|
Active Cases
Active cases are cases created in the current quarter that remain on the OWCP rolls
through the duration of the current quarter. Costs are projected for active cases only.
Case Create Date
The date that the OWCP enters the case into the database. The case create date is
usually after the date of injury because of the normal reporting lag-time.
Cause (of Injury/Illness)
Cause identifies the principal action/agent that effected the result of the
injury/illness such as fall, slip, trip, etc. The person reporting the
injury/illness chooses and assigns a cause code from an established list.
Closed Cases
Closed cases are cases created in the current quarter that do not remain on the OWCP
rolls at the end of the current quarter. Since payments for these cases are relatively
small, costs are not projected.
Direct Costs:
All OWCP benefit payments for medical, hospital and disability made to employees and
their beneficiaries for a job related injury/illness or fatality.
Fatality:
Death resulting from an injury (traumatic) or illness/disease (occupational). The OWCP
identifies a fatality with a "O" in the Extent of Injury (Ext_Inj) database
field.
Fatality Projected Direct Costs
The average annual cost for a fatality case is $17,965. Benefits for fatality cases are
paid an average of _____ years. The fatality case projected direct cost is $________
(rounded). (______X____=$______).
The average annual fatality case cost was computed by analyzing all payments for
fatality cases, during the period 1993 through 1997. The total number of cases was 118.
The total annual amount paid for all cases was $2,119,893. The average annual per case
cost is $17,965 ($2,119,893/118 = $17,9645).
The average number of payment years was computed by analyzing all cases during the
period 1993 through 1997. The total number of payment years for each case was computed by
subtracting the case create date from the last year in which payments were made. The sum
of all payment years, for all cases was _____. The total number of cases during the period
was ____. The average number of payment years is ____ (_____/_____= ____).
Indirect Costs:
For every dollar spent on direct costs, four to ten dollars are spent on indirect
costs.
Indirect costs are hidden costs resulting from an employee job related injury/illness
or fatality. Unlike direct costs, indirect costs are charged to the Service operating
budget or to the operating budget of the unit suffering the accident. Indirect costs
include lost employee work time, resources spent on accident investigations, reduced
co-worker productivity, replacement and training of new employees, and administrative
management of accidents and accident compensation.
Illness/Disease (Occupational)
A physiological harm or loss of capacity produced by systematic infection; continued or
repeated stress or strain; exposure to toxins, poisons, fumes, etc.; or other continued
and repeated exposures to conditions of the work environment over a period of time. For
practical purposes, an occupational illness/disease is any reported condition which does
not meet the definition of injury (traumatic).
Injury (Traumatic)
A wound or other condition of the body caused by external force including stress or
strain. The injury is identifiable by the time and place of occurrence and member or
function of the body affected, and is caused by a specific event or incident or series of
events or incidents within a single day or work shift.
Injury/Illness Incident Rate:
The number of injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time workers. Rates are calculated
as:
(NX200,000)/EH
N = number of injuries and illnesses during a month, a quarter, a fiscal year, or any
other time period.
EH = total hours worked by employees during the period.
200,000 = base for 100 full-time workers (working 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per
year).
Lost-Time Case
A nonfatal traumatic injury that causes loss of time from work beyond the day or shift
it occurred; or a nonfatal nontraumatic illness/disease that causes disability any time.
The OWCP identifies Lost-Time Cases with an "X" in the Extent of Injury
(Ext_Inj) database field.
Lost-Time Case Projected Direct Costs
The average annual lost-time case cost is $5,466. Benefits for lost-time cases are paid
an average of 2.71 years. The lost-time case projected direct cost is $15,000 (rounded).
($5,466X2.71=$14,812).
The average annual lost-time case cost was computed by analyzing all payments for
lost-time cases, during the period 1993 through 1997. The total number of cases was 2,078.
The total annual amount paid for all cases was $11,357,310. The average annual per case
cost is $5,466 ($11,357,531/2,078 = $5,466).
The average number of payment years was computed by analyzing all cases during the
period 1993 through 1997. The total number of payment years for each case was computed by
subtracting the case create date from the last year in which payments were made. The sum
of all payment years, for all cases was 3,537. The total number of cases during the period
was 1,309. The average number of payment years is 2.71 (3,547/1,309= 2.71).
Lost-Time Injury/Illness Rate:
The number of Lost-Time Cases per 100 full-time workers for any time period. The
Service uses the OWCP Case Create Date to determine the cases included in the rate
computation for all time periods.
Nature (of Injury/Illness)
Nature describes the injury/illness in terms of its principal characteristic such as
fracture, laceration, amputation, sprain, etc. The person reporting the injury/illness
chooses and assigns a nature code from an established list.
No Lost Time Case
A nonfatal injury (traumatic) or illness/disease (occupational) that does not meet the
definition of Lost-Time Case. The OWCP identifies No Lost Time Cases with a "1"
in the Extent of Injury (Ext_Inj) database field.
No Lost-Time Case Projected Direct Costs
The average no lost-time case cost is $2000 (rounded). Benefits for most no lost-time
cases are paid within one year of the injury/illness case create date. The average
benefits were computed by analyzing all no lost-time cases, during the period 1993 through
1997. The total number of cases was 2,601. The total amount paid was $4,859,645. The
average payment is $1,868 ($4,859,645/2,601 = $1,868).
Office of Workers’ Compensation Program (OWCP)
The Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) was established in 1916 to
administer and pay claims under the Employees' Compensation Act. Benefits are available
under this Act to federal employees (and their beneficiaries) who suffer a compensable job
related injury/illness or fatality.
Each year the Service is billed by the OWCP for benefits paid. The Service receives an
annual budget appropriation to reimburse the OWCP.
|
