPEAKER_04: You know, you can't get injured, and then the system is more painful.
8:43
SPEAKER_04: The pain of the system shouldn't be worse than the injury itself, but it is.
8:47
SPEAKER_04: And one of the painful things is you're out of work too long, and the next thing you know, your supervisors are threatening your job.
8:54
SPEAKER_04: And I want you to avoid that.
8:55
SPEAKER_04: So let's start here.
8:56
SPEAKER_04: Let's all have an understanding that OWCP is not a vacation.
9:01
SPEAKER_04: And I'm sorry to say it like that, but if I don't, then somebody's gonna think, well, if I am out on a work injury, I can just take my time off and it's like vacation.
9:09
SPEAKER_04: It's not like vacation.
9:10
SPEAKER_04: No, the longer you're out, the more likely it is you're gonna stay out longer, and the harder it is to get back, and then your supervisor is just giving you a hard time.
9:21
SPEAKER_01: Yep.
9:22
SPEAKER_04: USPS.
9:23
SPEAKER_04: And I'm gonna deal with the other agencies outside of USPS, but quite simply, for everyone except for a role carrier, if you're out of work for a year or more, then you run the risk of losing your position.
9:40
SPEAKER_04: They can give you uh six month increments after that to help you get back.
9:46
SPEAKER_04: But if you're not back full duty, it gets tricky.
9:49
SPEAKER_04: Okay, for a rule carrier, that's a two-year period.
9:53
SPEAKER_04: And so that's the first thing I want to talk to you about is don't be out of work for more than a year if you don't have to.
9:59
SPEAKER_04: And a lot of people will just, you know, passively go along, and the doctor is not really active, and you know, they take him off of work with the CA 17, there's not a lot of treatment happening, or you know, not at Federal Injury Centers, but it happens.
10:12
SPEAKER_04: And next thing you know, like this year passes and you're not ready for work.
10:17
SPEAKER_04: And now you've got to make a decision on how do I fight my supervisors on you know what they're trying to do, which is take my route away, for example.
10:26
SPEAKER_04: And for all of you non-USPS employees, like for AFGE members, NAGE, everyone else, okay, yours is a year as well.
10:34
SPEAKER_04: Okay, so after a year, you start having problems.
10:38
SPEAKER_04: So we all gotta have a rule that we don't want to be out of work for more than a year.
10:41
SPEAKER_04: Correct.
10:42
SPEAKER_04: Okay, just once a year hits, the headaches increase.
10:47
SPEAKER_04: You don't want to be out of work for more than a year.
10:49
SPEAKER_04: So I have some points.
10:51
SPEAKER_04: I told you I did a lot of research because this is a really important topic that I hear about all the time.
10:57
SPEAKER_04: And you can ask your questions, and I'm gonna pause along the way and answer them.
11:01
SPEAKER_04: But I'm gonna just give you some points real quick.
11:04
SPEAKER_04: The first year is critical.
11:06
SPEAKER_04: USPS policy says that an employee receiving OWCP compensation should receive LWAP for an initial period of up to one year from the date of the injury.
11:17
SPEAKER_04: One year does not mean automatic termination.
11:20
SPEAKER_04: So that's the good news.
11:21
SPEAKER_04: After a year, you're not automatically fired.
11:23
SPEAKER_04: Okay, USPS can extend that for, as I said, successive periods of up to six months when it appears that you're likely to return.
11:33
SPEAKER_04: Okay.
11:33
SPEAKER_04: So if it looks like there's a chance you're gonna get back, USPS can give you another six months to get that done.
11:41
SPEAKER_04: Okay, so that's that's important to know.
11:43
SPEAKER_04: It's not an automatic you're out of here.
11:45
SPEAKER_04: But if the agency concludes that you're unlikely to return, then separation for disability can eventually occur.
11:52
SPEAKER_04: In other words, they can say, all right, you're out.
11:55
SPEAKER_04: There are procedural requirements before separation, so definitely get involved with your union.
12:01
SPEAKER_04: You need union help.
12:03
SPEAKER_04: You gotta have that because when it comes time for separation, nobody's gonna fire for you but your union.
12:09
SPEAKER_04: And you may not know what to do on your own, but the union will.
12:12
SPEAKER_04: Next point being separated does not automatically terminate the OWCP claim or compensation.
12:18
SPEAKER_04: So let's say that you are separated from your job.
12:21
SPEAKER_04: Your medical benefits do not end.
12:23
SPEAKER_04: And your ability to continue to get paid to be off of work does not end just because of the separation.
12:29
SPEAKER_04: So if you get separated, it's not like financially and medically the end of the world, but that's still a problem for you because you didn't go to work, for example, as a carrier to be removed from that job after 20 years.
12:40
SPEAKER_04: Right.
12:41
SPEAKER_04: And so this we're trying to avoid that.
12:44
SPEAKER_04: Returning within one year provides the strongest restoration rights.
12:48
SPEAKER_04: Getting to work before 12 months is up is like the best thing you can do.
12:52
SPEAKER_04: Because at that point, the agency is required to give you your job back.
12:57
SPEAKER_04: After that period, they're not required to give you that job back, they're required to try to find a job that's suitable.
13:04
SPEAKER_04: And, you know, it's not the same job necessarily.
13:09
SPEAKER_04: So after a year, the rights change.
13:12
SPEAKER_04: A separated employee who later fully recovers generally receives what they call priority consideration.
13:18
SPEAKER_04: It doesn't mean automatic consideration.
13:20
SPEAKER_04: So if it's been more than a year and then you get back full duty, what they say is, well, we'll give you priority, but there's no guarantees.
13:28
SPEAKER_04: But prior to one year, it's a guarantee.
13:30
SPEAKER_04: You get your job back.
13:31
SPEAKER_03: Erica said, just got my letter of separation.
13:36
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, we're trying to avoid these letters of separation.
13:39
SPEAKER_04: But Erica, get with your union because they can help you.
13:41
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
13:42
SPEAKER_04: The union people we know are they're fighters.
13:45
SPEAKER_04: You need to go and talk to the fighters inside of your local.
13:49
SPEAKER_04: Partial recovery matters.
13:51
SPEAKER_04: Agencies must make every effort to restore a partially recovered employee who can perform limited duty.
13:58
SPEAKER_04: So I talk about limited duty assignments all the time.
14:00
SPEAKER_04: When you're able to work limited duty, take the job.
14:04
SPEAKER_04: Number one, if it's determined that this limited duty assignment is suitable for you, you have to take the job.
14:10
SPEAKER_04: Otherwise, they're going to remove your benefits until you decide to comply.
14:13
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
14:14
SPEAKER_04: So this is another thing.
14:15
SPEAKER_04: It gets you back to work at some level so you're not removed.
14:20
SPEAKER_04: So you don't lose benefits.
14:22
SPEAKER_04: And again, the surest way to get paid is to clock in.
14:24
SPEAKER_04: So on a limited duty assignment, you get to clock in.
14:26
SPEAKER_04: You don't have to jump through LWAP hoops anymore.
14:29
SPEAKER_03: This is what Julia said.
14:31
SPEAKER_03: Separation for disability only occurs if the employee has restrictions that are not workable.
14:37
SPEAKER_03: If the employee is sedentary duty, they are workable and not eligible for medical separation.
14:46
SPEAKER_04: Rule carriers, it's two years, okay?
14:48
SPEAKER_04: But it's not two years and you're fired.
14:50
SPEAKER_04: All right.
14:50
SPEAKER_04: It's like remember the one year thing for everyone else.
14:53
SPEAKER_04: Well, they give you the extra year.
14:55
SPEAKER_04: It's important because you can protect your route.
14:58
SPEAKER_04: But after two years, like you can lose your route completely.
15:01
SPEAKER_04: Yep.
15:01
SPEAKER_04: And we don't want that.
15:03
SPEAKER_04: So I think everyone, regardless of craft, regardless of agency, regardless of your USPS or someplace else, should have the mindset that I got to get back as soon as possible.
15:12
SPEAKER_04: This isn't a vacation.
15:13
SPEAKER_04: The longer I'm out, the more trouble I'm gonna, I'm gonna have.
15:16
SPEAKER_04: And that's not fair, but it's not spelled F-A-I-R.
15:20
SPEAKER_04: And so you got to be thinking, how do I get back to work fast?
15:23
SPEAKER_04: And you communicate with your doctor.
15:25
SPEAKER_04: Hey, doc, I want to get back to work and this isn't working.
15:28
SPEAKER_04: What else can we do?
15:29
SPEAKER_04: Can I get a referral to a specialist?
15:31
SPEAKER_04: Or is there more therapy we can do?
15:33
SPEAKER_04: Is there something different that can happen?
15:35
SPEAKER_04: Can you know, can we attempt another limited duty assignment?
15:38
SPEAKER_04: Is there something I can do to get on the clock?
15:40
SPEAKER_04: Where the surest way to get paid is at, right?
15:42
SPEAKER_04: To be on the clock.
15:44
SPEAKER_04: So those are really important.
15:45
SPEAKER_04: Are there questions?
15:47
SPEAKER_04: Because this is gonna get complicated.
15:48
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
15:48
SPEAKER_03: Amanda, do they have to do the limited light duty in writing before you have to take it?
15:56
SPEAKER_04: Your limited duty assignments have to be put in writing and they have to give a copy of it to your claims examiner.
16:02
SPEAKER_04: Your claims examiner is given the opportunity to review it.
16:05
SPEAKER_04: Then the claims examiner is obligated to let you know whether or not it's a valid job offer or not, at which point the claims examiner gives you 30 days to show it to your doctor.
16:15
SPEAKER_04: Don't take 30 days, okay?
16:17
SPEAKER_04: I'd get to the doctor as soon as possible because the surest way to get paid is to clock in.
16:22
SPEAKER_04: So get it to your doctor as soon as possible.
16:24
SPEAKER_04: But just understand the claims examiner is going to give you 30 days, but your supervisor is likely gonna put it in front of you and say you got to sign it now.
16:31
SPEAKER_03: And we hear a lot of times that the supervisors are forcing you.
16:35
SPEAKER_03: All let us know tomorrow, or else there is no, or else you have the 30 days.
16:40
SPEAKER_03: Nina said the 2499 X.
16:44
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, that's a form for the 2499 is for postal employees only.
16:48
SPEAKER_04: It's not for everybody, but you have to have that filled out.
16:50
SPEAKER_04: Like that's a that's part of your time off at work.
16:54
SPEAKER_04: So the bottom line for everything I've said so far is don't stay off of work longer than you need to.
17:01
SPEAKER_04: Communicate with your doctor as much as you can, get the treatment that you need, follow doctor's orders, and get back as soon as possible.
17:08
SPEAKER_04: Request limited duty offers, get a full-time job as soon as you can, and get your union involved because they do want to help.
17:15
SPEAKER_04: Some of the unions get frustrated with OWCP.
17:18
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, they do.
17:18
SPEAKER_04: And I understand OWCP is frustrating.
17:20
SPEAKER_04: Imagine being you, though.
17:22
SPEAKER_03: So And you have to remember in the union, they have to learn a handful of things.
17:28
SPEAKER_03: We're focused just on OWCP so we can understand.
17:32
SPEAKER_03: I mean, we hear it all the time from union presidents to stewards that they don't understand it because they're not learning this.
17:39
SPEAKER_03: This is why we have this page.
17:41
SPEAKER_03: We tell you to come here.
17:42
SPEAKER_03: Julia, what craft are you?
17:45
SPEAKER_03: And I'm asking you that for a reason.
17:47
SPEAKER_03: She said, USPS union steward really need more training on FICA.
17:52
SPEAKER_04: Oh, yeah, for sure.
17:53
SPEAKER_04: We know that.
17:53
SPEAKER_04: And I do a great steward training, but I've got to be invited.
17:56
SPEAKER_04: So, and unfortunately, unless you're the president, you can't invite me.
