ACS: Federal Employees Being Told to Search ACS for Doctors Who Specialize in DOL Federal Workers Comp According to Federal Guidelines

ACS is not a good source for finding willing Doctors who treat OWCP federal workers comp injuries according to federal guidelines. I repeat, it is NOT a good source. Many doctors who are on ACS are not even aware that they’re listed there. Many of them don’t even know what OWCP stands for. In a lot of cases, someone in the doctor’s office was getting the office credentialed on health plans like BCBS, Aetna, and United Healthcare, and they found Department of Labor and said, “hey, what’s this DOL thing?”

But, those doctors aren’t trained in department of labor workers comp. They will never take the time it takes to get trained to help injured federal employees. It’s just too hard. So, when you get hurt, and someone in your union tells you to check ACS, you will get frustrated. You’ll call 6 or 7 doctors and none of them will take OWCP. Why? Because they think it’s bad like state workers comp or they think it must be Medicare because it’s federal.

For you, it’s just one more hassle that started when you got hurt. You didn’t wake up that morning thinking, “hey, I think I’ll get hurt today so I can deal with endless battles and frustrations with my employer and with this complicated federal workers comp system.” And you go to someone that you trust for good advice and they tell you to check ACS?

ACS is not your solution. It’s nobody’s solution. ACS will just frustrate you. Don’t believe me? Check. Google “DOL ACS”. Click the first link on Google and see what happens. Prepare yourself for unamazement. You will be underwhelmed by how helpful it is. When you’re finished with ACS, you will be finished with OWCP. You’ll throw your hands up and say, “forget it”. You’ll work with pain because the pain of finding a doctor who will actually help you will be even more painful.

So, don’t go to ACS. DO NOT CHECK ACS. ACS will not help you. ACS is not your solution. ACS is that website you go to when you’re in the mood to throw your laptop across the room. It’s the website you go to when banging your head on the wall has gotten too painful. If you love a good migraine, go to ACS.

But in all seriousness, ACS is the website of choice for anyone responsible for telling you where to go when you’re hurt at work, but who is too scared to make an actual good recommendation that will actually help you. The people you trust to help you when you’re hurt should NEVER recommend ACS when they very well know of good doctors who can help you. Don’t accept ACS as a recommendation when you’re hurt at work. Expect more. ACS is not your solution.

from
https://www.pphcc.com/acs-federal-employees-being-told-to-search-acs-for-doctors-who-specialize-in-dol-federal-workers-comp-according-to-federal-guidelines/

from
https://drstevearculeo.blogspot.com/2024/09/acs-federal-employees-being-told-to.html

OWCP CA-2 Injuries: USPS Letter Carriers, Is Your Job Getting Easier Tomorrow?

Letter Carriers for the United States Postal Service can best be described as FEDERAL ATHLETES.

Your job description describes physical activities that over time must lead to bodies breaking down. The key term there is “over time”. This is exactly why the Department of Labor allows for federal employees to get treatment for conditions that result from hard word done over a long period of time. These conditions are reported using the OWCP form CA-2, “Notice of Occupational Disease and Claim for Compensation”.

The CA-2 is used for reporting injuries and illnesses that develop over 2 or more work shifts. 2 or more. I know letter carriers (and other federal employees from other agencies and within the postal service) who spend entire careers delivering the mail. 2 or more shifts? Try 20 or 30 years or more. The average American probably doesn’t understand what a USPS letter carrier is required to do in a typical work shift. Let’s take a look at some of it here.

A letter carrier is required to work an 8 hour shift, but if asked by the supervisor to work overtime, is required to work up to 4 more hours (for a total of 12). Letter carriers are required to carry a satchel around their back or over their shoulder that weighs up to 35 pounds. All carriers are required to load and deliver packages weighing up to 70 pounds. (Side note: go to a gym today and lift a 50 pound dumbbell and imagine doing that throughout your day, every day. Then add 20 pounds.) When delivering mail, carriers must bend down or stretch over obstacles to place the mail in a box while the 35 pound satchel is on their back or shoulder. And this is done in all weather conditions: extreme heat, pouring rain, freezing ice or snow, which creates a hazard of slips and falls, and carriers are constantly twisting and turning in the vehicle to deliver the mail.

