Trenton Metro Area Local
American Postal Workers Union
AFL-CIO
HUMAN
RELATIONS DEPARTMENT
2005 HEALTH PLAN OPEN SEASON
This year’s Open Season for
the Federal Employee Health Benefits Plan is November 8 thru December 14, 2004.
There are a few new low cost “consumer-driven” choice offerings for
2005. Also, make sure you check out
our own APWU Health Plan.
The APWU Health Plan was the highest-rated
fee-for-service health plan in the OPM's 2004 comparison of health plans in the
Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program.
There
is both a High Option and a Consumer Driven plan available again this year and
they are worth taking a serious look at. Check
out all the Federal plans being offered Nationwide as well as in NJ and PA by
visiting the following web sites.
http://apps.opm.gov/rates/postal.cfm
(Once
there Click on “OPM
Tool to Compare Plans by ZIP Code” to find all available Health
Plans you are eligible to join.)
Fee
For Service Plans (Nationwide)
http://apps.opm.gov/rates/postal.cfm?state=ffs
HMOs (Health Maintenance Organizations) and Point of Service (POS) Plans
In New Jersey - http://apps.opm.gov/rates/postal.cfm?state=nj
In Pennsylvania - http://apps.opm.gov/rates/postal.cfm?state=pa
The
FEHB Program is the largest employer-sponsored health insurance program in the
nation and covers nearly nine million federal employees, retirees and their
dependents. During the FEHB Program
open season, enrollees can select a new health plan or stay with their current
carrier. Employees and retirees
enrolled in the program can review the Open Season guide and health plan
brochures at the FEHB Program web site.
Also,
here are some of the individual web sites for Health Benefit Plans being offered
in this year’s Federal Program. You
might find them of use for comparison shopping.
Remember to check out what’s being offered by the APWU Health Plan.
It might just be right for you.
APWU
Health Plan - http://www.apwuhp.com/
Blue
Cross Blue Shield - http://www.fepblue.org/
Aetna Health Inc - http://www.aetna.com/index.htm
AmeriHealth HMO - http://www.amerihealth.com
GHI Health Plan - http://www.ghi.com
Health America Pennsylvania - http://www.healthamerica.cvty.com/
Keystone Health Plan - http://www.ibx.com//fep/
LEAVE SHARING BENEFIT FOR
APWU
BARGAINING UNIT EMPLOYEES
by
Bill
Coleman
As
members of the APWU Bargaining Unit, we have a provision provided for us in our
Collective Bargaining Agreement known as “LEAVE SHARING”.
Leave Sharing is a contractual benefit that permits career postal
employees to donate a portion of their earned Annual Leave to another career
postal employee who is expected to be out of work on Leave Without Pay (LWOP) in
excess of 40 hours due to serious personal health condition.
By participating in the Leave Sharing Program, you can provide needed
assistance to your fellow injured or ill co-worker (including your own a family
member, spouse or parent), by helping them reduce the financial burden often
associated with an extended absence from work.
To
be eligible to receive donated leave, a career employee (a) must be
incapacitated for available postal duties due to serious personal health
conditions including pregnancy and (b) must be known or expected to miss at
least 40 more hours from work than his or her own annual leave and/or sick leave
balance(s), as applicable, will cover, and (c) must have his or her absence
approved pursuant to standard attendance policies.
Donated leave may be used to cover the 40 hours of LWOP required to be
eligible for leave sharing. (This
program does not apply to serious health conditions resulting from a work
related injury/illness.)
Single
donations must be of 8 or more whole hours and may not exceed half of the amount
of annual leave earned each year based on the leave earnings category of the
donor at the time of donation. Sick
leave, unearned Annual Leave and Annual Leave hours subject to forfeiture
(exceeding the maximum annual carryover), may not be donated.
Employees may not donate leave to their immediate supervisors.
Employees using donated leave will be subject to regulations applicable
to employees in LWOP status and will not earn any type of leave while using
donated leave. Donated leave may be
carried over from one leave year to the next without limitation.
Donated leave not actually used remains in the recipient's account and is
not restored to the donors. Such
residual donated leave at any time may be applied against negative leave
balances caused by a medical exigency. At
separation or retirement, any remaining donated leave balance will be paid in a
lump sum.
An
employee with a serious personal health condition wishing to apply for the Leave
Sharing Program must do so on PS Form 3970-R “Request to Receive Donated
Leave”. This form is available
through your immediate Supervisor/Postmaster who can obtain them directly from
the area Personnel Office or from Management’s Postal Intranet.
You can also download a copy of the PS
Form 3970-R here or obtain a copy in the Trenton Metro Area Local
Steward’s Office.
For
those employees wishing to donate leave to another career Postal employee under
the Leave Sharing Program, this must be done on PS Form 3970-D “Request to
Donate Leave”. This form is also available through your immediate
Supervisor/Postmaster who can obtain them directly from the area Personnel
Office or from Management’s Postal Intranet.
