Form CA-7: Claim for Compensation
You were injured on the job and OWCP has accepted your claim. Now it is time to claim compensation for any wage loss. OWCP will send you a letter stating that they have accepted your claim and list the accepted conditions along with an attachment that includes tools/information for managing your claim.
Form CA-7 is used to claim compensation for periods of disability not covered by Continuation of Pay (COP).
When your COP has ended you should file a CA-7 claim for compensation. Postal regulations require Postal Service Health Resource Management (HRM) to provide you with form CA-7 when you are on COP, and it appears you will not return to work after 30 days.
An employee who is disabled with loss of pay for more than three calendar days due to an injury, or someone acting on his or her behalf, must file Form CA-7 before compensation can be paid.
The employee shall complete the front of Form CA-7 and submit the form to the employer for completion and transmission to OWCP. The form should be completed as soon as possible, but no more than 14 calendar days after the date pay stops due to the injury or disease. All such notices should be submitted electronically wherever feasible to facilitate processing of such claims.
You can file a CA-7, from your ECOMP dashboard by clicking New Claim. After your submission of your first CA-7 you must submit a completed CA-7 every two weeks. You can file a paper CA-7 and providing a copy of it to your supervisor or HRM office.
The Postal Service has five working days to complete its portion of the CA-7 and send it to OWCP. Keep a copy of every CA-7 for your file.
Form CA-7 is also used to claim compensation for additional periods of disability following the initial injury.
It is the employee's responsibility to submit Form CA-7. Without receipt of such claim, OWCP has no knowledge of continuing wage loss. Therefore, while disability continues, the employee should submit a claim on Form CA-7 each two weeks until otherwise instructed by OWCP.
The employee shall complete the front of Form CA-7 and submit the form to the employer for completion and transmission to OWCP.
The employee is responsible for submitting, or arranging for the submittal of, medical evidence to OWCP which establishes both that disability continues and that the disability is due to the work-related injury. Form CA-20a is submitted with Form CA-7 for this purpose.
Form CA-7 is used to claim compensation for permanent impairment to a body part covered under the schedule established by 5 U.S.C. 8107. If Form CA-7 has already been filed to claim disability compensation, an employee may file a claim for such impairment by sending a letter to OWCP which specifies the nature of the benefit claimed. OWCP may create a form specifically for schedule award claims; if that form is created, only that form may be used to file a claim under 5 U.S.C. 8107.
OWCP's goal is to return each injured employee to work as soon as he or she is medically able. Thoroughly explain your work duties to your doctor. Delivering mail is physically demanding work, and returning to work before you have properly healed can lead to debilitating, life-long injuries.