Extreme physical stress is constantly placed on the letter carrier’s back, neck, shoulders, and knees by walking five to eight miles or more a day over all kinds of terrain and in all weather conditions. I talked to a carrier in Dallas, TX who said she walked 23 miles that day. That’s 3 miles short of a marathon.

In extremely hot places like Dallas, TX, carriers are required to do their jobs in 100+ degree temperatures causing heat exhaustion, which can dehydrate and break down muscles. In cold weather places like Boston, MA, carriers are required to do their jobs in frigid temperatures with snow and ice that cause carriers to slip and fall and hurt knees, ankles, backs, and shoulders in the process. I can remember an icy day in Denton, TX where the only vehicles on the roads were mail trucks. Rain, sleet, or snow, the mail gets delivered.

So, does anyone think you’re job is going to get easier tomorrow? Next week? Next month? NO. And too many letter carriers are making the decision to not go through the difficult and complicated OWCP process and just suffer with injuries and struggle through daily work activities. Let me tell you something: just “sucking it up” actually makes your job HARDER. Lift that 70 pound tray with back pain. Step up and down from your mail truck with knee pain. Put that satchel back over your painful shoulder. Limp your way through tomorrow’s 10-mile route.

Your injuries are making your jobs harder and the federal government has given you a way to make it better. FILL OUT YOUR CA-2 FORMS AND TURN THEM IN TO YOUR SUPERVISOR TODAY. This allows you to get your painful condition accepted by OWCP and get treatment while you continue doing your job. THIS MAKES YOUR JOB EASIER. DOL doesn’t want you to suffer with painful conditions. On the CA-10, “What a Federal Employee Should Do When Injured at Work,” DOL mandates that you report your conditions IMMEDIATELY and fill out your CA-2 form with your supervisor. So, do it. Don’t suffer through it.

The CA-2 form exists so that federal employees, such as the USPS letter carrier, can get help for painful conditions and continue to work. America needs its mail delivered, but it doesn’t need it’s letter carriers to break down in the process.

YOUR JOB IS NOT GETTING EASIER TOMORROW. SO GET HELP TODAY. Report your condition to your supervisor. Fill out your CA-2 form. Call the Doctors who specialize in DOL federal workers comp according to federal guidelines at Federal Injury Centers in Denton, Frisco, McKinney, and Dallas, TX, or contact the doctor who specializes in DOL federal workers comp according to federal guidelines in your area. If you can’t find one, contact us here and we’ll try to help guide you to a doctor who understands and is willing to help you with your OWCP CA-2 injury claim.

from
https://www.pphcc.com/owcp-ca-2-injuries-usps-letter-carriers-is-your-job-getting-easier-tomorrow/

from
https://drstevearculeo.blogspot.com/2024/09/owcp-ca-2-injuries-usps-letter-carriers.html

ACS for Doctors Who Treat OWCP Federal Workers Comp Injuries According to Federal Guidelines in McKinney, TX

Injured Federal Employees are being told to search ACS to find a doctor who can help them with their OWCP / DOL federal workers comp injury.

Every time I talk to anyone who was told to check ACS, they tell me what a frustrating task that was. If you ever get to the page that actually shows the doctors who claim to accept OWCP, you have to call several of them on the list to eventually find out that some of them don’t know what OWCP is, and most of the rest of them aren’t willing to take new patients with OWCP. Many injured federal employees report calling 6 or more doctors and getting rejected each time.

