About the Report

Download Report

The report describes a study that examines the characteristics of workers’ compensation claims, case management indicators, and work outcomes using administrative data on the cases reported under the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA) from 2005 to 2010. Findings from the research suggest three areas that might help inform the structure of benefits and services in workers compensation programs: (1) a small proportion of cases received a large percentage of the services provided; (2) occupational illness cases, which are caused by repeated exposure to conditions in the work environment, were more likely to be severe and to receive more benefits on average than traumatic injury cases, which are caused by an external force in a specific incident; and (3) injured workers who did not return to work quickly were unlikely to return to work within three years of the report date of the injury.

Research Questions

• What are the characteristics and case management indicators of FECA cases and how do they vary with the year the case was reported?
• How do characteristics vary across cases with different levels of injury severity?
• How are work outcomes associated with case characteristics and case management indicators?

Key Takeaways

• The small proportion of cases with the most severe injuries (as indicated by Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs' (OWCP) case management response) received substantially more disability compensation, medical benefits, and service referrals than cases with less severe injuries.
• Occupational illness cases, which are caused by repeated exposure to conditions in the work environment, were more likely to be severe and to receive more benefits on average than traumatic injury cases, which are caused by an external force in a specific incident
• Injured workers who did not return to work quickly (without wage loss relative to their pre-injury earnings) were unlikely to return to work within three years of the reported date of the injury or illness.

Research Gaps

• Was the timing of when claimants receive benefits and service referrals associated with work outcomes? Were benefits and services provided consistently across the district offices? How was compensation distributed to claimants? How did employees in a particular employing department progress through the system? (page 58)

Citation

Liu, A. Y.-H., Maxwell, N. (2013). Mathematica. Addressing Return-to-Work Issues in the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act with Administrative Data. Chief Evaluation Office, U.S. Department of Labor.

Download Report   View Study Profile

The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) sponsors independent evaluations and research, primarily conducted by external, third-party contractors in accordance with the Department of Labor Evaluation Policy and CEO’s research development process.