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Monday, October 26, 2009

OWCP Requests for Medical Reports

Periodically, OWCP sends letters to claimants requesting a current physician’s report and a completed OWCP-5 form as part of their annual review process. Note that OWCP’s letter may include a list of accepted medical conditions, but it NEVER includes a copy of the Statement of Accepted Facts (SOAF). This is unfortunate because a physician's report is frequently worthless if it does not incorporate the SOAF.

If you receive such a letter, be sure to tell your physician that his/her report needs to include an accurate discussion of the history of your work injury as found in the Statement of Accepted Facts (SOAF); otherwise, OWCP can choose to disregard it.

If you don't have a copy of the SOAF to share with your physician, you should request a copy in writing (not by telephone) from OWCP.