For a USPS letter carrier, getting accepted for a claim from OWCP or the Office of Workers’ Compensation can feel like scaling Mount Everest and getting to the pinnacle. However, when your treating physician asks that you go for an MRI in order to determine if you sustained spinal nerve damage, or states that you must undergo physical therapy to rehabilitate a torn rotator cuff, you quickly realize that getting a claim accepted is akin to putting on your boots and your jacket at the base of the mountain – the journey hasn’t even started, and it’s going to be a couple of rough, grueling weeks.

Once your doctor submits an authorization request into the ECOMP portal, it cynically and almost instantaneously spits back an automated denial. This can undoubtedly complicate and delay your healing, and you may have to consider paying thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket medical bills that were meant to be handled by the federal government.

Before going deeper into this quandary, it is important to realize that the instant rejections spouted out by ECOMP are not something that is a mistake – it is by design. OWCP puts to work something called an automated Medical Treatment Adjudicator, or an MTA algorithm, in order to process incoming authorization requests for things like physical therapy, specialist referrals, and diagnostic imaging.

If the paperwork provided by your physician does not align with the often-unreasonable coding restraints that have been baked into the web bill processing portal for the Department of Labor, the request is terminated even before it goes anywhere. Therefore, if you lack legal representation to help you push back aggressively against these automated monsters, chances are you’ll be out of luck, injured and unable to not only get proper treatment without bankrupting yourself, but also not able to get back to work within a reasonable time frame, if at all.

Are you looking for the best OWCP federal workers’ compensation attorney for your USPS injury claim? Please call the experienced federal employee attorneys at McCready Law NOW at (314) 481-63338 to learn more about how we can help you fight ECOMP treatment denials and secure your FECA benefits.

The experienced injured federal worker attorneys at McCready Law bring to the table combined experience spanning over 90 years, during which we have helped postal workers across the country navigate the Department of Labor and OWCP bureaucracy with speed, efficiency, and reliability. To date, we have recovered over $500 million for our clients, and our deep understanding of USPS operational tactics and OWCP adjudication standards places us at a level that is unmatched in federal workers’ compensation law. We have nationwide reach, handling cases on an agreed-upon, transparent basis, and your first consultation is 100% FREE.

Regardless of where your postal route is located in the United States, McCready Law can assist with your OWCP claim from start to finish, connecting you with qualified physicians who understand federal causality and fighting aggressive agency algorithms so you can focus on recovering. Need to speak to someone regarding forcing your medical authorizations through ECOMP and securing claim acceptance? Call us NOW at (314) 481-63338 to learn more about our legal services – our intake team is standing by to route your call to one of our experienced attorneys.

Forcing Medical Authorizations in ECOMP as an Injured Postal Worker

In order to defeat the automated algorithm so OWCP can pay for your MRI and physical therapy as an injured USPS worker, here are some points of information you must be aware of:

1. Mismatched ICD-10 Code Trap: ECOMP algorithm cross-references diagnosis codes on the authorization request provided by your doctor. If your accepted claim is for “lumbar sprain” but the doctor requests an MRI with a code for something like “disc herniation” due to the complex nature of your injuries, the system will automatically deny the request. Therefore, you must file a formal request to expand your accepted conditions before the algorithm authorizes treatment for the new diagnosis.
2. Level 1 vs. Level 2 Authorizations and How to Bypass: ECOMP splits medical care into authorization levels. For example, X-rays and routine office visits are level 1 and do not require prior authorization once your claim is accepted. However, things like MRIs and surgical consults are level 2 and even level 3 procedures. Therefore, if your physician submits an MRI as a level 1 procedure, it will be rejected and moved over to collections
3. Letter of Medical Necessity: It is not enough to present a standard prescription pad note stating, “the patient requires MRI for back pain”. This will result in an instant denial. OWCP requires a rationalized and highly detailed Letter of Medical Necessity and states the clinical justification for the test and its connection to the accepted work injury.

Best Attorneys for Injured Postal Workers – Call Us Today!

At McCready Law, we understand how frustrating it can be for a computer algorithm to stand between you and the medical care you require in order to get back to your old self. Our legal team is ready to work closely with OWCP-conversant physicians in order to ensure your diagnostic codes are accurate, your medical necessity narratives are ironclad, and any other medical requirements are complete. Please give us a call NOW at (314) 481-63338 if you’re an injured USPS worker to learn more about how we can help you have your injuries approved and funds disbursed in as little time as possible, regardless of where you are in the country. Thanks for choosing us, and we look forward to helping you.