OFFICE OF WORKERS' COMPENSATION PROGRAMS

Effective June 1, 2024, the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) will implement an enhancement to prevent overpayments created from denied adjustment requests. 

On or after June 1, 2024, if an adjustment is submitted on a bill that has already been paid but subsequently denied in its entirety, the denial will be reflected on the Remittance Advice (RV), and the bill inquiry screen will display a status of denied.

In such cases, when providers seek payment reconsideration for the denied bill, it is essential to submit the adjustment request using the previously paid bill. This ensures that the adjustment is correctly associated with the original bill and facilitates the review process for payment reconsideration.

Providers are encouraged to use the Bill Inquiry and Bill Adjustment features of the Workers’ Compensation Medical Bill Processing (WCMBP) Portal https://owcpmed.dol.gov/ to review bill history. 

For questions, contact our Call Center at the applicable phone number listed below, where a Call Center representative will be happy to assist you.

Division of Coal Mine Workers' Compensation (DCMWC):
1-800-638-7072

Division of Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation (DEEOIC):
1-866-272-2682

Division of Federal Employees' Compensation (DFEC):
1-844-493-1966

Effective April 20, 2024, the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) Division of Federal Employees’ Compensation (DFEC) will implement a recoupment process for providers’ outstanding debts.

Providers may have partial or full payment amounts applied to existing overpayments until the full overpaid amount is satisfied and all debts are closed.

Providers can refer to the remittance voucher (RV) for overpayment summary, recoupment summary, and recoupment details. A Remittance Voucher User Guide is available for an explanation on how to read the sections in the RV.

In addition, providers can also use the View Accounts Receivable feature after logging in to the Workers’ Compensation Medical Bill Processing (WCMBP) portal OWCP Connect (dol.gov). Providers can filter or sort results on the Accounts Receivable (AR) List to identify overpayment history, verify remaining debt balance owed, and review accounts receivable details by clicking on the AR Number.

Annual 1099s balances will be updated to reflect all recoupments.

For additional information, contact our Call Center at the number listed below, where a Call Center representative will be happy to assist you.

Division of Federal Employees' Compensation (DFEC):1-844-493-1966

Effective April 20, 2024, OWCP will release a new Fee Schedule Calculator tool on the Workers’ Compensation Medical Bill Processing (WCMBP) web portal https://owcpmed.dol.gov/portal/. This feature will be available to providers after logging in to the secure WCMBP portal.

The fee schedule calculator is a tool used to estimate the maximum allowable amount for services rendered and billed on the OWCP 1500 Professional form or the ADA Dental form. It is important to note:

• While the fee schedule calculator tool estimates payment, it does not guarantee eligibility or coverage for your specific service.
• The fee schedule calculator tool will not advise if services are appropriate for the accepted condition and will not confirm if authorization is required. Please use the Claimant Eligibility Inquiry and Authorization Submission features to verify this information.

Please refer to the Fee Schedule Calculator Quick Reference Guide for step-by-step instructions.

For additional information, contact our Call Center at the number listed below, where a Call Center representative will be happy to assist you.

Division of Coal Mine Workers' Compensation (DCMWC): 1-800-638-7072
Division of Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation (DEEOIC): 1-866-272-2682
Division of Federal Employees' Compensation (DFEC): 1-844-493-1966

Effective December 9, 2023, the DFEC Program for Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) will enhance bill processing to automatically reprocess previously submitted bills that denied when the injured or ill worker’s case was under development, after the case is later accepted as payable by OWCP.

On December 9, 2023, a one-time courtesy bill reprocessing will occur for claimant cases that were adjudicated by DFEC, and accepted conditions assigned in the previous four weeks.

Afterwards, bills denied after December 9, 2023, will be automatically reprocessed if the case is accepted as payable.

Please note that additional denial EOBs may post during reprocessing. For example, if denials post for authorization of services related to accepted conditions, then providers are encouraged to request authorization for the billed service(s).

For additional information, please contact our Call Center at the number listed below, where a Call Center representative will be happy to assist you.

• Division of Federal Employees' Compensation (DFEC):
  1-844-493-1966

Effective July 15, 2023, the Office of Workers’ Compensation (OWCP) Division of Federal Employees’ Compensation (DFEC) Program is implementing a new utilization review (UR) for hearing aid services and supplies.

Please refer to the FECA Circular NO. 23-08 for more information. FECA Circulars | U.S. Department of Labor (dol.gov)

New limits have been defined for DFEC hearing aid supplies and services.

For additional information, please contact our Call Center at the number listed below, where a Call Center representative will be happy to assist you.

Division of Federal Employees' Compensation (DFEC):
1-844-493-1966

Effective June 24, 2023, the Division of Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation (DEEOIC) will enhance the bill processing of durable medical equipment (DME) supplies and accessories.

A separate DEEOIC Durable Medical Equipment (DME) supplies and accessories authorization is not required for the following conditions:

• A rental authorization is approved and on file for the related DME, and service dates are within the rental period.
• A purchase authorization is approved and on file for the related DME, and service dates are within three (3) years of the purchase period.

Providers will not need to submit a correction to an existing DME authorization for the associated supplies or accessories if an approved authorization is on file.

In addition, new utilization limits are added to restrict certain DME codes for DEEOIC.

For additional information, please contact our Call Center at the number listed below, where a Call Center representative will be happy to assist you.

• Division of Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation (DEEOIC): 1-866-272-2682