Requirements The employee, or someone acting on the employee's behalf, must complete a Form CA-1, Federal Employee's Notice of Traumatic Injury and Claim for Continuation of Pay/Compensation, and submit it to the official superior as soon as possible, but no later than 30 days after the date of injury.
Medical evidence of a traumatic disabling injury must be submitted to the employing agency within 10 work days after claiming COP. Non- receipt of medical evidence is sufficient reason for termination of COP.
Copies of the CA-1 and the medical certification stating the beginning and ending dates of disability, or partial disability, must be maintained in the time and attendance file for 6 years. Check with your servicing personnel office for agency policies and procedures, as well as for Forms CA-1. COP applies to every calendar day including days that the employee does not normally work until his or her return to work. An employee is on COP, including the final Saturday and Sunday, up to the day that the doctor's certificate states the employee can return to duty.
Timekeepers are required to forward the date of injury and type of injury to their Payroll Liaison each pay period an employee is placed on COP. Payroll Liaison must send information via Peregrine ticket to the Payroll Customer Service Team (see Payroll Services Letter PS05-XX
Continuation of Pay) with the following information: • Name
• SSN
• Employee ID (Optional) • Date of Injury
The first line of the description field must indicate COP and date of injury. The Payroll Customer Service Team will input data in DFAS system. It is important that the COP information be updated before the COP hours submitted on the T&A will be accepted in the DFAS payroll system.
CONTINUATION OF PAY
Day of Injury Unless the injury occurs before the beginning of the work day, COP begins the day after the injury occurs. On the day of the injury, any absence due to the injury must be charged to excused absence
(administrative leave). Record the regular hours worked on the day of injury as usual. Record the actual time absent on the day of injury as excused absence. Annual or Sick Leave and LWOP Substitutions
An employee may elect to use annual or sick leave instead of claiming continuation of pay. However, the 3 day time limit referred to in the next section, "After 45 Days or When COP Is Depleted", does not begin to run until the use of annual or sick leave ends.
The use of annual or sick leave may not be used to delay or extend the 45- day continuation of pay period or to otherwise affect the time limitations. Therefore, where annual or sick leave is used during a period when COP is otherwise payable, each day for which leave is taken will be counted against the 45 days of entitlement as though the employee had been in a continuation of pay status.
After 45 Days or When COP Is Depleted
When employees are disabled for work beyond 45 calendar days and desire compensation, they may elect to use their sick and/or annual leave to avoid interruption of pay, or they may use leave without pay.
After the use of the 45 day entitlement, a claim may be filed with the Department of Labor for paid compensation based on loss of wages. This compensation is payable only after the employee has been in a non-pay status (LWOP) for 3 days beyond the 45th day of COP.
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__________________________________________________________ Charging
COP
Employees are charged 1 full day of COP against the 45-day COP balance for every day absent after the day of the injury. This is true even if the employee is:
• Intermittent or part-time;
• Works a compressed or flexible work schedule; or • Is absent for only part of the day.
If an employee is absent the entire day on COP, charge COP tour hours for the number of hours that the employee was scheduled to work (i.e. 8 for an 8 hour day, 9 for a 9 hour day, etc.). For every partial day absent, record the actual hours absent on the T&A record.
CONTINUATION OF PAY
Charging COP (cont.)
In either case, 1 full day must be subtracted from the COP balance. When an employee is on continuous COP, days on which the employee is not scheduled to work (e.g., Saturdays, Sundays, holidays) are considered as non-tour COP days. On these non-tour days, regardless of the number of hours the employee would usually work on tour days, charge 8 hours of COP. For every day absent, 1 full day must be subtracted from the COP balance. COP is payable for maximum of 45 calendar days, and ever day used is counted toward this maximum.
When an employee returns to work and uses the remaining COP leave for therapy, medical treatments, or doctor's appointments, the actual hours absent should be recorded on the T&A record. These hours are reported to the Department of Labor. One full day of COP must be deducted from the COP balance.
All absences beyond the 45 day limit for COP must be charged to another type of leave (annual leave, sick leave, LWOP, etc.). If the employee has used all available COP leave for a particular injury, he or she must request another type of leave in writing for any remaining needs. Charge only the exact number of leave hours actually used.
Administrative leave is allowable for doctor's appointments beyond the 45 days only ifit is a doctor's appointment scheduled by and at the request of the Department of Labor. Otherwise, administrative leave is inappropriate and cannot be granted.
Caution: Length of Medical Visits - Employees do not have a right to remain away from the office for longer than is necessary for medical appointments or treatments. Any hours away from the office beyond those required for the appointment must be charged to another type of leave (annual leave, LWOP, etc.).