HRM: Update about the U.S. Department of Labor Workers’ compensation program
What you need to know
In December 2022, Congress passed the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act. Section 5305 of that law titled “Fairness for Federal Firefighters,” identifying that certain conditions will be “presumed” to be work-related for “federal employees in fire protection activities.” The list of presumptive illnesses includes but is not limited to various cancers. More information is available on the Federal Employee’s Compensation Act Bulletin No. 23-05 and delineates certain diseases as caused by Federal firefighting activities.
NOTE: The U.S. Department of Labor receives federal funding to manage the Workers’ Compensation Program and is the only agency who has authority to approve or deny Workers’ Compensation Claims.
What is the Forest Service’s Human Resources Management Liaison role for the DOL Workers' Compensation Program?
HRM has a staff of HR Specialists who serve as liaisons to assist Forest Service employees with the U.S. DOL’s Workers’ Compensation Program. These HRM specialists help employees understand deadlines, letters received and share what information is needed to fill out forms. HRM is able to identify if a submitted claim is for a wildland firefighter, or from an incident, and annotate the case accordingly. When submitted, these types of claims are routed to U.S. DOL Workers’ Compensation Program for review and action by a dedicated team.
NOTE: The Forest Service does not receive any funding for the Workers’ Compensation Program and has no authority to approve or deny any Workers’ Compensation Claims.
Employees are responsible for filling out required paperwork and meeting all deadlines identified by the U.S. DOL Workers’ Compensation Program.
How to file a claim
Employees who want to file a Workers’ Compensation claim for a presumptive illness will follow the normal process and submit their claims via eSafety or may call HRM’s Contact Center at 1-877-372-7248, press 2 for assistance. Below are additional resources to provide detailed information.
Additional resources
Help is available
Open an HR Help case:
Call: 1-877-372-7248, Press 2.
Email: hrm_contact_center@usda.gov.
Self-Service: ConnectHR, then select HR Help. For detailed instructions, visit the HR Help How-to Add a Case Guide.