eComp, Helping You After 45 Days
One of the more common issues plaguing our members who have been injured in the line of duty is bridging their wages from Continuation of Pay (COP) to Wage Compensation from the Department of Labor Office of Workers compensation (DOL OWCP). On the employee portion of the CA-1, Claim for Traumatic Injury, workers must choose between continuation of pay (COP) and using sick or annual leave. To be eligible for COP, a worker must have a job-related traumatic injury, file a CA-1 within 30 days of the date of injury, and begin losing time from work due to the injury within 45 days. In most cases, selecting COP makes the most sense.
COP is paid for up to 45 calendar days of disability, and is not charged against sick or annual leave. If you elect sick or annual leave you may not claim compensation to repurchase leave used during the 45 days of COP entitlement. COP for disability resulting from traumatic, job-related injury, not to exceed 45 calendar days. (To be eligible for continuation of pay, the employee, or someone acting on his/her behalf, must file Form CA-1 within 30 days following the injury and provide medical evidence in support of disability within 10 days of submission of the CA-1. The provisions outlined in 20 CFR 10.222 apply.
After the 45 days of COP has expired, and if the injured Carrier has not recovered from the On-the-Job Injury, The Injured Carrier must seek wage compensation from OWCP if they are to receive wages. Form CA-7 is the form that must be used and is critical for claiming wage loss compensation. Injured workers must complete the front side of the CA-7 and submit it to the Postal Service. The Postal Service is then required to complete the back side of the form and forward it to the Office of Workers Compensation Program. The Postal Service is legally and contractually required to fill out its portion of the form and forward the completed form to OWCP as soon as possible but no more than 5 working days after receipt from the employee.
As I have written in previous articles the US Postal Service has begun using ECOMP (Employee’s Compensation Operations and Management Portal) which gives the employees access to electronically file workers compensation forms. The ECOMP system is a web-based application that is accessible via the Department of Labor’s public internet site. Through this site, as a Postal employee in the Long Island District, you will now have the ability to electronically file your CA-7, Claim for Compensation from your PC, Laptop, Phone or even postal computer. You will have the ability to track the status of your forms via the ECOMP site at every step in the process. ECOMP also allows you to electronically upload and submit documents directly to your Injury Compensation file at the Department of Labor.
Please take the time to visit the OWCP website https://www.ecomp.dol.gov/ and register and create an account. When filing your CA-7 form, please be sure to include HRM’s email address: HRMDistrictB0031@usps.gov. The Employing Agency portion of your CA-7 will be completed by HRM so it is not necessary to submit your form to your supervisor. ECOMP also allows Federal employee users to file CA-7 wage loss compensation claims via the portal. CA-7 forms may be filed for cases created in ECOMP and for cases created outside ECOMP. For cases created in ECOMP, you log in to your ECOMP account and find the CA-1 or CA-2 form for which you want to file a CA-7. Note: you can only file a CA-7 if the form has been created as a case by OWCP. Click the CA-7 link in the bubble next to the form’s listing to begin the process. For cases created outside of ECOMP, click the blue button at the top right hand side of the screen to locate an existing case and file your CA-7.
After you have filled out all required fields in your CA-7 and electronically submitted it to your supervisor, you will be notified of your form’s progress every step of the way via email. Additional help and training materials for filing CA-7 When you log in to ECOMP as a verified user, you will be required to complete Multi-Factor Authentication. Once you complete Multi-Factor Authentication, you will land on your ECOMP Dashboard. To file a Form CA-7, select the case under the "Cases" tab on your ECOMP Dashboard. Click the NEW CASE FORM drop-down menu and select "File a new CA-7" option. Click FILE A CA-7 and then NEXT to proceed. Your name, OWCP file number, and date of injury will be pre-populated and may not be edited. Your mailing address, telephone number, and your supervisor's email address will also be pre-populated, but you may edit them. Enter and confirm your Social Security Number (SSN). The number you enter must match the SSN for your ECOMP account. You will be notified if the number you enter does not match the SSN for your ECOMP account.