You can also download a copy of the PS
Form 3970-D here
or obtain a copy in the TMAL Steward’s Office.
Employees
wishing to participate in the Leave Sharing Program have a right to remain
anonymous. THE RECIPIENT DOES NOT
HAVE ACCESS TO OBTAIN INFORMATION ABOUT LEAVE DONORS.
Except as required for
program administration, the Postal Service is required to keep confidential the
identity of any Annual Leave donors. The
only way for a recipient to know that you were a donor is for you to personally
tell them. The fact that specific
employees have or have not donated leave and other similar information is also
confidential. Recipients too have
the right, when they complete the PS
Form 3970-R, to elect whether or not they wish to have their Name and/or Health
Condition listed on the Notice Requesting Leave Donations.
Notices
requesting leave donations under the Leave Sharing Program
are posted by Management on the bulletin boards at all Postal facilities in a
location were employees have access to the information.
A Leave Sharing Case Number is applied to each individual posting by
Human Resources for both the donor and recipient’s reference.
If the Leave Sharing Program notices are not being posted in your
facility, please contact your Union Representative to file the appropriate
grievance.
Management’s Employee and Labor Relations Manual (ELM) Section 512.64 “Annual Leave Sharing”, and Management Instruction EL-510-1999-4, “Annual Leave Sharing Program” contains all the necessary regulations, provisions, terms and conditions for the administration of the program. For additional information concerning the program, you can also access Management Instruction EL-510 here.
APWU members, and Postal Employees in general, have always been known for their generosity in helping others in time of need. We contribute to many charities including the Postal Employees Relief Fund (PERF) through the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). We support local food drives, clothing drives and give blood bank donations as often as possible. We even take up collections from time to time within our facilities or work areas to help out a coworker when needed. The Leave Sharing Program is another great way for career Postal Employees to help each other out by lessening the financial burden associated with the loss of pay (LWOP) incurred by a brother or sister Postal employee while recuperating from a surgery or other serious health condition. It is a contractual benefit available to us as proud APWU Bargaining Unit employees.
Changes You Can Make Outside of Open Season
2004 Health Plans
Instructions
for Submitting OWCP Travel Vouchers (SF-1012)
OWCP’s New Consolidated Bill Processing & Medical Authorization System
Retroactive Adjustments to OWCP Compensation Payments
Family
and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
The Federal Employee’s Health Benefits Plan Open Season has now ended. Hopefully everyone made what open season changes you needed to do at that time since the next open season will not occur until later this year in November-December. However, if you missed open season, some Health Plan changes can still be made if you experience a documented “QLE” or “Qualified Life Event”. Below is a list of eligible changes that can be made to your health plan outside of the regular open season period. The list is a reprint from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) web page. To make a QLE change to your health benefits plan outside of regular Open Season, request a SF Form 2809 from your Supervisor or Personnel Office.
Outside
of open season, you can enroll in the FEHB Program, change your enrollment,
change to self only or cancel coverage only in connection with certain events
called qualifying life events (QLEs).
The major QLEs that permit enrollment or
change in enrollment are:
A change in family status:
 |
marriage
|
|
birth
or adoption of a child |
|
acquisition
of a foster child |
|
legal
separation |
|
divorce
|
|
death
of a spouse or dependent |
A change in employment status:
|
you
are reemployed after a break in service of more than 3 days |
|
you
return to pay status after your coverage terminated during leave without
pay status or because you were in leave without pay status for more than
365 days |
|
your
pay increases enough for premiums to be withheld |
|
you
are restored to a civilian position after serving in the uniformed
services |
|
you
change from a temporary appointment to an appointment that entitles you to
a Government contribution |
|
you
change to or from part-time career employment |
You or a family member lose FEHB or other
coverage:
|
under
another FEHB enrollment because the covering enrollment was terminated,
canceled, or changed to self only |
|
under
another federally-sponsored health benefits program |
|
under
Medicaid or similar State-sponsored program for the needy |
|
because
your membership terminates in the employee organization sponsoring the
FEHB plan |
|
under
a non-Federal health plan |
When one of these events occur, you may:
|
enroll
|
|
change
your enrollment from self only to self and family |
|
change
your enrollment to another FEHB plan or option |
|
change
your enrollment to self only* |
|
cancel
your enrollment* |
* A change to self only may be made only if
the QLE causes the enrollee to be the last eligible family member under the FEHB
enrollment. A cancellation may be made only if the enrollee can show that as a
result of the QLE, he or she and all eligible family members now have other
health insurance coverage.
Instructions
for Submitting OWCP Travel Vouchers (SF-1012)
(Updated
August 2003)
These are the instructions for submitting Travel
Vouchers under the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act.
These instructions were compiled to assist the membership of the Trenton
Metro Area Local and our affiliated APWU locals in submitting for reimbursement
of travel related expenses associated with your injury claim.
