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Find an OWCP-Enrolled Doctor Near You
You have the right to choose the first doctor who treats your federal work injury. Use our free search tool to find one who is enrolled with OWCP, knows the CA forms, and bills the Department of Labor directly.
- Your choice of physician — DOL gives you the first pick, not your agency
- OWCP-enrolled providers — unenrolled doctors cannot be paid by DOL at all
- CA-17 and CA-20 done right — the two forms your claim actually turns on
- Free to search — no cost and no obligation to you
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The part most injured federal employees get wrong
“You have the right to select the first doctor who treats you for your injury.”— U.S. Department of Labor, Basic Information on New Claims
Plenty of federal employees are handed a name at the clinic their agency uses and assume that is the process. It is not. The first treating physician is your call — and it is the single most consequential decision in the whole claim, because everything OWCP decides later rests on what that doctor writes down.
It also matters because reversing it is harder than making it. Once you have chosen, changing physicians requires approval from OWCP. Getting it right the first time is far easier than switching later.
Find an OWCP Doctor Near You
Why enrollment is not optional
A doctor who is not enrolled with OWCP cannot be paid
This is the difference between OWCP and ordinary health insurance, and it catches people out constantly.
The short version: DOL requires providers to enroll in order to be paid for treating federal employees under FECA, and bills submitted by unenrolled providers are returned. Enrollment is free for the provider — but if yours has not done it, your treatment does not get covered, no matter how good the care was.
They hold an OWCP provider number
Enrolled providers are registered with DOL and set up on the OWCP bill processing portal. Without that registration, the bill comes straight back and nothing gets paid.
They bill DOL, not you
Enrolled providers bill the Department of Labor directly and may not bill you for amounts OWCP does not cover. Your personal health insurance stays out of it.
They write the CA-20 properly
The Attending Physician's Report is where causation is established. A doctor who has never filled one out is the most common reason a legitimate claim stalls.
They keep the CA-17 current
The Duty Status Report tells your agency what you can and cannot do. Vague or missing restrictions are how people end up back on full duty too early.
Not sure whether your current doctor is enrolled?
It is a yes-or-no question their billing office can answer in about a minute. If the answer is no, or nobody knows, search our directory before your next appointment.
Which claim are you filing?
CA-1 or CA-2 — the fork that decides everything after it
Filing the wrong one costs weeks. The test is simple: did it happen in a single shift, or did it build up over time?
Traumatic Injury
One event, one shift
- What it covers
- An injury caused by a specific event or incident during a single day or work shift — a fall, a lifting injury, a vehicle collision, being struck by something.
- Continuation of Pay
- Available. COP can run up to 45 calendar days, so your salary continues while the claim is reviewed.
- Immediate treatment
- Your agency may issue a CA-16, which authorizes non-surgical treatment for up to 60 calendar days from the date of injury.
- Typical examples
- Slipping on a wet floor, a back injury lifting a parcel, a fall from a loading dock, an assault on duty.
Occupational Disease
Built up over time
- What it covers
- A condition produced by the work environment over a period longer than one work shift — repetitive motion, sustained exposure, cumulative strain.
- Continuation of Pay
- Not available. COP is not payable on occupational disease claims, which makes the medical evidence carry more weight from day one.
- Immediate treatment
- No CA-16 route. Getting to an enrolled provider quickly matters more here, not less.
- Typical examples
- Carpal tunnel from sorting or scanning, hearing loss on a flight line or plant floor, chronic back conditions from years of route work, respiratory conditions from exposure.
If a previously accepted condition comes back or worsens without a new injury, that is a CA-2a Notice of Recurrence — not a new CA-1.
Reference
The OWCP forms, and who is responsible for each one
Three of these are yours to file. Two belong to your doctor. One only your agency can issue.
| Form | Official title | Who files it | When it applies |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA-1 | Notice of Traumatic Injury and Claim for Continuation of Pay/Compensation | You | A single event or one work shift caused the injury. Also claims up to 45 days of Continuation of Pay. |
| CA-2 | Notice of Occupational Disease and Claim for Compensation | You | The condition built up over more than one shift — repetitive strain, hearing loss, exposure. |
| CA-2a | Notice of Recurrence | You | A previously accepted condition returns or worsens without a new injury. |
| CA-16 | Authorization for Examination and/or Treatment | Your agency | Issued for a traumatic injury so you can be treated right away. Covers non-surgical treatment for up to 60 calendar days from the date of injury. |
| CA-17 | Duty Status Report | Your doctor | Records your work restrictions so your agency knows what you can and cannot do. |
| CA-20 | Attending Physician's Report | Your doctor | The medical narrative — diagnosis, causation, and whether the condition is work-related. |
| CA-7 | Claim for Compensation | You | Claims wage-loss compensation. Once payments start, it is filed every two weeks. |
Form titles as published by the U.S. Department of Labor. Blank forms are available on the DOL website and through ECOMP.
