PEN HOME | ON THE JOB INJURY

FEDERAL WORKER'S COMPENSATION

Federal Employees Compensation Act - FECA
U.S. Department of Labor
Office of Workers Compensation Programs - OWCP

At THE ELLIS CLINIC we welcome Federal and Postal employees who need assistance with their work injuries, medical retirement or other medical matters. Call us, we may be able to assist you in several ways.

MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS, REPORTS & TREATMENT

• Permanent Impairment Ratings done in accordance with the strict and complicated Federal requirements and the American Medical Association’s, Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, 5th Edition.
   
• Temporary Disability Medical Reports that document:
  - Work relatedness of your injury to qualify for Federal Workers Compensation,
  - Any inability to work so that you can be paid while you are recovering,
  - Medical restrictions that you need to assist your recovery,
  - Recommendations for treatment and/or referrals to specialists.
  - Second Opinions
   
• OPM Medical Disability Retirement, VA and Social Security Medical Reports:
  We will help you document your need to retire due to medical disability.
   
• Physician Portion of Federal Forms: We are happy to assist you in completing the physician component of various forms for Federal Workers Compensation, medical restrictions, medical retirement, etc.
   
• Medical Reports to Help You Get Your Claim Accepted by OWCP:
  If you are having trouble getting your claim accepted we can examine you and your medical records and prepare a medical report that you can give to your OWCP claims manager or to your representative or lawyer.

Assistance in Obtaining Reimbursement for Your Examinations

• We will email the Department of Labor to try to get your exam pre-authorized. Although Ellis Clinic cannot guarantee a pre-authorization it has been our experience that the DOL frequently authorizes our requests which then allows us to reimburse you after we have been paid by the DOL.
• In addition, we will complete and send in your HCFA Form 1500 Health Insurance Claim Form to further assist you in being reimbursed for your examinations.
• We will also send you a copy of our reports for your files

An Apology for Doctors Not Understanding Federal Workers Compensation
from Doc Ellis

As a Professor of Legal Medicine who teaches doctors all over the United States, I have observed that the majority of physicians are reluctant to become involved in their patient’s State Workers Compensation injury claims. An even greater number of physicians express a very vocal aversion to Federal Workers Compensation injuries. This makes it very difficult for Federal employees to obtain treatment and proper medical documentation.

I apologize for my colleagues reluctance to see injured Federal employees.

It is my opinion that their reluctance is primarily due to the lack of Legal Medicine training in medical school, office staffs not trained in properly submitting claims for reimbursement, and the general bias against injured patients who have to file an injury claim.

Federal Workers Compensation is even more difficult because each agency is entrusted with the stewardship of public funds and is therefore under stricter guidelines than a state system where an insurance company has more leeway and options available to offer an injured employee. Each Federal agency needs objective information and documentation in the approved format before they can process a Federal Workers’ Compensation claim.

A Discussion of the Bias Against Injured Workers

There is a generalized bias against people who are injured and then through no fault of their own find themselves having to file an injury claim.

We probably all know of cases where someone was obviously fraudulent. These are the cases we remember. However, medical studies show that the majority of injured workers are very legitimate and are actually reluctant to complain because they do not want to be thought of as malingering or asking for more than they deserve.

The same fellow employees and supervisors that might pass the hat and personally bring canned goods and blankets for someone who is injured in a home fire may unconsciously act just the opposite towards an employee who has had an on the job injury. This antagonistic reaction occurs because injury involves the concept of fault. Our response to fault starts at an early age with “Its not my fault.” This antagonistic attitude psychologically harms the injured employee and interferes with the smooth administration of an injury claim.

We at THE ELLIS CLINIC are trained to treat each injured employee with fairness, objectivity and compassion. We Want to help.

God Bless You.

John W. Ellis, M.D. Medical Director
THE ELLIS CLINIC

From Rick Owens - Founder of Postal Employee Network

I would like to emphasize that you cannot under estimate your need to have properly completed forms when filing a Workman's Compensation claim - most importantly, the physician claim forms that can, and do, either get your claim approved or denied.

I have been fighting just such a claim since 2001 - when I got injured while on the job as a letter carrier. I wish I had known about Doc Ellis and THE ELLIS CLINIC at that time... maybe the past four years would have been a little easier to cope with.

You owe it to yourself, and your claim, to check out THE ELLIS CLINIC.

THE ELLIS CLINIC | PEN HOME | ON THE JOB INJURY