FECA Claims: How Federal Employees File After a Work Injury
By Mason ArnaoPublished
By Mason ArnaoReviewed by Mason Arnao
If you’re a federal employee who was hurt on the job, you start your FECA claim yourself by registering for and filing in the Department of Labor’s ECOMP portal, using Form CA-1 for an injury caused by a single event or Form CA-2 for a condition caused by repeated exposure over time. Two deadlines matter most. To qualify for continuation of pay, you must submit a CA-1 within 30 days of a traumatic injury. Separately, an original compensation claim generally must be filed within three years, with some exceptions, such as when your supervisor knew about the injury within 30 days.
The process can feel like a lot when you’re already dealing with an injury, so this guide takes it one step at a time. We’ll cover how to choose between the CA-1 and the CA-2, what each deadline means for you, and how continuation of pay leads into wage-loss compensation. We’ll also explain your options if your claim is denied: reconsideration, a hearing or an appeal to the Employees’ Compensation Appeals Board.
Finally, we’ll look at what happens when someone outside the government caused your injury, what federal workers’ compensation doesn’t cover, and where you can turn next.
The short answer: you file your FECA claim through OWCP’s ECOMP portal
If you are a federal employee who was hurt on the job, you start your workers’ compensation claim online through a system called ECOMP, at ecomp.dol.gov. According to the Department of Labor’s guide to filing a federal workers’ compensation claim, you register for an ECOMP account first and then file your claim there. ECOMP is free to use.
You do not need approval from your supervisor or anyone else at your agency to start a FECA claim. Your agency still has a role in the process, but it cannot stop you from filing.
Who decides your claim
Your agency does not decide your claim. The Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) runs the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA). It follows the rules in 20 CFR Part 10, the federal regulations for FECA claims.
OWCP may ask you for more evidence while it reviews your claim. Even so, the burden of proof stays with you, the claimant. That means it is up to you to show that your claim meets FECA’s requirements. If you are missing something, such as a medical report, follow up on it. Do not assume someone else will get it for you.
Start a paper trail now
- Save a copy of every form you file in ECOMP.
- Keep medical reports, letters from OWCP and messages with your agency.
- Write down dates: when you were hurt, when you told your supervisor and when you filed.
Good records make it easier to answer OWCP’s questions and to meet the deadlines covered below.
CA-1 or CA-2: choosing the right form
Choose your form based on how the injury happened, not on how serious it is. If one event caused it, use Form CA-1. If it built up over time from repeated exposure, use Form CA-2. The Department of Labor’s filing instructions for federal employees draw the line this way. Once you register for ECOMP, you can file either form there.
| Form | Official name | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| CA-1 | Notice of Traumatic Injury | Your injury came from a single event at work. |
| CA-2 | Notice of Occupational Disease | Your condition developed from repeated exposure over time. |
If an old condition got worse
This is where people most often pick the wrong path. You may have had a work-related condition before, and now a new injury or a new exposure has made it worse. In that case, the FECA regulations at 20 CFR Part 10 treat it as a new claim. File a new CA-1 or CA-2, not a recurrence notice. A recurrence notice is meant for a condition that comes back on its own, without a new incident or exposure causing it.
Tips for getting it right the first time
- Describe what actually happened. Note whether it was one moment or a pattern over weeks, months or years. That detail decides which form fits.
- Don’t let severity guide you. A minor single-event injury still goes on a CA-1. A serious condition that developed gradually still goes on a CA-2.
- Look for a new event or exposure. If an old problem flared up after one, start a new claim rather than filing a recurrence notice.
Choosing the form that matches your situation helps keep your claim from being slowed down at the start.
The deadlines that matter: 30 days and 3 years
Two deadlines matter most. To get continuation of pay, file Form CA-1 within 30 days of a traumatic injury. To keep your right to compensation, file your original claim within 3 years. The 30-day deadline is the one people miss most often, so it’s worth acting early.
The 30-day deadline for continuation of pay
Under the FECA regulations at 20 CFR Part 10 (sections 10.205 and 10.210), you qualify for continuation of pay only if you:
- File Form CA-1 with your agency no later than 30 days after your traumatic injury, and
- Start losing time from work because of the injury within 45 days of it.
If you miss the 30-day window, you lose continuation of pay. You do not lose your right to file a compensation claim, because that has a longer deadline.