Clocks that are already running
Four OWCP deadlines worth knowing today
Original claim
A claim for compensation must generally be filed within three years of the injury. For occupational disease, the clock starts when you become aware of the connection to your work.
Continuation of Pay
The maximum COP period on a traumatic injury claim. Not payable at all on an occupational disease claim.
CA-16 coverage
How long a CA-16 authorizes non-surgical treatment, counted from the date of injury — not from the date it was issued.
CA-7 filing
Once compensation payments begin, the CA-7 is filed every two weeks to keep wage-loss benefits flowing.
Report any injury to your agency immediately, regardless of these windows. Deadlines are outer limits, not targets.
Who FECA covers
Federal employees we help every week
FECA covers civilian employees of the federal government. If you are on a federal payroll, you are almost certainly covered.
Your first choice of doctor is the one you actually control
Agencies, adjusters and deadlines are all outside your hands. Who writes your CA-20 is not. Search our free directory of OWCP-enrolled providers and choose deliberately.
Free to search · No obligation · Takes about 30 seconds
Common questions
Federal workers' comp questions, answered
Can I choose my own doctor for an OWCP claim?
Yes. The Department of Labor states that you have the right to select the first doctor who treats you for your injury. You are not required to use a physician chosen by your agency. If you later want to change physicians, you must request approval from OWCP first.
What happens if my doctor is not enrolled with OWCP?
They will not be paid. DOL requires providers to enroll in order to be paid for treating federal employees under FECA, and bills submitted by unenrolled providers are returned. That is why confirming enrollment before your first appointment matters more than it does with ordinary insurance.
Will I have to pay anything out of pocket?
For treatment OWCP accepts and authorizes, enrolled providers bill the Department of Labor directly, and they may not bill you for amounts OWCP does not cover. Always confirm billing arrangements with the clinic before treatment begins.
What is the difference between a CA-1 and a CA-2?
A CA-1 is for a traumatic injury — something that happened during a single day or work shift, like a fall or a lifting injury. A CA-2 is for an occupational disease, meaning a condition that developed over more than one shift, such as repetitive strain, hearing loss, or exposure-related illness. Continuation of Pay is available on a CA-1 but is not payable on an occupational disease claim.
What is a CA-16 and why does it matter?
A CA-16 is an Authorization for Examination and/or Treatment issued by your employing agency. For a traumatic injury it lets you get medical treatment right away, and it covers non-surgical treatment for up to 60 calendar days from the date of injury. It is issued by authorized agency personnel, not by you or your doctor.
How long do I have to file a FECA claim?
An original claim for compensation must generally be filed within three years of the injury or death. For an occupational disease or a latent condition, the three-year period does not begin until you have a compensable disability and are aware — or reasonably should be aware — that the condition is connected to your employment. Report the injury to your agency as soon as it happens regardless.
Do I need a lawyer to file an OWCP claim?
No. Many federal employees file and pursue claims without one. What claims tend to turn on is medical documentation — whether the CA-20 establishes causation and the CA-17 records your restrictions clearly. FindMyInjuryDoctor.com is a medical directory and does not provide legal advice.
Which federal employees are covered by FECA?
FECA covers civilian employees of the federal government, which includes postal workers, VA staff, TSA screeners, Department of Defense civilians, Bureau of Prisons staff, Customs and Border Protection officers, FAA personnel and employees of essentially every other federal agency.
Are you affiliated with the Department of Labor?
No. FindMyInjuryDoctor.com is an independent, free directory service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the U.S. Department of Labor, the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, or any other government agency, and we do not provide medical or legal advice.
Sources: U.S. Department of Labor — Basic Information on New Claims, Information for Medical Providers, FECA Forms, and 5 U.S.C. § 8122. This page summarises publicly available government information and is not legal advice.
By location
OWCP doctors by metro area
Coverage is nationwide. These are the areas federal employees search most.