File Form CA-1 if your injury happened from a single event during one workday or shift; file Form CA-2 if your condition developed over more than one day from repeated exposure or activity. That one choice decides whether you qualify for Continuation of Pay (COP) — up to 45 days of your regular salary while OWCP reviews the claim. CA-1 (traumatic injury) can include COP; CA-2 (occupational disease) cannot. Both forms are filed through ECOMP, the Department of Labor's free online system, and both should be reported to your agency within 30 days to protect your rights. The form you pick is the foundation of your whole claim, so it's worth getting right the first time.
The one question that decides your form
Before anything else, ask: did my injury happen in a single moment, or did it build up over time?
The Department of Labor draws a clean line between the two, and it maps directly to the two entry forms:
- Form CA-1 — Notice of Traumatic Injury. Use this when your injury was caused by a specific event or series of events within a single workday or shift. A slip on a wet floor, a box that fell on your shoulder, a back wrenched lifting a heavy mail tray, a car accident on a delivery route — all of these happen in one identifiable moment.
- Form CA-2 — Notice of Occupational Disease. Use this when your condition developed over more than one workday from the nature of your job. Carpal tunnel from years of keyboarding, hearing loss from a loud facility, chronic back degeneration from repetitive lifting, or a respiratory condition from ongoing exposure — these build slowly and cannot be traced to one shift.
The name of the form is the giveaway. "Traumatic" means sudden. "Occupational disease" means cumulative. If you can point to the exact hour it happened, you almost certainly want a CA-1.
| Feature | Form CA-1 (Traumatic Injury) | Form CA-2 (Occupational Disease) |
|---|---|---|
| Injury pattern | Single event or series within one workday | Developed over more than one workday from repeated activity or exposure |
| Typical examples | Slip and fall, lifting injury, vehicle accident on duty | Carpal tunnel, hearing loss, chronic degeneration, exposure-related illness |
| Continuation of Pay (COP) | Eligible if filed within 30 days | Not eligible |
| Wage-loss compensation form | CA-7 (after COP runs out) | CA-7 (from the start of lost time) |
| Filing deadline | 3 years from date of injury; 30-day notice preserves COP | 3 years from date you knew condition was work-related |
| Filing system | ECOMP (ecomp.dol.gov) | ECOMP (ecomp.dol.gov) |
Why the choice matters: Continuation of Pay
This is not a paperwork technicality — the wrong form can cost you weeks of income.
Continuation of Pay (COP) is your agency continuing your regular salary for up to 45 calendar days of disability or medical treatment while OWCP adjudicates your claim. It exists so you are not left without a paycheck during the review. COP is tied to traumatic injuries reported on a CA-1 within 30 days. It applies only to traumatic injuries occurring on or after November 6, 1974.
Occupational-disease claims filed on a CA-2 are not eligible for Continuation of Pay. Instead, once you are medically unable to work, you claim wage-loss compensation on Form CA-7, and you generally use your own sick or annual leave (or go without pay) until OWCP approves benefits. That gap in income is the single biggest practical reason to classify your injury correctly from the start.
If your injury genuinely was a sudden event, filing a CA-1 preserves your COP rights. If it genuinely developed over time, a CA-1 will be rejected as the wrong form and you will lose time re-filing. For the full mechanics of Continuation of Pay and the CA-7 that follows, see our guide on OWCP Continuation of Pay & Form CA-7.
Deadlines: the 30-day rule vs. the 3-year rule
Two different clocks run on every OWCP claim, and people confuse them constantly.
The 3-year statute of limitations
By law, a claim for compensation must be filed within three years of the date of injury. For an occupational disease, the three-year clock starts when you became aware — or reasonably should have been aware — that the condition was work-related. Miss this and your claim can be time-barred entirely, with limited exceptions.
The 30-day notice window
Separately, you should report the injury to your agency on a CA-1 or CA-2 within 30 days. This 30-day report is what protects your Continuation of Pay eligibility on a traumatic-injury claim, and it also serves as an exception that can keep an otherwise-late claim alive: if written notice was given within 30 days, or your employer had actual knowledge of the injury within 30 days, compensation may still be payable even past the three-year mark.
Report immediately, in writing, on the correct form. Waiting rarely helps a claim and often hurts it — every day you wait weakens both the medical narrative and the paper trail OWCP will judge.
How to file: ECOMP, step by step
Both CA-1 and CA-2 are filed through ECOMP (Employees' Compensation Operations & Management Portal), the free, DOL-hosted web system for FECA claims. You do not need a lawyer or a login your agency controls to start.
- Create an ECOMP account at ecomp.dol.gov and select your federal agency and duty station.
- Choose the correct form — CA-1 for traumatic injury, CA-2 for occupational disease.
- Complete the employee portion — your identity, the date and details of the injury, and how it happened. Be specific and factual; vague descriptions invite denials.
- Upload supporting documents — witness statements, incident reports, and any early medical records.
- Submit to your agency. Your employer completes its portion (the supervisor's section) and forwards the complete packet to OWCP.