The 3-year deadline for compensation
Under 5 U.S.C. 8122, you must file an original claim for disability or death compensation within 3 years of the injury or death. The statute provides some important exceptions:
- Your supervisor knew. A late claim can still be allowed if your immediate supervisor actually knew about the injury within 30 days.
- You gave written notice. A late claim can also be allowed if written notice of the injury was given within 30 days.
- Your condition developed slowly. For a latent condition, the 3-year clock does not start until two things are true: you have a compensable disability, and you know, or reasonably should know, that it’s connected to your job.
- You are a minor or legally incompetent. The time limits run differently for minors. They also run differently for people who are legally incompetent and have no legal representative.
If you think one of these exceptions fits your situation, keep copies of any written notice you gave. Write down when your supervisor learned about your injury. That record can help show your claim was timely.
Continuation of pay, then wage-loss compensation
If you have a traumatic injury, your own agency, not OWCP, usually keeps paying your regular salary for up to 45 calendar days. This is called continuation of pay (COP). Once COP ends, if you still can’t work, you ask OWCP for wage-loss compensation on Form CA-7.
How continuation of pay works
Under the FECA regulations at 20 CFR Part 10, your employer pays COP for up to 45 days. To qualify, you generally need to file your CA-1 within 30 days, and your lost time from work must begin within 45 days of the injury.
COP is treated like a normal paycheck. It is taxed, and your usual payroll deductions still come out.
When COP ends: Form CA-7
If you are still disabled when your 45 days of COP run out, file Form CA-7 to claim wage-loss compensation from OWCP. The regulations set out a timeline for your employer:
- By the 30th day of COP: your employer should give you the CA-7.
- By the 40th day of COP: your employer should send the CA-7 to OWCP.
If day 30 arrives and you haven’t received the form, ask your agency’s compensation contact about it. Asking early can help prevent a gap between your last COP payment and your first compensation payment.
How much wage-loss compensation pays
The same regulations set the compensation rates:
- 66 2/3 percent of your pay, generally, if you have no dependents
- 75 percent of your pay if you have at least one dependent
Try not to work out your own payment from these percentages. OWCP calculates the actual amount based on the details of your claim, so your own estimate may not match the payment you receive. If a payment looks wrong to you, ask OWCP to explain how it was calculated.
If OWCP denies your claim: reconsideration, hearing or ECAB
If OWCP denies your claim, you have three ways to challenge the decision. Each one has its own deadline, and missing it can cost you that option. Before anything else, write down the date printed on your decision letter. Every appeal deadline is counted from that date.
| Option | Deadline | Can you add new evidence? |
|---|---|---|
| Hearing (oral or written record) | Within 30 days of the decision | See below |
| Reconsideration | OWCP must receive it within one year of the decision | Yes |
| ECAB appeal | Within 180 days of the OWCP decision | No |
Ask for a hearing
Under the FECA regulations at 20 CFR Part 10, you can request either an oral hearing or a review of the written record. You must make the request within 30 days of the decision (section 10.616). Send it in writing to the address listed on your decision letter.
Request reconsideration
The same regulations give you a longer window for reconsideration. OWCP must receive your request within one year of the decision, so mailing it on the last day is not enough. Reconsideration is the place to submit new evidence, such as an updated medical report that addresses the reason your claim was denied.
Appeal to the Employees’ Compensation Appeals Board (ECAB)
According to the ECAB’s guidance on processing an appeal, you must file within 180 days of OWCP’s final decision under 20 CFR Part 501. A panel of judges reviews the appeal. The Board looks only at the record as it stood when OWCP made its final decision, and it cannot consider new evidence. If you have new documents, reconsideration may be the better fit.
When someone outside the government caused your injury
If someone other than a federal employee acting within the scope of their job caused your injury, in whole or in part, OWCP can require you to take action against that outside party. Examples might include another driver or a product manufacturer. Your FECA claim continues, but a second legal matter may now be connected to it, and it comes with its own rules.
What to expect if a third party is involved
- Written notice comes first. Under the FECA regulations on third-party liability (20 CFR 10.705–10.719), OWCP or the Solicitor of Labor will notify you in writing if you are required to take action against a third party.
- Get permission before settling for too little. If you’re pursuing a third party, don’t settle for less than the amount needed to repay OWCP’s refundable disbursements unless OWCP or the Solicitor gives permission.
- Report any recovery. If you receive money from the third party, you must report it and pay any refund that’s required.
Read the written notice carefully and keep a copy with your claim records. It is the clearest guide to what OWCP expects from you.