18:00
SPEAKER_04: But I've got to be invited by the leaders of your union, whether it's local, state, regional, national, whoever's in charge has got to invite.
18:09
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
18:09
SPEAKER_04: And we try to say yes as often as we can.
18:11
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, Julia, we, if you scroll down after this live, you'll see there is a flyer.
18:17
SPEAKER_03: Chris and I are gonna be touring the nation starting maybe October, and just for probably just the month, and then all of next year, we're gonna be doing this.
18:26
SPEAKER_03: And we're gonna be doing our two-hour OWCP training that we normally do at state and national conventions.
18:32
SPEAKER_03: So as we start getting dates and locations, we'll start listing them.
18:37
SPEAKER_03: But we understand, and we a lot of like APW, the mail handlers, AFGE, they you know invite us to come train, and we do a three-hour training when we do state conventions.
18:48
SPEAKER_04: I can do it in one, two, three.
18:50
SPEAKER_04: I've done it in eight.
18:51
SPEAKER_03: Julia said, I am an OHCS specialist for USPS.
18:56
SPEAKER_03: Okay.
18:57
SPEAKER_03: Very cool.
18:58
SPEAKER_03: George.
18:58
SPEAKER_03: George is from Texas.
19:00
SPEAKER_03: George said 99% of the time they don't follow the proper procedures for separation or to assign limited duty.
19:07
SPEAKER_03: Year back is a good idea, but important to get union involved.
19:10
SPEAKER_03: If they offer you limited duty job offer, you can accept and protest, then visit other avenues.
19:17
SPEAKER_03: This buys time.
19:18
SPEAKER_04: Okay, so again, George, you're not wrong.
19:20
SPEAKER_04: You can do that, but it's important that everyone understands the word protest is nowhere in the rules, laws, and regulations.
19:28
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
19:29
SPEAKER_04: The actual rule is that they should afford you 30 days to review it without having to accept it right now in front of them.
19:36
SPEAKER_04: That's not the rule.
19:38
SPEAKER_04: Like, in fact, all the unions should file grievances every single time they do it.
19:41
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
19:41
SPEAKER_04: Because it's against the rules.
19:43
SPEAKER_04: If it's against the rule, how is it not against your contract?
19:45
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
19:45
SPEAKER_04: It must be.
19:46
SPEAKER_04: The rule states that the claims examiner has got to review it first and then tell you that they believe it's a valid job offer, and then you get 30 days to show it to your doctor.
19:56
SPEAKER_04: So, and then if there's an agreement, a disagreement from there, you get another 15, like to figure it out.
20:01
SPEAKER_04: So, yeah, signing it under protest or under duress right there in front of the supervisor is not a legal requirement.
20:07
SPEAKER_04: I understand it's what you guys do, but you don't have to do it.
20:11
SPEAKER_04: And my only point is so you know the rules.
20:13
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
20:13
SPEAKER_03: Julia said, So glad to hear.
20:15
SPEAKER_03: Hope our unions get versed up.
20:17
SPEAKER_03: So what which agency are you with?
20:23
SPEAKER_03: Oh, Erica said, union says they can't help me.
20:26
SPEAKER_03: I'm contacting an attorney.
20:27
SPEAKER_03: What is it that they that they're not helping you with?
20:30
SPEAKER_04: Well, let me just stop you.
20:31
SPEAKER_04: The union should be able to help you, but there are certain things they can't do.
20:34
SPEAKER_04: Okay, they can't do any of the doctoring, right?
20:37
SPEAKER_04: I am like, yeah, yes, I'm the nation's leading expert in OWCP, and I can't do the doctoring.
20:44
SPEAKER_04: Okay.
20:44
SPEAKER_04: If I can't do it, they can't do it.
20:46
SPEAKER_04: So that's really important.
20:47
SPEAKER_04: And usually when you think you need a lawyer, you really just need a doctor who knows what they're doing.
20:52
SPEAKER_04: So I'd recommend to you, as soon as you find a doctor who knows what they're doing, you no longer need a lawyer for almost anything.
20:58
SPEAKER_04: And your union is only there to fire for you for grievances and stuff, which is fantastic.
21:02
SPEAKER_04: That's what we need them to do.
21:04
SPEAKER_04: So go to Google and search OWCP injury doctor in your city and state.
21:09
SPEAKER_04: OWCP injury doctor city state.
21:13
SPEAKER_04: So I'm in Tampa.
21:14
SPEAKER_04: OWCP Injury Doctor, Tampa, Florida.
21:16
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
21:16
SPEAKER_04: Right?
21:17
SPEAKER_04: And whoever wants to help me is gonna be found using that search term.
21:21
SPEAKER_04: Of course, you can go to federal injury centers and look at our locations tab, but it's not guaranteed that we're gonna have an office in your area.
21:27
SPEAKER_04: Because an OWCP, for the most part, the only thing that is not free is a lawyer.
21:34
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
21:37
SPEAKER_03: Uh Naira said, My case recently got denied.
21:40
SPEAKER_03: I'm looking to requ request reconsideration.
21:42
SPEAKER_03: Could I DM you both for some insight?
21:44
SPEAKER_03: I'm USPS.
21:46
SPEAKER_03: You're oh, okay, you're with APW.
21:48
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
21:48
SPEAKER_03: After the live, just hop on over, click the message button, like messenger, and message us.
21:54
SPEAKER_03: Yep.
21:55
SPEAKER_04: We answer those all the time.
21:56
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
21:56
SPEAKER_04: Happy to help.
21:58
SPEAKER_04: So I've talked to you about the one year.
22:00
SPEAKER_04: And the two-year thing.
22:00
SPEAKER_04: And look, for those of you non-USPS employees, and you're generally you're with AFGE, but you work in other agencies.
22:07
SPEAKER_03: Or FLIOA.
22:08
SPEAKER_04: You have no not necessarily.
22:11
SPEAKER_04: You have one year before all this stuff starts kicking in, right?
22:14
SPEAKER_04: And then so it's good for everyone, everyone to do everything possible to get back to work within the year.
22:21
SPEAKER_04: Okay.
22:22
SPEAKER_04: Everyone.
22:23
SPEAKER_04: Rural carriers, you have the extra year, but look, all of you need to do that, make every effort possible to get back because I don't want you to have that problem.
22:31
SPEAKER_04: I don't want the pain of the system to be worse than the injury.
22:34
SPEAKER_04: And it is, you know, the pain of the system gets worse when you don't report your injury on time.
22:39
SPEAKER_04: It gets worse when you don't get a CA 16, when you don't elect continuation of pay, when you don't choose your own doctor because you let the supervisor do it for you and they run over you.
22:49
SPEAKER_04: And then when you stay out of work too long, those are things that cause the system to feel overwhelming and they're all avoidable.
22:56
SPEAKER_04: Right now, some of your injuries are you're not going to be able to get back.
22:59
SPEAKER_04: And you know, our next topic is going to be vocational rehab.
23:03
SPEAKER_04: So there are options for you, and we'll discuss those.
23:05
SPEAKER_04: But for tonight's topic, we want you to get back to work as soon as possible.
23:09
SPEAKER_04: So communicate with your doctor as well and say, hey, doc, I got to get back to work.
23:14
SPEAKER_04: I don't want to lose my route.
23:15
SPEAKER_04: I don't want to lose my position.
23:16
SPEAKER_04: I don't want to have to fight for my job.
23:18
SPEAKER_04: And I don't want you to have to fight for your job.
23:22
SPEAKER_04: Okay, so I'm going to give you some things you can do to protect your job, to protect you from losing after a year or two years, or whatever.
23:32
SPEAKER_04: Okay.
23:32
SPEAKER_04: Some of this to me sounds like common sense, no-brainers, but I speak the language differently.
23:39
SPEAKER_04: Okay, so number one, keep your medical documentation current.
23:43
SPEAKER_04: So your CA 17s, your CA20s, continually communicate with your doctor and make sure that your agency has updated medical information on you at all times.
23:55
SPEAKER_04: So don't get a CA 17 today and six months later go, hmm, I wonder if I should do it again.
24:00
SPEAKER_04: I think you might consider going to talk to your doctor every month at least.
24:05
SPEAKER_04: Okay, but the doctor should have some schedule.
24:07
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
24:08
SPEAKER_04: So that because it's a medical form.
24:10
SPEAKER_04: You shouldn't have to make that medical decision, but it's your life.
24:12
SPEAKER_04: So keep your medical documentation current.
24:15
SPEAKER_04: Make sure your doctor specifically addresses your ability to work.
24:20
SPEAKER_04: It's not good enough for them just to say, well, you got to be out of work.
24:24
SPEAKER_04: No, what they have to do is say, here's what you can do.
24:28
SPEAKER_04: That's what a CA 17 is for.
24:30
SPEAKER_04: Continuously communicate to your agency what you can do.
24:35
SPEAKER_04: Even if it's you can sit for one hour, stand for 30 minutes, and lift two pounds.
24:40
SPEAKER_04: I can pick up paper clips.
24:42
SPEAKER_04: I don't really care.
24:43
SPEAKER_04: I know that's an exaggeration, but seriously, you got to let your agency know what you can do.
24:48
SPEAKER_04: Correct.
24:49
SPEAKER_04: Because it gives them an opportunity to give you a limited duty assignment that you can go clock in and get paid.
24:54
SPEAKER_04: So we want that.
24:56
SPEAKER_04: Get specific work restrictions, not vague ones.
25:00
SPEAKER_04: It goes along with what I just said, but the CA 17 gives the doctor an opportunity to be very specific.
25:06
SPEAKER_04: The supervisor can say that you lift 70 pounds on an occasional basis and you have to walk eight miles a day and you bend and you stoop and you lift overhead and you do all these things.
25:18
SPEAKER_04: Well, your doctor's specific work restrictions will say, well, you can't lift overhead and you can't lift 70, but you can lift 20.
25:26
SPEAKER_04: And you can't work, you can't walk eight miles, but you can walk 800 feet or whatever.
25:30
SPEAKER_04: It's got to be extremely specific, not vague, because this gives your agency an opportunity to define a limited duty assignment that you can go to work and clock in with.
25:41
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
25:42
SPEAKER_03: Devin said, my question involves the leave accrued while on OWCP.
25:47
SPEAKER_03: Why does it diminish for every six hours they subtract four?
25:51
SPEAKER_03: Totally decreasing the amount.
25:53
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, well, that's just an example of when you're out of work.
25:56
SPEAKER_04: All your benefits don't continue to accrue as if when you're in work.
26:00
SPEAKER_04: And, you know, honestly, I can't tell you what all the benefits are that do accrue and don't, because there's a mix of them.
26:06
SPEAKER_04: But your point is so good because it's an example of another reason why you got to go back to work as possible.
26:11
SPEAKER_04: Because the system is set up for you to lose so many things when you're out of work.
26:15
SPEAKER_04: We don't want that.
26:16
SPEAKER_04: We want you to get to work and lose no benefits.
26:18
SPEAKER_04: I always ask this question when I'm in group trainings.
26:22
SPEAKER_04: Raise your hand if there's any rights as a federal employee that you'd be willing to give up today.
26:28
SPEAKER_04: And I don't want you to give up any of them.
26:30
SPEAKER_04: Right.
26:30
SPEAKER_04: You have rights as a federal employee that the rest of us don't have.
26:34
SPEAKER_04: You should take advantage of every one of them.
26:37
SPEAKER_04: And there are times that you can lose them, and some of your benefits don't accrue.
26:42
SPEAKER_04: And that's not fair.
26:44
SPEAKER_04: Right.
26:46
SPEAKER_04: Okay, keep your employing agency informed of any changes in your work status.
26:50
SPEAKER_04: So again, we're still talking about the CA17, but your doctor should be updating this thing at all times.
26:55
SPEAKER_04: And every time it's updated, updated, your supervisor, your agency should get a copy that here's the updated work restrictions.
27:02
SPEAKER_04: And hopefully, eventually, they can get you a limited duty assignment and that will eventually be the bridge to getting you back full duty.
