![]() Self-administered COVID-19 tests, also called “home tests,” “at-home tests” or “over-the-counter” (OTC) tests, are insufficient to establish a diagnosis of COVID-19 under the FECA. If a positive PCR, antigen, or antibody test is not available, a COVID-19 diagnosis from a physician together with rationalized medical opinion supporting the diagnosis and an explanation as to why a positive test result is not available.A positive antibody COVID-19 test result, together with contemporaneous medical evidence that the claimant had documented symptoms of and/or was treated for COVID-19 by a physician (a notice to quarantine is not sufficient if there was no evidence of illness) or.A positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or antigen COVID-19 test result or.To establish a diagnosis of COVID-19, the employee should submit: Note that the determination as to whether or not the claim will be adjudicated under the ARPA is not the date of injury, but rather the date of the diagnosis. For a CA-1 claim, the date of injury is the date of the claimed incident that caused COVID-19. The date of injury for a CA-2 claim is the last date the claimant was exposed to claimed factors of employment prior to testing positive for COVID-19. However, if a CA-1 is filed but the event is not clearly identifiable as to time and place of occurrence, OWCP will administratively convert the CA-1 to a CA-2 and a formal decision will be issued denying entitlement to COP. Under rare circumstances, claimants may still file a CA-1 when they can identify a specific incident or incidents that led to their infection. This is consistent with how OWCP has historically handled infectious disease cases. This is because in most cases there will be no clear, identifiable incident or incidents over a single day or work shift to which the injured worker can specifically attribute the cause of his or her diagnosed COVID-19. 27 should generally be filed on Form CA-2, Notice of Occupational Disease. While COVID-19 claims under the ARPA were filed via a CA-1 to ensure that claimants received continuation of pay (COP) during the pandemic, claims for COVID-19 diagnosed after Jan. In a nutshell, OWCP will return to processing COVID-19 cases according to the same rules and procedures that it applies to every other OWCP claim.Ĭlaimants must establish the five basic elements for adjudication as set forth under the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA) as follows: 1) The claim was timely filed 2) The claimant is a civil employee of the federal government 3) The claimant provided evidence of a diagnosis of COVID-19, and evidence that establishes that they actually experienced disease exposure 4) The exposure occurred while the claimant was in the performance of duty and 5) The diagnosed COVID-19 was found by a physician to be causally related to the work exposure. 15, outlining how it would process COVID-19 cases that are diagnosed after Jan. Prior to Januand after January 27, 2023Īnticipating the expiration of the ARPA COVID-19 provisions, OWCP published FECA Bulletin 23-02 on Dec. You can read about filing an ARPA COVID-19 claim here. As the long-term effects of COVID-19 are relatively unknown, even for an asymptomatic case, filing a claim can provide protection for your future. Filing a claim can provide benefits such as Continuation of Pay, wage loss compensation, medical coverage, and death benefits. If you were diagnosed with COVID-19 while employed in Federal service at any time during the period of January 27, 2020, to January 27, 2023, and worked within 21 days of your diagnosis your claim can be established through the new law. The new law makes it much easier for federal workers diagnosed with COVID-19 to establish coverage under the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA). On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA). Filing COVID-19 claims Januto January 27, 2023 If you don't know who your steward is, you can contact your branch or national business agent's office here. If you are not a member and need help, contact your shop steward to join the NALC so we can help you too. The NALC is committed to helping injured members with their on the job injuries. NALC Disaster Relief Foundation Member's Guide.Donate to the NALC Disaster Relief Foundation by credit card.Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger ® Food Drive.What to do if your branch lost its tax-exempt status.Union Member Rights & Officer Responsibilities under the LMRDA.Letter Carrier Political Fund for retirees.“Advanced Formal A and Beyond” training program.Joint Contract Administration Manual (JCAM). ![]() Pay table & Cost-of-living adjustments (COLA).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |