DOL Doctors in Washington DC, Maryland & Virginia for Injured Federal Employees

A DOL doctor is a physician or healthcare provider who is enrolled with the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) to treat federal employees injured on the job under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA). DOL doctors bill OWCP directly, complete the required OWCP medical forms (CA-16, CA-17, CA-20) and write the narrative medical reports that support a federal workers' compensation claim. "DOL doctor," "OWCP doctor," "Department of Labor doctor" and "federal workers' comp doctor" all refer to the same thing.

Not in the way the phrase is often used. OWCP does not certify or approve individual doctors as specialists. What OWCP does is enroll providers in its medical bill processing system so they can be paid for treating federal employees. Any licensed physician can enroll, so the real question is not whether a doctor is "approved" but whether they are enrolled with OWCP, experienced with FECA documentation, and willing to complete your CA-17 and CA-20 forms and narrative reports promptly. Federal Injury Centers' providers are OWCP-enrolled and treat federal claims exclusively.

Under FECA you have the right to choose your own treating physician. Your agency may direct you to an agency health unit or a designated physician for initial first aid or examination, but you may then select any qualified physician of your choice for treatment. Choose carefully: once you have selected a treating physician, changing to a different physician later generally requires OWCP's prior approval, and a change made without approval can result in unpaid bills.

FECA defines "physician" to include doctors of medicine (MD), doctors of osteopathy (DO), podiatrists, dentists, clinical psychologists, optometrists and chiropractors — with chiropractors limited to treatment of spinal subluxation demonstrated by X-ray. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants are valuable members of a treatment team, but OWCP gives evidentiary weight to reports authored or countersigned by a physician. That is why Federal Injury Centers operates under an MD Medical Director, Dr. Yasmin Ahmed, and why physician-authored reports are standard on every claim.

On an accepted OWCP claim, no. There are no copays, deductibles or out-of-pocket costs for treatment of the accepted work-related condition. OWCP pays enrolled providers directly. Federal Injury Centers bills OWCP for you and never bills your personal health insurance for a work injury.

For a traumatic injury, your agency should issue a Form CA-16 within four hours of your request, which authorizes examination and treatment for up to 60 days while OWCP adjudicates the claim. Bring the CA-16 to your first visit. For occupational disease claims (CA-2), a CA-16 is generally not issued, and treatment options while the claim is pending vary; call us at (240) 863-2822 and our team will walk you through what applies to your situation before you are seen.

Your DOL doctor completes Part B of the CA-16 (Attending Physician's Report), the CA-17 Duty Status Report that sets your work restrictions, the CA-20 Attending Physician's Report, and the narrative medical reports OWCP requires to establish causation and support continued treatment. You are responsible for the employee forms: CA-1 (traumatic injury), CA-2 (occupational disease) and CA-7 (claim for compensation for wage loss), usually filed through ECOMP. We help you understand which employee forms you need and when.

Yes. USPS employees are covered by FECA and make up a large share of the injured federal workers we treat. Letter carriers, mail handlers, clerks and postal vehicle operators are seen at all nine Federal Injury Centers locations for back, shoulder, knee, wrist and repetitive-strain injuries.

Federal Injury Centers has DOL doctors at nine clinics: Alexandria VA, Baltimore MD, Fairfax (Merrifield) VA, Frederick MD, Greenbelt MD, Laurel MD, Rockville MD, Silver Spring MD and Temple Hills MD. One number — (240) 863-2822 — reaches every location.