Browsing: Workers’ compensation

Q. My sister has been on leave without pay with the Postal Service for over three years and is receiving payments from the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs due to a work-related injury incurred some years back. Recently, she received a bill for her life insurance for $400 a month. It has been our understanding that she would pay her portion for health insurance only, and that life insurance is covered under workers’ comp. Please advise. A. You are only partly right. For the full story, go to www.opm.gov/insure/life/faq/faqs-5.asp and scroll down through the Q&As.

Q. I will be retiring under FERS at the age of 72 with 25 years of service. I draw my Social Security but not under disability. I have a case with the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs open, but I don’t draw any money from them. I have checkups and medications under my case number. I want to retire no later than December. I don’t know if any disability I would get through Social Security would have to be offset by my civil service retirement. I have an Air Force retirement and I get so much from the Veterans Affairs Department due…

Q. I have been receiving federal workers’ compensation since February 2007 for an on-the-job injury. I never applied for Social Security disability. I turned 66 on Feb. 3 and applied for my full SS retirement benefits. If I hadn’t been injured on the job, I would still be working and would continue to work while receiving my full retirement benefit from Social Security (as allowed by SS). Can I continue to receive the OWCP monthly benefit and get my full retirement benefit? I would like to supplement my SS retirement benefit and continue to work, but my injury keeps me…

Q. I am a Postal Service employee (regular rural carrier). Some time back, I sustained a back injury on the job. It was approved through the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs for necessary treatments and I eventually had surgery on my back. I subsequently returned to my job and began having back problems again. OWCP approved treatment/office visits again. I received some shots into my back to try to relieve the pain. How do I get paid for the time off I have to take for doctor’s visits and treatments when they occur periodically (as needed) and are often for one day?…

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 was injured at work (for the Department of Labor) in 2003. I am now 64 years old and still receiving workers’ compensation. When will it stop? A. Assuming that you are still disabled, it can go on for the rest of your life. However, some members of Congress are trying to change that.

Q. I was injured on my job with the post office and placed on workers’ compensation. I’m being paid monthly on this program. My injury was severe, and I most likely will not return soon. I will be turning 65 this month, and I’m thinking about applying for Social Security. Would this affect my pay under workers’ comp? A. Yes. To find out how workers’ compensation and other disability payments may affect your Social Security benefits, go to http://ssa.gov/pubs/10018.html.

Q.  I was injured on the job with the post office, and now I’m receiving workers’ compensation. Because on my injury, I will not return to work anytime soon. My questions is, I’m turning 65 this month and I’m thinking about applying for Social Security. Would this have an effect on either one as far as funds? A. Yes. If you receive workers’ compensation or other public disability benefits and Social Security disability benefits, the total amount of these benefits cannot exceed 80 percent of your average current earnings before you became disabled.

Q: Can i retire from government service while on workers’ compensation, or do i have to be in a work status to do so? A: Assuming that you are eligible to retire, you can do that either when your workers’ compensation is terminated or when you elect to receive an annuity in lieu of workers’ compensation. Be aware that the time between the day on which you went on workers’ compensation and the date you retire won’t be included in your annuity computation. Instead, your annuity will be computed based on your service and high-3 on the date you went…

Q: I have a situation with a Civil Service Retirement System retired employee who was charged and convicted of workers’ compensation fraud. Part of his plea agreement states that he must pay back over $100,000 in restitution. His defense attorney proposed in court that the government should attempt to get the entire amount paid to the courts utilizing the money that was paid into his pension, which is being paid out by the Office of Personnel Management. Is this possible? Can a retired employee petition or apply for large sums of money to be extracted from his retirement? We found…