About OWCP

Mission Statement

The Mission of the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs is to protect the interests of workers who are injured or become ill on the job, their families and their employers by making timely, appropriate, and accurate decisions on claims, providing prompt payment of benefits and helping injured workers return to gainful work as early as is feasible.

Vision Statement

The Vision of the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs is to be an innovative leader in the delivery of benefits and the sharing of timely and accurate information about our programs. OWCP will serve as a responsible steward of the resources entrusted to us and earn the trust and respect of those who rely on us for their health and economic well being.

OWCP has identified five goal areas, each of which highlights a key aspect of OWCP's business. For each goal area, OWCP has assembled a team of managers, led by senior leaders, to establish strategies and monitor progress in the relevant area. OWCP's five goals are:

1. Improve claims review, adjudication, issue resolution and payment: Provide timely and high quality review and adjudication of claims, early resolution of claims issues, and timely and accurate payment of benefits

2. Enhance recovery, rehabilitation and employment services: Assist workers in obtaining early post-injury nurse intervention and return to work services, vocational rehabilitation and job placement assistance as soon as they are able

3. Promote collaboration and outreach with stakeholders and customer groups: Foster understanding and awareness of OWCP priorities, initiatives, and results through effective external outreach and data sharing

4. Create and sustain a high performing workforce: Create and foster the highest quality work environment for all of our employees through leadership, communication and collaboration, recruitment, development, recognition, engagement and retention

5. Improve agency-wide operations, governance and infrastructure: Support the activities of our programs, managers, and staff by improving the administrative management, information technology, financial, and physical infrastructure of OWCP

• Organization Chart

• History of OWCP

• OWCP Annual Reports to Congress

• Key Personnel and Phone Numbers

• News Archive

The OWCP administers four major disability compensation programs that provide wage replacement benefits, medical treatment, vocational rehabilitation and other benefits to certain workers or their dependents who experience work-related injury or occupational disease. These programs:

• the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation program,

• the Federal Employees' Compensation Program,

• the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Program, and

• the Coal Mine Workers' Compensation Program

serve the specific employee groups who are covered under the relevant statutes and regulations by mitigating the financial burden resulting from workplace injury.

Since the 1980's, OWCP has evolved into an organization which is able to respond to changing circumstances, adjusting its procedures and resource commitments to address problems as they surface. Each OWCP program has a strategic plan that projects where it should be in the future to achieve its mission, and sets realistic, measurable steps for getting to that point. Each has as its foundation the following basic principles: high quality and timely claims adjudication and benefit delivery; superior customer service; and cost-effectiveness and fiscal integrity. Improvements achieved in these areas are measured against performance baselines or benchmarks, and outcomes as related to objectives are thus evaluated. OWCP rose to the challenge set by Congress in the Government Performance and Results Act by adopting goals which are challenging, which require reaching out to our stakeholders and achieving results in the work outside our direct control. Our managers and staff understand what we are about, and work together to make these things happen.

To make these programs more efficient and responsive in protecting worker benefits, OWCP will work toward:

• Minimizing the human, social and financial impact of work-related injuries.

• Improving employer and employee representative performance in the delivery of services to injured workers and in the administration of OWCP statutes.

• Enhancing the fiscal integrity of managed public trust funds.

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