OWCP Schedule Award Calculator for Federal Employees
Quick answer: A FECA schedule award pays for permanent loss of use of a body part listed in the law. Each part has a set number of weeks: 312 for an arm, 288 for a leg, 244 for a hand, 205 for a foot, 160 for an eye. Your impairment rating sets the share of those weeks you get, paid at 66⅔% of your weekly pay, or 75% with a dependent. A 10% arm rating on a $62,000 salary is 31.2 weeks, about $24,800 (or $27,900 with a dependent).
Pick the body part, enter your rating and pay in the calculator below to see the weeks, the weekly rate, and the total award.
| Weeks for this body part | 0 |
| × Your rating | 0% |
| Weekly pay (yearly ÷ 52) | $0 |
| × Rate | 66⅔% |
What is an OWCP schedule award?
A schedule award is FECA's payment for permanent impairment. It's separate from wage-loss compensation: it pays for the permanent loss, or loss of use, of a body part on the schedule in 5 U.S.C. §8107, whether or not you lost any pay. You can get one while you're back at work. The Department of Labor's Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) decides the award from your doctor's impairment rating.
How is a schedule award calculated?
The formula has four parts:
- Weeks for the body part. The law sets the maximum: 312 weeks for an arm, 288 for a leg, and so on (table below).
- Your impairment rating. A 10% loss of use of the arm gets 10% of 312 weeks, or 31.2 weeks (§8107(c)(19)).
- Your weekly pay. The pay rate is your pay at the time of injury, when disability began, or when it recurred more than 6 months after you went back to full-time work, whichever is greatest (5 U.S.C. §8101(4)).
- The rate. 66⅔% of that pay, or 75% if you have at least one dependent (20 CFR 10.404(c); 5 U.S.C. §8110(b)).
Example: $62,000 a year is $1,192.31 a week. Two-thirds is $794.87. A 10% arm rating is 31.2 weeks × $794.87 = $24,800. With a dependent, 75% is $894.23 a week, and the award is $27,900.
How many weeks is each body part worth?
| Body part | Weeks (100% loss) | 10% rating at $62,000/yr, no dependent |
|---|---|---|
| Arm | 312 | 31.2 weeks, $24,800 |
| Leg | 288 | 28.8 weeks, $22,892.31 |
| Hand | 244 | 24.4 weeks, $19,394.87 |
| Foot | 205 | 20.5 weeks, $16,294.87 |
| Eye | 160 | 16 weeks, $12,717.95 |
| Thumb | 75 | 7.5 weeks, $5,961.54 |
| First finger | 46 | 4.6 weeks, $3,656.41 |
| Great toe | 38 | 3.8 weeks, $3,020.51 |
| Second finger | 30 | 3 weeks, $2,384.62 |
| Third finger | 25 | 2.5 weeks, $1,987.18 |
| Toe other than great toe | 16 | 1.6 weeks, $1,271.79 |
| Fourth finger | 15 | 1.5 weeks, $1,192.31 |
| Hearing, one ear | 52 | 5.2 weeks, $4,133.33 |
| Hearing, both ears | 200 | 20 weeks, $15,897.44 |
Rules that change the number
- Loss of use counts the same as loss. Total loss of use of a member is paid like losing it; partial loss of use is paid in proportion (§8107(c)(18)–(19)).
- Amputation above the wrist or ankle is paid as loss of the whole arm or leg (§8107(c)(16)).
- Losing 80% or more of the vision of an eye, or binocular vision, is paid as loss of the eye. Vision and hearing are rated without glasses or hearing aids (§8107(c)(14), (19)).
- More than one body part: each gets its own award, and the awards run one after another (§8107(c)(20)).
- Serious disfigurement of the face, head, or neck that's likely to hurt your chances of getting or keeping a job can add up to $3,500 (§8107(c)(21)).
- An earlier award for the same body part can reduce the new one, so you're not paid twice for the same loss (20 CFR 10.404(d)).
Can I get a schedule award for a back injury?
The back and spine aren't on the schedule. But the law pays for loss of use of a listed member no matter where the cause starts in the body (§8107(a)(1)). So if a back injury causes permanent loss of use of an arm or leg, for example from nerve damage, that arm or leg can be rated for a schedule award.
How do I claim a schedule award?
- Reach maximum medical improvement (MMI). The medical evidence has to show that you're at MMI and have a permanent impairment.
- Get an impairment rating. OWCP uses the Sixth Edition of the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment. Your doctor's report should rate the body part under that edition.
- File Form CA-7. Form CA-7 is used to claim a schedule award. If you already filed a CA-7 for wage loss, you can claim the award by letter to OWCP saying what you're claiming (20 CFR 10.103).
Common questions
Can I get a schedule award and wage-loss compensation at the same time?
Not for the same injury. Under FECA you can't get wage-loss compensation and a schedule award at the same time for the same injury. They're paid one after the other. A schedule award for one injury can be paid while you get wage-loss compensation for a different injury, as long as they don't involve the same part of the body.
Can I get my schedule award as a lump sum?
Sometimes. OWCP can pay a schedule award in a lump sum if it decides that's in your best interest, which it generally finds only when you don't need the payments to replace lost wages, for example because you're working or getting an annuity. You don't have an absolute right to a lump sum (20 CFR 10.422(b)). Wage-loss compensation is never paid as a lump sum.
Can I keep working while I get a schedule award?
Yes. A schedule award pays for the permanent impairment itself, not for lost wages, so it doesn't depend on whether you're working.
Is there a maximum?
Yes. FECA compensation for disability, including the 75% augmented rate, can't be more than 75% of the monthly pay at the top of the GS-15 scale (5 U.S.C. §8112). That only matters for very high salaries.
What people ask
These questions come up again and again in searches and forums. Here's what the law says.
No. FECA pays schedule awards by body part: the arm, leg, hand, eye, and so on. The rating has to be for the listed member, such as 10% of the arm, so it can be applied to that member's weeks.
5 U.S.C. §8107(c); 20 CFR 10.404
Two. Each leg is its own member. Each one gets its own award, and the awards run one after the other.
5 U.S.C. §8107(c)(20)
Workers' compensation paid under a workers' compensation act for a job injury is exempt from federal income tax. Continuation of pay from your agency is different: it's taxed like regular pay.
IRS Publication 525; 20 CFR 10.200
Related
Sources
- 5 U.S.C. §8107: Compensation schedule
- 5 U.S.C. §8110: Augmented compensation for dependents
- 5 U.S.C. §8101(4): Monthly pay
- 5 U.S.C. §8112: Maximum and minimum monthly payments
- 20 CFR Part 10 (§§10.103, 10.404, 10.405, 10.422)
- U.S. Department of Labor, OWCP: Benefits Available (schedule awards, AMA Guides Sixth Edition, concurrent payment)
- IRS Publication 525
This calculator gives an estimate based on the Federal Employees' Compensation Act. It is not legal advice and is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Labor or OWCP. OWCP decides your rating and calculates your official award.