Emotional distress can be life-changing and interfere with the way you perform your work duties as a federal worker. At the same time, it is not enough to cry out emotional distress if you are looking to get compensated so you can get professional help as well recover lost wages. The federal government Department of Labor under the Office of The Workers’ Compensation Program requires that certain conditions be met before your case and claims are accepted.
Have you suffered emotional trauma or abuse as a federal worker? You may be able to get compensation to the level that befits your claim. Before you deal with OWCP, please get in touch with us on 1-877-561-3004 so we can expedite and make the whole process easier for you.
Federal Workers’ Compensation Emotional Stress Claim Requirements
In order for an emotional stress claim to be seen as valid, it must be shown that it is directly related to a work condition. Also known as a compensable factor, you must prove that a certain event at work caused your emotional stress or trauma. For example, if your supervisor groped you along the hallway, there must have been someone who witnessed the event (or security camera footage) in order for it to be admissible. If you work in a high hazard area and are constantly exposed to high temperatures, the threat of explosions going off and the like, you may very well be able to seek federal workers’ compensation for emotional distress.
Here are the other terms your claim must satisfy:
- The work factors which allegedly caused your emotional distress should be shown to have happened. This is where things like witnesses and documentation showing that you were indeed at work at that time performing a certain duty at that time comes into play.
- The work factors causing your condition should arise from your normal performance of duties. For this, work assessments, discussions involving your performance, any talk related to annual or sick leave are not included in performance of duties making them inadmissible unless it can be shown that management or your supervisor acted in an erroneous or abusive manner.
- You must also provide medical evidence from a doctor showing a clear causal relationship between the work factors and your emotional stress. The evidence, in the form of a doctor’s report, should contain clear and unequivocal language supporting your claims.
It is also important to note that just because you claim you were harassed doesn’t mean that you will win. There must be supporting evidence from you via a written statement which you will provide to your OWCP-friendly physician who will go on to provide a definitive and objective diagnosis.
Legal Help for Federal Workers’ Compensation
Want to make sure that you actually get compensation for federal emotional stress claims? Call us today on 1-877-561-3004 for your free consultation and we’ll take a look at your case at no initial cost. Thanks for choosing us.