27:11
SPEAKER_04: Let's see, if you can safely perform legitimate modified duty, seriously consider returning.
27:17
SPEAKER_04: This one I like because a lot of people say, Yeah, but I don't want to do that job.
27:22
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I know, but you know, I got hired to be a clerk.
27:25
SPEAKER_04: I got hired to be a nurse, I got hired to be a TSA officer, whatever, right?
27:31
SPEAKER_04: And I don't want to do that job.
27:33
SPEAKER_04: But the bottom line is that the roles require it.
27:37
SPEAKER_04: So if you can safely perform legitimate modified duty, go do it.
27:43
SPEAKER_04: Because if the claims examiner says you can and the doctor agrees you can, and the agency made the offer, and you don't go, that's real bad for you.
27:53
SPEAKER_04: It's real bad for you.
27:55
SPEAKER_04: And is it fair?
27:56
SPEAKER_04: Not necessarily, but you do have to take the job offer.
28:01
SPEAKER_04: And don't casually refuse it.
28:03
SPEAKER_04: Don't just say, nah, I don't feel like it.
28:05
SPEAKER_04: Okay, that's not gonna work.
28:06
SPEAKER_04: You gotta take the job offer, even if it sucks, if physically you can do the job.
28:12
SPEAKER_03: Bobby said, I got a job offer to come back as an OIC.
28:18
SPEAKER_03: And when I got there on Monday, they did a bait and switch.
28:24
SPEAKER_03: They said, Do they have to make me a new offer?
28:28
SPEAKER_04: No, they have to honor the original one that everybody agreed to, and your union should help you file a grievance right away.
28:34
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
28:35
SPEAKER_04: And if they if they try to cause you to work outside of your restrictions, you should contact OSHA at 1-800-321-OSHA and ask if that's a safety violation.
28:46
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
28:47
SPEAKER_04: Because medical restrictions are medical decisions.
28:50
SPEAKER_04: Your supervisors are not medical doctors, they're not qualified to make that decision.
28:55
SPEAKER_04: All they're allowed to do is follow it.
28:57
SPEAKER_03: Don't let them harass you about that.
28:59
SPEAKER_04: That's what your unions are there for.
29:01
SPEAKER_03: Amy said, doctor did my CA 17 last week, but forgot to put something in there.
29:06
SPEAKER_03: Should I get a new CA 17 soon?
29:09
SPEAKER_03: Will this mess up my approved case?
29:11
SPEAKER_03: Currently off awaiting surgery.
29:13
SPEAKER_04: No, I mean, get a new CA 17 anytime you think it's necessary or anytime your doctor thinks it's necessary.
29:19
SPEAKER_04: It's okay to do multiple CA 17s.
29:22
SPEAKER_04: It doesn't have to be once a month.
29:23
SPEAKER_04: It doesn't have to be every week either.
29:26
SPEAKER_04: It's what the doctor thinks it needs to be.
29:28
SPEAKER_04: But the key for you and for all of you, communicate with your doctors.
29:32
SPEAKER_04: Too many of you don't.
29:34
SPEAKER_04: You just kind of assume that everything's just gonna be okay.
29:38
SPEAKER_03: But if if it's not.
29:40
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, if they didn't check off what needed to be checked off, call them back, tell them you need a new CA 17 because they forgot to whatever it is.
29:47
SPEAKER_04: Communicate with the doctor, don't treat them like they're gods.
29:50
SPEAKER_04: Okay, they're not.
29:50
SPEAKER_04: They make mistakes, they're human.
29:52
SPEAKER_04: And we got to check them.
29:53
SPEAKER_04: That's it.
29:54
SPEAKER_04: So just check them.
29:55
SPEAKER_03: Never give medical to management.
29:56
SPEAKER_03: It's HIPAA violation.
29:58
SPEAKER_03: Upload to eComp.
29:59
SPEAKER_03: You are required to notify them that you have restrictions and what they are, but don't give them any medical.
30:05
SPEAKER_04: Okay, so let me just clarify a little bit.
30:07
SPEAKER_04: It is not a HIPAA restriction violation if you give documentation to management.
30:13
SPEAKER_04: If I give your documentation to management, I violated HIPAA.
30:17
SPEAKER_04: If you give your documentation to management, that's within your rights.
30:20
SPEAKER_04: So that's not a HIPAA violation.
30:22
SPEAKER_04: But your point is well taken.
30:23
SPEAKER_04: They're not entitled to all your documentation.
30:26
SPEAKER_04: Like they can't just ask for your medical file.
30:28
SPEAKER_04: They're entitled to your CA17, your CA20, your CA 16s, your OWCP5Cs.
30:34
SPEAKER_04: Those are the forms that are meant for doctors to communicate with the agency.
30:38
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
30:38
SPEAKER_04: They're not entitled to everything.
30:40
SPEAKER_04: All right.
30:41
SPEAKER_04: So that's the point I think everybody should understand.
30:43
SPEAKER_04: It's only a HIPAA violation if someone who didn't have a right to share your information did so.
30:49
SPEAKER_03: Devin said, would it be or has it ever been a situation when they offered a different craft as a modic as a modification of duty?
30:58
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, they can definitely do that.
30:59
SPEAKER_04: They're allowed by rule to offer any job, any tasks that fit within your doctor's restrictions on the CA 17, even if it crosses over to crafts.
31:10
SPEAKER_04: You got to understand when it comes to the craft situation, that's a union situation.
31:15
SPEAKER_04: And I'm aware that sometimes unions butt heads, but also unions work together.
31:20
SPEAKER_04: But doctors are generally not concerned with the inner workings of your unions.
31:25
SPEAKER_04: Doctors are concerned with getting you back on the clock safely.
31:29
SPEAKER_04: And that's something, once that happens, that's something for you guys to work out on the inside.
31:34
SPEAKER_04: So give your doctor the actual modified job duty offer.
31:37
SPEAKER_04: Remember that you get 30 days to show it to the doc.
31:39
SPEAKER_04: Take it ASAP.
31:40
SPEAKER_04: Like if you get it today, take it today if you can.
31:43
SPEAKER_04: Cooperate with OWCP's legitimate return to work efforts.
31:46
SPEAKER_04: If you have a nurse case manager or claims examiner and they're saying, hey, we you know, we've done this thing, we think it's we think this is gonna help you, we think it's good for you, you can't just buck up against them.
31:57
SPEAKER_04: Be cooperative because the alternative is losing your job.
32:01
SPEAKER_04: The alternative is losing your benefits.
32:03
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
32:03
SPEAKER_04: And even though it's not fair, what is best for you overall?
32:08
SPEAKER_04: And only you can really make that decision.
32:11
SPEAKER_04: But you have to understand there are roles that can penalize you if you don't follow them.
32:16
SPEAKER_04: And what I hate the most actually is for people to say, I just didn't know.
32:20
SPEAKER_04: I didn't know if I was out of work for a year this would happen.
32:22
SPEAKER_04: I didn't know that after two years this would happen.
32:25
SPEAKER_04: I didn't know I had 30 days.
32:26
SPEAKER_04: I didn't know that I didn't have to write under protest or under duress.
32:31
SPEAKER_04: I didn't know.
32:32
SPEAKER_04: You know, that's why we're here.
32:33
SPEAKER_04: And you have friends that don't know this either, and they're probably not here, so you should pass it on.
32:40
SPEAKER_04: I mentioned the one-year, two-year deadlines, and that you get extra six months at some sometimes.
32:46
SPEAKER_04: You gotta know what your deadlines are.
32:48
SPEAKER_04: Don't let them just sneak up on you.
32:50
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, we talk about that constantly throughout the year, about time frames and deadlines.
32:57
SPEAKER_04: Here's a key one you gotta know what conditions OWCP has accepted.
33:02
SPEAKER_04: You, for example, may have a herniated disc in your lower back, and your doctor diagnosed a lumbar sprain, knowing later on that you got an MRI that showed herniation, but never did a diagnosis expansion.
33:17
SPEAKER_04: So now what happens is that everybody on everybody sees that your record says you have a lumbar sprain.
33:23
SPEAKER_04: And most people say that strains and sprains, you recover from them relatively quickly compared to more severe injuries.
33:30
SPEAKER_04: Well, if your accepting condition is sprained and you're out of work a year, you're gonna have problems, right?
33:38
SPEAKER_04: And last week we talked about second opinion visits and what triggers those and how to avoid them.
33:43
SPEAKER_04: Well, one of the ways to avoid those and avoid hassles and problems is having the correct diagnosis on your accepted condition list.
33:51
SPEAKER_04: So that's something you've got to work with your doctor on and make sure that all of your valid conditions are on your accepted condition list.
33:59
SPEAKER_04: Otherwise, your time off of work won't make sense to anybody on the outside.
34:03
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, it won't make sense for you to be out of work six months for an elbow strain.
34:08
SPEAKER_04: You know, like, well, that doesn't make any sense.
34:10
SPEAKER_04: Or a wrist strain.
34:11
SPEAKER_04: That doesn't make sense.
34:12
SPEAKER_04: Well, it turns out it was carpal tunnel syndrome.
34:13
SPEAKER_04: Right.
34:14
SPEAKER_04: Oh, well, now it makes sense, but that's not on your accepted diagnosis list.
34:17
SPEAKER_04: So that's gonna be really important.
34:19
SPEAKER_03: Joe said, I and I remember you from Boston.
34:22
SPEAKER_03: He goes, Hi guys, met you in masks.
34:24
SPEAKER_03: If you're separated from USPS, an injury has caused you to use your regular medical coverage for treatment after separation on roles, still getting treatment.
34:36
SPEAKER_03: How do I make sure I keep my blue cross blue shield coverage after separation injury got worse over time?
34:43
SPEAKER_03: And I've had to use my USPS Blue Cross Blue Shield.
34:46
SPEAKER_03: Second opinion from OWP, oh second opinion from OWCP said it's permanent, but it's just been a very long, painful road.
34:56
SPEAKER_04: Well, you definitely got to make sure that your premiums for your health insurance for Blue Cross are kept up.
35:00
SPEAKER_04: If you're not working, and you know, if for some reason that your premiums are not being deducted from your paycheck like they normally would, you gotta make sure that's being covered.
35:09
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
35:09
SPEAKER_04: If you've put money out of your spent money out of your pocket, you can get that back with an OWCP 915 and receipts and letters of medical necessity from the doctor describing medically why you needed the treatment you paid for.
35:22
SPEAKER_04: But more than anything, get your claim approved and get the right diagnosis and stop using your health insurance.
35:28
SPEAKER_04: And that's the hardest part, unfortunately.
35:30
SPEAKER_04: If claims got approved easily, you wouldn't need me to sit and teach this class.
35:34
SPEAKER_02: Right.
35:35
SPEAKER_04: Because you get your benefits because claims are approved.
35:39
SPEAKER_03: Nina said, How long does USPS have to offer you a job within your restrictions?
35:45
SPEAKER_04: Well, they have to make the offer as soon as there's work available.
35:50
SPEAKER_04: When there's a CA 17 on file, their responsibility is to make every possible effort to make a limited duty offer.
36:00
SPEAKER_04: If they're not able to make the offer and you're just out of work, then you're out of work getting paid, but you're not at work, which sucks because the surest way to get paid is to clock in.
36:09
SPEAKER_04: So you got to make every effort possible to get better, follow your doctor's orders, be aggressive with your doctor, say, hey, this isn't working, be an active member of your treatment team.
36:18
SPEAKER_04: And that's something people don't get, you know, they don't understand it when they're not in healthcare.
36:22
SPEAKER_04: The most important person on the treatment team is not the doctor, the therapist, or anyone else.
36:26
SPEAKER_04: It's the patient.
36:28
SPEAKER_04: Because you know how you feel, you know how it happened, and you know what you want out of life.
36:33
SPEAKER_04: And you know you have to communicate that to your doctor.