Such expenses include mileage, travel and related expenses such as
out-of-pocket ambulance transportation services for example.
Mileage is payable for all travel associated with obtaining medical
evaluations, treatment, testing, etc associated with your OWCP accepted work
related injury.
Many injured employees do not realize that this benefit
is available to them. I urge all
injured APWU members to keep a log of all travel related to your injury on duty
and submit for your reimbursement. Regardless of how minor or local the travel
is, you are entitled to this compensation.
Please keep a copy of all receipts and forms submitted for your records.
You can obtain an original copy of the needed SF-1012 form online at the
web address below. This Standard
Form is printable right from your home computer through Adobe Acrobat Reader (PDF).
These OWCP SF-1012 Travel Vouchers are different from the PS Forms 1164
or 1164-E used for local travel by the Postal Service.
http://contacts.gsa.gov/webforms.nsf/0/FC00D45B780251E885256A3F0006241D/$file/sf1012.pdf
By following these simple guidelines, the injured
employee can help speed up the processing of their travel related claims.
All completed Travel Vouchers must be submitted to the following OWCP
Centralized Mailroom address:
U.S.
Department of Labor
DFEC Central Mailroom
PO Box 8300
London, KY 40742-8300
Note:
Any line item not in conformity with the following instructions and any
line item not considered to be legible by OWCP will be deducted from the
voucher. All forms SF-1012 and SF-1012a MUST be submitted with a
valid OWCP case file number.
1.
Claim for necessary and reasonable expense incident to travel
authorized in accordance with provisions of the Federal Employees Compensation
Act may be submitted for consideration on Voucher Forms SF-1012 and SF-1012a.
Travel must be by shortest route and, if practicable, by public conveyance
(streetcar, bus, boat or train).
2. The Office will promptly reimburse all bills received on the approved form and submitted in a timely manner. However, no bill will be paid for expenses incurred if the bill is submitted more than one year beyond the calendar year in which the expense was incurred or the service/supply was provided, OR more than one year beyond the calendar year in which the claim was first accepted by the Office, whichever is later (CFR §10.803).
3.
Payment will be made for taxicab fare or the hire of special conveyance
where streetcars, buses, or other public and regular means of transportation are
not available, except where these cannot be used because of the injured
employee’s disability. If claim is made for payment of expenses for
taxicabs or hire of special conveyances, a full explanation must be made showing
the necessity thereof.
4.
Reimbursement for transportation by automobile owned by an employee or a
member of his/her immediate family or another Government employee, may be
claimed when no public conveyance is available or where the physical condition
of the injured employee requires the use of special conveyance.
5.
Claim may be made for parking fees. If travel must be
over a toll route, toll charges may be claimed. The voucher must show the
locations where travel began and ended, mode of travel, and name of the
transportation company (if by public conveyance). List each item of
expense separately, showing the date incurred, place, and cost of the travel.
6.
There
will be no reimbursement for meals or lodging when travel is for less
than 12 hours in total. If the authorized travel was for longer than 12 hours,
and a claim for meals or lodging is made, the dates and hours must be shown on
the voucher. The necessity for lodging must be explained in detail.
All charges must be reasonable, and will be reimbursed at the per diem rate for
the locality of travel. Since per
diem rates change frequently, you can contact your local OWCP District Office
for current rates associated with your locality of travel.
7.
Any stopover or delay en route should be carefully explained. If
the same travel voucher covers several trips, list each separately, indicate the
purpose of each trip, and secure the approval of the attending physician,
certifying that the dates are correct according to his/her records.
8.
For all items in excess of $75.00, original itemized receipts
must be made out to the person making payment, signed in ink or indelible pencil
by the person receiving payment and must be furnished with your claim.
REIMBURSABLE
OWCP MILEAGE EXPENSE RATE CHART
Mileage expense is reimbursed at the following rates for travel during the following periods:
| January 1, 1995 | thru | June 6, 1996 | 30.0 cents per mile |
| June 7, 1996 | thru | September 7, 1998 | 31.0 cents per mile |
| September 8, 1998 | thru | March 31, 1999 | 32.5 cents per mile |
| April 1, 1999 | thru | January 13, 2000 | 31.0 cents per mile |
| January 14, 2000 | thru | January 21, 2001 | 32.5 cents per mile |
| January 22, 2001 | thru | January 20, 2002 | 34.5 cents per mile |
| January 21, 2002 | thru | December 31, 2002 | 36.5 cents per mile |
| January 1, 2003 | current | 36.0 cents per mile |
If
mileage is claimed for dates prior to January 1, 1995, contact your local OWCP
District Office for the appropriate rate(s).
(Updated
August 2003)
To further assist
the membership of the Trenton Metro Area Local and our affiliated APWU locals in
obtaining basic OWCP related forms used in perfecting an injured worker’s
claim, my office has assembled the following list of updated online links to the
Department of Labor for your use. These
OWCP forms are printable right from your home computer through Adobe Acrobat
Reader (PDF).
