6 Steps a USPS Postal Employee Should Take if They’ve Been Injured On the Job

Seek Medical Attention: The most important step is to get medical attention for your injury. This could involve going to the emergency room, urgent care, or seeing your doctor.

Inform Your Supervisor: Let your supervisor know about the injury as soon as possible, ideally on the same day. This will help them ensure you receive proper medical care and get the process started for filing a work injury claim.

File a CA-1 or CA-2 Form: Your supervisor will provide you with either a Form CA-1 (Notice of Traumatic Injury) or a Form CA-2 (Notice of Occupational Disease). Fill out the form completely and return it to your supervisor.

See a Doctor of Your Choice: You have the right to choose your own doctor for treatment of your work-related injury.

Continuation of Pay (COP): If your injury prevents you from working, you may be eligible for Continuation of Pay (COP) for up to 45 days. You can choose COP instead of using your sick or annual leave.

Follow Up with OWCP: The Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) is responsible for administering the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA) which covers USPS employees. Your supervisor will submit the completed forms to OWCP to initiate your claim.

Additional Resources:

• You can find more information about the USPS Injured Worker Reporting Procedures on the National Association of Letter Carriers website: Injured on the job | National Association of Letter Carriers AFL-CIO
• The official USPS Injured Compensation Program information can be found on the USPS About.USPS.com website: USPS 540 Injury Compensation Program ON About.USPS.com