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"All hope abandon ye who enter here"

How to enjoy the good life...

Fellow HR Practicioner
Fed. Govt
Mon Oct 5, 2009 4:45 AM

Post Reply

No disrespect to Lady Lynda, but to counter the author's admittedly subjective rant: many OWCP beneficiaries play victim to injuries & game a system that wasn't designed for permanent benefits (vice a minority of cases). For all the legitimate claims denied/mismanaged by OWCP, many more are fraudulent, abuse the Federal Employees' Compensation Act (which sorely needs revision), and/or should be terminated. Risk eating my words under similar circumstances, but believe medicating/fixing my aging body isn't worth added taxpayer burden. We federal employees earn decent dough + great benefits doing yoeman work, but I'm afraid the lure of OWCP's 75% compensation (tax free) and medical benefits corrupts -- perhaps subconsciously -- even the most patriotic civil servants.

My advice: don't waste your fleeting youth fighting & bickering with OWCP. If disability/regular retirement is an option, enjoy life while you still have it. God Bless the Soldiers dying for our liberty to live... & rant.

Re: How to enjoy the good life...

Safety Manager
FBOP
Mon Oct 5, 2009 10:26 AM
I agree with the "How to enjoy the good life" author. I've seen too much fraud or at a minimum abuse! The staff that file within our agency get theirs and then some!!

Re: How to enjoy the good life...

hard worker
fedgov
Mon Oct 5, 2009 5:14 PM
The bottom line is that OWCP sucks. Too many hard working people get screwed by the OWCP martinets. OWCP needs a complete overhaul!

Re: How to enjoy the good life...

fed
Army
Mon Oct 5, 2009 8:34 PM
The HR practicioner cites no authoratative study and is thus subjective herself and bases her statement on personal anecdotal information and perhaps bias. Workers comp is indeed permanent if your work injuries are indeed permanent. Now go get back to work and make sure your agencys employees forms are filled out and submitted properly so that they can get the benefits they are entitled to.

Re: How to enjoy the good life...

worker
fed
Tue Oct 6, 2009 9:06 AM
I am basing my comments on what I got out of the article. person was injured on the job while driving a government vehicle that was defective. Person got medical benefits for awhile then the benefits stopped. The claim was denied and no reason was given. Attempts to get a reason failed.
When decisions are made a reason must be given. The reasons must be clear If legal reasons are given, they must be cited. This apparantly was not done. Even if there is a flood of garbage cases, the rules must be followed. Otherwise we have arbitrary decisions which creates credibility problems.

Re: How to enjoy the good life...

Fellow HR Practicioner
Fed. Govt
Tue Oct 6, 2009 8:03 PM
Army fed: DOL indeed allows for permanent benefits in limited situations (as I initially noted), but Pub. CA-550 clearly states: "...the FECA does not provide retirement benefits. Employees who fully or partially recover from their injuries are expected to return to work." CA-810 notes, "Compensation payments for total disability may continue as long as the medical evidence supports total disability. Only rarely is an employee declared permanently and totally disabled." CA-550 also notes inactive claims are legitamately closed per policy, but can be reopened for recurrences like Lynda's.

Guess everybody has an opinion, but my comments are based on current professional experience (over 2,000 claimants annually). To your point, your agency made history last year w/ exceptional filing timeliness and is well ahead of its SHARE targets--HOOAH! BTW, the hard-working ladies and gents in my HRO call me sir, thanks.

Re:How to Enjoy the Good Life

Been There, done That
Fed Govt
Mon Oct 5, 2009 7:28 AM

Post Reply

I'm always amazed that when one submits facts such as the author obviously did, it's considered a rant. I'm also amazed that when one, anyone, not just a fed. employee, gets hurt on the job and then applies for workers' compensation that immediately fraud etc is brought up. These flagrant, bias statements are just plain ignnorance. All of the information presented in this article is true. How do I know...been there, done that, underwent similar treatment by OWCP.

Re: Re:How to Enjoy the Good Life

Engineer
FAA
Mon Oct 5, 2009 8:26 AM
When (the majority of) people hear or read something that is in direct contrast with their way of thinking, their logical processing centers of the brain shut down, and the emotional centers take over. Several studies have been performed onver the past 2 years to prove this

HR Practicioner read the article and, because it conflicted with his/her way of thinking, EMOTIONALLY responded to it without giving it a second thought, becasue they COULDN'T (with their logic centers shut down)

That's why you cannot argue what you think is logical against somebody with an opposing viewpoint. That's why we see on almost every comment here in FedSmith two sides convinced of their rightness. Neither one will even stop to try and consider the other point of view. Even facts are disregarded

I have no experience with OWCP, but it's clear that HR felt attacked and responded accordingly, IN THE ONLY WAY THEY COULD

Anybody interested in those brain studies, I can pass them on

Re: Re:How to Enjoy the Good Life

Program Support Assitant
VA
Mon Oct 5, 2009 10:05 AM
I would like to see that data....those kinds of studies always fascinate me.