36:36
SPEAKER_03: And Joe said OWCP does from his message.
36:42
SPEAKER_03: It does, yeah.
36:43
SPEAKER_03: Okay.
36:43
SPEAKER_03: Christopher Cain said, what do you do when your claims examiner changes the subject line for PT notes to PT notes work hardening when no work hardening PT has been prescribed or authorized?
36:56
SPEAKER_04: Well, that's interesting because claims examiners are not, in fact, nobody is allowed to modify or alter medical documentation in any way.
37:08
SPEAKER_04: There may be one exception.
37:10
SPEAKER_04: Maybe.
37:11
SPEAKER_04: If the doctor does all this documentation that demonstrates that they did work hardening and then build, I don't know what, something else, the claimed examiner may be within their right to change the coding for what they build, but they can't change the documentation.
37:26
SPEAKER_04: And changing any words on the subject line sounds like changing the documentation.
37:32
SPEAKER_04: They're not supposed to be able to do that.
37:33
SPEAKER_03: Right.
37:34
SPEAKER_03: Bobby, I messed up we were messaging today.
37:37
SPEAKER_03: That was me that was messaging you.
37:39
SPEAKER_03: So that's great.
37:40
SPEAKER_03: You're gonna go to a doctor.
37:42
SPEAKER_03: What you need, we do not have a location in Washington state as yet.
37:46
SPEAKER_03: Go to Google and search OWCP doctor near me, whatever city and and state you put it in there and see what comes up.
37:53
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I like saying OWCP injury doctor or OWCP work injury, OWCP workers comp doctor with your city and state.
38:01
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
38:01
SPEAKER_04: Seattle, Washington, for example.
38:03
SPEAKER_03: And make sure when you do call them, make sure you tell them, do you take federal work comp?
38:10
SPEAKER_03: Because they they sometimes don't hear that and they think it's work comp and they'll say yes, and then you waste your time going there and it's not for federal work comp.
38:17
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
38:18
SPEAKER_04: Imagine being a USPS letter carrier and they try to treat you like you're a FedEx worker or a USPS employee.
38:23
SPEAKER_04: It's totally different workers' comp systems.
38:26
SPEAKER_04: Nothing about those systems is the same.
38:29
SPEAKER_03: But we are working on getting someone in Washington.
38:32
SPEAKER_04: We are.
38:33
SPEAKER_03: Maria, can you explain the CA 17, please?
38:35
SPEAKER_03: Do we need to take the CA 17 to every doctor's appointment?
38:39
SPEAKER_04: No.
38:40
SPEAKER_04: No.
38:40
SPEAKER_04: Now, some supervisors will tell you that they require the doctor to fill out a new CA 17 every time you go to the doctor.
38:49
SPEAKER_04: But when you understand what the CA 17 is, it makes it shows you that what the supervisor is doing doesn't make sense.
38:55
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
38:56
SPEAKER_04: The CA 17 is a medical document, it's a medical form.
39:00
SPEAKER_04: It becomes part of the medical record.
39:02
SPEAKER_04: That means based on medical necessity, that's when the form gets filled out.
39:06
SPEAKER_04: Doctors fill out that form when there's a change in work status.
39:09
SPEAKER_04: Period.
39:10
SPEAKER_04: Whether you can do more or do less, they fill it out when there's a change.
39:14
SPEAKER_04: Right.
39:14
SPEAKER_04: Some management will say, well, we want you to fill out every single time.
39:17
SPEAKER_04: And we tell our doctors, just fill out the form.
39:20
SPEAKER_04: You know, don't just go ahead, don't buck up against the system.
39:24
SPEAKER_04: But there is no rule for that.
39:25
SPEAKER_04: The rule is that CA 17 should be filled out anytime there's a change that's medically necessary, and the doctor thinks it should be filled out.
39:32
SPEAKER_03: Make sure you stay on the doctor or the case manager, whoever's helping you fill it out that you need it at a certain time.
39:39
SPEAKER_03: Make sure you give them the time frame that you need it just so you don't get in trouble.
39:43
SPEAKER_04: So again, we're talking about how to protect your job while you're off of work.
39:47
SPEAKER_04: And one of the things that's not going to be in my list, but I do want to say it is Family Medical Leave Act, FMLA, you're afforded like a certain number of days per year.
39:58
SPEAKER_04: And you should use FMLA if you think you're going to get to that time, especially when your claim is not approved.
40:05
SPEAKER_04: You run out of COP, for example, say your 45 days is up, and your claim's still not approved, and you're worried like, am I going to be off work for the next 30, 60, 90 days?
40:15
SPEAKER_04: What do I do?
40:16
SPEAKER_04: Well, you can use FMLA to take care of yourself or somebody else, and you cannot be fired if you're using Family Medical Leave Act.
40:23
SPEAKER_04: So FMLA.
40:26
SPEAKER_03: Michael said, how long does it usually take for OWCP to start paying benefits for a new claim after COP is over?
40:33
SPEAKER_04: As soon as the claim is approved.
40:35
SPEAKER_04: That's the key.
40:36
SPEAKER_04: If your claim doesn't get approved, you have no benefits.
40:38
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
40:39
SPEAKER_04: And if your claim is ultimately not approved and you just give up or the doctors give up or whatever, then they give you a demand and you have to pay COP back by they take your sick and annual leave.
40:50
SPEAKER_04: And if there's anything that they didn't get back, they'll take it out of your paycheck.
40:54
SPEAKER_04: So you got to get claims approved.
40:56
SPEAKER_04: At federal interest centers, I can't think of a single case where someone had to pay back COP because we get claims approved.
41:02
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and make sure when we discussed this last week, if you want to go check out last week's chats, where we were talking about don't, if you're going to a primary care doctor, don't turn in just like a little paragraph.
41:15
SPEAKER_03: You have to have the doctor write like at least a five-page narrative.
41:19
SPEAKER_03: Well, maybe you mean whatever the doctor thinks.
41:21
SPEAKER_04: They're long, okay?
41:22
SPEAKER_04: They're not five sentences, they're three to five pages, but there's five criteria.
41:26
SPEAKER_04: Mickey Mouse narrative reports cause claims to be denied.
41:29
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
41:30
SPEAKER_03: And what happens is a lot of you because you don't understand the process, and just because you submitted your claim, the first letter you get is when they give you your claim number.
41:39
SPEAKER_03: That is not you being approved for your case.
41:42
SPEAKER_04: It just says we we got a file cabinet with your name on it.
41:44
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, basically.
41:45
SPEAKER_03: That that number is what the doctors use to build OWCP.
41:48
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
41:49
SPEAKER_04: Next thing, respond promptly to every OWCP letter.
41:52
SPEAKER_04: Again, in an effort to protect your job, you should know what they're communicating to you.
41:57
SPEAKER_04: And you'll get letters periodically from the United States Department of Labor, and many people don't open their mail.
42:02
SPEAKER_04: I hate opening the mail.
42:04
SPEAKER_04: She opens all of my mail.
42:05
SPEAKER_04: I can't stand it.
42:06
SPEAKER_04: Okay.
42:07
SPEAKER_04: But if you get a DOL letter, open it, read it, because it may mean something to you that can protect your job or hurt it if you ignore it.
42:14
SPEAKER_03: Keep all your letters.
42:16
SPEAKER_03: All your letters, you should be taking it to your doctor's appointments just so the doctor can review it in case you don't understand what it means.
42:23
SPEAKER_04: And respond promptly to agency communication as well.
42:27
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
42:27
SPEAKER_04: In fact, actively communicate with your agency.
42:32
SPEAKER_04: Don't let them think, okay, something's going on here.
42:35
SPEAKER_04: Just always talk.
42:36
SPEAKER_04: You know, most of you have like an 800 number or something you can call where you're going to be out of work.
42:40
SPEAKER_04: Call it.
42:41
SPEAKER_04: Bring the CA 17.
42:43
SPEAKER_04: Anytime there's a change, let them know.
42:46
SPEAKER_04: When you think that you have enough physical ability to do some limited duty assignment, request it.
42:52
SPEAKER_04: Tell them I want to work.
42:54
SPEAKER_04: Communicate with the agency as much as possible.
42:56
SPEAKER_03: Deanna said, I had a doctor verify that they accepted federal work comp and actually did not.
43:01
SPEAKER_03: I'm going through this now.
43:03
SPEAKER_03: I just want my shoulder fixed.
43:05
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I hear that.
43:06
SPEAKER_04: So what happens is you ask the question to whoever's on the phone, do you take federal workers' comp?
43:11
SPEAKER_04: And, you know, the person that's on the other end of the line maybe is, you know, less intelligent than you.
43:18
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, when it happens, we always tell you to ask for the billing manager.
43:22
SPEAKER_03: They're the ones that's going to know if they take it or not.
43:24
SPEAKER_04: They'll know for sure because they have to bill it, right?
43:27
SPEAKER_04: And if they never build it, they'll say no.
43:29
SPEAKER_04: But the receptionist oftentimes just says yes because they just want to get you off the phone.
43:33
SPEAKER_04: So be careful with that.
43:35
SPEAKER_04: Attend all required OWCP medical exams.
43:38
SPEAKER_04: So if you get sent to a second opinion doctor, you got to go.
43:42
SPEAKER_04: If you don't go, your benefits get cut off.
43:44
SPEAKER_04: Anything they tell you to do, you have to do it, even though it doesn't seem fair.
43:48
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
43:48
SPEAKER_04: But what we're trying to do is prevent you from having problems when you're out of work.
43:52
SPEAKER_04: I want you to get your job back when you're better.
43:55
SPEAKER_04: So required, attend all required exams.
43:57
SPEAKER_04: Don't ever miss a second opinion exam.
43:59
SPEAKER_04: That's Really, really important.
44:01
SPEAKER_04: Make sure your doctor knows what you do for a living.
44:03
unknown: Yes.
44:04
SPEAKER_04: You know, it's funny, you would like you think that it's automatic.
44:07
SPEAKER_04: I said I'm a letter carrier.
44:08
SPEAKER_04: Well, I promise you, the doctor doesn't know you lift 70 pounds, carry a 35-pound satchel, often do two of those, even though you're not supposed to.
44:15
SPEAKER_04: You walk eight to 10 miles a day, you go up and down stairs, you drive an LLB, and the LLB is a long life vehicle.
44:21
SPEAKER_04: They're not all replaced yet.
44:23
SPEAKER_04: They don't have air conditioning.
44:24
SPEAKER_04: Like they don't know what happens to you when you're on the job.
44:27
SPEAKER_04: They don't know that it's tough for you to be like my son's in Texas in a 107-degree temperature delivering the mail.
44:34
SPEAKER_04: They don't understand the physical demands.
44:35
SPEAKER_04: And so you got to help them understand so they can write an intelligent CA 17 to get you back to work.
44:41
SPEAKER_03: And if they don't really know anything about like letter carriers, rule carriers that don't have AC, you have to let them know these things, details about your injury.
44:52
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, this next one's one that really it touches a nerve for me.
44:56
SPEAKER_04: I hate when you have to go on federal disability.
44:59
SPEAKER_04: Nobody hates it more than I do.
45:01
SPEAKER_04: I can't stand it because it's to me, it feels like somebody failed.
45:04
SPEAKER_04: Somebody failed you.
45:06
SPEAKER_04: But don't assume that disability is the best outcome.
45:09
SPEAKER_04: It's not necessarily the best outcome.
45:12
SPEAKER_04: If you're with the OPM FERS, federal disability, by the second year, you're only making 40% of your income.
45:21
SPEAKER_04: That ain't good.
45:22
SPEAKER_04: Nobody that I know could live off of it.
45:24
SPEAKER_04: So don't assume that that's a good outcome because it doesn't sound like a good one to me.
45:29
SPEAKER_03: Amy said my supervisor wants a new, fresh CA17 every time I go to the doctor, even if there's no change.
45:40
SPEAKER_04: Look, it's like you can't fix stupid.
