Latest / Breaking OWCP with Chris & Gini / (Chats 10-27-26) Master the Maze of Federal Injury Forms

Transcript

(Chats 10-27-26) Master the Maze of Federal Injury Forms · Breaking OWCP with Chris & Gini

0:00
SPEAKER_02: What are my restrictions, if any?
0:01
SPEAKER_02: And maybe there's not any.
0:02
SPEAKER_02: Maybe you get to go right back to work, which is awesome.
0:05
SPEAKER_02: This is the end goal of WorkComp, is to get back to work.
0:08
SPEAKER_02: But the doctor has the opportunity now to write restrictions so you can get back on the clock safely.
0:13
SPEAKER_02: If your supervisor doesn't want to give you a CA 17, number one, they're violating the rules.
0:18
SPEAKER_02: But they do that thinking that somehow it's going to keep you from needing to have time off, which is a medical decision.
0:25
SPEAKER_02: It's not a you decision and it's not a supervisor decision.
0:27
SPEAKER_02: It's a doctor's decision.
0:29
SPEAKER_02: So there's another form called an OWCP.
0:33
SPEAKER_02: Holy crap.
0:41
SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to the Breaking O WCP podcast.
0:46
SPEAKER_00: Join Chris and Jeannie as they bring you expert advice on Federal Workers Comp, guiding you step by step to get back to work the right way.
0:54
SPEAKER_00: Let's break down the barriers and get you the help you deserve.
1:03
SPEAKER_01: It's Halloween weekend.
1:05
SPEAKER_02: Hey everybody.
1:07
SPEAKER_01: Everybody, we are back.
1:09
SPEAKER_01: We know we've been gone for two weeks, and we have a great excuse.
1:14
SPEAKER_01: So we were on our OWCP tour, and we'd like to thank everybody that came to the Dallas APW and the Springfield Massachusetts APW.
1:27
SPEAKER_01: It was awesome.
1:27
SPEAKER_01: We got to meet not just APW.
1:29
SPEAKER_02: That was all we got.
1:30
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
1:30
SPEAKER_01: Well, just our OWCP tour.
1:32
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
1:32
SPEAKER_01: Thank you everyone for coming.
1:34
SPEAKER_01: There's a handful of people that follow us now on chats from uh Massachusetts, and we were able to get to talk to them one-on-one, and it was awesome.
1:46
SPEAKER_02: Hope you're here at nine.
1:47
SPEAKER_02: It was really good meeting you.
1:48
SPEAKER_02: We had such a good time.
1:49
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
1:50
SPEAKER_02: I am uh I didn't used to be a social animal the way I am now.
1:54
SPEAKER_01: He's not it was not a social body.
1:56
SPEAKER_02: Not at all, but thanks to her.
1:57
SPEAKER_02: I love hanging out and talking.
1:58
SPEAKER_02: I used to not know what to what to say.
2:00
SPEAKER_02: I'm like Ricky Bobby.
2:02
SPEAKER_02: I didn't know what to do with my hands and um but with words.
2:06
SPEAKER_02: But yeah, it's it's one of my favorite things.
2:08
SPEAKER_02: We had such a good time.
2:09
SPEAKER_01: So while Chris does some housekeeping, I'm gonna share real quick.
2:14
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and everyone else, please just uh share this to all your friends.
2:18
SPEAKER_01: Tonight's is gonna be really good because we're going over about like 10 of the major forms.
2:23
SPEAKER_01: We won't go into them in too much detail.
2:26
SPEAKER_01: We'll see how this live goes, which forms you guys really want us to educate on.
2:32
SPEAKER_01: And we'll throw up the forms on the screen and do a you know line by line how to fill things out.
2:38
SPEAKER_02: I don't know if we'll do that, but I'm gonna talk to you about the forms so much that you won't need it.
2:43
SPEAKER_02: So uh tonight when I'm talking about the forms, if you have questions about it or if something I say doesn't make sense, just put it in the comments what your question is, and we'll get to all your questions.
2:52
SPEAKER_02: And um, if you feel like we are we missed it, just repost it.
2:56
SPEAKER_02: We are motivated to answer all your questions.
2:59
SPEAKER_02: So while she's sharing and you're sharing, you should be asking yourself, why is uh one of you wearing the greatest football team of all time and the other wearing a other wearing a Utah hat?
3:10
SPEAKER_01: No, Utes are the greatest football.
3:13
SPEAKER_02: So nobody's actually gonna believe that.
3:14
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, they are going to believe it because Utah hasn't lost a game yet.
3:21
SPEAKER_01: Game seven, they're on, seven-zero.
3:24
SPEAKER_01: Hello.
3:25
SPEAKER_01: And what do we say about Notre Dame?
3:27
SPEAKER_02: Well, we if you're wondering which one of us is drinking, it's not her.
3:32
SPEAKER_02: But yeah, we've uh we've been fortunate.
3:34
SPEAKER_02: We were able to during some of our business trips, we were able to go to a couple of games, and and I'm a huge college football fan.
3:42
SPEAKER_02: If all sports went away, but only had I only had college football left, I'd be okay.
3:47
SPEAKER_02: I'd actually be happy.
3:48
SPEAKER_01: Would you?
3:48
SPEAKER_02: I would.
3:49
SPEAKER_02: I'd just watch more college football.
3:50
SPEAKER_02: He would.
3:51
SPEAKER_02: But I'm a uh lifelong Notre Dame fan because they are God's team, uh, therefore they should be mine and yours.
3:57
SPEAKER_02: And um, Utah's a really good second team.
3:59
SPEAKER_02: Uh the people there are fantastically wonderful, just great, beautiful people.
4:03
SPEAKER_01: Hi, Dot.
4:04
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and so we're gonna go to one of their games, we're gonna go to one of our games and see how it goes.
4:08
SPEAKER_02: But tonight we're talking about a bunch of forms in OWCP because we've been getting a lot of a lot of requests for can you train on forms?
4:16
SPEAKER_02: And so tonight I'm gonna train on all the forms that are typically highlighted in my big training that I do when I'm doing live union trainings.
4:24
SPEAKER_02: And um, as you have questions, ask those.
4:27
SPEAKER_02: Even if it's a question not related to the form, but you've just got some other problem, you should not have that problem tomorrow.
4:33
SPEAKER_02: Let's handle it tonight.
4:33
SPEAKER_02: So ask that question in the comment as well, and um, I'll do my best to answer it.
4:38
SPEAKER_02: We will not be playing Stump the Chump tonight.
4:41
SPEAKER_02: Not Stump the Chump.
4:42
SPEAKER_02: It's not a fun game for you guys because you never stump me.
4:44
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
4:45
SPEAKER_02: So we'll just ask easy and hard questions and I'll answer them all accordingly.
4:49
SPEAKER_01: All right.
4:49
SPEAKER_01: While I'm still sharing, because I have to share on my personal page, we'll have Chris go ahead and start with the first form, basic form, a CA 10, which we found out when we were in Massachusetts that half the room have never seen or known what a CA 10 is.
5:06
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and if you want to see these forms as we're talking, you can open up another tab so you don't have to leave this one.
5:13
SPEAKER_02: And you can go to federal injurycenters.com and there's a forms tab.
5:18
SPEAKER_02: You can find them all there.
5:19
SPEAKER_02: It's in it's just what I found to be the easiest way to get to the forms, is just go straight to our website.
5:24
SPEAKER_02: Yes.
5:25
SPEAKER_02: And uh Emmy said, I can't hear you over how loud that hat is.
5:30
SPEAKER_02: Just before I finish that, I thought, oh no, what's wrong with our microphones?
5:34
SPEAKER_02: It's just the hat.
5:35
SPEAKER_02: Gotcha.
5:35
SPEAKER_01: You can't.
5:36
SPEAKER_01: Can you hear me now?
5:37
SPEAKER_02: She bought me one with that's Notre Dame that says Fighting Irish and it lights up.
5:40
SPEAKER_02: So in the dark, it's a night light.
5:42
SPEAKER_01: That's for his game when we built it.
5:44
SPEAKER_02: She told me I should wear it here, but we have lights on.
5:45
SPEAKER_02: It's not gonna work.
5:46
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
5:46
SPEAKER_02: Um, all right, so let's roll out the most important form, is the form CA10.
5:52
SPEAKER_02: And it's the most important form because actually it tells you about all the other ones, almost all the other ones.
5:57
SPEAKER_02: And but definitely the most important ones are uh discussed in the CA10.
6:02
SPEAKER_02: But nobody's ever heard of it because number one, in the last revision in 2021, they wrote post on employees on the agency's website.
6:10
SPEAKER_02: Well, if you're somebody that's never heard of a form CA10, you're not likely to go to your website to look for the form because you never heard of it.
6:18
SPEAKER_02: You're not gonna go to your website and go, hmm, let me just think up some letters and numbers.
6:22
SPEAKER_02: CA10, wonder what that is.
6:23
SPEAKER_02: You're not gonna find it, it's invisible to you.
6:26
SPEAKER_02: So you should go to the website, federal injurycenters.com, and print out CA10s and post them everywhere.
6:32
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and that's of all forms, that's the one form you guys should actually see and know.
6:37
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, you need to have those posted in your break room, in your union halls, or as our friend Jerry says, in the backs of uh bathroom stalls.
6:45
SPEAKER_01: I was just about to say that.
6:46
SPEAKER_02: They need to be posted everywhere, and your supervisors are wrongly going to pull them down, but you can put them back up.
6:52
SPEAKER_02: It's not against the law to put a federal form up in a federal agency.
6:57
SPEAKER_02: It's a federal form, and you're a federal agent.
7:00
SPEAKER_02: You can put it there, okay?
7:02
SPEAKER_02: So go ahead and post them so your friends can see them.
7:05
SPEAKER_02: It would be better if they were here to hear me talk about it, but at least you can post it so they have a fighting chance to get their claim approved by just understanding how to get a claim initiated.
7:14
SPEAKER_02: So the CA10 is broken down into five uh five sections, and I'm not showing it here, sorry, but you can go look it up.
7:20
SPEAKER_02: But just trust me when I tell you I've got the form memorized.
7:23
SPEAKER_02: We're gonna be fine.
7:25
SPEAKER_01: We have Dot is on here.
7:27
SPEAKER_02: Hello, Dot.
7:28
SPEAKER_01: Dot, we really miss you guys.
7:30
SPEAKER_01: Literally, we really miss hanging out with the role carriers.
7:33
SPEAKER_01: We've that was like our first set of friends, federal friends, that we ever made.
7:38
SPEAKER_01: It was the literally the role carriers that because we had Jerry came on, like Jerry has been following us since 2016.
7:46
SPEAKER_01: So she's seen us and told her carriers, and it was the role carriers that blew us up, and then we started going to do the three-hour OWCP state training for.
7:54
SPEAKER_02: They were the first ones, yeah.
7:55
SPEAKER_02: But anyway, so dot, glad to have you here.
7:58
SPEAKER_02: I miss you very much.
8:00
SPEAKER_02: So the CA10, the first section says report immediately, um, or report as soon as possible is actually what it says.
8:06
SPEAKER_02: What does that mean?
8:07
SPEAKER_02: It means now, because if you wait, you start losing benefits.
8:10
SPEAKER_02: So the first thing that CA10 says is report now.
8:14
SPEAKER_02: The second section says get a form CA16, which I'm gonna discuss in a second, but you're gonna find out that's an important form if you never heard of it before.
8:22
SPEAKER_02: CA16, you should write that down.
8:24
SPEAKER_02: It also says you can choose your own doctor.
8:27
SPEAKER_02: Well, that's a big problem because too many supervisors tell you you have to go to the urgent care.
8:31
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, we've been here in Concentra, like in Dallas.
8:33
SPEAKER_02: Everyone goes to Concentra.