Next, indicate which type of compensation you are claiming for: Leave without Pay, Leave Buy Back, Other Wage Loss, or Schedule Award. The most common is Wage Compensation for Wage Loss because of the on the job injury. Enter the period you are claiming, and indicate whether the dates are intermittent. If you go back to partial duty, or intermittent hours you should complete CA-7a ‘Time Analysis Form' in ECOMP after submitting the CA-7.
If you select Other Wage Loss, specify the type of wage loss. If you enter future dates, you will receive a message advising you that your agency must verify your work/leave status, and this can only be done once the period has expired. You may claim compensation for future dates, but OWCP will only process your claim through the date verified by your agency.
Next, indicate whether this is the first CA-7 for the case. If so, you will need to enter additional information. If not, state whether there have been any changes to your dependents, direct deposit, or other federal benefits since your last CA-7. If there have been any changes, you will need to update the information.
If this is not your first CA-7, and there have not been any changes, you will skip to the ATTACHMENTS page. If this is your first CA-7 or there have been changes, you will need to enter additional information. If you have any dependents, including spouse, enter each dependent's name, SSN, date of birth, and their relationship to you. You must also indicate whether the dependent lives with you. If a dependent does not live with you, indicate whether you are making support payments. If so, provide additional information.
Next, indicate whether a claim will be made against a third party, and whether you have applied for or received benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs or under any federal retirement or disability law. If you select "Yes," provide additional information.
Next, upload any documents you wish to submit in support of your claim. Please note that any claimed periods must be supported by medical documentation of disability or treatment related to your work injury. If you have medical documentation to support your claimed period, you should upload it here by clicking CHOOSE A FILE. A separate tutorial is available for uploading documents.
Next, a summary of information that you entered is displayed. If any changes are needed, click "Edit" to return to that portion of the form. Proceed to the next page, and click SIGN AND FILE. You must also agree with the displayed statement. You will then see a confirmation that your form has been forwarded to your supervisor. Use the ECN assigned to your claim to track its status. You may view or save a PDF copy of the CA‐7 using the "View" or "Get PDF" links. If you have documents you wish to upload, you may click "Upload Attachments." Click “DONE” to return to your ECOMP Dashboard.
After your supervisor has completed the supervisor's portion of the CA-7, it will be forwarded to your agency's ECOMP Agency Reviewer for final review and submission to OWCP.
The legal requirement to process the CA-7 form is clear. Implementing regulations of the Federal Employees Compensation Act (FECA) at 20 CFR 10.111
Upon receipt of Form CA-7 from the employee, or someone acting on his or her behalf, the employer shall complete the appropriate portions of the form. As soon as possible, but no more than five working days after receipt from the employee, the employer shall forward the completed CA-7 and any accompanying medical report to OWCP.
The Employee Labor Manual (ELM) Section 545.82(d): The control office or control point forwards the completed Form CA-7 and any other accompanying medical reports to OWCP within 5 working days upon receipt from the employee.
ELM Section 545.812 If the disability is a result of an occupational disease or illness, a From CA-7 is completed and submitted to OWCP not more than 5 working days upon receipt from the employee.
ELM Section 545.12: Control point personnel must not under any circumstances or for any reason delay timely submission of reports or claim forms to the control office.
The CA-7 TRACKING tab displays a table with information about Form CA-7s you have filed for the case. The table includes five columns: Comp Payment Period: From – To; Adjudication Period: From – To; Date CA-7 Received by OWCP; Decision Code, Date, and Description; and Date Injured Worker Signed.
The COMPENSATION PAYMENT HISTORY tab displays a table with nine columns: Compensation Period, Relationship Code, Roll Type, Payment Method, Payment Amount, Payment Date, Payment Type, Sequence Number, and Cancelled Payment Indicator. Click on a row to view detailed information on the payment. You may download the information as a PDF or Excel file. Click the "Return to Case Review" link to return to the case information page.
Should you have either questions or issues with your registration process or filing a CA-7, Claim for Compensation, please feel free to contact the Branch for assistance. Legal and contractual provisions place strict time requirements on the Postal Service to process and forward the CA-7’s to the office of Workers Compensation. Delays by the Postal Service in processing your CA-7 or an unnecessary delay in the receipt of compensation by the injured workers should not be accepted. If you determine that the form was delayed you should contact your Shop Steward and Full Time Officer about a possible grievance. The attached QR code will bring you right to the ECOMP website.
