Private DOL Doctors in Washington DC, Maryland & Virginia for Injured Federal Employees
Federal Injury Centers' private DOL doctors are enrolled with the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP), independent of every federal agency, and treat federal and postal work injuries exclusively. You choose us — your agency doesn't assign us. We evaluate your injury, complete your CA-16, CA-17 and CA-20, write the reports your claim depends on, and bill OWCP directly — at nine DMV clinics.
- Private practice — not agency-employed
- MD Medical Director
- Physician-authored OWCP reports
- $0 out-of-pocket on accepted claims
- 9 locations, one number
A DOL doctor is a physician or provider 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). A private DOL doctor is one you choose yourself under FECA — independent of your agency, as opposed to an agency health unit or agency-designated "company doctor." Unlike a general clinic, a DOL doctor bills OWCP directly, completes the physician portions of OWCP forms CA-16, CA-17 and CA-20, and writes the narrative medical reports that establish causation, work restrictions and permanent impairment. Federal Injury Centers is an independent private practice providing OWCP-enrolled DOL doctors — an MD Medical Director, nurse practitioners, chiropractors and physical therapists — at nine clinics across Washington DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia.
Department of Labor Doctors vs. Any Other Doctor
Federal workers' compensation is administered by the Department of Labor's Division of Federal Employees' Compensation (DFEC) within OWCP — not by your agency, your health plan, or the state of Maryland or Virginia. To be paid for treating a federal work injury, a provider must be enrolled in OWCP's medical bill processing system, follow OWCP's authorization rules, and submit its specific forms and reports.
Any licensed physician can enroll. What separates an experienced DOL doctor from a doctor who merely accepts OWCP is the documentation. OWCP claims examiners accept or deny claims on the strength of a physician's written opinion: the diagnosis, the objective findings, a rationalized statement of how the work incident caused the condition, and the restrictions on your CA-17. A well-treated injury with a thin report can still be a denied claim.
Federal Injury Centers treats federal and postal claims exclusively. Our providers, schedulers and billing staff work OWCP cases every day, and every report is authored or countersigned by a physician under the direction of our Medical Director, Dr. Yasmin Ahmed, MD.
You Choose Your DOL Doctor
- You have the right to select your own treating physician. Your agency may send you to an agency health unit or designated physician first, but treatment is your choice. You do not have to use the doctor your supervisor or HR suggests.
- Choose carefully the first time. Once a treating physician is selected, switching later generally requires OWCP's prior approval. A change without approval can leave bills unpaid.
- A CA-16 authorizes care while your claim is decided. For a traumatic injury, your agency should issue Form CA-16 within four hours of your request; it covers examination and treatment for up to 60 days.
- No copays. No personal insurance. On an accepted claim OWCP pays your DOL doctor directly for the accepted condition.
Whose Doctor Is It? Why "Private" Matters in a Federal Claim
Many injured federal employees hesitate to see a "DOL doctor" because they assume it means a doctor who works for the Department of Labor or for their agency — the "company doctor" who might minimize the injury, rush a return to full duty, or report back to a supervisor. That concern is grounded in how the system is built: there are doctors in a FECA claim who do not work for you.
An agency health unit or agency-designated physician is retained by your employer. OWCP second-opinion and referee examiners are selected and paid by OWCP to evaluate the claim. A private DOL doctor is different: an independent physician, enrolled with OWCP so the claim can be billed, whom you choose under your FECA right to select your own treating physician — and whose professional duty runs to you as the patient.
Federal Injury Centers is a private DOL doctor practice. We are independently owned, not employed by, paid by or affiliated with any federal agency, the Postal Service or the Department of Labor, and we are not on anyone's panel. We report what the claim requires — diagnosis, objective findings, causation opinion, work restrictions — to OWCP and your agency, because that is how your treatment gets authorized and your restrictions get honored. We do not report to your supervisor beyond that, and reporting your injury is a protected right.
| Private DOL doctor (Federal Injury Centers) | Agency health unit / designated doctor | OWCP second-opinion / referee | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who selects the doctor | You | Your agency | OWCP |
| Who the doctor is retained by | You (billed to OWCP) | Your employer | OWCP |
| Role in the claim | Treating physician | Initial exam / first aid | One-time evaluation |
| Ongoing treatment & CA-17 updates | Yes | Limited | No |
| Reports to your supervisor | Only the CA-17 restrictions | Yes | Via OWCP |
The OWCP Forms and Reports Our DOL Doctors Complete
Physician forms are completed at your visit — not mailed to you weeks later.
Authorization for Examination and/or Treatment
Issued by your agency for traumatic injuries. Your DOL doctor completes Part B, the attending physician's report, at your first visit.
Physician completes Part BDuty Status Report
Sets your work restrictions — lifting, standing, driving, hours. OWCP and your agency use it to decide light duty, modified duty or time off work.
Physician completes · updated each visitAttending Physician's Report
The physician's diagnosis, history, findings and causation opinion that supports your CA-1 or CA-2 claim.
