Occupational Disease or Illness Checklist
ATTENTION ALL CARRIERS THAT HAVE FILED A CLAIM TO OWCP. Once you receive a Development Letter, YOU MUST CONTACT ME IMMEDIATELY. Call 631-789-1616 so we can review your claim to determine what you need to do in order to help get your case approved. Failure to contact me could result in your claim being denied.
The Office of Workers’ Compensation Program (OWCP) defines an “Occupational Disease or Illness” as a medical condition produced in the work environment over a period longer than a single workday or shift by such factors as systemic infection; continued or repeated stress or strain; or exposure to hazaedous elements such as, but not limited to, toxins poisons, fumes, noise, particles or radiation, or other continued or repeated conditions or factors of the work environment.
A claim based on an occupational disease is filed with OWCP on Form CA-2, “Federal Employee’s Notice of Occupational Disease and Claim for Compensation” – you must keep in mind that the employee has the burden of proving that the occupational disease is casually related to your employment (survivors have the same burden in cases of death).
To establish a claim for compensation benefits for occupational Disease or Illness, complete the front of the CA-2 and submit it to your supervisor as soon as possible, but not later 30 days after you are aware of the connection between the disease or illness and your employment as a Letter Carrier, or 30 days after you were last exposed to the conditions of your employment implicated in your claim, whichever is later.
Claims for compensation relating to an “occupational disease” are more complicated than those for a traumatic injury. This is due principally to the fact that the disease or illness on which the claim is based is not always easily connected to the employee’s occupation and / or work environment. In fact, the disease or illness may occur frequently within general population, and factors unrelated to the job may equally or more frequently be identified as the cause.
The following is a checklist for workers who suffer occupational illness or disease.
1. Go to your own doctor. The first step is to determine if your physician believes that your medical condition is casually related to your employment. Make an appointment with your doctor. Briefly describe the work you do as a Letter Carrier, and ask your doctor if there is a casual connection between the work and your condition.
2. Report on CA-2. If your physician indicates the medical condition was caused, aggravated, accelerated or precipitated by your work, get a CA-2 Form from your supervisor. Complete the form and hand it to your supervisor. Do not place it on the supervisor’s desk or other location. The Employee Labor Manual (ELM) Section 541.3 requires installation heads to maintain adequate supplies of CA Forms including CA-2.
3. Get the receipt. Get the signed receipt portion of the CA-2 from the supervisor. Make sure the supervisor has signed it and properly completed it, including placement of the injured worker’s name on it. Instructions on the CA-2 require the supervisor to complete the receipt and give it to the employee at the time the form is received from the employee.
4. Get completed copy of CA-2. Ask the supervisor to give you a copy if the completed CA-2 as soon as the supervisor or injury compensation specialist has completed management’s portion of the form. Follow up and make sure you receive a copy.
5. Get a CA-17. Ask a supervisor for a CA-17. This form describes to your doctor what work you do, and allows the doctor to tell management what medical restrictions are necessary, if any. Make sure management has completed the left side of the form. Take the CA-17 to your doctor. Inform the doctor that limited duty work may be available. Have your doctor complete the right side of the CA-17 , and return it to your supervisor.
6. Write a description of your work. Write a description of your normal work you perform. Emphasize those aspects of your work that impact the injured body part. Make estimates of weights, distances and repetitions. Never exaggerate. Use qualifiers such as about or approximately. Print and sign your name and date it. Give a copy to your supervisor. After you receive a claim number from the Office of Workers Compensation Program (OWCP). Give a separate copy of your work description to your physician.
7. Have your physician write a medical narrative. Ask your physician to write a medical narrative. Necessary elements of the narrative include: 1) a statement that he or she has read your description of work; 2) a specific diagnosis; 3) a statement that the diagnosed condition was caused, aggravated, accelerated or precipitated by the work described; and 4) a detailed explanation of why the doctor believes so. Ask your doctor to send the narrative directly to OWCP, not the Postal Service.
Injured Letter Carrier’s who follow the above checklist will increase their chances of ensuring that they have met their initial burden of proof. If management refuses to comply with any of the requests or requirements noted in the checklist, the injured Letter Carrier should inform the Steward or Branch Office for assistance.
As this Article is for both the November and December issues I would like to thank all our brother and sister veterans for their service in protecting this great nation. I also want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah or any other Holiday observed and a Healthy Happy New Year.