8:35
SPEAKER_02: Well, that's great.
8:36
SPEAKER_02: There's probably not a medical doctor there.
8:37
SPEAKER_02: And so who's gonna countersign your reports?
8:40
SPEAKER_02: If the answer is nobody, then your claim's denied.
8:42
SPEAKER_02: So you can choose your own doctor, and that's in the law in like four different places that I teach about.
8:46
SPEAKER_02: Yep.
8:46
SPEAKER_02: The third section says go to eComp and fill out your CA1 or CA2.
8:51
SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna discuss those two forms in a second, too.
8:53
SPEAKER_02: Those are the most basic forms.
8:54
SPEAKER_02: That's how you report injuries.
8:56
SPEAKER_02: The fourth section says, hey, how do you want to get paid?
9:00
SPEAKER_02: Okay, you want to get paid through either sicken annual leave or continuation of pay.
9:05
SPEAKER_02: Uh the claimed examiners that I know say that everyone should elect COP.
9:09
SPEAKER_02: Nobody should take sicken annual because if you ultimately have a denied claim, they're just gonna take your sicken annual anyways.
9:16
SPEAKER_02: So, as we say, where I'm from in Texas, come and take it.
9:19
SPEAKER_02: I'm not just gonna give you my sicken annual leave.
9:21
SPEAKER_02: You don't have to work for it because I'm gonna work to get my claim approved.
9:24
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
9:25
SPEAKER_02: And as long as your claim is ultimately approved, you don't pay that back.
9:28
SPEAKER_01: Miss Chiquita Banana, we're gonna go over exactly what you're asking.
9:32
SPEAKER_01: So just we're going step by step, form by form.
9:34
SPEAKER_01: Chica banana.
9:35
SPEAKER_01: I said Chiquita Banana because it's Chiquita Banana.
9:36
SPEAKER_01: It's a brand of bananas that was creative, I guess.
9:39
SPEAKER_02: But she never heard that one before.
9:41
SPEAKER_02: Um, and then the last section just talks, tells providers how to get paid.
9:45
SPEAKER_02: Don't worry about them, they're doing fine.
9:47
SPEAKER_02: It also tells you how to contact your claims examiner.
9:50
SPEAKER_02: The note I have on that is they don't answer fast because there's hundreds of them and millions of you.
9:54
SPEAKER_02: So leave a message, it will get responded to.
9:58
SPEAKER_02: And if not, you'll escalate it to their supervisor through e-comp.
10:01
SPEAKER_02: So I said a lot of stuff.
10:03
SPEAKER_02: Okay, the CA10 is super, super important, and I just blew through it, and it's so important.
10:08
SPEAKER_02: So you got to go print those out.
10:10
SPEAKER_02: The CA10 tells you so much about what I'm gonna talk about next.
10:14
SPEAKER_02: Okay, so you're gonna get the rest of the information.
10:17
SPEAKER_02: So outside of the CA10, I'm gonna skip to the CA1.
10:20
SPEAKER_02: A CA1 is the form you fell out on e-comp so that you can report an injury that happened in a single work shift, like you stepped off a curve and twisted your knee.
10:28
SPEAKER_01: Here's your answer, Chiquita.
10:30
SPEAKER_02: Or you picked up a box and felt a pop in your back.
10:32
SPEAKER_02: That is a CA1.
10:33
SPEAKER_02: It happened right now, today.
10:35
SPEAKER_02: A CA2 develops over time, like carpal tunnel syndrome, or you've been walking 10 miles a day for 20 years as a letter carrier, and now you have arthritis in your knees.
10:44
SPEAKER_02: That would qualify as a CA2.
10:46
SPEAKER_02: Well, those develop over time.
10:47
SPEAKER_02: So a CA2 is for anything that developed over two or more shifts.
10:51
SPEAKER_01: Kathy, that's your answer there.
10:54
SPEAKER_02: So those are really important forms because without filling those out, you actually can't ever have an OWCP claim.
11:00
SPEAKER_02: You've got to report your injury to your supervisor now, and then you've got to create an e-comp account, ecomp.dol.gov, and then you go to CA1 or CA2 and you fill that out.
11:11
SPEAKER_02: Now from there it sends an email to your supervisor, they fill out page two, and assuming they can, you know, read English and type okay in English, they submit that to OWCP and they have 10 days to get that in from the from when they receive it.
11:26
SPEAKER_02: So now I've just told you in 12 minutes, probably less, about a CA10, a CA1, and a CA2.
11:32
SPEAKER_01: So Kathy says, Hello, what form do I have to submit for a recurring injury although I've retired?
11:40
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
11:41
SPEAKER_02: So you're normally I'd say a CA2A if it's a recurrence, but a recurrence means that it happened at work.
11:50
SPEAKER_02: You're retired.
11:51
SPEAKER_02: What you really need to do is go to your doctor and explain what's going on.
11:55
SPEAKER_02: And if the doctor agrees that this is related to the original injury, the doctor writes a letter of medical necessity that gets sent in by e-comp to the claims examiner and explains why your case just needs to be reopened.
12:07
SPEAKER_02: It's not a recurrence if you're not at work to get a recurrence, right?
12:11
SPEAKER_02: It's just a flare-up of an existing condition.
12:14
SPEAKER_02: So all you need is a doctor to explain to the claims examiner why you need more treatment or why you need whatever you need: a back brace, a knee brace, physical therapy, surgery.
12:24
SPEAKER_02: I don't know.
12:25
SPEAKER_02: I'm not a doctor.
12:26
SPEAKER_02: Um, but that's how that works.
12:28
SPEAKER_02: Uh get the claims examiner to reopen the case by having a letter of medical necessity written.
12:34
SPEAKER_01: All right, let me go through these questions so we don't get uh far behind.
12:37
SPEAKER_02: Linda, real quick, if you have questions on the CA10, CA1, or CA2, now's a great time to post them because I'm pausing.
12:44
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
12:45
SPEAKER_01: Linda, hey Jeannie and Chris, love the hat.
12:47
SPEAKER_02: Hey, I know you're talking about I love my hat.
12:49
SPEAKER_02: I know you like mine.
12:50
SPEAKER_01: She said hat girl.
12:51
SPEAKER_01: I love the hat girl.
12:52
SPEAKER_02: For sure talking about you.
12:53
SPEAKER_01: Thank you, Linda.
12:55
SPEAKER_01: Dina Portal, hi.
12:57
SPEAKER_01: Jesse Gillin, Gilligan.
13:00
SPEAKER_01: Love the hats.
13:02
SPEAKER_01: His is not so fancy.
13:03
SPEAKER_01: It's just a plain old plain old Notre Dame.
13:07
SPEAKER_01: Be careful.
13:08
SPEAKER_02: You're playing fire.
13:09
SPEAKER_02: Don't mess with God's team.
13:10
SPEAKER_01: Jakeita said, You guys are the best.
13:12
SPEAKER_01: Emmy, I can hear you now.
13:14
SPEAKER_01: Jerry said, Hello, I'm here.
13:16
SPEAKER_01: Sonia, what's up?
13:18
SPEAKER_01: Sending well wishes to you both.
13:20
SPEAKER_01: Nafy Union, Dulleth, Georgia plant.
13:23
SPEAKER_01: Nice.
13:24
SPEAKER_01: Natty Addy, hi.
13:26
SPEAKER_01: Pretty sure that's Duluth.
13:27
SPEAKER_01: Is it Duluth?
13:28
SPEAKER_01: I'm pretty sure.
13:29
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
13:29
SPEAKER_01: Sorry, I don't have my reading glasses on.
13:30
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
13:31
SPEAKER_01: Chiquita, did we answer your question about that's the forum because you got hurt on the job, a CA1?
13:38
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
13:39
SPEAKER_01: And then she said, Can I automatically go to Federal Injury Center once hurt?
13:43
SPEAKER_01: It's your choice.
13:44
SPEAKER_02: So the second section of the CA10 says you have the right to initial selection of physician.
13:49
SPEAKER_02: The Code of Federal Regulations says you have the right to choose your own doctor, and it's your supervisor's job to tell you that you're right.
13:56
SPEAKER_02: And the form CA10 says that basically everyone's got to get out of your way and let you do what you want to do.
14:01
SPEAKER_02: So, yes, you can choose your own doctor, including federal injury centers, or you can choose any doctor you want.
14:07
SPEAKER_02: Even if there's a doctor right next door to federal injury centers that's not FIC, you can go there.
14:11
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
14:12
SPEAKER_02: The key is that you choose.
14:14
SPEAKER_02: Don't let anybody else choose for you, including me.
14:16
SPEAKER_01: Uh, dot said, You all help so many of us, and we do appreciate you all.
14:21
SPEAKER_01: We appreciate you guys.
14:22
SPEAKER_02: We love you guys.
14:23
SPEAKER_02: We never forgot you.
14:25
SPEAKER_02: We definitely miss you.
14:26
SPEAKER_01: All right, Kathy, did Chris answer your question about what form to file after you've retired?
14:34
SPEAKER_01: She's she says, although I've retired.
14:36
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
14:36
SPEAKER_02: If you're retired and you're not still at work, it's not a recurrence.
14:39
SPEAKER_02: But you have lifetime medical benefits on any claim that was ever approved.
14:43
SPEAKER_02: So your doctor's just got to prove that it needs to be reopened.
14:47
SPEAKER_01: Uh Bill said, I have multiple approved cases, had a massive heart attack and stent in March.
14:53
SPEAKER_01: Sorry to hear that.
14:54
SPEAKER_02: Dang.
14:55
SPEAKER_01: Need an ICD, but I'm waiting till after hip replacement, OWCP next April.
15:00
SPEAKER_01: After the ICD, if I get medical disability retirement, how does that my how does that affect my CA7?
15:07
SPEAKER_01: I have 31 years at 63 years old.
15:10
SPEAKER_01: Wow.
15:11
SPEAKER_02: So when you're on medical disability retirement, you can't receive money there and receive money from OWCP at the same time.
15:18
SPEAKER_02: So once you're medically retired, you're no longer getting LWAP.
15:22
SPEAKER_02: You're also not getting uh in you're not getting any OWCP income benefits.
15:28
SPEAKER_02: You have to choose one or the other.
15:29
SPEAKER_02: You're either on the job getting OWCP income benefits, or you're in medical retirement getting OPM disability benefits.
15:36
SPEAKER_02: You can't get them both at the same time.
15:37
SPEAKER_01: Patrice Norwood.
15:39
SPEAKER_01: Hey guys, I received a modified assignment on 1016.
15:43
SPEAKER_01: They are accommodating me at five pound restrictions.
15:46
SPEAKER_01: That's good.
15:47
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I mean that's good for you.
15:49
SPEAKER_02: If it's approved and your doctor agrees with it, then get on the clock.
15:52
SPEAKER_02: The surest way to get paid is to clock in.
15:54
SPEAKER_02: Congratulations.
15:55
SPEAKER_01: So we're gonna do a special shout out to Maria Portal.
15:59
SPEAKER_01: She said, and she said, love that we can submit miles on e-comp.
16:03
SPEAKER_01: So remember that when we get to the CA7 form, we're gonna talk about that.
16:07
SPEAKER_01: But Maria, hold on, let me finish on the set.
16:10
unknown: Okay.
16:10
SPEAKER_01: It was wonderful to see you guys in Springfield.
16:12
SPEAKER_01: Saw you went to the basketball hall of fame.
16:15
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that was pretty cool.
16:16
SPEAKER_01: We didn't know that was there.
16:17
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, well, we got to just go basically into the lobby.
16:19
SPEAKER_02: But the right when I opened the door, there was Michael Jordan.
16:22
SPEAKER_02: And I was like, all right.
16:23
SPEAKER_02: I've seen the greatest of all time, so I don't really need to see the rest.
