The Department of the Interior (DOI) is committed to preventing job-related injuries and illnesses. The DOI Workers' Compensation Program establishes guidance and oversight of workers' compensation (WC) programs; and promotes effective program management utilizing WC program goals, objectives, strategies, and performance measures. Our objective is to assist employees in submitting timely claims for compensation in order to receive timely benefits from OWCP, and to monitor the medical recovery of employees following job-related injuries and illnesses.
The Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA) provides workers' compensation coverage for employment-related injuries and occupational diseases. Benefits include wage replacement, payment for medical care, and where necessary, medical and vocational rehabilitation assistance in returning to work and survivor benefits.
When an employee sustains a job-related injury or illness, the Department is committed to providing initial medical treatment, referral, and follow-up attention under the FECA. This coverage is for all civilian employees of the United States. Contract employees, volunteers, and loaned employees are covered under some circumstances. The FECA is administered by the Department of Labor's Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP).
NOTE: On October 1, 2019, DOI transitioned from using the DOI Safety Management Information System (SMIS) to using the Department of Labor (DOL)'s Employees' Compensation Operations and Management Portal (ECOMP) system to file workers' compensation claims. Although injured employees will continue to initiate the process for all safety-related events, including claims for compensation, through SMIS, now, however, instead of finalizing their injury claim in SMIS the system will walk employees through the process, notify their supervisor and safety personnel, and then direct the employee to ECOMP to finalize their injury claim. Visit https://smis.doi.net/ for more information.