Re: Re:How to Enjoy the Good Life

IM
DoD
Mon Oct 5, 2009 10:34 AM
FAA Engineer,
I would like to see those brain studies too please.
Thanks. janeen@gimail.af.mil

Re: Re:How to Enjoy the Good Life

Fellow HR Practicioner
Fed. Govt
Mon Oct 5, 2009 7:10 PM
"Often, the surest way to convey misinformation is to tell the strict truth." --Mark Twain. Legitimacy and personal experiences aside, this Howard Beale "I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to this anymore" op-ed is turning into quite the spectacle. Good points have been raised, & I personally sympathize with those in pain, but am learning there’s more to life than harboring bitterness over an imperfect, unfair world. No blind eyes for OWCP either, but focus on the positive, or at least spare some fury for our false filing colleagues robbing taxpayers and legitimate Lynda's of their fair entitlement... not to mention the congressional thumb twiddling since 1974’s last FECA overhaul. Give the claimants more money: problem solved. Reduce program costs: problem solved. Charge higher taxes, create an empathy hotline, publish a scathing GAO audit (http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08284.pdf), fire the Labor Secretary? Nobody wins in the end! FAA Engineer, think you missed the runway, Ace...

Re: Re:How to Enjoy the Good Life

Engineer
FAA
Tue Oct 6, 2009 6:35 AM
I first became interested when I read a LiveScience article during the 2004 election (couldn't find it, but here's the msnbc article:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11009379

describing how political bias affects brain activity.

Afterward, I began regular (maybe monthly) searches for brain activity and bias. I believe there was an abstract in Psychological Science covering this earlier this year. There was also a study this year on bias and expert advice (and how activity decreases when advice is given :

http://thoughtrefuse.wordpress.com/2009/04/15/study-supports-expert-bias/

(another good article)

run some serarches on the brain, bias, politics and/or "area of the brain" and glance thru them. Lot's of great reading.

p.s. Right now I'm more interested in trying to discover EXACTLY how the world is going to end Dec 21, 2012. That should be a hoot!

Re: Re:How to Enjoy the Good Life

Retired Federal Employee
DOL
Tue Oct 13, 2009 2:45 PM
I have had 5 traumatic injuries while employed by DOL. I finally filed a a claim after my Doctor rated me permanently partially disabled and wrote a comprehensive report. DOL sent me to a second opinion Doctor who was older than the hills, could barely walk, barely gave me a secondary look and wrote a report that didn't relate at all to my injured body parts and misstated my answers to his questions. The medical advisor gave an opinion based on this report. Where do they get these guys? I appealed and the case was referred back to OWCP who practically did a carbon copy of the original decision of denial and did not do what was instructed by the Appeal Board. Trying to get answers is like pulling teeth.

OWCP

Federal employee
g
Mon Oct 5, 2009 7:56 AM

Post Reply

The ipity of the OWCP saga is that NONE of the claims examiners has any medical expertise. They make live and death decisions on claims and disallow any recommendations made by physicians. The only way around the incompetence of the OWCP is to seek treatment under the employees' health insurance and let them fight with OWCP for repayment. At least the employee can be treated appropriately and not have to worry about large bills. The OWCP should be either staffed with medical professionals (not clerks) or disbanded entirely. The only thing worse would be to put federal employees under state workers' comp programs.

Re: OWCP

Federal
Federal Worker
Mon Oct 5, 2009 6:41 PM
I agree, the majority of them barely have a high school diploma. They are a bunch of dummies and guess what they are GS-12

Wrongfull treatment

Security Assistant
Department of Defence
Mon Oct 5, 2009 8:12 AM

Post Reply

I was and still am trying to obtain special awards afforded me and all I ever get is they can not locate my paper work and to contact my claims examiner which I have done every week since 1999 to the present, and they have as yet to return my phone calls, after almost 10 years I bet they don't even work there any more. I was told by an OWCP worker that the former director distroyed or hid paper work and claims to keep the numbers of injured employees low.

Signing Off

Disgusted Reader
Federal
Mon Oct 5, 2009 8:15 AM

Post Reply

I used to read this site for good information. It's deteriorated to the opinions of a few very long retired disgruntled few. I'm truly disgusted with both the insistence on publishing opinions that have no relevance to reality, and are written by those who don't even make the effort to stay current (which obviously explains the first part of this sentence). These so-called "experts" have no grip on how to run HR functions or anything else in today's world.

For the record, the OWCP claims I've seen processed over the last 5 years (and there are numerous since I work in a large HR function) have been adjudicated very quickly and efficiently.

I can get TSP updates elsewhere which is about all this site remains worth.

Re: Signing Off

SSA
USDOJ
Tue Oct 6, 2009 12:21 AM
quickly and efficiently ?

you must be in a different time zone.

Re: Signing Off

SSA
USDOJ
Tue Oct 6, 2009 12:30 AM
how do you know when a writer retired ?

All hope abandon ye who enter here

Project Manager
HUD
Mon Oct 5, 2009 8:22 AM

Post Reply

I can empathize with your situation. I started trying to get a 100% rating from VA in 1998 when my left side refused to work. I finally got it Dec 2008. The only lesson is that tenacity does in the end pay off. I hope it does in your situation as well.

Hit em in the pocket book

technician downgraded from professional
USFS
Mon Oct 5, 2009 8:26 AM

Post Reply

I have had the same problem, they closed the wrong case. It is hell to get it opened back up. This was suggested by a case worker as well to close a case.
OWCP did not read, they decided to close a different one. I have it in writing.

In my opinion, get a really super good attorney and hit the jackasses in the pocketbook.

OWCP employee performances should be rated by the victims of their erroneous actions.

I have found that once you are disabled within the USDAFS agency, you are on the list to demote. I was in suitable work for a short time before it was decided I should go through hell and be demoted.

I was told to do a job with no experience nor training and then I was placed on the Performance Improvement Process. Ultimatley, provided the choice of demotion or take a hike. I was never educated to the opportunities of the appeal process or the time frames.

OWCP is a farse and a huge joke, they are not there for employees.

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