So, why are federal employees told to check ACS in the first place? Well, it’s easier for whoever the injured person is talking to. Telling people to go to ACS is technically correct, but it’s the wrong thing to do if you’re in a position to make recommendations for good, quality work injury doctors, and telling people to check ACS is easy, although incorrect.

Another reason people in leadership positions defer to ACS is because they are scared to make referrals to doctors who actually are willing and trained in OWCP. These people are scared of making bad decisions, so they defer to ACS, which is a bad decision in and of itself.

Some people are fearful of being associated with “bad” doctors who get themselves in trouble with the federal government. We certainly understand that. This is a sad reality for too many federal employees. Federal employees feel like they have to look over their shoulders when they go to certain “bad” doctors. We hate this and our patients never have these worries. And by the way, these “bad” doctors are listed on ACS as well, but once you go to them, it’s too late. You’re there already.

ACS has some good, willing, trained doctors listed. They’re just hard to find because you have to call so many of them to find the good ones. Federal Injury Centers doctors are listed there. We just don’t want you to go there to find us. It’s too much trouble and federal employees have enough hassles to deal with when they’re hurt at work. You don’t need this hassle too.

So, one of our offices is in McKinney, TX, which is located in Collin County, Texas. Some towns that surround McKinney are Allen, Plano, Frisco, Princeton, Rockwall, Melissa, Celina, Dallas, along with several other smaller towns. We are here to help you when you’re injured working for a federal agency like the United States Postal Service (USPS), VA, TSA, FBI, ICE, SSA, and other federal agencies. Don’t search ACS when you need a doctors who specializes in DOL federal workers comp according to federal guidelines. Call Federal Injury Centers instead. We will get your valid OWCP injury claims accepted and we’ll help you get better and back to work helping this country go.

Federal Injury Centers is with you. Give us a call.

from
https://www.pphcc.com/acs-for-doctors-who-treat-owcp-federal-workers-comp-injuries-according-to-federal-guidelines-in-mckinney-tx/

from
https://drstevearculeo.blogspot.com/2024/09/acs-for-doctors-who-treat-owcp-federal.html

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) OWCP Work Injuries

In 2016, 2.39% of VA employees had OWCP injury claims that were accepted. This accepted OWCP claims rate is lower than the average of all federal agencies (3.19%), and this is due to a number of factors that we will discuss here.

VA employees have a wide range of duties that potentially could lead to work injuries. Nurses have to lift patients. Maintenance staff climb ladders and lift heavy equipment. Janitorial staff could slip on wet floors. Administration staff lift heavy boxes of paper along with a variety of other heavy items. Of course, these are just examples. Lots of other situations could lead to injuries.

So, when VA workers suffer work-related injuries, they have some obstacles that other federal employees rarely have to deal with. First, the VA is a medical agency: hospitals and outpatient facilities. There is a false belief that injured VA employees are required to go to VA doctors when they’re hurt at work. This is simply not true. An excerpt of the law from OWCP says the following:

Agency personnel may not interfere with the employee’s right to choose a physician, nor may they require an employee who claims an injury to go to a physician who is employed by or under contract to the agency before going to the physician of the employee’s choice.

In other words, VA employees can not be forced to go to VA doctors when they suffer OWCP work injuries. Don’t get me wrong – VA doctors are world-class physicians. They are some of the very best doctors in the world. They just aren’t specifically trained in OWCP. Without this specific training, OWCP injury claims get denied.

Another problem VA employees deal with is simply not knowing what to do when they are hurt on the job. DOL has a great document called a CA-10: What a Federal Employee Should Do When Injured at Work. VA employees need to be familiar with this document. It’s so important.

To summarize, here’s what it says:

• Report your injury immediately to your supervisor.
• Tell your supervisor to give you a CA-16 to authorize medical care. This step also says you can choose your own doctor.
• File a CA-1 or CA-2 when reporting your injury. This must be filled out by the injured employee and the supervisor.
• Obtain a receipt from your supervisor for the filing or your CA-1 or CA-2.
• Elect to use sick or annual time or elect Continuation of Pay (COP) in case you have to be off work when you’re unable to work full duty.

