You were hurt doing your job. Getting treated should be the easy part.
We connect injured federal employees with clinics that understand the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs, know how to document a claim properly, and bill the Department of Labor directly.
Talk to someone about your injury
Send your details and we will help you find a clinic near you. No cost, no obligation.
The injuries we see most
Some happen in a moment. Others build up over years of the same movement, and are just as real in the eyes of the system.
Back and neck injuries
Lifting, carrying, twisting, or a fall. The most common federal workplace injury, and the one most often dismissed as “just a strain”.
Repetitive strain
Carpal tunnel, tendonitis, and nerve damage from doing the same task thousands of times. These develop over years and still qualify.
Knee, shoulder and joint damage
Route carriers, warehouse staff and anyone who climbs, lifts or stands on concrete all day.
Slips, trips and falls
On a route, on a loading dock, on stairs, or on a wet floor at a federal facility.
Vehicle and equipment injuries
Delivery vehicles, forklifts, and machinery incidents on federal property or while on duty.
Occupational exposure
Conditions that developed from what you were exposed to at work, rather than from a single accident.
If you work for the federal government, this means you
The Federal Employees’ Compensation Act covers federal employees across every agency. These are the ones we work with most often.
- United States Postal Service
- Transportation Security Administration
- Department of Veterans Affairs
- Social Security Administration
- Internal Revenue Service
- Department of Defense
- Department of Homeland Security
- Federal Bureau of Prisons
- Customs and Border Protection
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement
- Department of Agriculture
- And every other federal agency
You choose your own doctor
This is the single most useful thing to know, and most injured federal employees never get told it: under FECA you generally have the right to choose your own treating physician. You are not required to keep seeing whoever you were first sent to.
That matters, because a doctor who does not know the federal system can sink an otherwise valid claim with incomplete paperwork. The medical documentation is what the decision is made on.
If you have already started treatment somewhere else, that does not shut the door. Call and ask.
It costs you nothing. Not now, not later.
Partner clinics do not charge injured federal employees for their services. No out-of-pocket expenses. No co-pays. They bill the Department of Labor directly.
It also means the clinic has skin in the game: they are not reimbursed unless there is an accepted claim. Their interest and yours point the same direction.
What OWCP actually is
FECA
The Federal Employees’ Compensation Act. The law that covers you if you are injured or become ill because of your federal job.
OWCP
The Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs, part of the U.S. Department of Labor. They administer the claims and make the decisions.
Your claim
Filed through your employing agency using OWCP’s forms, and decided largely on the medical evidence your treating physician provides.
Official forms, deadlines and current guidance are published by the Department of Labor at dol.gov/agencies/owcp. We will always point you to the source rather than paraphrase it.
Your union may have already done most of the work
Many federal labor unions have people in place to assist members with OWCP, and they are good at it. We are not here to replace them or to compete with them.
The gap we fill is the shortage of treating physicians who understand the federal system. A union can take an injured federal employee most of the way. We want to help them across the finish line.
Expert case management, only when it is needed
Some claims are straightforward and simply need a doctor who knows the paperwork. Others get complicated and need someone tracking every step. Partner clinics provide expert case management when a claim calls for it, rather than as a service you did not ask for.
Where to find us
Office locations go here. Kevin: send the office names, addresses, phone numbers and any notes, and they will appear as a directory. Until then, visitors are directed to the main phone number.
Who oversees the care
Clinic owner and overseeing MD bios go here. Kevin: a name, role, credentials, a short bio and a photo for each. Seeing the doctor who will oversee their care is one of the strongest trust signals on a page like this.
What people ask us first
Does this cost me anything?
No. Partner clinics do not charge injured federal employees for their services. There are no co-pays and no out-of-pocket expenses. They bill the Department of Labor directly, and they are not reimbursed unless there is an accepted claim.
Can I choose my own doctor?
Generally yes. Under FECA an injured federal employee has the right to select their own treating physician. If you were sent somewhere first and it is not working, call us and we will talk through your options.
My union already helps with OWCP. Why would I call you?
Because we do a different job. Your union helps you with the claim. We help you find the doctor. If your union representative has you covered on paperwork, that is genuinely good, and we are only here for the part they cannot do.
My injury built up over years rather than in one accident. Do I still qualify?
Conditions that develop over time from the work you do, such as repetitive strain, are treated seriously under the federal system. What matters is the medical documentation, which is exactly where a physician who knows OWCP makes the difference.
Are you lawyers?
No. Patriot Injury Associates is not a law firm and we do not give legal advice. We connect injured federal employees with clinics experienced in treating them.
What happens after I get in touch?
We talk to you about your injury and where you are, and point you to a clinic that treats federal employees near you. There is no cost and no obligation to go any further.
Tell us about your injury
The more you can tell us, the better we can point you to the right clinic. There is no cost and no obligation.