St. Louis Work Comp Lawyer – Government Employees

Public employees working for the federal, state, or local government are subject to a separate set of workers’ compensation regulations.

Federal employees are governed by federal workers’ compensation regulations. State and local employees are governed by their respective state regulations as private workers or as a special state statute. Railway employees and seamen have their own separate regulations.

Federal Employees

Workers’ compensation benefits are available to federal employees through different special programs. The Federal Employee’s Compensation Act (FECA), provides for recovery of benefits if an employee is either disabled or killed due to an injury or disease “sustained while in the performance of duty.”

Workers’ compensation benefits are available to federal employees regardless of the duration of an office held or their position. All benefits are managed by the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) and are made available to employees via the Employees’ Compensation Fund. Federal workers’ compensation benefits include:

• medical expenses for work-related injuries or occupational diseases
• compensation for lost wages
• vocation rehabilitation services for disabled employees

State and Local Employees

State and local government employees refer to the mandatory’ workers compensation poster placed at the workplace. All information regarding filing a claim and contact information is found on this poster. If it is unavailable, contact your employer, human resource department, or the employee management department. You can also contact the legal department or your union representative if you are a part of a union.

Special Occupations

Certain special occupations, such as railroad employees or interstate transportation employees, may file claims for federal workers’ compensation benefits using the following:

• The Federal Employer’s Liability Act – provides workers’ compensation recovery to railroad employees or interstate transportation employees.
• The Jones Act – provides workers’ compensation for seamen.
• The Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act – provides benefits for those engaged in maritime activities and longshoremen.

In addition, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, the Death on the High Seas Act, and the Defense Base Act makes provisions for employees who are posted on defense bases or certain public work projects placed outside the United States.

Workers & Industry