The next problem is one that all federal employees deal with, and that is not being able to find a willing and trained doctor who understands and accepts OWCP. The nation’s biggest problem with respect to OWCP federal workers compensation is a massive shortage of willing, trained doctors who specialize in DOL federal workers comp according to federal guidelines. When you can’t find doctors who understand OWCP, injury claims are denied – period. When OWCP injury claims are denied, they’re not counted in the annual injury statistics.

The final problem we’ll discuss here is that many federal employees fear being fired if they report an OWCP work injury. YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BE FIRED FOR REPORTING AN INJURY. Look back at step 1 from the CA-10 above. Federal employees are REQUIRED to report work injuries. Those 5 steps above ARE THE LAW. Supervisors can’t fire you for following the law. Some supervisors aren’t well trained in OWCP and may not understand your rights or their responsibilities. The CA-10 helps with that.

We actually had a supervisor who threatened a federal employee that he was going to be fired. Of course that never happened. We showed him the LAW. That employee still has their job. We’ve talked with lots of federal employees who have had careers of 20 years, 30 years and more. We asked them how many people they ever saw get fired for filing an OWCP federal work injury. Every single person answered “nobody”. In all of their years on the job, these career federal employees couldn’t think of a single person who was fired for filing a work injury. If just doesn’t happen.

2.39% is the percentage of VA employees who have ACCEPTED OWCP INJURY CASES. Denied cases are not counted. The real shame of it all is that VA employees have such an important job helping our nation’s veterans. While they’re helping veterans, who’s helping them? If we don’t take care of our VA personnel, who’s going to help veterans? Federal employees make this country go. When they break we have to fix them. We have to get their OWCP injury claims accepted so they can get better without paying money from their own pocket and without using their own sick and vacation time. When we can get their OWCP claims accepted, they can get all of the treatment needed so they can get back to work without re-injury.

Federal Injury Centers and the doctors around the country that are associated with FIC know how to get OWCP injury claims accepted. While VA employees have a 2.39% accepted claims rate nationwide, Federal Injury Centers patients have a 100% OWCP claims acceptance rate. We’re committed to helping our injured VA employees so they can get back to work helping our nation’s sick and injured veterans.

from
https://www.pphcc.com/department-of-veterans-affairs-va-owcp-work-injuries/

from
https://drstevearculeo.blogspot.com/2024/09/department-of-veterans-affairs-va-owcp.html

Doctors Who Specialize in DOL Federal Workers Comp According to Federal Guidelines in Alabama

Montgomery, Alabama has a Doctor who specializes in DOL federal workers comp according to federal guidelines. Dr. John Porter, DO has been trained in OWCP. His expert causation reports get OWCP injury claims accepted. Prior to Dr. Porter, Montgomery had no doctors who understood OWCP and who could get OWCP work comp claims approved by the Department of Labor.

Nationwide, only 3% of all federal employees have OWCP work injury claims that are approved by DOL. We are changing that. Federal Injury Centers has a claims acceptance rate of greater than 97%. If you’re injured working for a federal agency in Montgomery, Alabama call Federal Injury Centers for expert OWCP assistance. We help all agencies and assist all federal unions with federal OWCP injury claims. Mail Handlers, Letter Carriers, Rural Carriers, Clerks, VA Employees with AFGE, TSA employees, and all other federal employees with federal unions: we want to help you. NO MORE DENIED OWCP INJURY CLAIMS.

from
https://www.pphcc.com/doctors-who-specialize-in-dol-federal-workers-comp-according-to-federal-guidelines-in-alabama/

from
https://drstevearculeo.blogspot.com/2024/09/doctors-who-specialize-in-dol-federal_16.html

Montgomery, Alabama Doctors Who Specialize in DOL Federal Workers Comp According to Federal Guidelines

Montgomery, Alabama finally has a doctor who understands OWCP and can get OWCP workers comp injury claims accepted. Over the past 12 months, we’ve gotten so many calls from federal employees in Alabama that we decided to go to Alabama and help out.