16:26
SPEAKER_02: So we'll do it next time.
16:28
SPEAKER_01: Maria has been following us since 2016.
16:32
SPEAKER_01: And to see, I'm not gonna, I'm not using supporters, to see the people that have supported us since then, and even and currently, it is such it's like a blessing that you guys still come out and see us.
16:45
SPEAKER_01: It was so touching.
16:46
SPEAKER_01: Like when I hugged her, I felt like I just wanted to cry.
16:48
SPEAKER_01: Maria is such a sweetest person there is.
16:51
SPEAKER_01: And Maria, thank you for letting us have a picture of you and thank you for being a huge supporter.
16:58
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it was that was like the whole treat of the trip is meeting you in person.
17:03
SPEAKER_02: So thanks so much for being there.
17:06
SPEAKER_01: Uh let's see.
17:08
SPEAKER_01: Who did I miss somebody here?
17:11
SPEAKER_01: You stopped right there.
17:12
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
17:13
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
17:13
SPEAKER_01: Uh Lucinda, do doctors have to be registered?
17:19
SPEAKER_02: Credentialed?
17:20
SPEAKER_02: And yeah, they do.
17:21
SPEAKER_02: There's a multi-page form.
17:23
SPEAKER_02: I think it's called OWCP 1167.
17:26
SPEAKER_02: I'm sure that's right.
17:27
SPEAKER_02: They have to fill that out and submit it.
17:29
SPEAKER_02: And essentially, as long as they're not a felon or they haven't been banned from federal healthcare programs, they're going to be approved.
17:35
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
17:36
SPEAKER_01: Kelly, we've had a small propane, ooh, a small propane leak in our building for over a year coming from the furnace that was being addressed properly, that I believe made my migraines worse.
17:49
SPEAKER_01: It's just now been fixed in last week.
17:51
SPEAKER_01: What's the best way to start a claim?
17:53
SPEAKER_01: She's with USPS.
17:54
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, well, to start a claim, you follow the CA10.
17:59
SPEAKER_02: Report your condition, injury, report it to your supervisor.
18:04
SPEAKER_02: Uh, do that by email, by the way.
18:06
SPEAKER_02: I didn't say that earlier.
18:06
SPEAKER_02: Do your reporting by email so the supervisor can't say, uh-uh, they never reported.
18:11
SPEAKER_02: It's important that you report on time because of the different time frames that come after that you don't want to miss.
18:16
SPEAKER_02: So get that in writing.
18:18
SPEAKER_02: And then um, I don't know if it's a CA1 or CA2.
18:21
SPEAKER_02: I don't know if you had exposure in one day or if it took multiple days.
18:24
SPEAKER_02: So that's that's a yeah, no, I know what it said, but I what I would do is go to the doctor and um discuss it.
18:34
SPEAKER_02: And if the doctor says, well, that probably came on in a single shift, then fill out a CA1.
18:38
SPEAKER_02: If the doctor says, well, it probably took you know multiple shifts for that to come on, then fill out a CA2.
18:43
SPEAKER_02: And then the doctor's got to go through the medical process of writing a narrative report that connects your condition to that problem at work.
18:52
SPEAKER_02: We've seen those things happen.
18:53
SPEAKER_02: Lots of times it's helpful when OSHA comes out and confirms it.
18:57
SPEAKER_02: I'm not, I don't know if anybody called OSHA.
18:59
SPEAKER_02: It sounds like something that it should have been called because that's a real serious problem.
19:03
SPEAKER_02: But that's how you initiate it.
19:05
SPEAKER_02: You report to the supervisor by email, you figure out if it happened in one shift or multiple shifts, and then you fill out a CA1 or a CA2, go to the doctor and have the doctor write a medical narrative that explains the connection between your condition and the situation at work.
19:19
SPEAKER_01: All right.
19:20
SPEAKER_01: So Chris went over what a CA10 is, where to find it, what a CA1 is, an injury that happened in one single shift, and what a CA2 is if it happened over multiple shifts.
19:31
SPEAKER_01: Correct.
19:32
SPEAKER_01: So we're gonna go over the CA17.
19:34
SPEAKER_02: Well, we're gonna go over the CA 16 first.
19:36
SPEAKER_01: Oh, did I miss that?
19:37
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, okay.
19:38
SPEAKER_02: I'm going in order the CA10.
19:40
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
19:40
SPEAKER_02: All right, so we did CA10, CA1, CA2.
19:42
SPEAKER_02: Now we're doing CA16.
19:44
SPEAKER_02: And if you're new to this and you're going CA, hey, write your congressperson.
19:47
SPEAKER_02: That's how they do it.
19:48
SPEAKER_01: When we were in Springfield, the entire audience was like, What?
19:53
SPEAKER_01: We didn't get the CA 16.
19:55
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, they didn't get it because they didn't know about it, and nor did the supervisor give it to them.
19:59
SPEAKER_02: So on the CA 10, the first section says report as soon as possible.
20:03
SPEAKER_02: It should say report today, because if you wait more than seven days to report an injury that happened in a single shift, a CA1 injury, if you wait more than seven days, you can't have a CA 16.
20:15
SPEAKER_02: And a CA 16 is not eligible for on a CA2, so it doesn't work for CA2.
20:20
SPEAKER_02: So just set that aside.
20:21
SPEAKER_02: If you have an injury that happened in a single shift, you report it today, and then you immediately request a form CA 16 in which your supervisor now has four hours to give it to you.
20:31
SPEAKER_02: That's another thing almost nobody knows.
20:34
SPEAKER_02: Once you receive it, the CA 16 pays all of your work-related injury medical bills for the next 60 days.
20:40
SPEAKER_02: So let that set in.
20:42
SPEAKER_02: If you get the form, you don't pay co-pays for the first 60 days, the government pays it.
20:48
SPEAKER_02: OWCP pays all your medical bills for the first 60 days, except for surgeries which will require pre-authorization, but it doesn't mean they won't pay it.
20:55
SPEAKER_02: It just means it's not automatic.
20:56
SPEAKER_02: So the CA 16 is so important because it pays your medical bills.
21:00
SPEAKER_02: But the key to this whole thing is you have to get it.
21:03
SPEAKER_02: If you don't get it, you're not you're not gonna just be eligible for it.
21:07
SPEAKER_02: You have to be handed the form by the supervisor.
21:10
SPEAKER_02: It's not just gonna magically appear.
21:12
SPEAKER_02: And if your claim's not accepted, you never have to pay it back.
21:16
SPEAKER_02: So this is a uh free way to get two months of health care for an injury that you didn't expect to happen.
21:22
SPEAKER_02: And you got it because you reported your injury immediately.
21:25
SPEAKER_02: So the CA 16 pays all of your work-related injury medical bills for the first 60 days, but do not wait to report your injury, report it today.
21:35
SPEAKER_01: Correct.
21:36
SPEAKER_02: So now that's a CA 16.
21:38
SPEAKER_02: It's that simple.
21:38
SPEAKER_02: Uh, your supervisor fills out the first page, gives you the whole thing, you take it to your doctor.
21:43
SPEAKER_02: The doctor fills out the second page and sends that thing into the claims examiner by e-com.
21:47
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, last week I got a message about the CA 16.
21:51
SPEAKER_01: She said the supervisor told her she only gets a CA 16 once her claim is accepted.
21:58
SPEAKER_02: Explain how it works, dude.
22:00
SPEAKER_02: It's there so you can get medical attention before your claim is accepted.
22:03
SPEAKER_01: I was dumb.
22:04
SPEAKER_01: And those are that was in Arizona.
22:05
SPEAKER_01: That's all I'm gonna say.
22:06
SPEAKER_01: I'm not saying what crap, but I was like, that's not true.
22:09
SPEAKER_01: She said she's gonna take what I say and tell the supervisor.
22:12
SPEAKER_01: And supervisor said, I'm the one.
22:14
SPEAKER_01: And they used lying.
22:16
SPEAKER_01: I'm lying.
22:18
SPEAKER_02: You can't.
22:19
SPEAKER_02: How do you trust somebody who wears a hat like that?
22:22
SPEAKER_01: So you get a day 16 first.
22:24
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, we also, when we were in Dallas, we heard somebody say that the supervisor wasn't allowing COP until 45 days passed.
22:32
SPEAKER_02: No.
22:33
SPEAKER_02: COP is good for 45 days.
22:35
SPEAKER_02: You don't wait 45 days for it.
22:37
SPEAKER_02: You need time off potentially now, not six weeks from now.
22:41
SPEAKER_02: I don't know where people come up with this stuff, but if they can read English even a little bit and just read it slowly, remember follow the bouncing ball on little Saturday morning cartoons.
22:50
SPEAKER_02: We need one of those bouncing balls.
22:51
SPEAKER_02: It would help so much.
22:53
SPEAKER_02: They could even sing the songs to themselves, like the words.
22:55
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
22:56
SPEAKER_02: Give them a 45.
22:57
SPEAKER_02: You know, they could do that.
23:00
SPEAKER_02: You're such a torch.
23:01
SPEAKER_02: Freaking clowns.
23:02
SPEAKER_01: CA 17.
23:04
SPEAKER_02: All right, and if there's any questions on the CA10, CA1, CA2, or CA16, and now I said COP, feel free and post those questions now.
23:14
SPEAKER_02: I'll get to those as well.
23:16
SPEAKER_02: The CA 17 is called a duty status report.
23:19
SPEAKER_02: Its purpose is for the doctor to either give you restrictions, reduce restrictions, take you off of work, or put you back at work.
23:27
SPEAKER_02: And sending you back to work can be with restrictions or full duty.
23:31
SPEAKER_02: But the CA 17 is needed for that.
23:33
SPEAKER_02: It's divided down the center of the page, side A and side B.
23:37
SPEAKER_02: Side A says physician, side B says supervisor.
23:41
SPEAKER_02: I love asking this question.
23:42
SPEAKER_02: Usually, what comes first, side A or side B?
23:46
SPEAKER_01: I think side A.
23:47
SPEAKER_02: Now just think about the alphabet in your head.
23:49
SPEAKER_02: Which one's first?
23:50
SPEAKER_02: Is it B A C D?
23:51
SPEAKER_02: No, it's A, B, C.
23:52
SPEAKER_02: So A comes first.
23:53
SPEAKER_02: That means you have to get it from the supervisor.
23:56
SPEAKER_02: The supervisor has to fill out all your fiscal requirements of your job on side A.
24:01
SPEAKER_02: Then you take that to the doctor and say, hey doc, the supervisor said this is what I do at work.
24:08
SPEAKER_02: Right on here on side B what I can do today based on my injury.
24:11
SPEAKER_02: What are my restrictions, if any?
24:13
SPEAKER_02: And maybe there's not any.
24:14
SPEAKER_02: Maybe you get to go right back to work, which is awesome.
24:16
SPEAKER_02: This is the end goal of work comp is to get back to work.
24:19
SPEAKER_02: But the doctor has the opportunity now to write restrictions so you can get back on the clock safely.
24:24
SPEAKER_02: If your supervisor doesn't want to give you a CA17, number one, they're violating the rules.
24:30
SPEAKER_02: But they do that thinking that somehow it's going to keep you from needing to have time off, which is a medical decision.
24:36
SPEAKER_02: It's not a U decision and it's not a supervisor decision.
24:39
SPEAKER_02: It's a doctor's decision.
24:41
SPEAKER_02: So there's another form called an OWCP.
24:45
SPEAKER_02: Holy crap.
24:49
SPEAKER_02: Hold that thought.
24:50
SPEAKER_02: I just stumped the chunk.
24:52
SPEAKER_01: Everybody write that down.
24:53
SPEAKER_01: Put it on your calendar.
24:57
SPEAKER_02: She took my phone.
24:59
SPEAKER_02: Hold on.