45:42
SPEAKER_04: You know, I don't know how to deal with that, except for like what I tell my doctors, just fill it out, just do a new one.
45:48
SPEAKER_04: There's no reason for it to do it every single time you go to the doctor, but you have enough problems with management as it is, so I don't recommend having more.
45:56
SPEAKER_04: And if the doctor refuses to fill it out, you know, they're following the rules, and your supervisors aren't, but hopefully they will just fill it out for you.
46:03
SPEAKER_03: After your COP, have you been filing your CA, oh my gosh, your CA7s to get paid?
46:10
SPEAKER_03: Michael.
46:11
SPEAKER_04: If a job offer violates your restrictions, document exactly how.
46:15
SPEAKER_04: So let's say that your restrictions say you can't lift 70 pounds, you can only lift 20, and your supervisor says, Yeah, I don't care, you're gonna have to do 30 pounds, document 30 pounds.
46:23
SPEAKER_04: You're not supposed to stand more than an hour at a time, and they're making you stand two hours.
46:27
SPEAKER_04: Document it.
46:28
SPEAKER_04: Be very specific.
46:30
SPEAKER_03: Michael said yes, he is turning in his CA 7s, and he's still not getting paid.
46:36
SPEAKER_04: Turning in CA7s is not all it takes.
46:38
SPEAKER_04: You also have to document.
46:39
SPEAKER_04: There's got to be all the C turn in 17, a CA20, a list of appointments if you're at the doctor, a disability narrative.
46:45
SPEAKER_04: You have to turn in documentation with the CA 7s in order to get paid.
46:49
SPEAKER_04: That's like a whole lesson in and of itself.
46:52
SPEAKER_04: But if that's your issue, turning in a CA7 by itself will not get you paid.
46:56
SPEAKER_04: In fact, it will ensure that you won't get paid because they require documentation that explains and proves why you needed to be off of work medically.
47:04
SPEAKER_04: That's really important.
47:05
SPEAKER_03: Becky said, my pain clinic provider documented I needed to reduce my hours from 40 a week to 32 a week.
47:13
SPEAKER_03: My claims examiner called me and said he was not able to make that decision, needed to be an orthopedic.
47:20
SPEAKER_03: What?
47:21
SPEAKER_03: Pain clinic provider is an anesthesiologist.
47:23
SPEAKER_03: My orthopedic retired in 2022 and I haven't found a replacement.
47:29
SPEAKER_04: Who's saying that they're saying that it needs to be an orthopedic?
47:32
SPEAKER_04: No, it doesn't.
47:33
SPEAKER_04: Okay, it can be a general practitioner.
47:35
SPEAKER_03: It's a claims examiner.
47:36
SPEAKER_04: Claims examiners are funny that way.
47:37
SPEAKER_04: It's like when you're trying to change a doctor from a general practitioner, your family doctor, for example, to an ortho, they'll say yes every time.
47:45
SPEAKER_04: If you want to change from an ortho to a family doctor, they'll say no almost every time.
47:49
SPEAKER_04: And it doesn't make any sense because just because they're an ortho doesn't mean they know anything about OWCP.
47:54
SPEAKER_04: They know how to fix knees and backs and stuff, but they don't know how to write reports and they don't understand the rules and what the CA17 requirements are and why you do a CA20, and they don't know any of that stuff.
48:06
SPEAKER_04: And so claims examiners are misguided in saying that you gotta have a specialist.
48:11
SPEAKER_04: No, the specialist you need is a specialist in OWCP because that person can make referrals to orthos and neuros and everyone else.
48:19
SPEAKER_04: Like they can do the things that need to get done, but these cases go by so much faster, so much more efficiently.
48:25
SPEAKER_04: People get better and back to work better, more rapidly, when your specialty is OWCP.
48:32
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
48:32
SPEAKER_03: Devin said, are the deadlines different for work-related versus non-work-related injuries?
48:38
SPEAKER_04: Oh, yeah.
48:38
SPEAKER_04: Let me just tell you something.
48:39
SPEAKER_04: I'm not an expert in what happens to you if you have the flu.
48:42
SPEAKER_04: Okay.
48:42
SPEAKER_04: I'm an expert in what happens to you if you get hurt at work.
48:46
SPEAKER_04: So that everything is different, like light duty versus limited duty.
48:49
SPEAKER_04: Limited duties for a work injury, light duties for other things.
48:52
SPEAKER_04: So it's very, very different for sure.
48:56
SPEAKER_03: Mr.
48:57
SPEAKER_03: Finesse 316, what area of the country do you cover?
49:02
SPEAKER_03: Just go to our website, federal injurycenters.com, and click the locations.
49:07
SPEAKER_03: We have about 60 offices so far.
49:09
SPEAKER_03: We're not in every state.
49:10
SPEAKER_04: But education-wise, from Wednesday night chats, the area of the country that we cover is planet Earth.
49:15
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
49:18
SPEAKER_04: If you need help with OWCP, it doesn't matter where you are.
49:21
SPEAKER_04: We want to help you.
49:22
SPEAKER_04: You do not have to go to a Federal Injury Center's office to get help from us.
49:27
SPEAKER_03: Maria said it's so much more difficult to deliver mail using the van.
49:32
SPEAKER_03: The window is higher, so your overreaching mailboxes are barely high enough for the LLV.
49:38
SPEAKER_04: How about that?
49:39
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
49:39
SPEAKER_04: You know, they should have maybe checked with you guys first.
49:42
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
49:42
SPEAKER_04: Before they started making changes.
49:45
SPEAKER_04: Uh the main theme of tonight.
49:47
SPEAKER_03: Oh my gosh, it's almost time.
49:49
SPEAKER_04: Is don't disappear.
49:50
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
49:50
SPEAKER_04: Okay.
49:50
SPEAKER_04: Communicate with the doctor, the supervisor, the claims examiner, cooperate with the nurse case manager.
49:56
SPEAKER_04: Get back to work as soon as you can.
49:58
SPEAKER_04: Don't use OWCP like a vacation.
50:01
SPEAKER_04: Know that after a year, there are consequences if you're not back at work.
50:04
SPEAKER_04: And for a role carrier, after two years, there's consequences.
50:08
SPEAKER_04: For every agency, there is a consequence if you don't go back to work within a year.
50:12
SPEAKER_04: It's not the end of the world, but it's the beginning of the end.
50:15
SPEAKER_04: So get back as soon as you can.
50:17
SPEAKER_04: And in the process, document everything.
50:20
SPEAKER_04: Follow up with your doctor, communicate with your agency, accept limited duty offers that are valid, according to your doctor, and make every effort possible to get back on the job because the surest way to get paid is to clock in.
50:32
SPEAKER_03: Where to go, where to go?
50:33
SPEAKER_03: Devin said it was at work injury on the deadlines.
50:38
SPEAKER_03: I don't remember what he was saying.
50:40
SPEAKER_03: If you were, where is it at?
50:45
SPEAKER_03: Are the deadlines different for work-related versus non-related work injuries?
50:49
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and again, I don't know what non-related work injury deadlines are.
50:55
SPEAKER_04: That was my point.
50:56
SPEAKER_04: Like, I don't know what deadlines are for someone who's got the flu versus someone who's got a back injury.
51:01
SPEAKER_04: I know what all the deadlines for the back injury are.
51:03
SPEAKER_02: Right.
51:03
SPEAKER_04: But for things that are not work injury related, I'm not going to be able to speak expertly on that.
51:09
SPEAKER_04: Not tonight, but I could get that way real quick.
51:11
SPEAKER_04: Take it to your doctor and say, hey, doc, can I go back to work?
51:15
SPEAKER_04: Look, this is what they want me to do.
51:17
SPEAKER_04: And when the doctor says yes, go to work.
51:19
SPEAKER_04: If the doctor says no, tell them what's missing or what needs to be changed and get help from your union.
51:24
SPEAKER_04: That's always helpful.
51:26
SPEAKER_04: And then get back on the clock as soon as you can, but show it to your doctor to make sure you don't get hurt worse when you get back.
51:33
SPEAKER_04: That's the whole point of a CA 17 is to go back to work without re-injury or getting hurt worse.
51:38
SPEAKER_04: That's the whole point.
51:39
SPEAKER_04: And that's why OWCP affords your doctor 30 days or up to 30 days to review it.
51:44
SPEAKER_04: So that's all on my topic tonight.
51:46
SPEAKER_04: I'm happy to answer in the next few minutes any other question you have related to OWCP because that's why we're here.
51:53
SPEAKER_04: We stayed late last week.
51:54
SPEAKER_04: If you've got some questions, I'm happy to do it again this week.
51:57
SPEAKER_04: Whatever problems you're having tonight, let's don't have them tomorrow.
52:00
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
52:01
SPEAKER_03: Don't forget, our chats do stream on YouTube and Facebook.
52:06
SPEAKER_03: And our chats from this Wednesday night OWCP chats go and gets pushed after 30 days to YouTube.
52:13
SPEAKER_03: So if you don't see our chat after 30 days, everything is on YouTube since 2016.
52:18
SPEAKER_03: So you can go there and look at all of our chats.
52:21
SPEAKER_03: Ruby, what if you are out on an injury and you go back to work and you have another injury?
52:29
SPEAKER_03: How long do you have?
52:30
SPEAKER_04: Okay, so Ruby, look, let's say you're out on a work injury and you go back and you exacerbate a re-injury, re-injure the first injury, like the one you're out of work for.
52:41
SPEAKER_04: Like let's say you have a knee injury, you go back, and the job makes a knee injury worse for some reason.
52:47
SPEAKER_04: Well, you have the same claim, okay?
52:49
SPEAKER_04: It's the same injury, nothing new happened.
52:52
SPEAKER_04: You just like tweaked it.
52:53
SPEAKER_04: Okay.
52:54
SPEAKER_04: You go back to your doctor and say, hey, doc, I got a problem.
52:56
SPEAKER_04: This happened when I was on work.
52:57
SPEAKER_04: They're gonna give you a new CA17.
52:59
SPEAKER_04: They may take you out of work, they may change your restrictions.
53:02
SPEAKER_04: Anything can happen, it's a medical decision.
53:04
SPEAKER_04: But let's say you go back and you have this knee injury, and while you're on the job, because you got back to work, you hurt your back.
53:10
SPEAKER_04: That's a new claim altogether that has nothing to do with the knee.
53:15
SPEAKER_04: So in that case, you would file a new claim, a CA1 or CA2, depending on how it happened.
53:21
SPEAKER_04: And you can, it's not uncommon to have multiple injury claims that happen multiple different ways and times.
53:28
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
53:28
SPEAKER_04: That's totally common.
53:30
SPEAKER_04: It happens all the time.
53:32
SPEAKER_03: Devin, if you have any more questions or you're still confused about stuff, just message us.
53:37
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, it's it's my goal for you not to have confusion.
53:41
SPEAKER_04: So if you still have it, please give me more opportunity to help you.
53:44
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
53:45
SPEAKER_03: Lori, I have a limited job offer to drive another employee.
53:49
SPEAKER_03: I'm really worried if there's an accident.
53:52
SPEAKER_04: That's a limited job offer where in your job you're driving another employee for their job.
54:02
SPEAKER_04: I think that's actually neat.
54:04
SPEAKER_04: If you have an accident, that sucks, obviously.
54:06
SPEAKER_04: But OWCP covers that drive safe, clearly.
54:09
SPEAKER_04: But I haven't heard of that before.
54:11
SPEAKER_04: They're offering someone work to drive someone else around.
54:15
SPEAKER_04: Huh.
54:16
SPEAKER_04: I mean, if your doctor says it's okay, it's okay.
54:19
SPEAKER_04: You know, that's the bottom line.
54:20
SPEAKER_04: It's a medical decision.
54:21
SPEAKER_03: Adina, how do I log the miles on e-comp?
54:25
SPEAKER_04: The miles of what driving to and from the doctor, it's an OWCP 957, and the form is pretty self-explanatory.
