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Calculating a Schedule Award

A schedule award is a different aspect of federal compensation that seems like a beast to understand due to the many conditions and calculations contained in its disbursement. A lot of people aren’t aware that it’s not possible to receive federal worker’s compensation via the OWCP and a schedule award at the same time. That being said, a schedule award will keep you afloat for a long time to come until its stoppage, after which OWCP compensation will resume.

Need help with a schedule award as an injured federal worker? Call us for your free and no-commitment legal consultation.

The OWCP requires that specific injuries be paid out for a specific amount of time

  1. The arm –  312 weeks
  2. The leg – 288 weeks
  3. The eye – 160 weeks
  4. Hearing for both ears – 200 weeks
  5. One ear’s hearing – 52 weeks
  6. The hand – 244 weeks
  7. Uterus-cervix-vagina-vulva – 205 weeks
  8. Penis – 205 weeks
  9. Kidney – 156 weeks

Choose Your OWCP Doctor Carefully

When calculating any federal workers’ compensation award, please note that you should work with a doctor who has treated injured federal workers before because he will be the one to give out your injury rating for the affected organ which is expressed as a percentage. This report, also known as the Permanent Partial Impairment Rating or PPI, is reviewed by an OWCP District Medical Advisor who will then decide whether or not your doctor’s report is accurate.

Schedule Award Calculations

When it comes to percentage rate of compensation, you are entitled to 66 and 2/3 % if you have no dependents, and 75% if you do.

With regard to calculations, the formula is as follows:

Schedule Award = (OWCP Compensation Rate) x (Number of weeks allowed on the schedule for part of body injured) x (percentage of impairment)

For example, if your percentage of impairment on your injured arm is 20 percent, and you have dependants as well as a weekly pay rate of $800 –

You’ll multiply 20 % by 312 weeks (complete loss of use of hand due to injury) to get the number of weeks.

You’ll then multiply the number of weeks by your weekly pay rate (800) and your compensation rate to get the amount you’re eligible for.

It is also important to note that you may be entitled to a schedule award if the injured organ causes complications or a secondary injury to another body part. For example, you are eligible for a schedule award compensation if you experienced sinus problems due to a lung condition such as occupational COPD.

Call Us for More Help!

Need more information? Please call us today and we’ll help you make sense of it all. Thanks, and we look forward to serving you.