- Get medical evidence in fast. OWCP will not pay wage-loss or impairment benefits without a supporting medical report from your treating physician.
That last step is where most claims are won or lost. A correctly chosen form with weak medical evidence still gets denied.
After the form: the medical evidence is everything
Choosing CA-1 or CA-2 correctly gets your claim accepted for filing. Getting it approved and paid depends on the medical documentation behind it. OWCP needs a treating physician who will:
- Document a clear diagnosis with objective clinical findings.
- State, in reasoned medical terms, how your federal job caused or aggravated the condition — this "causal relationship" language is what examiners look for.
- Complete the right supporting forms — the CA-16 authorization for initial early treatment, the CA-20 Attending Physician's Report that proves the claim, and the CA-17 Duty Status Report that documents your work restrictions.
You also have the right to choose your own treating physician for an OWCP injury — you are not required to see an agency-selected doctor. Picking a provider who understands FECA paperwork from day one is one of the most protective decisions you can make.
Special cases worth knowing
- A flare-up of an accepted injury is not a new CA-1 or CA-2 — it is a recurrence, filed on Form CA-2a.
- An injury that is part traumatic, part cumulative (say, a sudden tear on top of years of wear) can be genuinely ambiguous. When in doubt, describe exactly what happened and let the facts guide the form — or ask a provider experienced with OWCP before you file.
- Words of claim matter. A CA-2, CA-2a, or CA-7 that contains a clear intent to claim compensation can satisfy timely-filing requirements even if it was not the "textbook" first form.
File it right the first time — NuThera can help
The form you choose sets the trajectory of your entire federal workers' compensation claim, and the medical evidence behind it decides whether you get paid. NuThera Injury Recovery & Wellness works with injured federal employees across the Las Vegas Valley to document injuries correctly and complete OWCP paperwork the way claims examiners expect.
- Las Vegas (Rainbow / Spring Valley): 5765 S Rainbow Blvd, Ste 111, Las Vegas, NV 89118-2537
- North Las Vegas (Aliante): 3880 W Ann Rd #130, North Las Vegas, NV 89031
Let's make sure your claim is built on the right form and the right medical evidence from day one. Same-week appointments available at both Las Vegas Valley locations.
Keep exploring.
- OWCP Overview
How NuThera supports federal workers through the full OWCP claim lifecycle — filing, treatment authorization, documentation, and impairment rating.
- OWCP Continuation of Pay & Form CA-7
The full mechanics of the 45-day COP window and the CA-7 wage-loss form that follows — the companion piece to this CA-1 filing decision.
- OWCP Form CA-16 Explained (2026 Guide)
How CA-16 guarantees payment for the first 60 days of treatment after a traumatic injury — the treatment-authorization companion to CA-1 filing.
- How to file a CA-1 claim in Nevada (step by step)
Once you know CA-1 is the right form, this walkthrough covers the CA-1 filing process end to end.
- Can you choose your own OWCP doctor?
Your FECA right to choose the treating physician who writes the causation narrative your CA-1 or CA-2 depends on.
- OWCP Forms library
The full DOL forms library with plain-language guides for CA-1, CA-2, CA-7, CA-16, CA-17, CA-20, and every other form a federal worker will encounter.
Common questions.
What is the difference between Form CA-1 and Form CA-2?
Form CA-1 is for a traumatic injury caused by a single event within one workday or shift. Form CA-2 is for an occupational disease that developed over more than one workday from repeated activity or exposure. The key practical difference: CA-1 claims can include Continuation of Pay (up to 45 days of your regular salary), and CA-2 claims cannot.
Which OWCP form gives me Continuation of Pay?
Only Form CA-1. Continuation of Pay — up to 45 calendar days of your regular salary while OWCP reviews the claim — applies to traumatic injuries reported on a CA-1 within 30 days. Occupational-disease claims filed on a CA-2 are not eligible for COP; you claim wage-loss compensation on Form CA-7 instead.
How long do I have to file an OWCP claim?
A compensation claim must generally be filed within three years of the date of injury. For occupational disease, the three-year clock starts when you became aware the condition was work-related. Separately, you should report the injury to your agency within 30 days to protect your Continuation of Pay eligibility and preserve your rights on late-filed claims.
How do I file a CA-1 or CA-2?
Both are filed through ECOMP, the Department of Labor's free online system at ecomp.dol.gov. You complete the employee portion and submit it; your agency completes the supervisor's section and forwards the packet to OWCP. You will also need supporting medical evidence from your treating physician.
Can I choose my own doctor for an OWCP injury?
Yes. Federal employees have the right to choose their own qualified treating physician for a work injury under 20 CFR 10.300(d) — you are not limited to an agency-selected doctor. Choosing a provider experienced with OWCP paperwork helps ensure your claim is documented correctly from the start.
What if I filed the wrong form?
If you filed a CA-1 for a condition that actually developed over time (or a CA-2 for a sudden event), OWCP will typically flag it as the wrong form and you will need to re-file, which costs time. When your injury does not fit neatly into one category, describe exactly what happened and consider getting guidance from an OWCP-experienced provider before you submit.