Live from Las Vegas, Chris and Gini dive into the technical—but critical—foundations of filing a federal injury claim. If you have ever been confused about whether your injury counts as a "traumatic injury" or an "occupational disease," filing the wrong paperwork can sink your case before it starts.

In this episode, we break down the specific differences between Form CA-1 and Form CA-2. More importantly, Chris issues a stern warning about why you should never use your personal health insurance for a work injury if you can avoid it, and why "appealing" a decision is often the wrong legal move compared to a "Request for Reconsideration."

In This Episode You Will Learn:

• The Forms Defined: How to know if your injury requires a CA-1 (Single Shift/Traumatic) or a CA-2 (Two or more shifts/Occupational).
• The Health Insurance Trap: Why using your own insurance forfeits your right to mileage reimbursement, time-back buyback, and Schedule Awards.
• The "1 in 13" Stat: In 2018, only 1 out of 13 federal claims were accepted—usually because private doctors write insufficient narratives.
• Don't "Appeal": Why clicking the "Appeal" button is a mistake, and why you should file a Request for Reconsideration with new evidence instead.
• The "Penalty" Statute: The specific law (5420.33) you need to cite if a supervisor refuses to process your claim.

Timestamps:

• [00:00] Live from Las Vegas: Birthday celebrations and intros.
• [02:00] Topic 1: CA-1 (Traumatic) vs. CA-2 (Occupational) – Which one do you need?
• [03:30] Why you must sit with your supervisor while they fill out Page 2.
• [05:15] Topic 2: OWCP vs. Health Insurance – Why private insurance kills your benefits.
• [08:20] Stop saying "Appeal": The power of the Request for Reconsideration.
• [12:30] Q&A: What to do when DOL won't accept medical docs directly from you.
• [14:40] Q&A: Getting paid on a CA-7 and the 5-day submission law.
• [24:15] Defining MMI (Maximum Medical Improvement) and Schedule Awards.
• [33:00] The Supervisor Penalty: Citing 5420.33 (Penalty for failure to process claim) for a listener in Texas.

Key Laws & Codes Mentioned:

• 5420.33: Penalty for failure to process a claim (Up to $500 fine or imprisonment).
• 20 CFR 10.110: Supervisor obligation to fill out forms.

Website for Locations. www.federalinjurycenters.com
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Wednesday Night OWCP Chats with Chris & Gini