Federal Injury Centers of Montgomery is up and running to help injured federal employees with OWCP. So far, we’ve talked to people with the NRLCA, NALC, APWU, NPMHU, and AFGE. VA employees in Montgomery need help with OWCP as do letter carriers, clerks, and mail handlers for the USPS. Until now, these federal employees have not had a doctor who can get OWCP injury claims accepted. We’ve been able to help several rural letter carriers in Montgomery and some of them had to drive all the way from Birmingham.

So, we’ll be opening in Birmingham soon. With that said, we’re here in Alabama now and we want to be your doctors who specializes in DOL federal workers comp according to federal guidelines. If you are a mail carrier, mail handler, mail clerk, rural carrier, or employee at the VA Hospital in Montgomery, Alabama, we’re here to help you. Call us today if you are ready to get your OWCP work injury claim accepted so you can get the treatment you need to get back to work full duty.

from
https://www.pphcc.com/montgomery-alabama-doctors-who-specialize-in-dol-federal-workers-comp-according-to-federal-guidelines/

from
https://drstevearculeo.blogspot.com/2024/09/montgomery-alabama-doctors-who.html

Common Pitfalls With Filing OWCP Work Injury Claims and CA2 Injury Claims

I recently attended a union meeting where I spoke about some common pitfalls associated with filing OWCP claims along with several reasons why folks aren’t filing CA-2 injuries. We love talking to federal employees about OWCP workers comp issues. Teaching you about this complicated system will go along way towards helping more federal employees get their OWCP work injury claims accepted by the Department of Labor.

When it comes to filing a CA-2 injury, the most common mistake is not telling your supervisor you have been experiencing a problem until the very moment you submit your forms or ask to file. If you are experiencing pain, discomfort or have a diagnosed condition that is becoming worse, then you need to say something NOW. If you don’t, they may very well challenge your claim.

So, always remember to communicate these problems with your supervisors, even if you’re not filing an OWCP work injury claim yet. Problems with filing OWCP work injury claims can be avoided by telling your supervisor what’s going on when you first notice a problem. This doesn’t mean that each time your back hurts you need to file a claim, but if you are making management aware you are experiencing an issue, then when it comes time to file, they will be well aware and will now be able to help you, instead of work against you.

Communication about OWCP injuries can make the process easier for you, especially as it relates to CA-2 work injury claims. Federal Injury Centers has doctors who specialize in DOL federal workers comp according to federal guidelines in the following locations: Quincy, MA, Norwood, MA, Dallas, TX, Montgomery, AL, and Birmingham, AL and Clearwater, FL are coming soon. So, if you’re in these areas and you’d like us to come speak to your unions to help you better understand the complicated OWCP system, please contact us and let us know.

from
https://www.pphcc.com/common-pitfalls-with-filing-owcp-work-injury-claims-and-ca2-injury-claims/

from
https://drstevearculeo.blogspot.com/2024/09/common-pitfalls-with-filing-owcp-work.html

Tragically Low OWCP Claims Acceptance Rates for Federal Employees

Over 1 million Federal Employees work for the USPS and the VA, each of which have extremely low OWCP injury claim acceptance rates. We attend meetings every month with rooms full of these federal employees, and when asked for a show of hands as to who is injured or knows someone who is, more than 70% of the room raises their hands.

Look at the picture below taken partially from OSHA.gov’s federal injury and illness statistics. 6.67% of USPS employees and 2.2% of VA employees had accepted OWCP injury claims (in 2017). As you can see, total cases excludes cases that were denied because the person didn’t work for the federal government (so shouldn’t be counted anyways), wasn’t able to prove that an injury actually occurred, couldn’t prove the injury happened while at work, and couldn’t show that the injury was because of work. In other words, BAD DOCTORS’ NARRATIVES ARE CAUSING DENIED CASES.

