Federal Employees (FECA) Workers Comp Guide
If you work for the federal government, nothing on the rest of this site about state-specific rules applies to you — FECA is a completely different system.
A Completely Separate System
The Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA) covers civilian federal employees injured on the job, and it's administered by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) — not any state agency. None of the state-by-state benefit rates, filing deadlines, or waiting periods on this site apply if you're a federal employee; FECA has its own distinct formula for everything.
Key Differences From State Workers Comp
- Compensation rate: FECA generally pays a higher percentage than most state systems — commonly two-thirds for workers without dependents, three-quarters for those with dependents.
- No state agency involved: Claims go through OWCP directly, not a state workers comp board.
- Different forms and deadlines: FECA uses its own claim forms (CA-1 for traumatic injury, CA-2 for occupational disease) and its own filing deadlines, separate from any state's statute of limitations.
- No dollar caps on medical care: Unlike many state systems, FECA doesn't apply a fee schedule cap the same way — though it has its own cost controls.
What Doesn't Change
The core logic is still similar to state systems in broad strokes — report the injury, get medical treatment, file a claim, and the same concepts (maximum medical improvement, permanent impairment ratings, temporary vs. permanent disability) still apply, just administered through a federal rather than state process.
If you're a federal employee, your first step should be your agency's workers comp coordinator or OWCP directly — not your state's workers comp agency, which has no jurisdiction over your claim.
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