Q. I have been on OWCP for five years. I am 50. Do the years I’ve been on OWCP count toward my OPM retirement? I can retire at age 55.
Browsing: OWCP
Q. I was injured on the job in 1998. I applied for OPM disability retirement and Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs. OPM was approved first. I took that. Later, OWCP was approved and I spent nine years on OWCP. After that ended, I went back to retirement. Later, I was rehired by the government as a disabled annuitant. Am I entitled to a restoration of rights (5 USC 8151) for that time spent on OWCP (this would add nine years to my federal record)? I now work for the VA but was injured at INS. Can I apply to have…
Q. After 25 years of service, I was approved for OWCP disability. Now, 15 years later and at age 68, I am still receiving the annuity. If I die still receiving OWCP benefits, will my wife receive survivor benefits from my CSRS service? Should I leave the money in the CSRS or draw it out?
Q. I have been an 1811 status (federal agent) federal employee for 16 years. I have been on leave without pay and receiving workers’ compensation for the past year due to an on-the-job injury. I have received little if any guidance from my agency’s HR, as the representatives admit they have little or no experience with workers’ comp. What should I do to maintain the best possible benefits for me and my family if this becomes a long-term/permanent situation and I am not able to return to work? And if I can return to work, how would the time on…
Q. I am a former federal employee of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard. I had 10 years of service when I sustained a work-related injury on federal status. This injury caused me to lose my military membership and then I was involuntarily separated from my federal job as well. I was in the CSR retirement program when I was terminated and elected Office of Workers’ Compensation Program benefits although I was accepted for CSRS disability retirement. I accepted OWCP because I would receive military loss pay as well. I was then put in a loss of wage earning capacity program on…
Q. I am eligible for both CSRS Disability Retirement and Workers’ Compensation; therefore, I have the right to choose benefits from either. I am receiving workers’ compensation. I am 64. Although medical evidence and evaluations, including second opinion examinations, show that I will never be able to work in any capacity (this has been the case for many years), OWCP does not consider me to be totally disabled according to its definition. If I return to CSRS disability annuity, will my retirement still be considered “disability retirement”? I know that I no longer have to provide annual medical reports; but I…
Q. I represent an employee who retired with more than 42 years of service. At one point, this employee was a WG-11. He was severely injured on the job and went under Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs. It paid his wages for a period of time. At a later date the facility created a “light duty position” around his permanent disability. The position was set at a GS-4. This employee held this job for more than five years. Prior to his accepting this position, the facility coordinated with OWCP for it to continue to pay the “wage loss,” which was…
Q: I have some medical expenses paid for under workers’ compensation because of an on-the-job accident. When I retire, will these medical expenses continue to be covered? A: If your workers’ compensation benefits terminate or you elect to retire instead of remaining on workers’ compensation, payment for your medical expenses by the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs will end.
Q: I am a 66-year-old U.S. Postal Service employee who was born in 1944. I had planned to retire with 15 years of service this month; I thought that I would have recovered from on-the-job injuries by this time. I had already signed up for Social Security to begin on my 66th birthday (this month), but now my doctor says he needs to do more surgery on both arms before he will release me at maximum medical improvement. Also, I keep hearing that a voluntary early retirement is on the way and want to wait a little while to see.…