54:33
SPEAKER_04: You put miles from and to, and you know, it's pretty easy.
54:37
SPEAKER_04: The instructions are easy too, but you need an OWCP 957.
54:41
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
54:42
SPEAKER_03: Stephanie, do you know if there's a time frame for reconsiderations when it comes to pay?
54:49
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
54:49
SPEAKER_04: So all reconsiderations are 12 months, period.
54:54
SPEAKER_04: If you're filing an appeal for any reason, one of your appeal options is reconsideration.
55:01
SPEAKER_04: On reconsideration, you get 12 months to appeal and you can submit new information from your doctor, which is cool.
55:08
SPEAKER_04: And we win on reconsideration all the time because of that.
55:12
SPEAKER_03: Anthony Rodriguez, if I received a schedule award for my left knee rated 20%, am I done receiving compensation as I feel my knee has worsened since last year when they paid me out?
55:26
SPEAKER_04: So you're not done with compensation, with the exception, you can't receive schedule award benefits and OWCP payments at the same time.
55:33
SPEAKER_04: So let's say you're out of work because of your knee, you can't be paid LWAP at the same time you're receiving schedule award benefits.
55:41
SPEAKER_04: So that's number one.
55:42
SPEAKER_04: They you have to stagger those out.
55:44
SPEAKER_04: But the other thing is, is that let's say you got 20%, your knee gets worse, and you get another impairment rating and they find out that now you've got 25%.
55:51
SPEAKER_04: You get the difference.
55:52
SPEAKER_04: That extra 5%, they'll pay you for that.
55:55
SPEAKER_04: I don't get an e-comp file.
55:56
SPEAKER_03: So this is why like we wait for everybody's feedback because we cannot get into e-comp.
56:01
SPEAKER_03: We're not injured and we don't have access.
56:03
SPEAKER_04: And I'm not a federal employee.
56:04
SPEAKER_03: Right.
56:05
SPEAKER_03: And then Nancy said, go to your portal on e-comp and go to bill pay inquiry.
56:11
SPEAKER_03: You can do it online.
56:13
SPEAKER_04: Boom.
56:13
SPEAKER_04: Thank you, Nancy.
56:14
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
56:15
SPEAKER_03: Stephanie said, does DOL have a perfect amount of time to respond to the reconsideration?
56:21
SPEAKER_04: No.
56:22
SPEAKER_04: So that's frustrating.
56:24
SPEAKER_04: You have up to 12 months to file for reconsideration, not 12 months in one day.
56:29
SPEAKER_04: Trust me.
56:29
SPEAKER_04: If you wait that extra day, you don't even bother.
56:32
SPEAKER_04: But they there's hundreds of claims examiners and nearly three million of you.
56:36
SPEAKER_04: So they get backlogged.
56:38
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
56:38
SPEAKER_04: They don't have a time frame.
56:40
SPEAKER_03: Kayla, if it takes a few years to recover and the doctor has finally released you back to work, does the agency have an obligation or priority to put you back and find work for you?
56:53
SPEAKER_04: It depends on your craft, but generally speaking, not after a year.
56:56
SPEAKER_04: Their obligation before 12 months is to give you your exact job back.
57:01
SPEAKER_04: After 12 months is to give you priority over other people for the job, but that's not a guarantee.
57:07
SPEAKER_04: It's not fair, but it's not spelled F-A-I-R.
57:11
SPEAKER_03: If you guys have any questions about your pay, see what Nancy said.
57:15
SPEAKER_03: She said you can go do the mileage online through e-comp, go to Bill Pay Inquiry, and you'll see the submit travel bill.
57:22
SPEAKER_03: Electronically submission started March of this year.
57:26
SPEAKER_03: That's right.
57:26
SPEAKER_04: It's really new.
57:28
SPEAKER_03: Cindy, I'm still waiting for someone to reach out to me.
57:30
SPEAKER_03: I reached out three weeks ago.
57:32
SPEAKER_03: What should I do?
57:34
SPEAKER_03: Now have I now I have trust issues with an injury center.
57:39
SPEAKER_03: Need help.
57:39
SPEAKER_03: Cindy, go ahead and message me after the chat.
57:42
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
57:42
SPEAKER_04: So here's the deal.
57:43
SPEAKER_04: We have 65 plus offices around the country.
57:47
SPEAKER_04: It's a franchise.
57:48
SPEAKER_04: The way federal injury centers works, we set rules for doctors, but we don't own the clinics.
57:52
SPEAKER_04: Right.
57:53
SPEAKER_04: I'm not making excuses.
57:54
SPEAKER_04: Okay.
57:54
SPEAKER_04: When somebody doesn't reach reach back out to you, it infuriates me.
57:58
SPEAKER_04: But I won't necessarily know that until you tell me.
58:00
SPEAKER_04: So thanks for letting us know.
58:01
SPEAKER_04: Message Jeannie on the messenger here.
58:04
SPEAKER_04: And I ensure you, assure you that we will fix that.
58:07
SPEAKER_03: Norax.
58:08
SPEAKER_03: What's up?
58:09
SPEAKER_03: She said in your portal, she's telling everybody to click bill pay, then you'll see OWCP 957.
58:16
SPEAKER_03: That's the form that Chris said you have to have.
58:18
SPEAKER_03: For mileage.
58:19
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
58:20
SPEAKER_03: Click on that, then follow instructions.
58:22
SPEAKER_03: It's faster.
58:23
SPEAKER_03: Stop using paper.
58:25
SPEAKER_04: I like that.
58:25
SPEAKER_04: I love it.
58:27
SPEAKER_03: Any other questions?
58:29
SPEAKER_04: Yes, it's live, Rob.
58:30
SPEAKER_03: Mary, done with my third surgery last March 2026.
58:35
SPEAKER_03: Or this year.
58:36
SPEAKER_03: Did my MRI for my neck due to swolling, swelling, swollen, burning, and tingling.
58:42
SPEAKER_03: Now experiencing vertigo and earring.
58:45
SPEAKER_03: I have too much going on.
58:47
SPEAKER_03: What is the best thing to do next, anybody?
58:51
SPEAKER_03: And after my surgery, my right eye bled and having eye shots every month.
58:56
SPEAKER_03: Oh Lord.
58:57
SPEAKER_04: It's not like my answer, but the only answer I'm qualified to give you is to go back to your doctor and say, What the heck?
59:05
SPEAKER_04: That's a doctor issue.
59:06
SPEAKER_03: Stephanie says, Do you have a great example of what sedentary means for a job offer?
59:12
SPEAKER_03: If management continues to offer a job that is clearly not within my strict restrictions, what are we to do?
59:19
SPEAKER_04: So sedentary essentially means that you're kind of sitting down, not lifting anything real heavy at all.
59:24
SPEAKER_04: But there is a technical definition to it.
59:27
SPEAKER_04: And it's as simple as going to Google or Chat GPT and saying, in work in work injuries, what does sedentary mean?
59:34
SPEAKER_04: Believe me, you'll just get a really quick, concise answer.
59:39
SPEAKER_03: Chris said, wait, they would have to pay for mileage for going to the doctor.
59:44
SPEAKER_03: Can I go back a year when this started?
59:46
SPEAKER_04: You can go back only 12 months.
59:48
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
59:49
SPEAKER_04: So you get 12 months from every date that you incurred mileage or an expense to be able to get reimbursed.
59:56
SPEAKER_04: You are eligible for up to a hundred miles round trip to go to the doctor.
1:00:00
SPEAKER_04: If it's 101, there's a very good likelihood you won't get reimbursed at all.
1:00:03
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, we hear so many people say they did like 103 miles round trip and then they didn't they didn't give them the pay.
1:00:09
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
1:00:10
SPEAKER_03: So it has to be 100 miles from what we know.
1:00:12
SPEAKER_03: Right.
1:00:14
SPEAKER_03: Any other questions?
1:00:16
SPEAKER_04: This is great.
1:00:16
SPEAKER_04: And I really appreciate your patience.
1:00:18
SPEAKER_04: I don't like reading notes, but this is one I just wanted to make sure because when people lose their job, it really infuriates me.
1:00:24
SPEAKER_04: I don't want it.
1:00:25
SPEAKER_04: And I don't like for you to be caught off guard.
1:00:27
SPEAKER_04: And I didn't want to get this wrong tonight.
1:00:29
SPEAKER_04: So I made sure that I had really good notes.
1:00:31
SPEAKER_04: But the bottom line is don't be out a year without knowing that the year's coming and do everything you can to get back before that time.
1:00:38
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
1:00:38
SPEAKER_03: See, Jerry said 12 months from the day of your injury or one calendar year for your mileage.
1:00:46
SPEAKER_03: Mary said, how long to receive the reimbursement?
1:00:51
SPEAKER_04: Well, I mean, once you turn it in, you're now at the mercy of the claims examiner who doesn't have any time frames.
1:00:58
SPEAKER_04: That's not a fun answer, but it's the answer.
1:01:00
SPEAKER_03: Chris said, how to show proof of that?
1:01:03
SPEAKER_04: I'm not sure what it was showing.
1:01:04
SPEAKER_04: Just for his mileage.
1:01:05
SPEAKER_04: Go to Google Maps and print out the to and from where you're going, attach that.
1:01:09
SPEAKER_04: You're going to the doctor, so attach a printout of your appointment there.
1:01:12
SPEAKER_04: You don't need your medical records, but some proof that you were there.
1:01:16
SPEAKER_04: And that's usually enough.
1:01:18
SPEAKER_03: Stephanie said, I went to your Nevada location.
1:01:21
SPEAKER_03: They helped me with my case so much.
1:01:23
SPEAKER_03: Just wanted to let you know it was worth the drive.
1:01:26
SPEAKER_03: Oh, well, thank you.
1:01:26
SPEAKER_03: That's awesome.
1:01:27
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
1:01:27
SPEAKER_03: I'm really happy about that.
1:01:28
SPEAKER_03: We like the good feedback because we let them know what you guys say because they don't really get on the chats.
1:01:33
SPEAKER_03: So we like to let them know.
1:01:35
SPEAKER_04: And we are trying to find locations where you don't have to drive so far.
1:01:37
SPEAKER_03: Maria said, I probably missed it, but do I have the latest book in print?
1:01:42
SPEAKER_03: No, we we haven't printed book five yet.
1:01:44
SPEAKER_04: No, well, the latest book is book four in print.
1:01:47
SPEAKER_04: And I bring those with me when I do live trainings.
1:01:50
SPEAKER_04: And everyone that is in attendance gets a gets a copy.
1:01:53
SPEAKER_03: And Norak said you have to explain to the CE why you have to travel that far.
1:01:57
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
1:01:57
SPEAKER_03: You have to tell, well, this is the only place that takes OWCP if it is.
1:02:01
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, if you want me to go someplace closer, you find it for me because I can't find them.
1:02:05
SPEAKER_04: So we were in this place in Miami, and they had this picture of Al Pacino and Robert De Niro from their godfather days, and they were in the same picture together, like posing.
1:02:14
SPEAKER_04: And I took that picture and I put it into Chat GPT and I said, Hey, make this for me and Jeannie.
1:02:19
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
1:02:19
SPEAKER_04: And if you notice, it made my shoulders look way bigger than they are.
1:02:22
SPEAKER_04: I look tough.
1:02:23
SPEAKER_04: I look way tougher than I actually look.
1:02:25
SPEAKER_03: Shoulder pads.
1:02:26
SPEAKER_03: You can get the mileage paid if it's more than 100 miles, if you have the right letter and medical necessity.
1:02:32
SPEAKER_04: I mean, you just got to communicate with your claims examiner and you know try to reason with them, but they're not required to pay you over 100 miles.
1:02:39
SPEAKER_03: Rob is a local union president down in the where is it at?
1:02:43
SPEAKER_03: Lake Mary area, Norax.
1:02:45
SPEAKER_03: You have to upload the proper copy as well.
1:02:47
SPEAKER_03: Any other questions?