CA-1
- Federal Notice of Traumatic Injury annd Claim for Continuation of
Pay/Compensation
http://www.dol.gov/esa/regs/compliance/owcp/ca-1.pdf
CA-2
- Notice of Occupational Disease and Cllaim for Compensation
http://www.dol.gov/esa/regs/compliance/owcp/ca-2.pdf
CA-2a
- Notice of Recurrence
http://www.dol.gov/esa/regs/compliance/owcp/ca-2a.pdf
CA-7
- Claim for Compensation
http://www.dol.gov/esa/regs/compliance/owcp/ca-7.pdf
SF-1199A - Direct Deposit Form required with all new CA-7 Compensation claims
CA-7a - Time Analysis Form (for intermittent leave)
http://www.dol.gov/esa/regs/compliance/owcp/ca-7a.pdf
CA-7b - Leave Buy Back (LBB) Worksheet/Certification and Election.
http://www.dol.gov/esa/regs/compliance/owcp/ca-7b.pdf
CA-17
- Duty Status Report
http://www.dol.gov/esa/regs/compliance/owcp/ca-17.pdf
CA-20
– Attending Physician’s Report
http://www.dol.gov/esa/regs/compliance/owcp/ca-20.pdf
CA-35
– Occupational Disease Checklist
http://www.dol.gov/esa/regs/compliance/owcp/ca-35.pdf
CA-915
– Claimant Medical Expense Reimbursement Form
http://www.dol.gov/esa/regs/compliance/owcp/ca-915.pdf
OWCP -5a - Work Capacity Evaluation Psychiatric/Psychological
Conditions
http://www.dol.gov/esa/regs/compliance/owcp/OWCP-5a.pdf
OWCP -5b - Work Capacity Evaluation Cardiovascular/Pulmonary
Conditions
http://www.dol.gov/esa/regs/compliance/owcp/OWCP-5b.pdf
OWCP-5c - Work Capacity Evaluation for Musculoskeletal Conditions
http://www.dol.gov/esa/regs/compliance/owcp/OWCP-5c.pdf
SF-1012 -
Travel Voucher
http://contacts.gsa.gov/webforms.nsf/0/FC00D45B780251E885256A3F0006241D/$file/sf1012.pdf
Pub
CA-11 – What to Do When Injured at Work
http://www.dol.gov/esa/regs/compliance/owcp/ca-11.htm
Procedures
for Processing Pharmacy Bills
http://www.dol.gov/esa/regs/compliance/owcp/pharmacy.htm
ACS Medical Bill Processing
Information – Effective 9-2-03
http://www.dol.gov/esa/regs/compliance/owcp/CBPOutreach.htm
OWCP’s
New Consolidated Bill Processing & Medical Authorization System
(Effective
September 2, 2003)
Effective 9/2/03, the Federal Employees’ Compensation
(FEC) division of OWCP will consolidate its Medical Authorization and Bill
Payment processes. The new system
will be run through a contractor, ACS Inc.
This information is being provided to update the membership of the
Trenton Metro Area Local and our affiliated APWU locals of the new procedures
being implemented. While this
author never condones the contracting out of Unionized work, we can only hope
that this new process helps speed up OWCP’s previous antiquated bill
processing and medical authorization systems.
Delayed medical authorizations often cause prolonged pain and suffering
to the injured employee. The
quicker the medical authorizations can be obtained, the quicker the injured
employee can get the medical treatment necessary to recover from a work related
injury. Delayed bill processing can
be financially troublesome as well to the injured employee often resulting in
Late Notices, Credit Problems or Collection Procedures for medical bills that
are not the injured employee’s responsibility.
Hopefully OWCP has found a new way to alleviate some of these previous
unjust situations.
Regardless of which OWCP District Office is handling your claim, ALL mail and bills for Federal Workers’ Compensation cases should be sent to the Centralized Mailroom at the following address:
U.S.
Department of Labor
DFEC Central Mailroom
PO Box 8300
London, KY 40742-8300
Employers such as the
USPS however, will continue to send or fax the previously designated CA Claim
Forms to the OWCP District Office that has jurisdiction of the case, such as the
Region 2 - New York District Office.
NEW effective 9/2/03, employees will
be able to monitor the status of their bill processing online at:
(Note
- Do not type the normal “www” when wriiting this Internet web address.)
This new service should
save time on unnecessary telephone calls. However, if you still need to speak to an ACS
Representative direct about a bill payment or
reimbursement matter, you will need to call their new centralized toll-free
number listed below. As of
9/2/03, local OWCP District Offices will no longer
handle inquiries for payment status on pending bills or reimbursement requests.
ACS
Medical Bill Processing – 1-(866)-335-8319
Also effective 9/2/03,
the procedure for requesting Medical Authorizations will change.
