What is the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act?
The Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA) is a federal program that provides workers’ compensation benefits to federal employees. The federal program is staged in 12 district offices; Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Jacksonville, Cleveland, Chicago, Kansas City, Denver, San Francisco, Seattle, and Dallas, with the National headquarters residing in Washington D.C.
The program is funded by employing agencies by way of reimbursement for compensation expenses. However, administration of the cost of the service is actually quite low. Overhead includes just 4% of benefits and Federal workers’ compensation costs are only 1.8% of total Federal and Postal payrolls.
Like workers’ compensation in Nevada, the compensation is awarded to an employee that was injured in the scope of employment and include benefits such as:
- wage-loss benefits
- monetary benefits
- medical benefits
- vocational rehabilitation
Who is a Qualified Employee?:
115,697 new cases were created by approximately 242,000 employees in 2012. Those cases provided over $3.025 billion in benefit payments.
All civilian employees of the United States, except those paid from non-appropriated funds, are covered. Special legislation provides coverage to the Peace Corps; Federal petit or grand jurors; volunteer members of of the Civil Air Patrol; Reserve Officer Training Corps Cadets; Neighborhood Youth Groups; and non-Federal law enforcement officers under certain circumstances involving crimes against the United States.
Coverage extends to all Federal Employees regardless of length of time on the job or the type of position including temporary.
Procedure of Payment:
- 45 days – A decision is made within 45 days regarding a traumatic injury
- 90 days – A decision is made within 90 days regarding a simple occupational illness
- 10 months – A decision is made within 10 months regarding a complex occupational illness
Compensation payments are made after wage loss begins and the medical evidence shows that the employee cannot perform the duties of his or her regular job. Compensation is paid at two-thirds of the employees’ pay rate if he or she has no dependents, and three-fourths of the pay rate if he or she is married and has one or more dependents.
Compensation payments end when the employee returns to full duty in the same job held when injured, is reemployed in a job which does not result in a loss of wages, and an employee refuses the offer of a suitable job with the reasoning not being reasonable.
Benefits Beyond Payment:
FECA makes certain to give workers injured in the scope of employment the right to return to their federal job within one year of of beginning of loss of wages. FECA does everything they can to help with the return to the workplace. To do so, FECA will assign a registered nurse to make certain an appropriate level of medical care is provided; refer an injured worker to a medical specialist for a second opinion when required; and make proper referrals for vocational rehabilitation services if the worker is unable to return to work at the employing agency or in his or her previous job category.