If you’re a public worker
working for the government, you’re maybe subject to a split set of workers' compensation audit. Federal law governs federal employees, state or
local employees are subject to either the same state regulations as private
workers or a special state statute, and some occupations like railroad workers
and seamen have their separate policy
entirely.
Federal Employees
Federal workers have different programs for
federal workers' compensation benefits. The Federal Employee's Compensation Act (FECA)
allows for the revival of benefits when a federal employee is either disable or
killed as a consequence of an injury or disease "sustained while
in the performance of duty." FECA is obtainable to federal workers
despite the duration of time on the job or the type of position held. Profit
includes both medical expenses and compensation for wage loss. Vocational rehabilitation
services are offered to partially disabled workers. All federal profit are
managed through the Office of
Workers' Compensation Programs(OWCP) and paid out of the Employees'
Compensation Fund.
Special Occupations
Special types of employees may bring claims for federal workers'
compensation benefits under several federal acts. For example, the Federal
Employer's Liability Act provides recovery for injuries
sustained by employees engaged in interstate transportation, such as railroad
workers. The Jones Act provides
for seamen, and the Longshore and
Harbor Workers' Compensation Act provides similar benefits to
longshoremen and others who are busy in maritime activities on passable waters.
Other statutes that play a role in the compensation of certain workers comprise
The Outer
Continental Shelf Lands Act, the Death on the
High Seas Act, and the Defense Base Act (for
workers working on defense bases or public works projects outside the U.S.).
State and Local Employees
If you're a state or local administration worker,
your state workers'
compensation statutes decide whether you are covered under the
state's program or another stipulation. The easiest way to learn the particulars
of your reporting is to look for the mandatory workers' compensation notice at your
place of work. Most states require these to be posted in a worker's common area.
Here is a sample from California and Texas.
The poster details your coverage and provides contact information for questions
and filing a claim. If you’re unable to locate the poster, contact your
employer.
If you're working by your state, contact your
state's human assets or worker administration unit. In California, for example,
you would contact California
Department of Human Resources. In Florida, the Department of
Management Services regulates state worker profit. If your employer
is the local region or city government, the same code applies - contact the
human resources division.
Alternatively, you may contact the legal division
(see New York City)
or if you’re a member of a labor union, your union agent.
Most state statutes forbid the payment of workers'
compensation benefits to "officials" of the state. As a general rule,
if an individual movement some piece of the state's ruler power, he or she will
be considered an executive and therefore barred to collect state workers'
compensation benefits. If you're a police officer, firefighter, or uninformed
sanitation worker, many states have a divide, specific supplies within their
statutes to clarify which workers' compensation profit, rules, and supplies relate.
Authorized Help for Public Employees
If you are a public worker who has been hurt on
the job, you are facing not only the hard work of curative from your injuries
but figuring out what you need to do next to make your claim. What laws apply
to you? Can your union help? A local workers' comp attorney can review your case free, give details
the law to you, and help you to make a decision about what to do next.