25:01
SPEAKER_02: So, anyways, ask some questions.
25:03
SPEAKER_01: There is none.
25:04
SPEAKER_02: Make up one.
25:06
SPEAKER_02: You can do it.
25:09
SPEAKER_01: How do I file my claim?
25:11
SPEAKER_01: How do you file your claim?
25:12
SPEAKER_01: You go on ecomp.dol.gov.
25:15
SPEAKER_01: This is so funny.
25:16
SPEAKER_01: Fill out your basic information, name, address, phone number, all of that stuff, and then go to the next screen.
25:23
SPEAKER_01: Remember, and I forgot we forgot to bring this up.
25:26
SPEAKER_02: OWCP5C.
25:28
SPEAKER_02: There's a form called an OWCP5C.
25:32
SPEAKER_02: If they refuse to give you the CA17, go to the website and print that out and give it to the doctor and let them fill it out and then still take that to your supervisor.
25:40
SPEAKER_01: And let me finish.
25:41
SPEAKER_01: Back in the past, when you guys had to physically write and fill out your CA1s or two, uh, we had, I think I talked about this, we had a supervisor put their home address and this person messaged us and said, it's been three months, they've never received anything.
25:58
SPEAKER_01: You know, that first letter you get with your case number.
26:01
SPEAKER_01: And when she, I told her, check everything in detail.
26:04
SPEAKER_01: When she finally checked on her, I don't even know if eComp had just came out, but she found out that the supervisor put their address, the supervisor's address, and all the letters from DOL was going to the supervisor.
26:20
SPEAKER_01: And we told her to contact DOJ, OSHA, everybody, tell the union that supervisor eventually got fired for doing that.
26:29
SPEAKER_01: So be careful if you're having someone in the union help you fill out your, you know, make up your e-comp or anything.
26:36
SPEAKER_01: Make sure you review everything on your own, if possible, to make sure it's your address and your info and not somebody else's.
26:48
SPEAKER_01: Oh, how we got.
26:49
SPEAKER_01: Why did that not come up?
26:51
SPEAKER_01: Oh.
26:51
SPEAKER_01: Natty.
26:52
SPEAKER_01: No, wait, Becky Bridges first.
26:54
SPEAKER_01: Does OPM communicate with DOL when the claimant files disability retirement application?
27:01
SPEAKER_01: If the disability stated on the application are all impairments accepted on OWCP's claim, is that referred to DOL?
27:09
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, all the these agencies that can pay you are going to communicate.
27:13
SPEAKER_02: At the end of every year, we get a just onslaught of people messaging us on Facebook saying, What's going on here?
27:20
SPEAKER_02: I just got a um a demand letter to pay back an overpayment because they received dual benefits.
27:27
SPEAKER_02: It's the same reason you can't you can't receive OPM benefits at the same time that you received OWCP compensation.
27:33
SPEAKER_02: Right.
27:34
SPEAKER_02: They call it dual benefits.
27:36
SPEAKER_02: So you always have to be very, very, very careful because they absolutely do communicate.
27:40
SPEAKER_02: And now like systems are more efficient than ever before and they're all connected.
27:44
SPEAKER_02: Before you'd have like a system in that agency and one in that agency.
27:47
SPEAKER_02: Now they are connected.
27:48
SPEAKER_02: It's like the internet just happened over there.
27:51
SPEAKER_01: Natty, when are supervisors supposed to provide the CA 17?
27:55
SPEAKER_01: At what point of the claim?
27:57
SPEAKER_02: As soon as you request it, they have to give it to you.
28:00
SPEAKER_02: This is a medical form.
28:02
SPEAKER_02: Your doctor may or may not need to write your restrictions.
28:05
SPEAKER_02: Heck, they may get that CA 17, the doctor, and immediately say, go back to work full duty.
28:10
SPEAKER_02: But it's the doctor's decision, not yours, not the supervisor.
28:13
SPEAKER_02: So as soon as you request it, they have to give it to you.
28:16
SPEAKER_02: Otherwise, get an OWCP 5C and have the doctor fill that out and give it to the supervisor.
28:23
SPEAKER_02: They have to accept it.
28:24
SPEAKER_02: They're required.
28:25
SPEAKER_02: It's the rules.
28:26
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
28:26
SPEAKER_01: Maria said, some management act like we want to get injured.
28:32
SPEAKER_01: All I'm expecting is to get home a bit more tired, then show up at work and hopefully retire, not so broken that I can't enjoy retirement.
28:41
SPEAKER_01: And I know I'm gonna love being retired.
28:43
SPEAKER_01: She's right.
28:44
SPEAKER_02: I'm pulling for you on that one.
28:45
SPEAKER_01: She's right.
28:46
SPEAKER_02: Yep.
28:48
SPEAKER_01: All right.
28:48
SPEAKER_01: Next form, CA20.
28:51
SPEAKER_02: Okay, so the CA20 is to me the most underwhelming form.
28:54
SPEAKER_02: It's fine, you can move it.
28:56
SPEAKER_02: Because this is called an attending physicians report.
28:59
SPEAKER_02: I don't know why it's underwhelming to me.
29:01
SPEAKER_02: It's boring to me, but it has value to you, I guess.
29:04
SPEAKER_02: It's like the substitute for a doctor's medical narrative.
29:08
SPEAKER_02: So let's say you have a doctor who just can't write narratives and doesn't understand things.
29:12
SPEAKER_02: You can have him fill that out and e-comp it.
29:15
SPEAKER_02: And now at least a claims examiner has uh some medical information on your injury.
29:20
SPEAKER_02: I don't believe it's a good substitute for a good, detailed, lengthy medical narrative report.
29:26
SPEAKER_02: But you need this at least so you can establish that there is medical, a medical issue that you're actually injured, not catastrophic, but you're actually injured.
29:35
SPEAKER_02: So that's the form, but it's also used when submitting your claim for LWAP.
29:40
SPEAKER_02: And when you need to get paid leave without pay, they want you to attach certain documentation.
29:45
SPEAKER_02: The CA17, which I just went over, and the CA20 are two of the forms that they want attached so you can get paid.
29:53
SPEAKER_02: So when you need that, you just print it out and your doctor fills it out and you submit it to the supervisor, to the claims examiner, whatever.
30:01
SPEAKER_02: And that way everyone's on the same page about what's going on with your case, the status of it at the time that's filled out.
30:09
SPEAKER_01: Matt Hayes, I know I noticed that I'm about to be overpaid.
30:13
SPEAKER_01: I looked up something about being put on periodic role with OWCP and getting automatically paid every month instead.
30:20
SPEAKER_01: Is this his thing?
30:21
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, Matt, that actually happens all the time.
30:23
SPEAKER_02: When they they mean the claims examiner, when they realize that, okay, you've got something going on here that you're gonna be out for a period of time and it's not gonna be necessarily like week to week, day to day, whatever, then they're gonna say, hey, we're gonna save you the trouble of filling this out and us the trouble of having to go through it.
30:40
SPEAKER_02: And they put you on the periodic roles, and um, you'll be there until your medical situation changes, or they want to find out if your medical situation has changed.
30:49
SPEAKER_02: But this is very common.
30:51
SPEAKER_02: And I don't, by the way, I don't know that that necessarily means you're gonna be overpaid.
30:54
SPEAKER_02: But if you think you're gonna be overpaid, avoid that.
30:57
SPEAKER_02: So just take the steps necessary today to avoid it.
31:01
SPEAKER_01: Ashley, I work for USPS and I wanted some clarification on COP.
31:06
SPEAKER_01: I've heard there's a three-day, I heard there's a three-day or five-day waiting period before COP kicks in.
31:14
SPEAKER_01: Can you explain how that works for postal employees?
31:16
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, okay.
31:17
SPEAKER_02: So for all of you that are not postal employees, this does not apply to you.
31:21
SPEAKER_01: Like AFGE, FLIOA.
31:23
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, if you're a postal employee, this is where you should be listening.
31:27
SPEAKER_02: When you do continuation of pay, your first three days don't count as COP.
31:32
SPEAKER_02: However, if you're off for two straight weeks, you can go back and get that recoded to COP.
31:39
SPEAKER_02: So in the first three days, otherwise, you're probably using sick leave.
31:42
SPEAKER_02: But if you're out for two weeks, you can go back and have that reversed and change to COP.
31:47
SPEAKER_02: That only applies to the post office.
31:49
SPEAKER_02: I don't know why, but it is this that is the situation with the post office.
31:54
SPEAKER_02: So that was a good question.
31:55
SPEAKER_01: Maria, hello.
31:57
SPEAKER_01: Ivy, hello.
32:00
SPEAKER_01: I know you're probably thinking I'm calling my mom by her name.
32:03
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'm the only daughter that does that just to mess with her.
32:06
SPEAKER_01: So hi, Ivy.
32:07
SPEAKER_01: The grandsons do too.
32:09
SPEAKER_02: Two out of three.
32:10
SPEAKER_01: Callie Marie.
32:11
SPEAKER_01: My treating PCP places a narrative, completes OWCP5C and the CA 17 at each visit since January 2026.
32:21
SPEAKER_02: Wow.
32:22
SPEAKER_02: I like your doctor very much because that's way over the top.
32:26
SPEAKER_02: They don't have to do that.
32:27
SPEAKER_02: Uh, they don't have to do a new narrative, they don't have to do a new 5C or a new CA 17 each visit, unless there's a reason to do it.
32:36
SPEAKER_02: But those are medical decisions.
32:38
SPEAKER_02: So they are allowed to do it, but there's nothing in the rule that requires them to do it.
32:42
SPEAKER_02: But that's great.
32:43
SPEAKER_02: I'd love to know somebody that's willing and patient enough to write that much and do those many forms.
32:49
SPEAKER_02: All right.
32:50
SPEAKER_02: CA7s.
32:53
SPEAKER_02: How often are CA20s submitted?
32:54
SPEAKER_02: Monthly?
32:55
SPEAKER_02: Um, no, CA20s are submitted as requested.
32:58
SPEAKER_02: So they're submitted each time you need to fill out LWAP or fill out a CA7 for LWAP, or anytime a supervisor requests it, anytime a claimed examiner requests it, or anybody else in the system wants to know what's going on with you, then your doctor fills it out.
33:12
SPEAKER_02: It's filled out as needed.
33:13
SPEAKER_02: It's a medical form.
33:14
SPEAKER_01: CA7.
33:15
SPEAKER_02: Okay, so I just mentioned LWAP, leave without pay.
33:19
SPEAKER_02: The form CA7, a claim for compensation, is how you do that.
33:23
SPEAKER_02: This is on e-comp now.
33:24
SPEAKER_02: Let's say continuation of pay is over, your 45 days is up.
33:28
SPEAKER_02: Your claim is accepted.
33:29
SPEAKER_02: If it's not, you're not getting paid anyways.
33:31
SPEAKER_02: Your claims accepted.
33:33
SPEAKER_02: Now, every pay period or every couple of weeks, you want to submit a CA7 for LWAP if you're off of work.
33:40
SPEAKER_02: This is for when you're off of work.
33:43
SPEAKER_02: When you submit that, you also want to submit the CA 17 with it, the CA20 with it.
33:47
SPEAKER_02: If you're gone because you're on a doctor's visit, you want to print out of your appointments, not your medical records, just proof that you were there.
33:54
SPEAKER_02: And then you want your doctor to write what we call a disability narrative that explains medically why you needed to be out of work.
34:01
SPEAKER_02: That's how you get paid on a CA7.
34:04
SPEAKER_02: Sometimes your time is intermittent, meaning, let's say you had a two-week period of time, you're out of work, but you went back to work a day or a half a day.
34:12
SPEAKER_02: That meant it wasn't a continuous period of time out.
34:15
SPEAKER_02: There was a period of time you were in, even if it was half a day.
