Guide · Updated October 16, 2026

What Is a CA-7 Form?

A CA-7 is the Claim for Compensation that injured federal workers file with OWCP to be paid for wages lost to a work injury once continuation of pay ends, or when no COP applies. It is also used to claim a schedule award. You fill out the front, and your agency completes and forwards it.

If a work injury keeps you off the job long enough that your paycheck stops, the CA-7 is the form that asks the Department of Labor to start paying you. It is one of the most important forms in a federal workers’ comp claim, and one of the easiest to get wrong. Here is what it does, when to file it, and how to keep your payments moving.

What the CA-7 is for

The official name is “Claim for Compensation.” Under the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA), the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) uses it for a few different jobs:

• Wage loss after continuation of pay. The CA-7 claims pay for periods of disability that are not covered by continuation of pay (COP). If you lose pay for more than three calendar days because of the injury, you must file a CA-7 before OWCP can pay you (20 CFR 10.102(a)).
• Ongoing wage loss. If you stay off work, you keep filing the CA-7 for each new period (20 CFR 10.102(b)).
• Schedule awards. The CA-7 is also used to claim a schedule award for permanent impairment to a body part (20 CFR 10.103).
• Leave buy-back. If you used sick or annual leave because of the injury, you may be able to claim it back using Forms CA-7a and CA-7b, if your agency’s rules allow the leave to be restored (20 CFR 10.425).

You can download the form from the DOL CA-7 page, but most people file it online. Our OWCP forms help page lists the other forms you may need along the way.

When to file it

Timing matters with this form. The rules say:

• File within 14 days of your pay stopping. You complete the front of the CA-7 and give it to your agency “as soon as possible, but no more than 14 calendar days after the date pay stops” (20 CFR 10.102(a)(2)).
• If you are on COP, your agency should give you a CA-7 by day 30 of your COP period and send it to OWCP by day 40 (20 CFR 10.111(b)). Filing before COP runs out helps avoid a gap in income. Our post on continuation of pay for federal workers explains how those 45 days work.
• Keep filing every two weeks while you remain disabled, until OWCP tells you otherwise. Without a new claim, OWCP has no way of knowing your wage loss is still going on (20 CFR 10.102(b)(1)).

Your agency has a deadline too. Once you hand in the CA-7, the employer must fill in its part and forward it to OWCP within five working days (20 CFR 10.111(c) and 10.112(b)).

Postal workers, note this: USPS employees do not get compensation or COP for the first three days of disability, the “waiting period.” You can use leave for those days, and if the disability lasts more than 14 days you may be able to get that leave back. A CA-7 is used to claim it (20 CFR 10.111(d)).

How much OWCP pays

For total disability, compensation is 66 2/3 percent of your pay rate if you have no dependents, or 75 percent if you have at least one dependent (20 CFR 10.401(b)). OWCP cannot pay wage loss for days you were on COP or on paid leave (20 CFR 10.401(a)).

The medical proof behind your CA-7

A CA-7 by itself is only a request. OWCP pays when the medical record shows two things: that you are still disabled, and that the disability comes from your work injury. Getting that evidence to OWCP is your responsibility, and Form CA-20a is the report meant to go with a continuing CA-7 (20 CFR 10.102(b)(3)).

That is why your doctor’s paperwork matters so much. A clear report gives your diagnosis, your work limits, and a medical opinion about why the injury keeps you off work. To learn more about the main doctor’s form, read what a CA-20 form is.

How to file a CA-7 online

The Department of Labor’s ECOMP portal lets you file the CA-7 and CA-7a electronically once you have an OWCP case number. The CA-7b cannot be filed electronically; your agency submits it. If you have not set up your account yet, our guide on how to log in to ECOMP and file your claim walks you through it.

Common mistakes that slow things down

• Gaps in dates. Each CA-7 should pick up the day after the last one ended.
• No medical support for the dates claimed. If your doctor’s notes don’t cover a period, OWCP may not pay for it.
• Waiting too long. Missing the 14-day window or skipping a two-week claim can delay your money.
• Assuming your agency sent it. Check your status. DOL says the Claimant Query System, now part of ECOMP, gives you 24-hour access to claim information (DOL FECA FAQ).

How Alivio can help

Our team in McAllen and Harlingen helps federal workers keep their OWCP paperwork on track, and Dr. Peter Ruiz, MD, our medical director, reviews and signs the FECA medical reports that support your claim. We offer a free consultation and free OWCP forms help at both clinics. Call (956) 679-3451 or learn more about our federal workers’ comp doctors.

Medically reviewed by Peter Ruiz, MD, Medical Director. MD · Family Medicine · Texas Medical Board license N2270
Last reviewed October 16, 2026 · How we review content