Local OWCP District Offices will no longer handle Medical Authorizations.
ALL Medical Authorizations will be processed by the new ACS system.
Medical Authorization requests can now be made by telephone to a new Phone Medical Authorizations toll-free
phone number. Urgent Medical
Authorization requests can also now be sent to ACS by fax.
The new phone and fax numbers effective 9/2/03
are:
Phone
Medical Authorizations – 1-(866)-335-8319
Urgent
FAX Medical Authorizations – 1-(800)-215-4901
The old local OWCP
District Office’s dedicated Medical Authorization fax numbers will no longer
be operational after 9/1/03.
Also NEW effective
9/2/03, for any injured worker who is currently receiving their Compensation
payments via electronic Direct Deposit, you will also begin receiving any other
reimbursement requests (mileage, tolls, out-of-pocket medical expenses, etc)
paid through Direct Deposit as well.
Retroactive Adjustments to OWCP Compensation Payments
After lengthy discussions by the APWU with OWCP at the national level, they
have concurred with our position that a specific group of OWCP recipients who
are members of the APWU bargaining unit and received OWCP wage loss compensation
during a specific time period are entitled to a review of their compensation
entitlement
The necessity for such a review is a result of the retroactive pay raises that
were part of the interest arbitration award and which would have been in effect
when OWCP originally accepted a disability as compensable and computed an
individual’s wage loss compensation. The effective dates for these retroactive
basic salary increases are:
November 18, 2000 (1.2% increase)
November 17, 2001 (1.8% increase)
As of March 23, 2002 these increases were fully incorporated into the Postal
Service’s payroll database.
Therefore, any APWU bargaining unit employee with an accepted compensable injury
who received OWCP wage loss compensation, or who has a pending claim for such
payment (Form CA 7), and whose date of injury (DOI), date disability began (DBB),
or date of recurrence (DOR), occurred between November 18, 2000 and March 23,
2002 should write to OWCP and request compensation adjustment. This would not
apply to employees who only received continuation of pay (COP) since COP is paid
by the Postal Service and not by OWCP. Any retroactive pay entitlement for COP
hours would have been included in the retroactive check received from the Postal
Service.
For Trenton Metro Area Local members, requests for wage loss compensation
adjustment should be submitted to the Central New Jersey Injury Compensation
Office, 21 Kilmer Road, Edison NJ 08899. Make sure you include your OWCP
Case File Number with your request.
Hi
all! Thought I would take a few
moments to bring you up-to-date on Human Relations issues on the TMAL Web.
Things have been real busy in this department during the last year.
Who would have ever thought that someone other than Postal Management
would have been interested in terrorizing the little old Trenton P&DC?
Not me, not ever!
SAFETY
& THE POLICE
Well
by now most of you are aware that some Tour 1 Supervisors have a new found love
for calling the local police department to handle their employee issues.
The first episode I’m referring to occurred in early August. That night Management used the Emergency “911” system to
report that a female employee was wearing the wrong shoes at work.
Yes, you heard me right, she left the house with the wrong shoes on.
Now, all I could think to myself when it first occurred was that the
Police Dispatcher must have been laughing hysterically to themselves after they
hung up the phone. But being forced
by police protocol to follow through, three police cruisers were dispatched over
The River and through the woods at 1:20am for a situation thrown way out of
proportion by our late night big bad wolves.
To this day I still believe that the local authorities should fine the
Postal Service for “improper and heedless use of the Emergency 911 system”
and for “wasting the time of three of South River’s finest” that night.
The
second incident occurred in early October.
This time the Tour 1 bosses called in our new Monroe protectors because
an employee took it upon himself to try and abate a Safety Hazard.
Now there’s a reason to call the police away from other more important
and urgent matters! Our employees
weren’t even in the new building for a whole week and this occurred.
Keeping “only the employee’s safety in mind”, Management allowed
the contract workers to keep a pallet of combustible propane tanks in a location
outside the loading dock where they could have been easily been run over by a
vehicle delivering mail to the facility that night. Wow, what a fireworks show that could have easily been.
Management failed to abate the hazard because they felt it wasn’t their
responsibility. The equipment belonged to a contractor. WRONG!! The last
time I checked, the safety of our employees in and around our workplace IS their
responsibility regardless of whose equipment it is. Once again, Management failed miserably in ensuring that our
“Safety is their #1 Priority”.
I
still pray that Management’s new game of calling the police for in-house
issues did not result in a delay to someone in true need of police or medical
assistance while the PO tied up the local authorities for ludicrous and moronic
non-emergent reasons.
INJURY
COMPENSATION - OWCP
Back
in June I attended a 3-day Conference at the Department of Labor building in NY
City. My main goal for attending
this conference was to try to get a better understanding of how the injury
compensation case files were being handled by OWCP.
I felt with this information, I could better represent the membership of
the local.