34:17
SPEAKER_02: That's intermittent.
34:18
SPEAKER_02: Now you fill out a CA7A to go with it.
34:21
SPEAKER_02: It's called a time analysis form.
34:22
SPEAKER_02: And that's just delineating between your time off and your time at work.
34:27
SPEAKER_02: It's not that big a deal.
34:28
SPEAKER_02: It's probably the easiest form we have to fill out.
34:30
SPEAKER_02: We OWCP has to fill out.
34:32
SPEAKER_02: But the CA7 is a claim for compensation.
34:35
SPEAKER_02: The key to this form, though, is you got to get it in within one year of your time off.
34:40
SPEAKER_02: Even if your claim is not approved.
34:42
SPEAKER_02: You need to submit these your CA7s because there's a one-year cutoff.
34:47
SPEAKER_02: So just get them in, even if your claim's not approved, so you stop the clock.
34:51
SPEAKER_02: So 12 months is your deadline.
34:53
SPEAKER_02: Get them in every two weeks.
34:55
SPEAKER_02: And uh attach the documentation I just said, CA17, CA20, disability narrative, and proof that you're at the doctor if you were there.
35:05
SPEAKER_02: Those forms that go together, if you don't put them all together, you're not getting paid.
35:10
SPEAKER_02: That's very, very important.
35:11
SPEAKER_02: All that documentation, you need to get paid.
35:13
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
35:14
SPEAKER_01: All right.
35:14
SPEAKER_01: So we went over the CA10, the CA1, the CA2, the CA16, the CA17, the CA20.
35:23
SPEAKER_01: He just finished on the CA7.
35:25
SPEAKER_01: Did you say CA7A?
35:26
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
35:27
SPEAKER_01: CA7A.
35:28
SPEAKER_01: All right.
35:30
SPEAKER_01: These two forms, OWCP 915 and OWCP 957.
35:36
SPEAKER_01: What are they?
35:37
SPEAKER_01: Because a lot of people don't know.
35:39
SPEAKER_02: I had some fun with one of these uh last week.
35:42
SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna start with the 915.
35:43
SPEAKER_02: I didn't have any fun with that one.
35:45
SPEAKER_02: The OWCP 915 is uh for medical reimbursement of money that you paid away that you paid out of pocket.
35:52
SPEAKER_02: So let's say that uh you had to go to the doctor and they wanted you to pay co-pays.
35:57
SPEAKER_02: And so you're making$35 co-payments each time you go to the doctor.
36:02
SPEAKER_02: Well, you get your receipts, you attach it to your OWCP 915, and you send that into the claims examiner for reimbursement.
36:10
SPEAKER_02: All the money you paid out of your pocket, you should get back.
36:12
SPEAKER_02: Now, you likely are going to need a letter of medical necessity for things if you're paying for a knee brace or a back brace.
36:19
SPEAKER_02: You know, you'll need a doctor to explain medically why you needed that.
36:22
SPEAKER_02: You didn't just decide on your own to go get it, even though it wasn't needed.
36:25
SPEAKER_02: So, assuming medical necessity, which is critically important, you attach your medical necessity proof and your receipt to your 915 and you send that in for reimbursement.
36:36
SPEAKER_02: You also have to get that in within 12 months of the expense that you incurred.
36:41
SPEAKER_02: Most people don't know they can get their money back, but this is why they give you three years to report an injury.
36:47
SPEAKER_02: One of the things you get an opportunity to do is go back and get your money back.
36:50
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
36:51
SPEAKER_02: So, but get your OWCP 915s in within 12 months of the expense as well.
36:56
SPEAKER_02: Anytime you have any out-of-pocket expense related to your work injury, you can be reimbursed if the expense was medically necessary.
37:04
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
37:05
SPEAKER_02: Now the OWCP 957 has recently changed, but this is it has it's uh for travel reimbursement.
37:13
SPEAKER_02: Before you had mileage and taxi and airfare and hotels all in one form.
37:18
SPEAKER_02: Now they've divided into 957A, 957B.
37:22
SPEAKER_02: The A is mileage only.
37:24
SPEAKER_02: You're allowed to be reimbursed up to 100 miles round trip to go to the doctor, to go to health care-related appointments.
37:32
SPEAKER_02: If you go more than 100 miles, they're very likely not going to pay you anything.
37:36
SPEAKER_02: They're going to say, why don't you go someplace closer?
37:39
SPEAKER_02: Well, if they can help you find someplace closer, I think that's awesome for you because driving 100 miles round trip is not fun for anybody.
37:45
SPEAKER_02: But you're allowed up to 100 miles round trip.
37:48
SPEAKER_02: You send that by e-comp.
37:49
SPEAKER_02: You show proof of uh where you went.
37:52
SPEAKER_02: I think e-comp does that for you now, but just double check that.
37:55
SPEAKER_02: This is pretty new, and so I'm a little fuzzy on it.
37:58
SPEAKER_02: But you want to make sure you can show proof of your miles.
38:01
SPEAKER_02: Now the 957B allows you to get reimbursed for things like taxis and I don't know, airfare and uh Lyft and Uber.
38:09
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
38:10
SPEAKER_02: So hotels.
38:12
SPEAKER_01: A lot of you message me and ask if you can take an Uber or a Lyft and get it, claim it back.
38:17
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
38:18
SPEAKER_01: As long as you get authorization.
38:20
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I recommend, especially on the 957B, that you call the claims examiner and say, This is my situation.
38:26
SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna need to take an Uber, and um, this is what it's gonna be, this is the distance, and so forth.
38:32
SPEAKER_02: Or if you have to get on an airplane, a lot of people get on planes for situations like going to get a scheduled award.
38:38
SPEAKER_02: They'll fly across state to another doctor.
38:40
SPEAKER_02: Yep.
38:41
SPEAKER_02: Get approval in advance from the claims examiner, and then if they say no, we're not gonna reimburse you.
38:47
SPEAKER_02: Now you're just making a personal decision.
38:48
SPEAKER_02: Do I want to do it anyways out of my own pocket or not?
38:52
SPEAKER_02: But that's now your decision.
38:53
SPEAKER_02: Nobody can make that for you.
38:55
SPEAKER_02: But again, you have to get these in within 12 months of the travel expense.
39:00
SPEAKER_02: So the 915 is for money you paid out of pocket, and the 957 A and B is for travel.
39:05
SPEAKER_02: I had funny with this, funny with the 957 because after doing my class, somebody wanted to correct me in front of the room, which is fine because my ego is fully intact.
39:15
SPEAKER_02: And make sure that I know that it's all different now.
39:17
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's A and B.
39:19
SPEAKER_02: I was super happy about that because I love when I'm not wrong about something.
39:23
SPEAKER_02: But that was fine.
39:25
SPEAKER_02: I wouldn't call it a heckler, but we get those.
39:27
SPEAKER_02: But it turned out to be a fantastic situation because uh turns out she's a teacher of this thing too, and there's not nearly enough of us teaching this to you.
39:35
SPEAKER_02: But I learned something new that day too, and so now I'm gonna teach it to the whole world.
39:40
SPEAKER_02: 957 A and B.
39:41
SPEAKER_02: It's not 957 anymore, it's A and B.
39:44
SPEAKER_01: Oh, and one thing on your CA 16s that you guys probably may not know, you can use it for your MRIs, you can use it at your specialist, and you can use it if it is your medicine, like prescriptions, if it is DOL related.
40:01
SPEAKER_01: You can use your CA 16 to pay for those three things.
40:05
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
40:06
SPEAKER_01: MRIs, specialist, and your prescriptions if it's DOL related.
40:12
SPEAKER_01: OWCP.
40:13
SPEAKER_01: That's what I meant.
40:13
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
40:14
SPEAKER_01: Kelly said, Well, my supervisor is resistant with following restrictions and uses retaliation and discrimination.
40:22
SPEAKER_01: So when I get pushback, I make sure I blind copy my treating PCP administrator for tracking as support.
40:30
SPEAKER_01: They have tried marking me a wall.
40:33
SPEAKER_02: You could also copy, you know, your inspector general for your agency.
40:38
SPEAKER_02: You could copy OSHA if you think that they're causing you not to be safe by their retaliation.
40:43
SPEAKER_02: They're not allowed to retaliate uh against you in any way or form or shape and for anything.
40:48
SPEAKER_02: It's against the rules, against the law.
40:50
SPEAKER_02: In some events, if they retaliate, it's a crime.
40:53
SPEAKER_02: And the law says so.
40:56
SPEAKER_02: So I would copy anybody that would put a stop to that.
41:00
SPEAKER_01: All right, I'm gonna, Cindy and Amy, I'm gonna go back to yours in a minute.
41:04
SPEAKER_01: I just saw this one.
41:04
SPEAKER_01: I called my claims.
41:06
SPEAKER_01: This is Jody.
41:06
SPEAKER_01: I called my claims examiner to get pre-authorization for travel to the FIC Utah.
41:11
SPEAKER_01: He laughed at me.
41:13
SPEAKER_01: Why did he laugh at you?
41:14
SPEAKER_02: Your claims examiner laughed at you because you wanted transportation, you want a reimbursement for that?
41:19
SPEAKER_02: Well, I know why.
41:21
SPEAKER_02: I have a feeling I know why.
41:23
SPEAKER_02: Because uh our Salt Lake City office is very much like most of our offices.
41:29
SPEAKER_02: We specialize in getting stuff approved and we're really good at it.
41:33
SPEAKER_02: And we've been seeing that a lot of claims examiners don't like that a lot.
41:36
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
41:37
SPEAKER_02: I don't understand it because if a claims examiner gets hurt, I assure you they're calling their nearest federal injury centers because they also do what's in their best interest.
41:45
SPEAKER_02: But yeah, I even saw somebody, uh claims examiner say that be careful with these people because all they do is get claims approved.
41:52
SPEAKER_01: How dumb was that?
41:53
SPEAKER_02: No, no, that was awesome because thank you for acknowledging that we're really good at this.
41:57
SPEAKER_02: But I thought it was funny.
41:59
SPEAKER_02: I didn't lose a second of sleep over it because it's true.
42:02
SPEAKER_02: They're just telling the truth.
42:02
SPEAKER_02: We get claims approved.
42:04
SPEAKER_01: I mean, we trained claims examiners.
42:06
SPEAKER_01: We literally have trained claims examiners.
42:08
SPEAKER_02: I hope to be able to do that again.
42:09
SPEAKER_02: Examiners, I know I like a lot.
42:11
SPEAKER_02: So I doubt I doubt they're writing those letters.
42:13
SPEAKER_01: Next year, when we go back to their OWCP training for claims examiners, we're gonna ask them, why are you guys saying this to our patients?
42:21
SPEAKER_01: Literally, I'm gonna remember this question to make sure we ask them and see what they say.
42:26
SPEAKER_02: What's this about?
42:26
SPEAKER_02: You want claims denied?
42:27
SPEAKER_02: It's a lot more work for you if you have to deny it, and then we're gonna go again and we're never gonna quit, which means you're never gonna get to quit.
42:33
SPEAKER_02: Just approve it and you can move on to the next case and deny that one.
42:37
SPEAKER_01: Because we had two of the top OWCP claims examiners there.
42:41
SPEAKER_02: Senior claims examiner.
42:42
SPEAKER_01: Senior, and they enjoyed the training, but that's a question we didn't ask because that only happened as of this year, that particular thing.
42:49
SPEAKER_02: It's happened twice.
42:49
SPEAKER_02: FIC only gets claims approved.
42:51
SPEAKER_02: We also have like a 93% return to work rate.
42:53
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
42:54
SPEAKER_02: Which I did some checking, and that's like historically good.
42:57
SPEAKER_01: Cindy said, I was placed off work in January of this year while I was on FMLA due to my husband's surgery.
