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OWCP Guidance on Coverage for Smallpox Inoculations
Many federal employees will receive voluntary smallpox inoculations from or
sponsored by their employing agency. It is anticipated that a small percentage
of these employees will experience a reaction. A reaction to an agency
sponsored or required inoculation program generally would entitle the employee
to workers' compensation coverage. An employee who is attributing an illness or
injury to a smallpox vaccine provided by the employer should be given a CA-1
and a CA-16. Federal employees claiming an injury due to contact with the
vaccinia virus from the vaccine site of another immunized person may also be
covered (see FECA Procedure Manual 3-0400-7). These employees have the same
burden to establish the five basic requirements of coverage as any other
claimant and must submit medical evidence in support of an identifiable injury.
The employer should accompany any such claim with a statement fully explaining
the agency's provision of the inoculation to the claimant or coworkers.
A new cause of injury code "1S" has been added to our system and
should be used solely to report injuries attributed to smallpox inoculations or
injuries attributed to workplace exposure to others who have been inoculated
for smallpox. This code is our only method of distinguishing and tracking these
claims and therefore we must emphasize the need to properly code incoming claim
forms. Our staff that creates new claims will be screening claim forms as well
and may change this code as we deem appropriate.
Workers' compensation coverage is only provided to individuals with an
established work injury. Wages for periods of absence from work as a
preventative measure following inoculation, or the charge for the vaccine
itself are not payable under the FECA.
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