Report Finds Poor Management of Federal Employees' Claims

Wednesday, May 18, 2016 | 0

The U.S. Inspector General has found that the Office of Personnel Management is doing a poor job of keeping records for workers’ compensation claims and may be paying out on claims that have already run their course, according to FedWeek newsletter.

The Inspector General Report found that overall workers’ compensation claims files under the Federal Employee Compensation Act were in disarray and lacked systematic organization, making it difficult to locate documents.

The auditor also said it found 15 cases in which injured workers or their surviving dependents were receiving FECA benefits payments “with very limited verification of continued eligibility,” the newsletter reported.

It also faulted the OPM of poor record-keeping, citing two cases in which personnel specialists apparently had had no contact with injured workers or the Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs for more than a year. Two other files did not contain current medical documentation for injured workers.

In the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2015, the OPM spent close to $2.5 million for 153 FECA workers’ compensation cases, according to the report.