While
there I did get an in depth tour of the OWCP Offices.
I have to admit that I as amazed by the ability of their new computer
system. It can really do well for injury case handling, processing
and filing. No longer is a case in
paper form. Everything received by
OWCP is now scanned at a central location and input into the computer system.
Paper copies are then returned to the claimant.
This system allows multiple actions to be taken on a claim, by multiple
claims examiners if needed, at any given time.
No longer does the actual paper case file have to be sent from desk to
desk and department to department for handling.
It’s all right there at the click of a mouse.
The wonders of computers in today’s world.
While
in NY I also had the pleasure of meeting face to face with the OWCP NY District
Office’s Director, Mr Jonathan Lawrence.
He opened his office to me and the others there too.
I have to admit I walked away somewhat impressed with the down-to-earth
and seemingly caring attitude he showed in helping injured federal workers.
He reminded us that OWCP is actually there to help the ill or injured
employees receive the benefits they need and rightfully deserve.
I tend to forget that from time to time when dealing with the total
opposite attitude from Postal Management.
All
in all I believe this short business trip was long overdue and really
worthwhile. Just being able to meet
with some of the OWCP Claims Examiners and finding out what little things they
tend to look for in an employee’s claim should be of help from time to time.
Also being able to put a face to a CE’s name or telephone voice can be
helpful now too.
Unless
you’ve been injured at work lately, you would not even realize that the Union
has been in a constant uphill battle with Management when one of our employees
becomes injured on duty. The Postal
Service’s new attitude is to challenge almost every new injury case regardless
of the reasons or causes of injury. That
might have something to do with the fact that the Postal Service generates over
70% of OWCP’s current caseload. So
out of all the Federal Agency’s around the country, we top the charts for work
related injuries. That’s not a
good record to hold.
That
statistic however should tell you something about the agency we work for.
Safety is NOT their #1 Priority. Keeping
you working regardless of any unsafe or hazardous actions, practices or
conditions seems to be their only goal. Take
a good hard look as to how the Trenton employees were treated and the
bio-hazardous conditions we were forced to work in back in October 2001.
Then don’t forget about our coworkers who contracted “the disease”,
those who were constantly sick from the antibiotics, being exhausted from a
forced non-paid extra daily commute, and the ongoing stress and fear of
wondering if and when we’ll be targeted again.
Then take a look at all of our temporary work locations we’ve been
shuttled and sent back and forth to. Not
one of them was any more safe than the other and now we have the new Monroe
facility - case and point. But
always remember, OUR SAFETY IS THE POSTAL SERVICE’S #1 PRIORITY – what a
crock!
AQS
– AGENCY QUERY SYSTEM
On
a positive note, I am happy to report that we were finally approved during the
summer for access to OWCP’s Agency Query System.
The Agency Query system is a restricted online file of all the injury
compensation cases filed with the Department of Labor.
By finally gaining access to this system, I am able to retrieve basic
information concerning the status of an injured employee’s OWCP claim.
Some
of the information I can access with this system include the current status of
an employee’s claim, if the claim was accepted, denied or under development or
review. I can look up the date the
employee’s claim forms were received by OWCP.
I also have access to review if Compensation was paid to the injured
employee, the amount paid as well as the date the checks were processed.
Then there is medical benefits information such as to how much and when a
doctor, pharmacy or therapist, or injured employee’s bill or out-of-pocket
expense (etc) was submitted. If the
bill was paid and for what amount or if the bill was denied, the rejection code
would indicate why.
So
there is a wealth of information available on this system that Management has
had access to for many years that the Union is just now receiving.
Access to this worthwhile system was negotiated by our National APWU and
is provided at no cost to the Local. However,
since Union Representatives receive the lowest level of access to the system due
to Privacy Act issues, the only way I can look up your case is by you giving me
your OWCP Case File number. I guess
the thinking there is if the employee gave us the case file number, then they
must have authorized the access. Well
whatever the reason, having access to the Agency Query System has already
assisted me in helping members with their injury claims so I’m glad we finally
got it!
OTHER
In
closing, I would like to say “THANK YOU” to all the Trenton Metro Area Local
members who continue to stand United and Strong for our Local, its Officers,
Trustees and Stewards through this truly tragic time in our Postal employment
history. The Postal Service
continues to try to kick us while we are down.
Your support to the Local is more important now than ever.
Don’t give up the fight! The
struggle continues and I am confident that our Union will prevail!
Also, please remember to get out and vote in the upcoming political elections on November 5th. There are a few APWU friendly Congressional and Senatorial Candidates that need our unified support. When the date comes, don’t pass it off as just another election. It is a very important election for us Postal workers and every single vote counts! GET OUT AND VOTE
Family
and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
FMLA is designed to help employees balance their work and
family responsibilities by taking reasonable paid or unpaid leave for certain
family and medical reasons. The
Family and Medical Leave Act provides employees with up to 12 weeks of
job-protected Leave/LWOP per year. It
also requires that your group health benefits be maintained during the period of
approved leave.
