Workers' Compensation Injury Guidance
For Injured or Ill Employees
Compensation Injury Guidance (internal link)
Presumptive Illness Claims
Resources about the unique occupational disease injuries (latent cancers, heart disease, lung disease) firefighters may develop, and the complex Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA) claims development involved.
Firefighters and Cancer: 2023 National Defense Authorization Act and Cancer: What firefighters need to know (July 11, 2023)
January 16, 2025 HRM update: expanded list of presumptive illnesses
For Medical Providers
Employee Services
Casualty Assistance Program: The Forest Service Casualty Assistance Program ensures that employees and their families are supported after an accident or injury. Under this program, the Forest Service takes a coordinated approach to assist employees, their families, and the larger interagency community following a casualty (while people usually associate the term “casualty” with death, casualty support can also refer to support the Forest Service provides after a serious injury or illness). Along with providing support, the program promotes individual and collective resilience.
Hospital Liaison Program: The Hospital Liaison program, while fairly new, is an important program that assists with “taking care of our own” when an employee is injured or ill and requires hospitalization or treatment from a medical provider. Most Forest Service regions offer this program
Stress & First Aid: Stress First Aid is a framework to improve recovery from stress reactions, both in oneself and in coworkers. Stress First Aid was originally designed to support military personnel, and subsequently tailored to support a wide range of occupations, including wildland firefighters, emergency services personnel, law enforcement, and natural resource professions.
