FECA provides for all medical services, appliances, and supplies prescribed or recommended by qualified physicians that cure, give relief, reduce the degree or the period of disability, or aid in lessening the monthly compensation amount.  This includes examination, treatment, and related services such as medications and hospitalization, as well as transportation needed to secure services for the treatment of the accepted condition(s). No time or monetary limitations will be imposed on medical care for the employee as long as there is a substantiated need for treatment of the work-related injury or illness.

Medical Treatment

If an employee requires medical treatment for the injury, the supervisor should complete the first page of Form CA-16 , Authorization for Examination and/or Treatment, within four hours of the request whenever possible.  The Form CA-16 can be obtained by contacting the Bureau Workers’ Compensation Specialist or MCA office.  If there is doubt whether the employee's condition is related to the employment, it should be indicated on the form. Where there is no time to complete Form CA-16, the supervisor may authorize medical treatment by telephone and send the completed form to the medical facility within 48 hours. Retroactive issuance of Form CA-16 is usually not permitted under other circumstances.  Form CA-16 should not be issued if more than a week has passed since the injury or if the injured worker has already received medical treatment.

Note: Only available for traumatic injury claims filed on form (CA-1)

Choice of Treating Physician

The employee is entitled to select the physician of their choice to provide treatment. The provider must be a qualified physician as defined in 5 U.S. C. 8101(2), which states that "'physician' includes surgeons, podiatrists, dentists, clinical psychologists, optometrists, chiropractors, and osteopathic practitioners within the scope of their practice as defined by State law.”

Note: chiropractors are only considered a valid choice of physician when the diagnosis is a subluxation of the spine as demonstrated by x-ray. Employees who seek chiropractic care for any other condition risk having their claim denied.

The provider must not have been excluded from payment under the FECA program. Physicians employed by, or under contract with, the agency may examine the employee at the agency's facility in accordance with Office of Personnel Management regulations. However, the employee's choice of physician must be honored, and treatment by the employee's physician must not be delayed for the purpose of obtaining an agency-directed medical examination.  If the employee wishes to change the treating physician after the initial selection has been made, written justification must be provided and prior approval must be obtained from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Worker’s Compensation Programs (DOL-OWCP).

Last Update: July 2024