The new submission period for Family and Medical
Leave Act began with the new Postal Leave year on January 12th.
Leave under the FMLA can be continuous or for intermittent periods as
deemed medically necessary. Anyone
who had used FMLA during 2001 and the need still continues, you must reapply for
the new 2002 Postal Leave year. FMLA
Submission Forms and additional FMLA information can be obtained from any of the
Local’s Officers or Steward’s.
FMLA Forms and an APWU-USPS Frequently Asked Question and
Answer Sheet can also be obtained online at www.apwu.org. Once at the APWU
Home Page, click on the link for “Departments and Divisions” which can be
found in the left navigation bar. Then
click on “Industrial Relations” and finally click on the link for “Family
and Medical Leave”. Once there
you will see a complete listing of our APWU-FMLA forms available.
Choose the forms you need and print them right to your home computer.
It’s that easy. I encourage all Trenton Metro Area Local members to go to the
web site and read over the FMLA information available to you.
This way you will know your rights and entitlements to the Family and
Medical Leave Act should the need arise.
Safety and Health should be a daily concern to all
employees. In order for our members
to be able to work in a safe and accident free environment, we must continue to
look out for each other and be aware of our surroundings.
I know this might sound like a joke to some given the surreal
circumstances we have recently endured with the Anthrax situation.
However that was a terrorist attack that we as employees had no control
over. The safety and health issues
that I am referring to are the ones that exist in our workplace on a daily basis
and those that we can try to control and correct.
Articles 14 & 30 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement
requires the Postal Service to provide its employees with a safe working
environment. In part, the contract
states that “It is the responsibility of management to provide safe working
conditions in all present and future installations and to develop a safe working
force. If an employee believes
he/she is being required to work under unsafe conditions, such employees may:
(a) Notify such employee's supervisor who will
immediately investigate the condition and take corrective action if necessary;
(b) Notify such employee's steward, if available, who may
discuss the alleged unsafe condition with such employee's supervisor;
(c) File a grievance at Step 2 of the grievance procedure
within fourteen (14) days of notifying such employee's supervisor if no
corrective action is taken during the employee's tour, and/or
(d) Make a written report to the Union representative from
the local Safety and Health Committee who may discuss the report with such
employee's supervisor.”
The Postal Service must make available at each installation
forms to be used by employees in reporting unsafe and unhealthful conditions.
The PS Form 1767 “Report of Hazard, Unsafe Condition or Practice” is
used for this purpose. These forms
must be readily available in your work area for you to complete, on-the-clock,
to report an unsafe condition. Don’t
be shy, ask your Supervisor to get the forms for you if you don’t see one
handy in your work area.
As we continue to work in our regular stations and branches
as well as our new “temporary” work locations, we must continue to watch for
safety hazards and make the necessary reports for correction of unsafe
conditions. No matter where you are
working in the Postal Service, the rules for Safety and Health do not change.
If you see an unsafe condition, I implore each and every member to report
it! It’s your right and all of
our responsibility. Please do your part in helping to keep our working
environment safe for yourself and for your fellow APWU-TMAL members.
The Anthrax
attack on the Hamilton P&DC has brought new interest and concerns for most
of our members in the area of Injury Compensation.
So many of us were never before even concerned with OWCP issues since we
were fortunate to have never experienced or suffered from a work related injury.
However for most Trenton Metro Area Local members, that has now changed.
Whether you know it or not, each and every member of our
local who was in the Hamilton P&DC during the period of September 19th
thru October 18th when the Anthrax tainted letters were processed in
our facility suffered an on-the-job work related injury. Don’t be mistaken,
the Anthrax contamination in our facility was so widespread that it is
inconceivable that you did not inhale or come in contact with the Anthrax spores
while there. As such we hope by now
that each and every TMAL member who was in that building during the
contamination period has already filed an OWCP Form CA-1 “Notice of Traumatic
Injury” with the Postal Service. This
was necessary to document your “Exposure to Anthrax” in the workplace.
Filing that CA-1 also protects your rights to future
benefits from OWCP should you still become ill as a result of that previous
Anthrax exposure. Since neither the
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) or any other competent medical authority can
tell us for sure how long the Anthrax spores can live inside of us it best to be
protected. How about long-term
effects? Again, no one seems to
know. At least by the Local
encouraging each and every member to file that CA-1, our members will have
something to fall back on should those spores still decide to “wake up”
sometime down the road and subsequently inflict additionally Anthrax related
illness upon us.
Some of our Union brothers and sisters became ill as a
result. Several Trenton Metro Local
members were seriously ill. Thankfully,
most of us have not become ill thus far and none of our members have died as a
result of this heinous terrorist attack on our workplace.
