If you are an employment of an agency of the federal government and have been injured on the job, you likely will need to pursue a worker’s compensation claim. As part of that process, you will have dealings with a work comp doctor selected by the Department of Labor, Office of Workers’ Compensations Programs (OWCP) to evaluate you and your medical condition.
Unfortunately, in most cases, the worker’s compensation doctor selected by the OWCP to evaluate you very well may try to diminish the extent of the injury you sustained as part of an overall process to reduce the amount of compensation that you receive. Never think the worker’s compensation doctor selected by the OWCP to evaluate you is in your corner.
Find Your Own Worker’s Compensation Doctor
The reality is that if you have a regular doctor, he or she likely will not be sufficient to provide the type of support you will need to back your claim for compensation. You really will need to find and utilize the services of a doctor who has experience with on the job injuries and the federal worker’s compensation system.
If you have retained an attorney, he or she can assist you in finding a suitable attorney to support your claim. In addition, there are consulting services that can also be of assistance in this regard.
In the final analysis, you will need an experienced doctor that will be able to match wits with whoever the OWCP elects to utlize. Your doctor needs to be able to credibly counter any claims by the OWCP physician that your injuries are more minor or minimal than actually is the case.
Document … Everything
Another step you need to take in the aftermath of an on the job injury is to fully document everything associated with the injury and what follows. On a related note, you also need to make certain that you make all of the necessary claim filings in a timely manner. Failing to meet these deadlines can result in a permanent dismissal of your claim for worker’s compensation benefits.