STAGE 01
THE WORK EVENT
Something happened—or developed—because of federal employment.
First fork: CA-1 and CA-2 are not interchangeable labels. The time pattern of the work factor determines the starting claim form.
FROM INJURY TO RESOLUTION
See the Claim as a Process, Not a Pile of Forms
Not every claim travels through every stage, and individual cases can branch in different directions. But this structure gives visitors a practical mental model for understanding what usually comes next and which Ellis Clinic resource explains it.
01
02
STAGE 02
FILE THE CLAIM
The employee initiates the FECA claim and supplies the factual basis.
Occupational disease: CA-2 claimants should also review the applicable CA-35 evidence checklist for the type of disease claimed.
03
STAGE 03
BUILD THE MEDICAL EVIDENCE
The claim form says what is being claimed. The medical evidence explains what medically happened.
Core idea: OWCP may request additional factual or medical information when the existing record is not sufficient to adjudicate the claim.
04
STAGE 04
OWCP ADJUDICATION
OWCP reviews whether the claim meets the requirements for FECA coverage.
05
STAGE 05
DISABILITY & WAGE LOSS
If the accepted condition prevents work, medical support and compensation paperwork become central.
If disability continues: DOL guidance says CA-7 is generally submitted every two weeks until OWCP instructs otherwise.
06
STAGE 06
RECOVERY, RESTRICTIONS & RETURN TO WORK
The question may change from 'Can the employee work?' to 'What work can the employee safely perform?'
07
STAGE 07
RECURRENCE OR NEW EVENT?
Symptoms or disability can return after an employee has resumed work or treatment has ended.
Do not collapse these together: recurrence, a new traumatic injury, and a new occupational exposure are different claim paths.
08
STAGE 08
MMI & PERMANENT IMPAIRMENT
After the condition becomes medically stable, permanent impairment may become the next issue.
Not every accepted condition produces a Schedule Award. Schedule Awards apply to permanent impairment involving scheduled members, organs, or functions covered by FECA.
WHERE AM I IN MY CLAIM?
Jump Straight to the Problem
NEW CLAIMI was just injured.
Determine whether the facts fit CA-1 or CA-2 and start building the medical evidence.
CA-1 · CA-2MEDICAL EVIDENCEOWCP wants more evidence.
Focus on diagnosis, objective findings, causal relationship, disability, and medical rationale.
CA-20 / MEDICAL EVIDENCEOUT OF WORKI can't return to duty.
Review wage-loss documentation, CA-7, and the medical evidence supporting disability.
CA-7LIMITED DUTYI can work, but not normally.
Translate the condition into specific restrictions and functional capacity.
CA-17RETURNED TO WORKMy condition got worse again.
Determine whether this is a recurrence or a new work injury/exposure.
CA-2aPERMANENT LOSSI've reached MMI.
Learn how permanent impairment and Schedule Awards fit into the FECA claim.
SCHEDULE AWARDSNEED A PROVIDERI need medical care.
Use the DOL provider-search gateway and confirm current OWCP participation directly.
PROVIDER SEARCHNEED AN EVALUATIONI need Ellis Clinic.
Use the appointment gateway when general education is not enough for the individual medical question.
APPOINTMENTSRoadmap note: This is an educational navigation tool, not a prediction of how an individual OWCP claim will be decided. Claims can skip stages, return to earlier stages, or involve additional issues such as second-opinion examinations, referee examinations, appeals, vocational rehabilitation, or loss of wage-earning capacity.