However, even though the majority of us never developed
symptoms of Cutaneous or Inhalation Anthrax, many did experience severe side
effects of the prophylactic medications (Cipro, Doxy, Amoxicillin, Zithromax,
etc) that were prescribed to protect us from contracting the Anthrax disease.
Others suffered from Acute Anxiety Reactions and Stress from the entire
situation. If any or all of these
conditions were severe enough for you to lose time off from work, causing you to
seek medical attention for your condition, they are claimable as work-related
injuries if they are related to the Anthrax exposure.
For these situations, an OWCP Form CA-2 “Notice of Occupational
Illness” should be filed with the Postal Service to again protect your rights.
My recommendation for all TMAL members is to let the Local
know if you suffered an injury or illness which you feel might be related in
someway to your working conditions. This
way we can help you and guide you through the filing process to make sure your
rights are protected. Whether your
condition is Anthrax related or something totally different, let us know so we
can help. My email address is
contained in the “Contact Us” portion of this web site.
Feel free to contact me. The
Union is here to assist our members, with the resources we have available,
within the scope of the rules, regulations and National Agreement that we are
bound by. We will do our best to
assist you. However, we can’t
help if we don’t know about the injury. Why
not take advantage of this great benefit of Union membership.
Pub CA-11 – What to Do When Injured at Work
http://www.dol.gov/dol/esa/public/regs/compliance/owcp/ca-11.htm
Procedures for Processing Pharmacy Bills
http://www.dol.gov/dol/esa/public/regs/compliance/owcp/pharmacy.htm
On February 6th, I inquired to one of the Postal
Service’s “Injury Comp Specialists” as why our members were having trouble
receiving copies of their Supervisor completed OWCP Form CA-1’s that were
filed by most of us for the “Anthrax Exposure”. This so-called “Specialist” informed me that the Postal
Service has no plans to just make copies for everyone.
Instead, he said that each employee will have to make a request in
writing to receive a copy. He said
that in accordance with OWCP’s recommendation, all of the CA-1 forms submitted
for mere Anthrax Exposure (where the employee did not contract the actual
Anthrax Disease) are being held in a central location at the Postal Service’s
New York Metro Regional Offices.
So with that I am recommending that each and every Trenton
Metro Area Local member make a written request to Management for a copy of your
completed forms. Your requests
should ask for the following information. A
copy of your:
1)
OWCP Form CA-1 for “Anthrax Exposure” submitted in
2001, including the completed Supervisor’s Section, and
2)
PS Form 1769 “Accident Report” completed by Management
also for the Anthrax Exposure
I recommend that you submit your written request directly
to your immediate Supervisor and ask them to forward it to the Injury
Compensation Unit. Make sure your
request includes your Name, Address, Social Security Number, Pay Location as
well as your present Tour and Work Location.
When submitting your written request, I always recommend
that you make two copies and have your Supervisor initial receipt of one of them
and keep it for your records. This
helps prove your written request was made.
Should Management fail to respond to your request within a reasonable
amount of time, then we can file the appropriate grievance.
However, you will need your copy of the request so we can prove when it
was submitted. If your Supervisor
fails to initial your copy, then at least make a notation for your records of
when and whom you submitted it to. This
way we’ll have something to fall back on if needed down the road.
The provisions of both Federal Employee’s Compensation
Act and the Postal Service’s own Employee and Labor Relations Manual entitle
you to receive a copy of all forms and documents submitted to or produced by the
Postal Service in support of an injury on duty. Once again, as Union members I implore each and every one of
you to take advantage of this contractual entitlement.
This year’s Open Season for
the Federal Employee Health Benefits Plan will be November 10 thru December 29,
2003. Now you can get a head start
on open season by previewing the open season guide, the health plan changes, and
the new premiums for 2004.
http://www.opm.gov/insure/health/
The
FEHB Program is the largest employer-sponsored health insurance program in the
nation and covers nearly nine million federal employees, retirees and their
dependents. During the FEHB Program
open season, enrollees can select a new health plan or stay with their current
carrier. Employees and retirees
enrolled in the program can review the Open Season guide and health plan
brochures at the FEHB Program web site.
Here
are some of the individual web sites for Health Benefit Plans being offered in
this years Federal Program. You
might find them of use for comparison shopping.
Remember to check out the plans being offered by the APWU Health
Plan. One might just be right
for you.
APWU Health Plan - APWU Health Plan
Blue
Cross Blue Shield - http://www.fepblue.org
Aetna Health Inc - http://www.aetna.com/index.htm
AmeriHealth HMO - http://www.amerihealth.com
GHI Health Plan - http://www.ghi.com
Health Net of Pennsylvania - http://www.health.net
Health America Pennsylvania - http://www.healthamerica.cvty.com
Keystone Health Plan - http://www.ibx.com//fep
UPMC Health Plan - http://www.upmc.com
Alliance Health -
http://www.ahbp.com
GEHA Benefit Plan - http://www.geha.com