Why did I say that bad doctors’ narratives are causing denied claims? Because reports should clearly explain these points so the case never gets denied. It’s not enough to fill out and submit your CA1 or CA2 forms. It’s not enough that your supervisors may not dispute your injury. Going to the company doctor and sadly to the VA doctor when you’re injured is almost never good enough. YOU MUST GO TO A DOCTOR WHO IS TRAINED AND COMPETENT IN OWCP.

True Story: I just talked to a lady on the phone who initially chose a doctor who I guarantee will cause her OWCP injury claim to be denied. I never try to get people to leave their doctors. Your doctor is your choice – period. After I explained what was going to almost certainly happen to her, she wanted to go ahead and stick it out. No problem. Call me after Department of Labor has mailed out your denial letter. How can I be so sure the case will be denied? Look again at the picture above: less than 6% of those employees will have an accepted claim. 94% will not until there is a better understanding of what to do and what doctor to go to after an OWCP work injury.

Greater than 97% of Federal Injury Center patients have ACCEPTED OWCP injury claims

We have made it our business to teach federal employees what to do when they’re injured at work. That education is a huge reason the OWCP injury claim acceptance rate will go up in the future. However, while you have the right to choose whatever doctor you want for a federal work injury, the wrong choice will lead to a denied claim. So, choose carefully.

We’re helping to educate injured federal employees all over the country. However, in some places, our doctors can actually help get your OWCP workers comp injury claims accepted so you can get help without paying money out of your own pocket and without using your own sick and vacation time.

If you live in the following areas, we have doctors to help you:

• Dallas, TX
• Quincy, MA
• Norwood, MA
• Montgomery, AL
• Birmingham, AL
• Clearwater, FL

from
https://www.pphcc.com/tragically-low-owcp-claims-acceptance-rates-for-federal-employees/

from
https://drstevearculeo.blogspot.com/2024/09/tragically-low-owcp-claims-acceptance.html

Doctors Who Specialize in DOL Federal Workers Comp According to Federal Guidelines in Dallas, Alabama, Massachusetts

Injured Federal Employees continually tell us that ACS is not working for them when they need a doctor who treats OWCP federal workers comp injuries according to federal guidelines. I just talked to a guy who was out-of-state and couldn’t find a doctor. I went to ACS for him and found 3 doctors for him to call. One was out of business and the other 2 did not accept federal workers compensation. This is an all too common problem for injured federal employees.

I go into whole states where there isn’t a single doctor who promotes him or herself as an FIC Trained Federal Work Injury Doctor and who doesn’t want to help federal employees. Alabama was exactly that sort of state. Not a single doctor was willing to help federal employees with work injuries. But, now we have 2 doctors in Alabama: Montgomery and Birmingham. These new doctors who specialize in DOL federal workers comp according to federal guidelines love federal employees and they are ready to help.

The same is true in Massachusetts and Texas. We have OWCP offices in Quincy, Norwood, and Worcester, MA and in Dallas, Denton, and McKinney, TX. Injured federal employees in these areas fortunately have no need to search ACS for a doctor; they can be found here. ACS causes a difficult situation for any federal employees in need of a doctor who specializes in DOL federal workers comp according to federal guidelines because too many of the listed doctors don’t actually accept DOL OWCP work injuries. So, in Dallas, Alabama, and Massachusetts, we can help you and we want to help you with your OWCP federal workers comp injury claim.

from
https://www.pphcc.com/doctors-who-specialize-in-dol-federal-workers-comp-according-to-federal-guidelines-in-dallas-alabama-massachusetts/

from
https://drstevearculeo.blogspot.com/2024/09/doctors-who-specialize-in-dol-federal.html