1:02:50
SPEAKER_03: And don't forget, you guys have kept asking us for the last two weeks to talk about vocational rehab.
1:02:57
SPEAKER_03: It's coming.
1:02:58
SPEAKER_03: So next Wednesday.
1:02:59
SPEAKER_03: I'm actually going to throw it up.
1:03:01
SPEAKER_03: You guys tune in next week.
1:03:03
SPEAKER_03: Those of you tell your friends, I'm going to throw up the flyer probably later tonight or tomorrow that we are covering vocational rehab next Wednesday night.
1:03:13
SPEAKER_04: You people are making me work.
1:03:14
SPEAKER_03: Jerry said exactly.
1:03:15
SPEAKER_03: Right justification of no offices accepting federal in your rural remote area.
1:03:20
SPEAKER_03: I was getting 242 miles one way.
1:03:24
SPEAKER_04: Let's go.
1:03:26
SPEAKER_04: But Jerry, you are a force of nature.
1:03:28
SPEAKER_04: Okay.
1:03:29
SPEAKER_04: You could teach a class just on that.
1:03:32
SPEAKER_03: Marquisia.
1:03:34
SPEAKER_03: I hope I said your name right.
1:03:35
SPEAKER_03: I don't like to butcher people's names.
1:03:37
SPEAKER_03: How do I receive mileage and hotel reimbursement if the only federal injury center is five hours away from me?
1:03:43
SPEAKER_04: The OWCP 957 has a place on there for reimbursement for hotel airfare, so many things.
1:03:52
SPEAKER_04: But contact your claims examiner first and be a force of nature and explain why you need it.
1:03:58
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
1:03:58
SPEAKER_03: Let's see what Maria said.
1:04:00
SPEAKER_03: A hotel, a hotel stay was also covered.
1:04:03
SPEAKER_03: Was surprised.
1:04:04
SPEAKER_03: If you don't ask, it's a no.
1:04:05
SPEAKER_03: Exactly.
1:04:06
SPEAKER_03: You say that all the time.
1:04:07
SPEAKER_04: If you don't ask, the answer is automatically no.
1:04:09
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
1:04:10
SPEAKER_04: But there's a reason it's on the form.
1:04:12
SPEAKER_04: They are allowed to approve it.
1:04:14
SPEAKER_04: Jerry said, lol.
1:04:15
SPEAKER_04: You taught me, of course.
1:04:17
SPEAKER_03: Amy, yes.
1:04:18
SPEAKER_03: Looking forward to next week's chat.
1:04:19
SPEAKER_03: So again, guys, vocational rehab next week.
1:04:22
SPEAKER_03: Alfredo.
1:04:24
SPEAKER_03: I got injured by a driver that ran a stop sign, flipped my postal vehicle to its side.
1:04:29
SPEAKER_03: I got shoulder and back injuries, got shoulder surgery last week.
1:04:32
SPEAKER_03: Now DOL doesn't want to accept my back surgery.
1:04:35
SPEAKER_04: Probably, and I don't know your I don't know your case, but my gut feeling is the reason you're not getting back surgery is your condition that's accepted is like a sprain.
1:04:45
SPEAKER_04: And that's not surgical.
1:04:47
SPEAKER_04: So your doctor's got to be more specific about what's wrong with your back.
1:04:51
SPEAKER_04: Is it a herniated disc, torn ligaments, is it near you know something neurological?
1:04:56
SPEAKER_04: They've got to get real specific on the diagnosis.
1:04:58
SPEAKER_04: It's not enough just to say a sprain.
1:05:00
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
1:05:00
SPEAKER_04: And too many doctors do that.
1:05:02
SPEAKER_04: And again, I'm haven't seen your case.
1:05:04
SPEAKER_04: Maybe that's not the case here, but usually when surgeries are denied, it's because the diagnosis isn't correct.
1:05:10
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
1:05:11
SPEAKER_03: Lori, if a postmaster says you refused job to DOL even though you didn't because you didn't sign the paper, will DOL make a determination?
1:05:22
SPEAKER_04: You file a grievance with your union, you write a letter to your claims examiner and explain what happened.
1:05:28
SPEAKER_04: And then take it to your doctor.
1:05:29
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
1:05:30
SPEAKER_03: Stephanie said you can call the places and document who you spoke to, date and time, and that they are not accepting OWCP patients at this time.
1:05:40
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
1:05:41
SPEAKER_03: Rhonda, I asked and they said no.
1:05:44
SPEAKER_03: Actually, Richmond FIC contacted them for pre-authorization of overnight, and the 400 miles DOL said no.
1:05:52
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, that's tricky.
1:05:53
SPEAKER_04: So they usually say no, but we've seen examples of where they'll say yes.
1:05:59
SPEAKER_03: Rhonda, if If you want Jerry Gatewood on here, message her because she she traveled 242 miles one way.
1:06:06
SPEAKER_04: Let her know what you did to get the claim examiner to say yes.
1:06:09
SPEAKER_04: So, I mean, if I were the claim examiner, I wouldn't say no to you, but I'd like to know exactly what you said to them to make them feel like I would feel.
1:06:17
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
1:06:19
SPEAKER_03: Any other questions?
1:06:21
SPEAKER_04: So I appreciate it.
1:06:22
SPEAKER_04: I hope it was impactful to you.
1:06:24
SPEAKER_04: I hope I made the point that don't let a year run up on you without knowing.
1:06:28
SPEAKER_04: Get back to work as soon as possible.
1:06:29
SPEAKER_04: Communicate with your doctor and your supervisor and your claims examiner, your nurse case manager.
1:06:33
SPEAKER_04: You know, just do everything you can to get back to work safely as soon as possible because the pain of the system should not be worse than the injury itself.
1:06:42
SPEAKER_04: But too many of these things are just like unforced error.
1:06:45
SPEAKER_04: It's like if you're a soccer player and you kick a you kick a ball on your own goal.
1:06:49
SPEAKER_04: Or I say, I land I planted a landmine and then I stepped on it.
1:06:52
SPEAKER_04: You know, let's not step on our own landmines.
1:06:55
SPEAKER_04: So when you know the rules, your odds of you know success go way up.
1:06:59
SPEAKER_03: Let's see here.
1:07:00
SPEAKER_03: Hold on, people.
1:07:02
SPEAKER_03: My phone just decided to not work.
1:07:04
SPEAKER_03: Hey man, gonna see the best partners a union could have soon, right?
1:07:11
SPEAKER_03: I hope so, Rob.
1:07:12
SPEAKER_04: Gonna see the best partners a union could have soon.
1:07:15
SPEAKER_04: Oh, yeah, of course, dude.
1:07:16
SPEAKER_04: As soon as possible.
1:07:17
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, we're we're just waiting soon as possible.
1:07:19
SPEAKER_04: We're just waiting to head back to DC.
1:07:21
SPEAKER_04: We love our Central Florida guys.
1:07:23
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
1:07:24
SPEAKER_04: And not that we don't love everyone else.
1:07:25
SPEAKER_04: I have a list of people, okay?
1:07:28
SPEAKER_04: Don't don't worry.
1:07:29
SPEAKER_04: You're all on the list.
1:07:30
SPEAKER_04: These guys are just, they've become such close friends of ours.
1:07:33
SPEAKER_03: Mary said, I'm trying to fix my eye, doing eye shots with my own insurance.
1:07:37
SPEAKER_03: Can't wait for DOL to approve it.
1:07:39
SPEAKER_03: If this is if this is my right eye and I need to do it ASAP so I can see what is the best thing I will do about this ad in my case.
1:07:48
SPEAKER_03: Oh, for diagnosis expansion.
1:07:50
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, you got to get your doctor to get that diagnosis included in your claim.
1:07:56
SPEAKER_04: Once it's included, OWCP pretty much approves everything that's medically necessary for that condition.
1:08:02
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
1:08:03
SPEAKER_03: Uh Lori, what if you got a sprain, then changed it to frozen shoulder?
1:08:07
SPEAKER_03: How do you follow CA2?
1:08:09
SPEAKER_04: Well, you don't necessarily follow CA2.
1:08:12
SPEAKER_04: And that's a trick question.
1:08:14
SPEAKER_04: You didn't mean it to be.
1:08:15
SPEAKER_04: But there's a lot of different ways to turn a sprain into a frozen shoulder.
1:08:19
SPEAKER_04: I don't know if frozen shoulder is an actual ICD 10 diagnosis, but if it is, there's a diagnosis expansion process where the doctor can add it to the claim.
1:08:27
SPEAKER_04: Could it be a new injury?
1:08:29
SPEAKER_04: It can be, but I don't know.
1:08:31
SPEAKER_04: I just don't know the details.
1:08:32
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
1:08:33
SPEAKER_04: But usually if it's the same shoulder, you're probably doing a diagnosis expansion.
1:08:37
SPEAKER_04: Instead of opening a new claim, you're just adding a new diagnosis to the existing claim.
1:08:41
SPEAKER_03: Michael, you definitely need a federal attorney for your accident.
1:08:48
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, if you get in a car wreck on the job, that's a CA1 if you're injured.
1:08:52
SPEAKER_04: And if you if you call a PI attorney on the billboard in the intersection where you got in the accident, you're gonna get hosed.
1:08:58
SPEAKER_04: You got to Google OWCP lawyer, period.
1:09:02
SPEAKER_04: It doesn't matter if they're in Alaska, Maine, California, or Florida or anywhere in between.
1:09:07
SPEAKER_04: It doesn't matter where they are.
1:09:08
SPEAKER_04: OWCP lawyer.
1:09:10
SPEAKER_04: That's the key.
1:09:11
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
1:09:12
SPEAKER_03: Nancy, oh no, Rob, what is a suggestion when we know someone is milking it?
1:09:21
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, man, I hear that question.
1:09:24
SPEAKER_04: As a union leader, I would tell you to tell them to cut it out.
1:09:28
SPEAKER_03: Rob, you don't take that crap.
1:09:30
SPEAKER_04: If I were talking to a doctor, I would say, Doc, you gotta be able to evaluate and find out what's really happening and then act accordingly.
1:09:38
SPEAKER_04: The doctor is required to do what's medically appropriate no matter what.
1:09:43
SPEAKER_04: But I don't see a lot of people milking it.
1:09:45
SPEAKER_04: In fact, I don't even remember the last time I saw somebody do that.
1:09:47
SPEAKER_04: But if you saw someone doing it, I mean you have a responsibility as a union rep too.
1:09:53
SPEAKER_04: So it's not like you can like bust them with management because that's not what you guys do.
1:09:57
SPEAKER_04: I don't know.
1:09:58
SPEAKER_04: You're just gonna have to talk to them about hey, why are you doing that to yourself?
1:10:01
SPEAKER_04: You're you they are gonna hurt themselves.
1:10:04
SPEAKER_04: Eventually, you're gonna hurt yourself.
1:10:06
SPEAKER_04: That one year thing is a real thing, the two-year thing is a real thing.
1:10:09
SPEAKER_04: You can only do this for so long before it really penalizes you and your life is worse off because of it.
1:10:14
SPEAKER_03: Rob, you know, you're the like godfather on that.
1:10:18
SPEAKER_03: Handle it.
1:10:19
SPEAKER_03: Just handle it.
1:10:20
SPEAKER_03: That's what I'm saying.
1:10:20
SPEAKER_04: I mean, I don't recommend it.
1:10:21
SPEAKER_04: I don't recommend backslapping people, so don't do that.
1:10:25
SPEAKER_04: But I mean, somebody's gonna need a stern talking to.
1:10:28
SPEAKER_04: If they're really not hurt and they're saying they are, that's not good for everyone else out there that is hurt and is trying to fight the system because this these people that aren't really hurt make it worse on everyone else.
1:10:39
SPEAKER_04: And that's offensive.
1:10:40
SPEAKER_03: Stephanie said, do you know if you have a second C COMP and they give you an opinion on your work limitations, if you see your regular OWCP doctor and they want to change restrictions, are you still limited to the second opinion restrictions, or does management need to adhere to the newest restrictions set?
