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GAO-13-142R 1 (2012-11-26)

handle is hein.gao/gaobacgrp0001 and id is 1 raw text is: L GAO Acona ity * Integrity * Reliability United States Government Accountability Office Washington, DC 20548 November 26, 2012 The Honorable John Kline Chairman The Honorable George Miller Ranking Member Committee on Education and the Workforce United States House of Representatives The Honorable Tim Walberg Chairman The Honorable Lynn Woolsey Ranking Member Subcommittee on Workforce Protections Committee on Education and the Workforce United States House of Representatives Subject: Federal Employees' Compensation Act: Analysis of Proposed Changes on USPS Beneficiaries In 2010, the Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA) program paid $1.9 billion in cash benefits to federal workers who sustained injuries or illnesses while performing federal duties.1 The U.S. Department of Labor (Labor) administers FECA and bases FECA benefits on an employee's wages at the time of injury and whether the employee has eligible dependents. In addition, consideration is given to the beneficiary's ability to work after the injury.2 Specifically, beneficiaries unable to return to work-total disability beneficiaries-who have an eligible dependent are compensated at 75 percent of gross wages at the time of injury and those without an eligible dependent are compensated at 66-2/3 percent. These benefits are adjusted for inflation and are not taxed nor subject to age restrictions. Some policymakers have raised questions about the level of FECA benefits, especially compared to the retirement benefits under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), which generally covers employees first hired in 1984 or later. 1 The receipt of FECA benefits is generally the exclusive remedy for being injured on the job and a federal employee is prohibited from suing his or her employer or recovering damages for such injury under another statute. 2 Beneficiaries who are determined to have some wage earning capacity-partial disability beneficiaries-are compensated based on the difference between wages at the time of injury and wages that Labor determines they are able to earn. Those with a dependent are compensated at 75 percent of this difference and those without an eligible dependent at 66-2/3 percent of the difference. GAO-13-142R FECA Revisions and Postal Workers Page 1

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