If my injury prevents me from caring for my dependent family members, are there any caregiver benefits available?

This is a great and pertinent question that most people don’t ask often because they don’t anticipate the need for a caretaker after suffering an injury as a federal worker. Caregivers are particularly useful and sometimes absolutely necessary if you suffered a disabling injury, or your condition has left you bed-bound.

OWCP provides something known as Attendant Allowance which is a stipend that helps support your needs when you cannot take care of yourself or need help getting to medical appointments, tasks around the house and so on.

In order to qualify for Attendant Allowance, you must have suffered a work-related occupational illness or injury which precipitates your needing daily living assistance. In addition, this illness or injury must be so severe that basic living functions cannot be carried out without assistance – functions like feeding, bathing, dressing, driving or moving around. Your physician must also recommend or suggest the need for an attendant in your file, and this must all be approved by OWCP.

It is important to note that these costs must be approved by the OWCP, so the process must start by your submitting a written request to have an attendant help you around the house and drive you around. When submitting this request, ensure that you provide medical documentation rationalizing your request. OWCP will review this and then determine what level of care you require, after which they will release the funds into your account from which you will arrange for said care.