OWCP Forms for Injured Federal Employees: CA-1, CA-2, CA-7, CA-16, CA-17, CA-20 & Mileage

File a CA-1 for a traumatic injury — something that happened during a single work shift, such as a fall, a lifting injury or a vehicle accident. File a CA-2 for an occupational disease or illness — a condition that developed over more than one shift from repeated work activity or exposure, such as carpal tunnel, tendinitis, a back condition from years of lifting, or hearing loss. If you are unsure which applies, your DOL doctor can help you decide based on the medical history; filing the wrong form is a common reason claims stall.

To be eligible for Continuation of Pay (COP) after a traumatic injury, the CA-1 must be filed within 30 days of the injury. The statutory deadline to file any FECA claim is three years from the date of injury (or, for occupational disease, from the date you were aware, or reasonably should have been aware, that the condition was work-related). Filing late can forfeit COP and, after three years, the claim itself. Report the injury and file as soon as possible — you can add medical evidence afterward.

COP is your regular pay, continued by your agency for up to 45 calendar days of disability after a traumatic injury, so you are not without income while OWCP adjudicates the claim. It is claimed on the CA-1 (check the COP election), which must be filed within 30 days of the injury. COP does not apply to occupational disease claims filed on a CA-2. When COP ends — or if you were not eligible — wage-loss compensation is claimed on Form CA-7.

Form CA-7, Claim for Compensation, is how you request wage-loss compensation from OWCP once you are losing pay because of the work injury — typically when the 45 days of COP run out, when you are in leave-without-pay status, or when a CA-2 occupational disease claim causes lost time. It is also used to claim a schedule award for permanent impairment. Your CA-7 must be supported by medical evidence from your DOL doctor showing you are disabled from work for the period claimed.

Form CA-16, Authorization for Examination and/or Treatment, is issued by your employing agency after a traumatic injury — it should be issued within four hours of your request. It authorizes a physician to examine and treat you for up to 60 days while OWCP decides the claim, and it guarantees payment for that care. Bring your CA-16 to your first visit; your DOL doctor completes Part B. A CA-16 is generally not issued for occupational disease (CA-2) claims.

Form CA-17, Duty Status Report, is completed by your treating physician and tells your agency and OWCP what you can and cannot do at work: lifting limits, standing, walking, driving, hours, and whether you are able to return to full, limited or no duty. Your agency uses it to offer light or modified duty. It should be updated at each visit where your restrictions change; an outdated CA-17 is one of the most common sources of disputes between injured employees and their agencies.

Form CA-20, Attending Physician's Report, is the physician's statement of your history, diagnosis, findings, treatment and — critically — an opinion on whether the condition was caused or aggravated by your federal employment. OWCP relies on it, along with narrative reports, to accept the claim and the specific diagnosed conditions. At Federal Injury Centers the CA-20 is completed at your visit, not weeks later.

The CA-10, What a Federal Employee Should Do When Injured at Work, is not a form you fill out. It is OWCP's official summary of your rights and responsibilities under FECA — reporting the injury, choosing a physician, COP, and the forms involved. Agencies are required to make it available to employees; we link it here so you can read it before you file.

Use Form OWCP-957, Medical Travel Refund Request. OWCP reimburses travel to and from medical appointments for an accepted condition at the federal mileage rate, and can reimburse parking, tolls and public transit with receipts. Keep a log of each trip's date, destination and mileage, submit the OWCP-957 through ECOMP or by mail, and submit it regularly rather than once a year.

Most federal agencies, including USPS, now require employees to file the CA-1, CA-2 and CA-7 electronically through ECOMP, the Department of Labor's Employees' Compensation Operations and Management Portal. Your agency reviews and forwards the form to OWCP. The PDFs on this page are useful for preparing your answers, understanding what is asked, and for the rare agencies that still accept paper. Physician forms (CA-16, CA-17, CA-20) are completed by your doctor and submitted with your medical records.

Our DOL doctors complete every physician form — CA-16 Part B, CA-17 and CA-20 — and the narrative reports at your visit, and our staff will explain which employee forms apply to your situation, what each section is asking and what medical information you will need. We provide medical care and documentation; we are not attorneys and do not give legal advice on your claim. If you need representation, we can point you to resources for FECA claimants.