43:04
SPEAKER_01: It took months to receive pay, no reason was given.
43:07
SPEAKER_01: After filing my CA7 timely, I've been going to all my appointments.
43:13
SPEAKER_01: Should I be filing for travel, gas, etc.?
43:16
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, absolutely should.
43:18
SPEAKER_02: Otherwise, you're just leaving on the table.
43:20
SPEAKER_02: I'd file for it, let them deny it.
43:22
SPEAKER_02: But if you don't, it's an automatic denial.
43:23
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, anything related to your appointments and your OWCP doctor's stuff, file it just to see if they deny, like you said, they deny.
43:34
SPEAKER_01: Amy J.
43:35
SPEAKER_01: So I drive to a bus stop to get to appointments.
43:39
SPEAKER_01: Do you do both forms?
43:44
SPEAKER_01: Oh, so she gets she drives to the bus stop and the bus stop takes her to the appointment.
43:48
SPEAKER_01: So she's saying, how does she get paid for that?
43:51
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I mean, I I would because one of them is mileage, you had to drive there, and the other one is not mileage, it's a probably a flat rate expense.
44:00
SPEAKER_02: I'd turn them both in and make them deny it because they didn't have to change the form.
44:04
SPEAKER_02: They changed it.
44:06
SPEAKER_02: So yeah, that's what I would do.
44:07
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
44:08
SPEAKER_01: Norak said just submit the 957 on eComp.
44:11
SPEAKER_01: The CE is review it there and approves it.
44:15
SPEAKER_02: Amy said which form does she 957A 957B.
44:19
SPEAKER_02: Go to federalindry centers.com, Amy, and um I confirm we have them there.
44:23
SPEAKER_02: And uh these new forms that I hadn't seen yet are already on my website before I saw them.
44:28
SPEAKER_02: Okay, that's pretty efficient.
44:30
SPEAKER_01: Anne, I'm having an issue with receiving a payment for a date range only that I cannot reconcile with CA7CA7A's ECN numbers because they are not provided.
44:42
SPEAKER_01: I am missing over a hundred hours.
44:44
SPEAKER_01: I've contacted the claims examiner to ask for the info if it's still available.
44:50
SPEAKER_01: Also, I have the 957A's sitting in the system in process for more than 30 days.
44:57
SPEAKER_01: I filed electronically.
44:58
SPEAKER_01: Claims examiner says they can't see the submittals and they all need to be resubmitted.
45:04
SPEAKER_01: I can see them.
45:05
SPEAKER_01: Can I print them off the system and mail them?
45:08
SPEAKER_01: They have all the claim numbers.
45:11
SPEAKER_02: Um, so the ECN is the key.
45:14
SPEAKER_02: They also sometimes refer to them as DCN, and I've seen some claims examiners try to be tricky and go, well, we don't have that.
45:20
SPEAKER_02: Okay, try the other one.
45:21
SPEAKER_02: They're the same number.
45:23
SPEAKER_02: So um they should be able to look it up.
45:24
SPEAKER_02: If you can see it, they can see it.
45:26
SPEAKER_02: So you're not making an error, they're making an error.
45:29
SPEAKER_02: You shouldn't have to resubmit.
45:30
SPEAKER_02: Can you mail it?
45:31
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I mean, there's a mailing address, but it's super inefficient.
45:34
SPEAKER_02: I would resubmit by e-comp, and I'd probably try to copy that tock, I'd copy your congressperson.
45:43
SPEAKER_02: I they're withholding money from you, and you're not in trouble for copying a congressperson, but that's an extreme step, but I love it because it works every time.
45:52
SPEAKER_02: Um, but try maybe re-e-comping it, the same exact form with the same dates and everything, and maybe even attach a letter to it showing the original ECN numbers.
46:03
SPEAKER_02: There's no reason they can't see it if you can.
46:06
SPEAKER_02: Somebody's making a mistake and it's not you.
46:08
SPEAKER_01: Norax said you do only you do one form only.
46:13
SPEAKER_01: Are you talking about e-comp when they're filing?
46:16
SPEAKER_02: The eight the 957 A and B.
46:18
SPEAKER_02: Oh.
46:18
SPEAKER_02: I guess maybe.
46:19
SPEAKER_02: Um if you have mileage and then you also have other forms of transportation that aren't mileage, they're making you use two forms now.
46:28
SPEAKER_02: And I think it's interesting to use both and see what they say.
46:31
SPEAKER_02: Um, but maybe I'll have better information next time.
46:34
SPEAKER_01: Kelly said, would love to learn more.
46:36
SPEAKER_01: Hope to see you in Missouri.
46:38
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, we hope so.
46:39
SPEAKER_02: I've never been to Missouri.
46:41
SPEAKER_01: No, we have not.
46:41
SPEAKER_01: Yep.
46:42
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
46:43
SPEAKER_01: If you're asking, I know the next person here.
46:47
SPEAKER_01: If you want us to come train at your state or national convention, we cannot accept you guys as members inviting us.
46:57
SPEAKER_01: We want to.
46:58
SPEAKER_01: We'd love to.
46:58
SPEAKER_01: We'd be everywhere.
47:00
SPEAKER_02: But but we would show up and the president would be like, Who are you and who invited you?
47:04
SPEAKER_01: So if it's a state convention, the officials, the president, vice president, secretary of treasurer can email requesting for us to be there as long as a state president knows we will be there.
47:16
SPEAKER_01: And same goes for national.
47:18
SPEAKER_01: I know national, I have to submit paperwork and stuff like that, but if we got invited, you definitely will be there.
47:24
SPEAKER_01: We've done a few national conventions.
47:26
SPEAKER_01: It was great.
47:27
SPEAKER_01: But for state conventions, the union, the state has to invite us, not your local union president.
47:34
SPEAKER_01: The state president and their officials have to formally invite us by email or phone call.
47:40
SPEAKER_02: Whoever's in charge of the event.
47:41
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
47:42
SPEAKER_01: All right, guys.
47:43
SPEAKER_01: So we went over a bunch of forms.
47:46
SPEAKER_02: In like 45 minutes.
47:47
SPEAKER_02: That was awesome.
47:48
SPEAKER_01: So we went over the CA10.
47:50
SPEAKER_01: It's basically the know it all of everything.
47:53
SPEAKER_01: The CA1, the CA2, the CA17, the CA16, the CA20, the CA7, and the OWCP 915 and OWCP 957.
48:06
SPEAKER_01: What questions do you guys have on any of those?
48:12
SPEAKER_01: Callie, my claims examiner only spoken to her once and was told not to sign anything light duty from my HR department unless it comes from DOL ECOM.
48:22
SPEAKER_01: My federal employer was trying to change my light duty restrictions to full time and said I had two days, two-day turnaround throughout the email from my HR.
48:33
SPEAKER_01: I did reply and requested 30 days since I was meeting with my treating PCP within that time frame and received a pushback that it has to be done in two days.
48:42
SPEAKER_01: No, it's not.
48:44
SPEAKER_01: Just went over this.
48:45
SPEAKER_01: If you go back to one of our chats, we explain this 30-day detailed, and we've been posting almost every week two to three posts a week on this particular topic.
48:55
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, go back and look at a couple of the posts we made.
48:57
SPEAKER_02: I created a cool picture about limited duty offers.
49:00
SPEAKER_02: But the bottom line is you're correct.
49:02
SPEAKER_02: It has to go through the claims examiner to you, at which point the claims examiner is affording you 30 days to show it to your doctor.
49:08
SPEAKER_02: Now, if you can get that done in 30 minutes, even better.
49:11
SPEAKER_02: You know, you don't have to wait 30 days.
49:13
SPEAKER_02: But what they're saying is they're giving you up to 30 days to review it with the doctor to make sure the offer is safe, that it's valid.
49:20
SPEAKER_02: And your supervisor that said you have two days is just being a bully.
49:24
SPEAKER_02: Maybe I'm wrong.
49:25
SPEAKER_02: I don't know your supervisor, but for sure is definitely violating the rules.
49:29
SPEAKER_02: I would show them the rules and say, This is the rule you're violating.
49:32
SPEAKER_02: Do you understand that?
49:33
SPEAKER_02: And I'd maybe even put that in an email.
49:36
SPEAKER_02: CFR10.whatever.
49:38
SPEAKER_02: I don't have it memorized, but it's on just go back a few.
49:41
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, if you go on our chats, I made a couple posts and we put all the code of federal regulations and they have to follow the laws and the rules.
49:50
SPEAKER_01: They have to, but do they know?
49:52
SPEAKER_02: When she starts bobbing her head when she's talking, you know she's serious.
49:55
SPEAKER_01: Sorry, my hat.
49:56
SPEAKER_02: It's not your hat.
49:57
SPEAKER_02: It's what happens when you talk serious.
49:58
SPEAKER_01: Being serious.
49:59
SPEAKER_02: Go do that, though.
50:00
SPEAKER_02: Get the code of federal regulations, send an email to your supervisor and say 20cfr 10.whatever says, I'd like to confirm that you understand how this is written the way I understand it, because I'm afforded 30 days from the time my claims examiner tells me, and then copy your claims examiner on that as well, and then e-comp it.
50:19
SPEAKER_01: Shoot, I'd copy the congressman with those codes on there.
50:22
SPEAKER_02: Maybe if if they back up, if they buck up against you again and say, no, we're gonna pull this offer from you.
50:28
SPEAKER_02: Now I'm right, my congressperson, because I've, you know, I pay taxes, I vote, and my federal agency is hosing me right now.
50:36
SPEAKER_02: Somebody do something about it.
50:37
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
50:38
SPEAKER_01: Uh Natty said, can't find psychiatrists or psychologists in Puerto Rico, knowledgeable and willing to help me with my CA2 claim.
50:46
SPEAKER_01: Any ideas?
50:47
SPEAKER_01: I sent a message to my claims examiner, but haven't responded.
50:50
SPEAKER_01: What can I do?
50:52
SPEAKER_02: So that's gonna be one I'm gonna have a difficult time with, but the best thing you can do right now is to Google OWCP mental health provider Puerto Rico and see what comes up.
51:04
SPEAKER_02: I'm not hopeful that you're gonna find something.
51:06
SPEAKER_02: That's gonna be a tough one right now.
51:08
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, look, those of you that are asking about the 30-day, was it Callie or Natty?
51:12
SPEAKER_01: Callie, Matt just posted it 20 CFR 10.507.
51:18
SPEAKER_02: My boy.
51:18
SPEAKER_02: Thank you, Matt.
51:19
SPEAKER_01: Print that, go on Google, print, put that in, that code, and then print the rules out from there.
51:26
SPEAKER_02: Let me just do something real quick.
51:27
SPEAKER_01: Lucinda.
51:29
SPEAKER_01: What am I?
51:31
SPEAKER_01: Lucinda.
51:32
SPEAKER_01: Been through that.
51:33
SPEAKER_01: Sign it.
51:34
SPEAKER_01: Put not agreeing to this offer.
51:36
SPEAKER_01: Pending review by my physician.
51:38
SPEAKER_01: Ooh, that's good.
51:41
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
51:42
SPEAKER_01: If that works, that works.
51:44
SPEAKER_01: And save your 30 days.
51:47
SPEAKER_01: Kelly.
51:47
SPEAKER_01: Oh, I have.
51:48
SPEAKER_01: That's why I restricted them to only email communication so it's documented.
51:54
SPEAKER_01: These emails are also printed out and uploaded on e-comp.
51:58
SPEAKER_01: Correct.
51:59
SPEAKER_01: Lupita.
52:01
SPEAKER_01: I'm a rule carrier and my sorry, hold that thought.
52:04
SPEAKER_02: 20 CFR 10.507.
52:07
SPEAKER_02: In plain English, it requires a written job offer.
