Federal Defense
SC Federal Workers Compensation Attorneys
Helping Injured Federal Workers
Don’t be denied the benefits you deserve.
Work injuries can upend a worker’s life and jeopardize the livelihood they and their families rely on.
Injured federal employees can receive the following:
Medical Care
Replacement of Lost Wages
Compensation for Injuries
Our firm consists of former Department of Justice attorneys with decades of legal experience. And unlike most other firms that might handle federal workers’ compensation cases, we are located in South Carolina. We know the federal system, and we know South Carolina. As former federal employees, we know firsthand what is involved in federal benefits and workers’ compensation, and we bring that experience to our clients.
Any federal employee injured on the job needs an experienced workers’ compensation attorney who understands the federal system from the inside. Our firm has the experience injured federal workers need to provide for themselves and their families. Don’t miss the benefits you and your family deserve; contact us for a free consultation to learn how we can help you.
Proudly Helping All Federal Employees
Fundamentals of Federal Workers Comp. and How We Help
What is Federal Workers Compensation?
Federal workers compensation provides compensation for all civilian federal employees who are disabled as a result of injuries incurred as a result of their employment.
This compensation includes:
Lost Wages
Medical Care
Rehabilitation
Attendant’s Allowance
Survivor’s Benefits
Where an individual dies, funeral and burial expenses can be covered, administrative corsts of terminating the individuals status with the federal government may be covered, and compensation for certain educational benefits may be paid to the individual’s surviving family.
Who is Covered?
The Federal Employees Compensation Act, often referred to as FECA, covers federal civil employees and “Special Act” employees under FECA (certain workers who are not regular civilian employees but are extended benefits by law, for example, the D.C. Metropolitan Police Reserve Corp.)
What Injuries Are Covered?
Federal Workers Compensation covers injuries that are generally placed into two groups:
Traumatic Injuries - those caused by external force, including stress or strain. Examples are a dog bite, trip and fall or a broken ankle when slipping and falling on ice.
Non-Traumatic Injuries or Occupational Disease - these injuries are caused by conditions of the workplace and repeated exposure to those conditions. There are two types of Occupational Disease:
Basic - Claims for skin, orthopedic, viral, infectious or parasitic disease. For instance, poison ivy, a stress fracture or carpal tunnel syndrome.
Extended - Claims that require more development and are harder to identify, such as hearing loss, stress related conditions, or asbestos-related illness.
An injury includes all diseases that can be shown to have resulted from employment. Aggravation of a pre-existing injury or condition by employment can also be covered, and claims can include damage or destriction of medical braces, artificial limbs or prosthetic appliances.
What Can an Injured Person Get?
Continuation of Pay. Federal workers injured by a traumatic injury can claim, under certain circumstances, regular pay to continue for up to 45 days.
Compensation. Where there is permanent impairment involving the loss, or loss of use, of a body part, or disfigurement, an employee can receive compensation. This compensation is determined by a “schedule” or chart, of awards. These scheduled take into account the type of loss, for example an arm. They then give a number of weeks of compensation (or pay) that would be awarded for the loss. Using the loss of an arm example, the compensation would be 312 weeks of an individual’s pay.
Compensation is also determined by the degree of loss involved that is, whether there is total loss or some degree of impairment. Information used to make this determination often comes from Doctor’s reports.
How Do You Claim Benefits?
If you are injured on the job, you file a claim form through your employer to start your case. You can be represented by an attorney in this process. Generally, a claim also constitutes notice of injury to a worker’s supervisor. Both a claim, and notice of injury, must be made, and there are forms that pertain to these different filings.
Once you have made a claim, the Office of Worker’s Compensation Programs will review it. Medical records and other documentation is critical to ensuring that OWCP gets the claim right.
Once OWCP accepts your claim, it is OWCP's burden of proof to reduce or modify your benefits. However, on a practical level you must continue treatment for your injury and make sure OWCP continues to receive documentation from your doctor for as long as you want to continue to receive benefits.
How We Help
Claims
There are a wide range of forms, claims and notices that are required early on when a federal worker is injured and needs compensation. We can assist injured federal workers in making sure they get through this process without missing any benefits they are entitled to.
Developing Medical Evidence
It is paramount that medical records be properly reviewed and supplemented in a thorough way. Our office knows this process and how to develop this evidence to obtain the full amount of benefits an injured employee is entitled to.
Considering Other Benefits
A workers compensation claim does not occur in a vacuum. Instead, it often exists along with federal disability retirement issues, social security disability issues, social security income, and personal injury lawsuits. Our attorneys take all of this into account and help our clients in these areas as well when needed.