A separate lawsuit is a separate case
A product injury claim is not part of your FECA claim. It is its own case with its own process. To see what that kind of case involves, you can read about how a talcum powder product lawsuit works. If you bring any outside claim related to your work injury, the third-party rules above still apply.
If the person harmed was held in custody
FECA covers injured federal workers. If the person harmed was someone held in a jail or prison, that is a different kind of claim with a different path. Our guide to reporting and claims for sexual abuse of people held in jail or prison explains where to start.
What FECA doesn’t cover, and where to go next
FECA covers civilian federal employees only. If you work for a private company, a state or a local government, your claim almost certainly runs through your state’s workers’ compensation system. That system has its own forms, deadlines and medical-exam rules. For one example of a state-specific process, see our guide on how independent medical exams work in Florida state workers’ comp.
Some harms are not workplace injury claims at all. If you are worried about a child who was hurt or mistreated in daycare or foster care, that is not a FECA matter. Our guide to reporting abuse of a child in daycare or foster care explains who to contact and how those claims work.
If you are under FECA: keep your own file
Under the FECA claims regulations at 20 CFR Part 10, you carry the burden of proving your claim. Your appeal windows are also counted from the date of each decision. A request for a hearing must be made within 30 days, and a request for reconsideration within one year. A simple home file can protect you:
- Save every ECOMP submission. Download or print each form and upload, and keep the confirmation.
- Keep all medical reports. This includes notes from every doctor who treated or examined you.
- Keep every OWCP decision letter. As each one arrives, write its date on your calendar along with the deadlines that follow from it.
If you’re unsure what comes next, LegalLawsuit has more plain-language guides for people in the middle of a claim, so you can take your next step one piece at a time. This page is general information, not legal advice, and every claim turns on its own facts.
Keep researching on LegalLawsuit
Frequently asked questions
Do I need my supervisor’s permission to file a FECA claim?
No. According to the Department of Labor’s guide on how federal employees file a workers’ compensation claim, you don’t need approval from your supervisor or your agency to start a FECA claim. You can register for ECOMP and begin the claim yourself at no cost. Your agency still plays a part later in the process, but it can’t keep you from filing.
What happens if I file my CA-1 more than 30 days after the injury?
Missing the 30-day mark doesn’t, on its own, end your claim. Under 5 U.S.C. 8122, the federal statute on time limits for FECA claims, an original disability or death claim generally has a 3-year deadline. A late claim can still be accepted if your immediate supervisor had actual knowledge of the injury, or received written notice of it, within 30 days.
The same statute starts the clock later for some latent conditions, and it pauses the deadline for minors and people who are legally incompetent. In practice, filing late mostly costs you continuation of pay, which the next answer covers.
Is continuation of pay taxed?
Yes. The continuation of pay rules in 20 CFR Part 10, Subpart C treat continuation of pay as regular pay from your employer, not as compensation, so normal taxes and deductions apply. It lasts up to 45 days. To qualify, you generally must file your CA-1 within 30 days of the injury, and your time lost from work must begin within 45 days.
Can I send new medical evidence to the Employees’ Compensation Appeals Board?
No. The Board’s page on processing an ECAB appeal explains that a panel of judges reviews only the record as it stood when OWCP issued its final decision. The Board won’t consider evidence added after that point. An ECAB appeal must be filed within 180 days of OWCP’s final decision.
If you have new medical evidence, it belongs with OWCP, not the Board. The reconsideration and hearing options described earlier in this guide are the routes back to OWCP.
Do I have to repay OWCP if I recover money from a third party?
Often, yes. Under the third-party liability provisions in 20 CFR Part 10 (sections 10.705 through 10.719), you must notify OWCP in writing about the claim against the outside party. You need permission before you settle, and you may have to refund OWCP part of what you recover. The regulations set out how that refund is calculated, so read them before you accept any settlement offer.
Sources
- How to File a Workers' Compensation Claim if You Were Hurt on the Job (Federal Employees) · U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs
- 20 CFR Part 10: Claims for Compensation Under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act, as Amended · Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (National Archives / GPO)
- 5 U.S.C. 8122: Time for making claim · Office of the Law Revision Counsel, U.S. House of Representatives · 2026-03-28
- ECAB: Processing an Appeal · U.S. Department of Labor, Employees' Compensation Appeals Board
- eCFR :: 20 CFR Part 10 Subpart C — Continuation of Pay
This article is general information, not legal advice. Laws and deadlines vary by state and change over time; check the linked sources or speak with a licensed attorney about your situation.
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