52:10
SPEAKER_02: Um if there's a verbal, they have to give you it writing within two days of that.
52:15
SPEAKER_02: A description of the job duties and physical requirements, a deadline to return to work or notify the employer whether the employee accepts or refuses.
52:24
SPEAKER_02: That deadline cannot be two days.
52:26
SPEAKER_02: A complete copy sent to OWCP at the same time it's sent to the employee.
52:32
SPEAKER_02: The 30-day response period comes from 20 CFR 10.516.
52:37
SPEAKER_02: So 507 sets it up.
52:39
SPEAKER_02: 516.
52:40
SPEAKER_02: It begins when OWCP notifies the employee that has found the offered works suitable.
52:46
SPEAKER_02: The employee then has 30 days to accept or present reasons challenging suitability.
52:51
SPEAKER_02: It's not an automatic 30-day waiting period for every limited duty offer, though, but for the vast majority of them, it's it's a 30-day period.
52:58
SPEAKER_02: But that's up to 30 days.
53:00
SPEAKER_02: You don't have to take 30 days.
53:01
SPEAKER_02: So 20 CFR 10.507 and 10.516.
53:07
SPEAKER_02: I would email the supervisor and say, please confirm your understanding of 20cfr10.516, which gives me 30 days to show this to my doctor.
53:17
SPEAKER_01: Did you get that, Callie?
53:19
SPEAKER_02: You can always rewind this, but it's 20cfr10.516.
53:22
SPEAKER_01: I'm going to make a post about the two codes he just did.
53:26
SPEAKER_02: 507 and 516.
53:27
SPEAKER_01: Right after the chat, I'll go ahead and create it and I'm going to put it.
53:30
SPEAKER_01: And then what you should do is literally take that code with the rule or the law and shove it up their nose.
53:36
SPEAKER_02: No, we don't do that.
53:38
SPEAKER_02: But you can tell them about it with a stern, give them a stern look.
53:41
SPEAKER_01: Lupita said, I'm a rule carrier and my occupational doctor told me that due to my condition, he would give me permanent stationary disability.
53:50
SPEAKER_01: Is that something possible being a rule carrier?
53:52
SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
53:53
SPEAKER_02: It's possible, but it's going to depend on uh your supervisor, your postal, postmaster, and agency.
54:01
SPEAKER_02: That's what it's going to depend on.
54:02
SPEAKER_02: Will they accept it?
54:04
SPEAKER_01: Kelly, you said the VA is doing this.
54:07
SPEAKER_01: If you message me after the live and tell me where you're located, what city, state, and which VA you are, I'm I'll try to help you with this and get you in contact with someone.
54:18
SPEAKER_02: But the VA has to follow the same rules as everybody else.
54:20
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
54:21
SPEAKER_01: Rhonda Sears, is that 30 days to accept each offer?
54:26
SPEAKER_01: Say you're on limited duty two hours a day and you are working, but new doctor visit changes your restrictions six hours per day.
54:33
SPEAKER_01: Do you now have another 30 days regarding your six hours, even if duties are exact the same and the changes are only being the number of hours per day you are allowed to work?
54:45
SPEAKER_02: So the rule is the same.
54:46
SPEAKER_02: The limited duty offer code of federal regulations doesn't say whether it's hours or wait or walking distance or stairs climbed.
54:55
SPEAKER_02: It just says in order to match the CA 17 and enable in order to match your doctor's restrictions.
55:02
SPEAKER_02: So the rules are 30 days after the claims examiner sees it.
55:05
SPEAKER_02: But again, you don't have to wait 30 days.
55:07
SPEAKER_02: They're just saying, like, some doctors are on vacation.
55:10
SPEAKER_02: What if you can't get it to your doctor this week?
55:12
SPEAKER_02: They just make room for the possibility that you can't see your doctor soon.
55:16
SPEAKER_02: But try to do it as soon as possible.
55:18
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
55:20
SPEAKER_01: Uh where's that?
55:21
SPEAKER_01: Matt said, I just filed charges for this 20 CFR 10.
55:25
SPEAKER_01: Good.
55:26
SPEAKER_01: Ooh, Matt, I want to hear this.
55:28
SPEAKER_02: Get you some, Matt.
55:29
SPEAKER_01: When you're done and you have an outcome, please let us know.
55:32
SPEAKER_01: We'll talk about this on chats.
55:33
SPEAKER_01: I'd love to read it.
55:34
SPEAKER_01: Becky, I've tuned in late.
55:36
SPEAKER_01: I have an issue with my shoulder for a couple years.
55:39
SPEAKER_01: I had an MRI come back with tears on my shoulders.
55:41
SPEAKER_01: Can I file a CA1 or CA2?
55:43
SPEAKER_01: I'm a role carrier.
55:44
SPEAKER_02: Well, yeah.
55:45
SPEAKER_02: It was for a couple of years.
55:46
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, you have three years to report an injury.
55:50
SPEAKER_02: So you're well within your three years if it's two years.
55:53
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
55:53
SPEAKER_01: So yeah, you've had it over time.
55:55
SPEAKER_01: So yeah, it's a CA2.
55:57
SPEAKER_02: We don't know if it's a CA1 or two.
55:58
SPEAKER_01: So ask your doctor.
56:00
SPEAKER_02: Don't get ahead of it.
56:01
SPEAKER_02: The question is, can you do it?
56:02
SPEAKER_02: Yes, you can.
56:03
SPEAKER_02: You have to decide which one it is.
56:06
SPEAKER_01: All right.
56:06
SPEAKER_01: Any other questions?
56:10
SPEAKER_01: All right, I'm letting you guys know next Wednesday, it's a hit or miss only because it depends on our travel time back home to Utah.
56:19
SPEAKER_01: And then the following Wednesday, hold on, let me give you dates.
56:23
SPEAKER_01: I'm looking at the wrong calendar.
56:24
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's the last one.
56:25
SPEAKER_01: So we're gonna be November 4th and 11th.
56:29
SPEAKER_01: I'm iffy about the 4th.
56:30
SPEAKER_01: If we are gonna be able to do chats because we get in early, I'll post something.
56:35
SPEAKER_01: But for the 4th and the 11th, we are gonna be actually flying both days.
56:41
SPEAKER_02: But we'll be posting some helpful things.
56:43
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
56:43
SPEAKER_02: You can always ask your questions still.
56:47
SPEAKER_01: Carolyn, oh my gosh, the hat.
56:49
SPEAKER_01: Kristen, I've been going to FIC in Knoxville and got approved yesterday.
56:53
SPEAKER_02: Yay! Congratulations.
56:56
SPEAKER_02: That's awesome.
56:56
SPEAKER_02: The claims examiners will be very pleased that we got another claim approved.
56:59
SPEAKER_01: Cindy, the claims examiner assigned a nurse from Sedgwick.
57:03
SPEAKER_01: I'm not sure why.
57:05
SPEAKER_01: Why would he need an assign a nurse?
57:07
SPEAKER_01: What is the purpose of this?
57:09
SPEAKER_01: That's normal.
57:10
SPEAKER_02: The nurse case managers are very commonly used in OWCP.
57:13
SPEAKER_02: Their job is just to help facilitate your return to work.
57:16
SPEAKER_02: Any problems maybe you're having, their job is to help overcome those problems.
57:21
SPEAKER_02: Usually, nurse case managers are um extremely helpful and useful.
57:25
SPEAKER_02: Some of them not so much.
57:28
SPEAKER_02: So if yours begins causing a problem that you can't overcome, you can actually request a change of uh of nurse case manager.
57:36
SPEAKER_02: But for the most part, they're helpful and um don't cause problems.
57:41
SPEAKER_02: But if they do, you have remedies for that.
57:44
SPEAKER_01: Anne said, just to clarify, the$24.99 job offer comes from DOL and DOL reviews a$24.99 before it's given to the employee.
57:54
SPEAKER_02: That's the limited duty for post office.
57:57
SPEAKER_02: $24.99 is a post office form.
58:00
SPEAKER_01: Callie said, my behavioral health provider has told me my last appointment this week to reach out to Senator Jerry Moran for assistance.
58:09
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I mean, I love content Congress.
58:12
SPEAKER_02: Love it.
58:13
SPEAKER_02: But Jerry Moran may not be your congressperson.
58:16
SPEAKER_02: Okay, so you got to find who yours is.
58:18
SPEAKER_02: You can just uh Google who is my U.S.
58:21
SPEAKER_02: representatives and it'll show you.
58:23
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, Callie, it is to babysit you at your appointment, the nurse case manager.
58:27
SPEAKER_02: Maybe, maybe, but the really good ones are super cooperative with the doctors.
58:31
SPEAKER_02: We've got some nurse case managers that love that we get people back to work at such a high rate that they recommend people coming to us because we help them do their job, which is to get people back to work.
58:41
SPEAKER_02: We're not the company doctor, but we know that the best way for you to get paid is to clock in.
58:46
SPEAKER_02: And we're sensitive to the fact that when you're not getting paid, you can't pay your bills.
58:49
SPEAKER_02: So we're very, very motivated for you to go back to work, which is why we play nice with nurse case managers.
58:54
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
58:55
SPEAKER_02: Because they're helping us do what our ultimate goal for you is.
58:58
SPEAKER_01: Maria said, if you already had surgery and you realize it was work related, can you still file a claim playing devil's advocate?
59:05
SPEAKER_02: You sure can as long as it's been within three years of the injury.
59:09
SPEAKER_01: Easy peasy.
59:11
SPEAKER_01: Lucinda, some nurse case managers tell the doctors what to put in the documents.
59:15
SPEAKER_01: I've gone through that as well.
59:17
SPEAKER_02: That's between the nurse and the doctor, but ultimately it's a doctor's decision if they want to put it in there or not.
59:22
SPEAKER_02: They can, though.
59:23
SPEAKER_02: They're welcome to.
59:24
SPEAKER_02: It's but it is their decision.
59:25
SPEAKER_01: Uh, Gary, I was a passenger in a work truck with a pole, herniated disc on my neck, tear in my back on the port of Louisiana.
59:36
SPEAKER_01: Do they pay for future medical?
59:38
SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
59:39
SPEAKER_02: You have once your claim's approved, you have lifetime medical and OWCP.
59:43
SPEAKER_01: Wait, what do you do though?
59:45
SPEAKER_01: What do you do for a OWCP?
59:47
SPEAKER_02: Oh, yeah.
59:48
SPEAKER_02: If it's OWCP, you have lifetime medical.
59:50
SPEAKER_01: Gary, are you a federal employee?
59:52
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, as long as you are.
59:53
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
59:54
SPEAKER_01: All right.
59:55
SPEAKER_01: Any other questions?
59:57
SPEAKER_02: Well, that was good.
59:58
SPEAKER_02: We got through a lot.
59:59
SPEAKER_02: Tonight was a lot.
1:00:00
SPEAKER_02: I almost didn't agree to do it because it was so many forms.
1:00:03
SPEAKER_02: And I like to, I was really talking fast.
1:00:06
SPEAKER_02: So if you have to go back and watch this again, I apologize.
1:00:09
SPEAKER_02: If you have questions, feel free and send us a messenger question.
1:00:12
SPEAKER_02: I want to make sure that we clear up any confusion you may have.
1:00:15
SPEAKER_02: And um hopefully that was good for you.
1:00:18
SPEAKER_02: But let us know.
1:00:19
SPEAKER_02: And if you have topics you want to talk about in the future, get on our list.
1:00:23
SPEAKER_02: We'll talk about it.
1:00:24
SPEAKER_01: And that goes back when you guys are messaging me, and I keep saying this almost every week.
1:00:29
SPEAKER_01: If you don't change your settings in your messenger to just be open, when you send me a Facebook message, like after the live, you'll go and click message and then you'll ask a question.
