Overland Park OWCP Forms Checklist

By Dr. Matt Gianforte, DC · Federal Injury Centers of Kansas City · Updated October 2026

If you are a federal employee in Overland Park or anywhere in Johnson County and you were hurt on the job, the paperwork can feel like the hardest part.

Which form do you need? Who fills it out? Where does it go?

This is a working checklist, organized by situation. Find the one that fits you, and you’ll see each form, who completes it, and the deadline that matters. Your claim is handled under the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA) by the Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP), not by Kansas state workers’ comp.

Before you start

  • Get forms from your agency or the Department of Labor’s forms page. Many can be filed online through ECOMP, the Department of Labor’s claim portal.
  • Put your name and OWCP claim number (once you have one) on every page you send.
  • Keep a copy of every form, with the date you turned it in.

Checklist 1: Traumatic injury

A traumatic injury happens during a single work shift. A fall, a lifting strain, or a vehicle accident are common examples.

  • CA-1, Federal Notice of Traumatic Injury and Claim for Continuation of Pay/Compensation. Who completes it: you fill out the employee section and give it to your employer. Your supervisor completes the employer section and sends it to OWCP. Deadline: within 30 days of the injury to be eligible for continuation of pay (COP), and no later than three years after the injury (20 CFR 10.100 and 10.205).
  • CA-16, Authorization for Examination and/or Treatment. Who completes it: your employer issues it, usually within four hours of the injury, and names the doctor or facility. The form also has a section for the treating physician’s report. It authorizes treatment for up to 60 days from the date of injury (20 CFR 10.300). You don’t request it from OWCP, and the clinic doesn’t create it.
  • CA-17, Duty Status Report. Who completes it: your employer describes the job’s physical requirements, and your doctor fills in your work restrictions. Bring it to your appointment when your supervisor asks for one.
  • CA-20, Attending Physician’s Report. Who completes it: your treating physician. It gives OWCP the diagnosis, findings and the doctor’s opinion on whether the condition is related to work.

Our step-by-step guide to filing a CA-1 covers this situation in detail.

Checklist 2: Occupational disease

An occupational disease develops from work over more than one shift. Examples include carpal tunnel from repetitive keyboard or scanner work, or knee and back problems from years of lifting.

  • CA-2, Notice of Occupational Disease and Claim for Compensation. Who completes it: you complete the employee section and give it to your employer, who completes its section and sends it to OWCP. Deadline: within three years of when you became aware the condition was related to work (20 CFR 10.101). There is no COP for occupational disease.
  • Your detailed factual statement. Who completes it: you. Describe the specific job duties you believe caused the condition, how often you did them, and for how long.
  • A medical report with a causal-relationship opinion. Who completes it: your treating physician. It should include a diagnosis and explain how your specific work duties caused or aggravated the condition. A CA-20 or a narrative report can serve this purpose.
  • CA-17, Duty Status Report. Who completes it: employer and physician, as above.

A CA-16 is generally for traumatic injuries. An employer can only use it for occupational disease with OWCP’s prior permission (20 CFR 10.300(a)). See our CA-2 guide for more.

Checklist 3: Wage loss

If you lose pay because of the injury, after COP ends or when no COP applies, you claim compensation separately.

  • CA-7, Claim for Compensation. Who completes it: you complete the front and give it to your employer, who completes its part and sends it to OWCP (20 CFR 10.102). Timing: the first CA-7 should be completed as soon as possible, no more than 14 calendar days after pay stops. While you remain disabled, file a CA-7 every two weeks until OWCP tells you otherwise.
  • CA-7a, Time Analysis Form. Who completes it: it goes in with your CA-7 through your employer. The Department of Labor says to include it when the time you are claiming is intermittent, meaning on and off.
  • Medical evidence of disability. Who completes it: your treating physician. The regulations say you are responsible for getting medical evidence to OWCP showing that disability continues and is due to the work injury (20 CFR 10.102(b)).

Compensation is 66 2/3% of your pay rate, or 75% with at least one dependent. Overtime is not included in the pay rate (5 U.S.C. 8114(e)).

Checklist 4: Recurrence

A recurrence is when an accepted injury flares up and causes lost time or a renewed need for treatment after you were released from care, with no new injury.

  • CA-2a, Notice of Recurrence. Who completes it: you provide a detailed factual statement, and your employer may add comments (20 CFR 10.104).
  • A detailed medical report. Who completes it: your attending physician. It should explain why the current problem is related to the original injury.
  • CA-7 if you are claiming wage loss for the recurrence.

If something new happened, such as a new fall or a new work activity that made things worse, the regulation says to file a new CA-1 or CA-2 instead of a CA-2a.

Checklist 5: Travel and out-of-pocket costs

  • OWCP-957, Medical Travel Refund Request. Who completes it: you. Use it for mileage and other travel to authorized medical care, with proof of payment for any costs (20 CFR 10.315 and 10.802). The Department of Labor’s forms page now lists two versions: OWCP-957A for mileage and OWCP-957B for other travel expenses. Round trips over 100 miles for non-emergency care need written approval from OWCP first.
  • OWCP-915, Claim for Medical Reimbursement. Who completes it: you, with an itemized bill from the provider and proof you paid. Use it when you paid a medical bill yourself.

Deadline for both: one year after the end of the calendar year the expense happened, or one year after the end of the calendar year the claim was first accepted, whichever is later (20 CFR 10.803). Our mileage guide has the details.

Quick reference: who completes what

  • You start it: CA-1, CA-2, CA-2a, CA-7, OWCP-957, OWCP-915
  • Your employer completes a section or issues it: CA-1, CA-2, CA-7, CA-16, CA-17
  • Your doctor completes it: CA-20, the medical part of the CA-16 and CA-17, and narrative reports

Common mistakes

  • Filing a CA-1 for a condition that built up over time, or a CA-2a when there was a new injury
  • Missing the 30-day window for COP on a traumatic injury
  • Sending a CA-7 without medical evidence covering the same dates
  • Using the OWCP-915 for mileage instead of the OWCP-957
  • Not keeping copies

Our post on common errors on OWCP forms goes through these in more depth.

How we can help

Federal Injury Centers of Kansas City is in nearby Shawnee and treats federal employees from Overland Park and across the metro. We provide medical care and complete the physician’s side of the paperwork: CA-17 duty status reports, CA-20 attending physician’s reports, and causal-relationship narratives.

Our chiropractic care under FECA is limited to spinal manipulation to correct a subluxation shown by x-ray. We don’t complete your employee or employer sections, and we are not a law firm. Learn more on our Overland Park page.

Request a consultation or call (913) 355-6648.

Sources

This article is general information, not legal or medical advice. For decisions about your claim, contact OWCP or your representative.

About Dr. Matt Gianforte, DC

Dr. Matt Gianforte is a graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic and the founder of Federal Injury Centers of Kansas City in Shawnee, Kansas. His team treats injured federal employees under FECA and provides the medical documentation OWCP requires.