1:10:59
SPEAKER_04: At this point, we're not really dealing with management.
1:11:01
SPEAKER_04: We're dealing with the claims examiner's decision making, and it becomes a decision between whose medical reports seem like they have the heaviest weight, the second opinion doctor or the treating physician.
1:11:12
SPEAKER_04: And sometimes a claims examiner doesn't know and they send it to somebody called a referee doctor.
1:11:17
SPEAKER_04: And then that person is supposed to be independent.
1:11:19
SPEAKER_04: But it really comes down to medical documentation.
1:11:22
SPEAKER_03: Rob said, weird question.
1:11:23
SPEAKER_03: You cover anyone, not just federal, correct?
1:11:26
SPEAKER_04: No, only federal.
1:11:29
SPEAKER_04: But every state has different state roles for non-federal jobs.
1:11:34
SPEAKER_04: Whereas federal jobs all around the country have the same rules.
1:11:37
SPEAKER_04: That's why I'm able to do this, and I don't have to change what I say for people in Alaska versus people, you know, in Iowa.
1:11:45
SPEAKER_04: All the states are different when it's not federal.
1:11:47
SPEAKER_04: Look, I'm not a doctor, so I don't get to make medical decisions, but my opinion is anybody working in the system should get out of it.
1:11:54
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
1:11:54
SPEAKER_04: That's my opinion.
1:11:56
SPEAKER_03: I mean, when they wind up going to the doctor, the doctor's gonna obviously see there's nothing wrong with them.
1:12:01
SPEAKER_03: Maybe.
1:12:01
SPEAKER_03: You know.
1:12:02
SPEAKER_04: Maybe.
1:12:02
SPEAKER_03: I don't mean if they're if they're milking it.
1:12:05
SPEAKER_03: Depends on the doctor.
1:12:06
SPEAKER_03: Rhonda, DOL approved my medical, but not my compensation.
1:12:11
SPEAKER_03: Doctor has me restricted from work.
1:12:13
SPEAKER_03: Any suggestions?
1:12:14
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, have your doctor write a disability narrative.
1:12:16
SPEAKER_04: This is something where the doctor explains medically why you have to be out of work.
1:12:20
SPEAKER_04: And then that goes in, you turn in a CA7 for LWAP because you're out of work, assuming the claim is accepted.
1:12:28
SPEAKER_04: Then usually that doctor's report is what opens up the claim for compensation.
1:12:33
SPEAKER_04: It's not really that hard.
1:12:34
SPEAKER_04: It just seems difficult, but it's really not.
1:12:37
SPEAKER_03: Stephanie, so being sent to a referee, will that be another person I see in person, like the second opinion, or will they just look at my case as a whole and make a decision?
1:12:48
SPEAKER_04: Depends.
1:12:49
SPEAKER_04: There's not there's not a one size fits all to that answer.
1:12:54
SPEAKER_03: Anything else?
1:12:56
SPEAKER_04: All right.
1:12:56
SPEAKER_04: Well, look, this is two weeks in a row that we went almost 30 minutes late, which I love.
1:13:00
SPEAKER_04: That means we got like three sessions in in two weeks.
1:13:03
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
1:13:04
SPEAKER_04: So great job on the questions.
1:13:06
SPEAKER_04: I hope this was helpful.
1:13:07
SPEAKER_04: I hope every week is helpful, but this one in particular because I don't like for you guys losing your jobs.
1:13:13
SPEAKER_04: And next week we'll talk about occupational rehab.
1:13:17
SPEAKER_04: And I'm gonna talk to you a little bit about how to avoid it, but mostly we're gonna talk about what it is and what that means for you and financially what that means to you.
1:13:26
SPEAKER_04: I did some work on that today, and financially it doesn't really hurt you that bad.
1:13:30
SPEAKER_04: Not as bad as you might think.
1:13:31
SPEAKER_04: All right, look, this was great.
1:13:32
SPEAKER_04: Thank you so much for your time tonight.
1:13:34
SPEAKER_04: Do us a favor, share this with your friends because they don't know we're doing it.
1:13:38
SPEAKER_04: In spite of the fact we've been doing this for over 10 years, still, the vast majority of federal employees don't even know we're here.
1:13:44
SPEAKER_04: We go into a room full of 100 people, and you know, two-thirds of the room's never heard of us.
1:13:48
SPEAKER_04: And we have no intention of trying to be celebrities.
1:13:51
SPEAKER_04: I don't want to be famous.
1:13:52
SPEAKER_04: The point is, if you don't know who we are, you're not getting the help you need.
1:13:55
SPEAKER_04: And that's all we care about.
1:13:57
SPEAKER_04: We want to help you.
1:13:58
SPEAKER_04: Everything I've ever done since I learned how to do what I do at okay, I've been doing this for 30 years.
1:14:06
SPEAKER_04: Everything I've ever learned to do is for this.
1:14:09
SPEAKER_04: I want to make your life easier and better.
1:14:11
SPEAKER_04: And people, they roll their eyes when I say, Look, it's not really about money to me.
1:14:15
SPEAKER_04: Well, why would you roll your eyes?
1:14:17
SPEAKER_04: Ask me what I've ever charged you for.
1:14:19
SPEAKER_04: I don't want any money from you.
1:14:20
SPEAKER_04: I've never taken a dollar from anyone, but we've done this consistently for 10 years.
1:14:24
SPEAKER_04: I'm passionate about helping you.
1:14:26
SPEAKER_04: But I can only help those of you whose eyeballs are on us.
1:14:28
SPEAKER_04: So let other people know that we're here.
1:14:30
SPEAKER_04: Let's solve their problems too.
1:14:32
SPEAKER_03: Rob said, these guys have completed the disconnect between members and medical.
1:14:37
SPEAKER_03: Stephanie, thank you guys for the information, though.
1:14:39
SPEAKER_03: At least there are some people who care.
1:14:41
SPEAKER_03: Oh, if we had to stop doing this, it would, it would actually crush us, literally, that we can't do this anymore.
1:14:47
SPEAKER_03: So we're always going to be here.
1:14:49
SPEAKER_04: Nothing will ever stop me.
1:14:50
SPEAKER_03: I mean, we may take some time off here and there because we can't, we're traveling and we're training OWCP in different states at state conventions and national, but we always come right back.
1:14:59
SPEAKER_04: I like to be able to help you in real time.
1:15:01
SPEAKER_04: So please bring your friends and come back.
1:15:03
SPEAKER_03: Nancy said, Chris, they won't like the answer, LOL, meaning they should go back to work versus going to vocational rehab private sector jobs.
1:15:11
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I don't like that either.
1:15:13
SPEAKER_04: I think you federal employees have some fantastic benefits compared to private sector, but you know, my job is to inform you on what the rights are, you know, what your responsibilities are.
1:15:24
SPEAKER_04: So I'm gonna do that to the best of my ability.
1:15:26
SPEAKER_04: It won't mean that I like what I'm telling you.
1:15:28
SPEAKER_03: This is any chance you'll be in Grapevine, Texas next week.
1:15:34
SPEAKER_03: I know why you're asking that.
1:15:37
SPEAKER_04: So the last time you rule carriers had a national convention in Grapevine, Texas at the Gaylord, I went.
1:15:46
SPEAKER_04: I didn't go as a guest of the Rule Carriers, I didn't go as a trainer, I wasn't in any official capacity.
1:15:52
SPEAKER_04: I lived 30 minutes away from there at the time.
1:15:55
SPEAKER_04: And like Jerry Gatewood is so close with me.
1:15:58
SPEAKER_04: I have a lot of friends like that that I'm close with that I don't get to see very often.
1:16:02
SPEAKER_04: And so I had an opportunity to see many of them all at one time because I'm a huge fan of Roll Carriers, like a huge fan.
1:16:08
SPEAKER_03: Chris is gonna be in Texas next week.
1:16:10
SPEAKER_03: I'm not gonna have time.
1:16:11
SPEAKER_04: The thing is, if I go, I'm just your union leadership's gonna find out I was there and be really mad at me again and maybe send me another cease and desist letter that I'm gonna have to post online again.
1:16:22
SPEAKER_04: And I don't want to make more problems with the role carrier union.
1:16:25
SPEAKER_04: I actually want to mend fences and allow me to be able to help more people.
1:16:29
SPEAKER_04: Like, I'm a big fan of Devin Cassidy.
1:16:31
SPEAKER_04: Many of you maybe not, but I am, and I know he's underwater and overwhelmed, but he's such a cool dude.
1:16:36
SPEAKER_04: I'd like to help.
1:16:37
SPEAKER_04: But you know, I gotta be invited.
1:16:39
SPEAKER_04: I learned my lesson last time I went to show up just to hang out with my friends and got in a little bit of trouble for being a paying customer at a hotel 30 minutes from my house.
1:16:50
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, Rob said, you guys have filled the gap between management and insurance.
1:16:55
SPEAKER_03: My people that use you have raved.
1:16:57
SPEAKER_03: Aww.
1:16:57
SPEAKER_03: Maria goes, you're going to Texas?
1:17:00
SPEAKER_03: Cool.
1:17:00
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, well, I'm from there.
1:17:02
SPEAKER_04: So the Grapevine hotel that you're gonna be at is 30 minutes from where I'm from in a town called Denton, where I went to college, where my son went to college.
1:17:10
SPEAKER_04: I'm a fifth generation Texan who lived in Texas for 41 years before I moved to the great state of Florida.
1:17:18
SPEAKER_04: And I just happened I'll be there for another purpose.
1:17:22
SPEAKER_03: Rob is with APW.
1:17:23
SPEAKER_03: Jerry's with Roll Carriers.
1:17:25
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
1:17:25
SPEAKER_03: Jerry said, we loved having you there.
1:17:27
SPEAKER_03: Rhonda said, I was there last time.
1:17:29
SPEAKER_03: I remember we were in the sports bar.
1:17:31
unknown: That's right.
1:17:32
SPEAKER_04: I went and I just reserved a few tables in the sports bar and said, Look, I'm I'm not invited to this thing, but I'm a paying customer here.
1:17:38
SPEAKER_04: I answered all the questions I could answer while I was there.
1:17:40
SPEAKER_04: I loved it.
1:17:41
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, we love you guys.
1:17:43
SPEAKER_03: We miss hanging out with the roll carriers, seeing you guys, you know, hopefully one day again.
1:17:48
SPEAKER_03: All right.
1:17:49
SPEAKER_03: We will see you guys next week.
1:17:51
SPEAKER_03: Same time, same place.
1:17:53
SPEAKER_03: And don't forget, today somebody took the flyer I made for tonight's chats and said, What time are you guys on tonight?
1:18:01
SPEAKER_03: You guys have to tap the picture all the way.
1:18:04
SPEAKER_03: Sometimes the time, 8 p.m.
1:18:06
SPEAKER_03: Eastern, is on the bottom, sometimes it's on the top.
1:18:08
SPEAKER_03: It just gets created.
1:18:10
SPEAKER_03: However, we're always on 8 p.m.
1:18:12
SPEAKER_03: Eastern every Wednesday when we are home.
1:18:16
SPEAKER_03: Same bat time, same bat channel.
1:18:18
SPEAKER_03: Oh, if you're not following the page, our Wednesday night chats page, but if you don't follow, you don't see the information.
1:18:26
SPEAKER_03: This way you see all the notifications, all the flyers, everything that our social media team does behind the scenes, and you know when we go live because it'll tell you in your notifications.
1:18:38
SPEAKER_04: All right, kids.
1:18:39
SPEAKER_04: We're wrapping it up.
1:18:40
SPEAKER_04: We'll see you next Wednesday, 8 p.m.
1:18:42
SPEAKER_04: Eastern time, Wednesday night.
1:18:43
SPEAKER_03: All right, guys.
1:18:44
SPEAKER_03: See you guys next week for folks.