1:00:43
SPEAKER_01: You some of you don't change your settings, and I cannot respond to you unless you are actually on Facebook.
1:00:52
SPEAKER_01: So if you're not on Facebook, like say you sent me a message tonight and you're not sitting there with Facebook and you get off, and let's say I'm answering questions tomorrow morning between eight and five, and you're not on Facebook, I can't respond back.
1:01:07
SPEAKER_01: And a lot of you are saying that I'm not messaging you back.
1:01:10
SPEAKER_01: I can't even try to message you.
1:01:12
SPEAKER_01: If I go on my personal page and then try to message you, I can't because you're not on Facebook.
1:01:17
SPEAKER_01: So there is a setting in your Facebook that you need to do something with.
1:01:22
SPEAKER_01: I don't know what it is.
1:01:24
SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna try to figure it out so I can post it.
1:01:26
SPEAKER_01: Because a lot of you are responding, oh, I sent you a message a week ago and you're not responding.
1:01:31
SPEAKER_01: I cannot respond.
1:01:33
SPEAKER_01: I respond to everything as soon as I possibly can.
1:01:37
SPEAKER_01: But if it's not where I cannot respond, that is not on me.
1:01:40
SPEAKER_01: So if you don't see a response in a week, you need to go and change your settings.
1:01:44
SPEAKER_01: And I keep saying this every week.
1:01:45
SPEAKER_01: So those of you that are upset about that, I'm sorry, but you have to change the setting in your messenger for me to answer at whatever time.
1:01:54
SPEAKER_02: Gary, uh Gary's a longshoreman.
1:01:56
SPEAKER_02: So, Gary, if your injury is covered under the Longshore Act, future medical treatment can be covered potentially for life.
1:02:03
SPEAKER_02: Uh, the employer or its insurance carrier pays for reasonable, necessary treatment related to the injury, including your neck and your back, if they're established as work related.
1:02:13
SPEAKER_02: 33, write this down.
1:02:14
SPEAKER_02: 33 USC, that stands for United States Code.
1:02:18
SPEAKER_02: 33 USC 907A requires care for as long as the injury or recovery requires.
1:02:26
SPEAKER_02: So the key question is have you settled your claim?
1:02:28
SPEAKER_02: And if so, did that settlement include future medical?
1:02:32
SPEAKER_02: So this falls under longshore law, not FICA.
1:02:35
SPEAKER_02: So that's why it's uh anyways, it's uh 33 USC 907A, Gary.
1:02:41
SPEAKER_02: So I don't really know anything about longshore.
1:02:43
SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna be honest with you.
1:02:44
SPEAKER_02: I just use Chat GPT to get you that answer, but I refuse to end without answering your question.
1:02:49
SPEAKER_02: So yes, is uh is your answer.
1:02:51
SPEAKER_02: 33 USC 907A requires care for as long as the injury or recovery requires.
1:02:58
SPEAKER_02: Great question.
1:02:59
SPEAKER_02: I appreciate you stretching my brain out for me.
1:03:01
SPEAKER_01: Cindy said, can a nurse case manager help find an OWCP doctor?
1:03:07
SPEAKER_02: Sure, they can.
1:03:08
SPEAKER_02: They don't always do it, but yeah, they can.
1:03:10
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
1:03:11
SPEAKER_01: And also if you need to go Google OWCP, what did you say it was?
1:03:15
SPEAKER_02: OWCP injury doctor in your city and state.
1:03:18
SPEAKER_01: Or you go to federal injurycenters.com, click locations, and everything that's on there is there.
1:03:24
SPEAKER_02: You can choose us or you can choose anybody else.
1:03:26
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
1:03:27
SPEAKER_01: And we're still here.
1:03:28
SPEAKER_01: And if you go to an a competitor, we'll still help you.
1:03:32
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, we don't care.
1:03:33
SPEAKER_02: I'm here to help you.
1:03:34
SPEAKER_02: I don't care where you go.
1:03:36
SPEAKER_01: I saw your Halloween video.
1:03:38
SPEAKER_01: Amazing.
1:03:38
SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
1:03:39
SPEAKER_01: If you guys don't want to know what she's talking about, just keep scrolling and you'll see I posted our Halloween setup this year.
1:03:45
SPEAKER_01: It's a Michael Jackson theme that took almost what four or five days and in between our trips to set up, and I was going crazy, almost gonna kill Chris.
1:03:52
SPEAKER_02: And it nearly caused me to need back surgery.
1:03:55
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and I fell over a scalpel.
1:03:57
SPEAKER_01: So thank you for that.
1:03:59
SPEAKER_01: Stephanie, my claims examiner that my neurologist's office just sent the surgery authorization on Friday.
1:04:06
SPEAKER_01: False.
1:04:06
SPEAKER_01: Now she wants to send the second opinion a clarification statement about whether segmental is acceptable for disc fusion surgery.
1:04:16
SPEAKER_01: Huh.
1:04:17
SPEAKER_01: What does she mean by that?
1:04:20
SPEAKER_02: She's saying that it's gonna go to a second opinion doctor to clarify the statement about whether a segmental is acceptable for the disc fusion surgery.
1:04:27
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that happens.
1:04:28
SPEAKER_02: There's nothing you can do about it but attend the visit.
1:04:31
SPEAKER_02: You gotta go.
1:04:33
SPEAKER_01: Lori, what is the reason for OWCP having a nurse if they are across four states?
1:04:38
SPEAKER_02: Their job is to help facilitate return to work and solve problems.
1:04:41
SPEAKER_02: So the four state thing, I hear you.
1:04:44
SPEAKER_02: But that's their reason is to help rich facilitate return to work and solve problems.
1:04:48
SPEAKER_02: Their job is not to get in the way of your doctor and you, though.
1:04:51
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
1:04:51
SPEAKER_02: So if it starts to get not good, you know, you can request a change of nurse case manager.
1:04:56
SPEAKER_01: Cindy, I know we're we're working on getting more doctors.
1:05:00
SPEAKER_01: Joe's really working hard on that.
1:05:01
SPEAKER_01: But yeah, try Googling.
1:05:03
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, Cindy, where are you located?
1:05:05
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, where are you at, Cindy?
1:05:06
SPEAKER_02: I might know somebody.
1:05:07
SPEAKER_02: So if I can help you, I will.
1:05:08
SPEAKER_01: Stephanie, my surgery is scheduled for November 4th.
1:05:11
SPEAKER_01: She's known about this well over a month.
1:05:15
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
1:05:16
SPEAKER_02: I hear you.
1:05:17
SPEAKER_02: Remember, there are a few hundred claims examiners and nearly three million federal employees.
1:05:21
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
1:05:21
SPEAKER_02: So I hear you.
1:05:23
SPEAKER_02: Right and clear.
1:05:24
SPEAKER_01: Those of you that are saying you're not seeing our lives till later, you have to click the follow button on Facebook or you click the subscribe button on YouTube.
1:05:35
SPEAKER_01: That's when you're gonna get the notifications pop up.
1:05:38
SPEAKER_02: I'd love you to be here live.
1:05:39
SPEAKER_02: So I hope that hope you can follow or subscribe.
1:05:42
SPEAKER_01: Camilla, OWCP has denied my back surgery.
1:05:45
SPEAKER_01: So if I use my health insurance, will OWCP pay me while I'm out?
1:05:49
SPEAKER_02: No.
1:05:50
SPEAKER_01: You have to get approved by OWCP surgery.
1:05:52
SPEAKER_01: And that sucks.
1:05:53
SPEAKER_02: I hate that answer.
1:05:54
SPEAKER_02: But let me tell you why they denied your back surgery.
1:05:56
SPEAKER_02: Either A, your claim is not approved, and I'm not saying it is or isn't, but that's one thing.
1:06:01
SPEAKER_02: B, uh your accepted condition is like a back sprain, which is not surgical.
1:06:05
SPEAKER_02: And so they need to do a diagnosis expansion explaining that your diagnosis is more than a sprain.
1:06:11
SPEAKER_02: From there, typically they approve back surgery, but you got to have the proper diagnosis that is surgical.
1:06:17
SPEAKER_02: It's like if you sprain your ankle playing basketball, which I've done a thousand times.
1:06:21
SPEAKER_02: It's never been surgical, it just heals.
1:06:23
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, they'll never do surgery on that ankle.
1:06:25
SPEAKER_02: Versus I have a herniated disc on my back.
1:06:27
SPEAKER_02: If I get the herniation approved, I can get you know disc surgery.
1:06:31
SPEAKER_02: So you got to make sure your claim's approved and you have the proper diagnosis for the surgery.
1:06:36
SPEAKER_02: Until then, you're never getting it approved and they won't pay you.
1:06:38
SPEAKER_02: It doesn't matter who covers your surgery.
1:06:41
SPEAKER_01: Oh, Jacqueline said, Go to FIC.
1:06:43
SPEAKER_01: You may have to travel.
1:06:44
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
1:06:45
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, sometimes you do if you really want to go to any of our offices.
1:06:48
SPEAKER_01: Your choice.
1:06:49
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
1:06:49
SPEAKER_01: All right, guys.
1:06:50
SPEAKER_01: So it's really great being back.
1:06:52
SPEAKER_01: And I know we're probably going to be gone again for another two weeks, but we're going to do some posts.
1:06:56
SPEAKER_01: I'm going to make Chris do some things based off of what we discussed tonight on here.
1:07:01
SPEAKER_01: Those of you that are in Utah, if you would like to get on the Zoom for our America OWCP couples tour, please contact the Salt Lake City office and they'll give you the info and the Zoom info.
1:07:15
SPEAKER_01: And this goes for anybody that's in the state of Utah that is a federal employee.
1:07:20
SPEAKER_01: So contact uh Dr.
1:07:22
SPEAKER_01: Matt Wood's Cottonwood Heights office in Utah.
1:07:25
SPEAKER_02: And Cindy says she's north of Houston.
1:07:27
SPEAKER_02: So I'm a Texan, so I have an idea of where you're talking about.
1:07:31
SPEAKER_02: I'm also aware, being a Texan, that there are a lot of OWCP doctors throughout Texas, including Houston.
1:07:37
SPEAKER_02: So I would search Google OWCP Injury Doctor Houston or whatever town you're in.
1:07:42
SPEAKER_02: I would go ahead and search that with Sugarland or the one we were talking about the other day.
1:07:46
SPEAKER_02: Anyways.
1:07:47
SPEAKER_02: Woodlands.
1:07:48
SPEAKER_02: So wherever you're at, do OWCP Injury Doctor in your city and state.
1:07:52
SPEAKER_02: And you should be able to find somebody there.
1:07:54
SPEAKER_02: I'd be very surprised if you can't.
1:07:56
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, there's got to be somebody.
1:07:57
SPEAKER_01: I think I know, but I don't know the name of their company.
1:08:00
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
1:08:00
SPEAKER_01: Uh Beth said, Can I use my own insurance to pay for surgery?
1:08:04
SPEAKER_02: Can is the answer to any CAN question is yes.
1:08:07
SPEAKER_02: Will your health insurance cover it knowing it's work related?
1:08:11
SPEAKER_02: Maybe not.
1:08:12
SPEAKER_02: So that's going to be the issue for you.
1:08:13
SPEAKER_02: You'll have to work out.
1:08:14
SPEAKER_01: All right, guys.
1:08:15
SPEAKER_01: It was so fun being back tonight.
1:08:17
SPEAKER_01: And um, don't forget to chair for my team, my university, go Ute's.
1:08:24
SPEAKER_01: I don't know about Notre Dame over here.
1:08:25
SPEAKER_01: Just go Irish.
1:08:27
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
1:08:28
SPEAKER_01: We'll see you guys back either next week or in two weeks.
1:08:31
SPEAKER_01: Have a good night, everybody.
1:08:33
SPEAKER_01: And have a happy Halloween.