Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Frequently asked questions about the Electronic Document Submission (ECOMP) system.

• Occupational Health

Upload one document at a time. For instance, if you are uploading an operative report, a treatment note and a job offer for the same case, these should be uploaded as three distinct documents, as opposed to one combined document.

Remember, you can only upload documents to an existing OWCP case file, and the four pieces of identifying information (case number, last name, date of birth and date of injury) must match exactly. ECOMP does not provide a query feature, so if you cannot access a case with the information that you have, please contact your district office.

ECOMP provides four choices for document type. Choose the most appropriate option, but note there are no negative consequences for selection of a wrong category. The document will still be uploaded into the case file and available to OWCP.

Non‐Medical – This category should be used for essentially any document that is not included in one of the three more specific categories noted below. Documents in this category would include: a job offer, accident report, election, position description or an inquiry to the claims examiner.

Medical – This category should be used for any type of medical document, i.e. treating physician notes, diagnostic tests, operative reports, CA20 forms, work tolerance limitations forms (OWCP5a, b, & c), physical therapy notes, functional capacity evaluations, etc.

Nurse – This category should be used for documents specifically pertaining to OWCP’s Nurse Intervention Program, i.e. communication from the field nurse to the claims examiner. Documents obtained by the field nurse that fit another category should be indexed accordingly, i.e. if the field nurse obtains an operative report, it would be indexed as medical.

Note – If you are not an OWCP field nurse, you will not need to use this category.

Rehab ‐ This category should be used for documents specifically pertaining to OWCP’s Vocational Rehabilitation Program, i.e. communication from the Rehabilitation Counselor to the claims examiner. Documents obtained by the Rehabilitation Counselor that fit another category should be indexed accordingly, i.e. if the Rehabilitation Counselor obtains a functional capacity evaluation, it would be indexed as medical.

Note – If you are not an OWCP Rehabilitation Counselor, you will not need to use this category.

You can enter the DCN into the Track Status feature in ECOMP to see whether the document has been received by DFEC. Beyond that, however, you would need to contact the district office handling the case for further information regarding the disposition of that document. The claims examiner will NOT need to have the DCN to locate the document.

ECOMP limits the size of the document that can be uploaded to 6 pages or 5mb. This size limit should accommodate most document types related to the claims process. A few things to keep in mind if your document is too large:

If you have the document in electronic format already, try uploading it in the original format rather than printing and scanning, which can make the document size larger. If the file size is too large, try saving the document with a .png, .tif, .pdf, or .jpg file type. These are usually smaller.

Be sure you are uploading one document at a time. As noted above, if you are uploading multiple document types, they should be uploaded as distinct documents, as opposed to a single combined document.

If your document is a color document, scan it in black and white instead. Even if you submit a color document, it will be converted to a standard black and white format when uploaded into the case file. Using black and white, as opposed to color, will decrease the file size.

Check your scanning resolution or image quality. When documents are uploaded into the case file, they will be converted to 200 dpi (dots per inch) so scanning at a greater dpi, which increases the document size, is unnecessary.

You can upload the following document types with ECOMP: .jpg, .jpeg, .gif, .png, .tif, .txt, .rtf, .pdf, .doc, and .docx.

Uploading a document to your case file via ECOMP is a one-way transmission, similar to dropping an envelope into a mailbox. Therefore, after you have uploaded a document and it has been incorporated into your case file, you will not be able to view or access the document in ECOMP.

Forms should not be submitted via the “upload document” feature in ECOMP. If your agency enrolls in ECOMP for electronic form filing, you may be able to register and then use the “file a form” portion of ECOMP. If your agency is not enrolled in ECOMP, you will receive a message telling you so and you should contact your agency for instructions on how to file a claim form.

ECOMP can be used to submit documents for a particular case file, but it does not provide a communication vehicle with the Claims Examiner or the District Office. You must contact your servicing District Office if you have questions about a specific claim or the claims process. You may also wish to visit DFEC’s website for more information.

Most documents related to a case file can be submitted via this process in ECOMP, but a few cannot.

Claim forms for new injuries and/or compensation (CA‐1, CA‐2, CA2a, CA‐5 and CA‐7) must be submitted through the Employing Agency. Some agencies use a different component of ECOMP for this process, but check with your Supervisor or Injury Compensation Specialist for more information on filing these forms. Also, CA‐16 forms issued by the Employing Agency should not be uploaded via ECOMP.

Medical bills and well as requests for authorization of medical procedures from medical providers, must be submitted through OWCP’s Central Billing and Authorization Facility.

Claims for reimbursement must be submitted through the central mailroom at U.S. Department of Labor, DFEC Central Mailroom, PO Box 8300, London, KY 40742‐8300

A request for an Oral Hearing or a Review of the Written Record with the Branch of Hearings and Review should be addressed to: Branch of Hearings and Review, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, P. O. Box 37117, Washington, DC 20013‐7117. A request for an appeal: The action you take if you don’t agree with a decision made about your benefit. with the Employees’ Compensation Appeals Board should be addressed to: Employees' Compensation Appeals Board, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Room S‐5220, Washington, DC 20210. Review any formal decision you may have received for more information regarding the appellate process.

ECOMP does require Adobe Flash Player. It is not a requirement that you have the latest version, but you must have at least Version 10 or higher.

Documents should be uploaded into the case file, and viewable by the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP), within 4 hours.

You do NOT need to register in ECOMP. All you need to upload a document is the case number, as well as the claimant’s last name, date of birth and date of injury.

Call Environmental Health at 1-910-396-5882.

Call Environmental Health at 1-910-396-5882.