Physician completesRationalized Medical Report
The detailed report OWCP relies on most: objective findings, mechanism of injury, why the job caused the condition, and treatment plan.
Physician authorsImpairment Rating for Schedule Award
At maximum medical improvement, a rating under the AMA Guides supports a schedule award for permanent loss of use of a limb or organ.
Physician evaluatesEmployee Forms
You file these (usually in ECOMP): CA-1 traumatic injury, CA-2 occupational disease, CA-7 wage-loss compensation. We show you which apply and when.
You file · we guideFederal Work Injuries Our DOL Doctors Evaluate and Treat
Traumatic injuries (CA-1) and occupational diseases that develop over time (CA-2), including aggravation of a pre-existing condition by federal duty.
Physician-Led DOL Doctors and Providers
Medical, chiropractic and physical therapy care under one treatment plan, supervised by an MD Medical Director.
Dr. Yasmin Ahmed, MD
Physician · Medical DirectorInternal medicine physician and Medical Director of Federal Injury Centers, Dr. Ahmed oversees the medical evaluation, treatment and OWCP physician reporting that injured federal employees rely on across all nine DMV clinics.
Full bio →
Dr. John Rosa, DC
Co-Founder · DCCo-founder of Federal Injury Centers, owner of a 17-clinic integrative medical network across Maryland and Virginia, and a nationally recognized consultant to the White House and federal law enforcement on the opioid crisis.
Full bio →
Dr. Rick Rosa, DC
Co-Founder · DCCo-founder of Federal Injury Centers and author of The Six Pillars of Sports Recovery, Dr. Rick Rosa brings athlete-grade recovery science to injured federal and postal employees across the DMV.
Full bio →
Cierra Coughlin, FNP-C
DOL Provider · Nurse PractitionerCertified family nurse practitioner who evaluates and treats work-related injuries for federal and postal employees under physician supervision and completes OWCP medical documentation.
About our practice →How to See a DOL Doctor After a Federal Work Injury
Report & file
Tell your supervisor and file a CA-1 or CA-2 in ECOMP. For a traumatic injury, request a CA-16 from your agency.
Call (240) 863-2822
Pick any of our 9 DMV clinics. Bring your CA-16 if you have it — if not, we'll help you request it.
Evaluation & forms
Your DOL doctor examines you, starts treatment and completes the CA-16 Part B, CA-17 and CA-20 at the visit.
Treatment & direct billing
Ongoing care, updated CA-17s and narrative reports as needed. We bill OWCP; you pay nothing on an accepted claim.
What to Look for in a DOL Doctor
Search results are full of clinics that "accept workers' comp." For a federal claim, ask these questions before you book:
- Are you a private practice, or do you work for my agency? A private DOL doctor answers to you; an agency-retained clinic answers to your employer.
- Are you enrolled with OWCP and do you bill OWCP directly? If the answer involves your personal insurance, keep looking.
- Will a physician (MD/DO) author or countersign my reports? OWCP gives the most weight to physician opinions.
- Do you complete the CA-17 and CA-20 at the visit? Delayed forms delay claims and compensation.
- How much of your practice is federal / OWCP? A clinic that mostly treats auto accidents and state comp learns FECA on your case.
- Can you provide an impairment rating when I reach MMI? Otherwise you'll be referred elsewhere for your schedule award.
- Do you have a location I can actually get to for ongoing visits? Federal Injury Centers has nine across DC, Maryland and Virginia.
DOL Doctor Locations in the DMV
Nine Federal Injury Centers clinics. One number for all of them: (240) 863-2822.
Private DOL Doctors in Alexandria, VA
4875 Eisenhower Ave, Suite 215Alexandria, VA 22304(240) 863-2822
Private DOL Doctors in Baltimore, MD
1001 Pine Heights Ave, Suite 304Baltimore, MD 21229(240) 863-2822
Private DOL Doctors in Fairfax (Merrifield), VA
8315 US-29, Suite 500Fairfax, VA 22031(240) 863-2822
Private DOL Doctors in Frederick, MD
110 Baughmans Ln, Suite 200Frederick, MD 21702(240) 863-2822
Private DOL Doctors in Greenbelt, MD
8713 Greenbelt Road, #201Greenbelt, MD 20770(240) 863-2822
Private DOL Doctors in Silver Spring, MD
9801 Georgia Ave, Suite 339Silver Spring, MD 20902(240) 863-2822
Private DOL Doctors in Temple Hills, MD
4023 Branch AveMarlow Heights, MD 20748(240) 863-2822
DOL Doctor FAQs
What is a DOL doctor?
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.
Is there such a thing as a "DOL-approved" or "DOL-certified" doctor?
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.
Can I choose my own DOL doctor, or do I have to use the one my agency sends me to?
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.
What is a private DOL doctor, and how is that different from a "company doctor"?
A private DOL doctor is an independent physician, enrolled with OWCP, whom you choose to treat your federal work injury under your FECA right to select your own physician. A "company doctor" — the agency health unit, an agency-designated physician, or a contract clinic your supervisor sends you to — is retain