WHCA Transmittals

Back to BCT Table of Contents

EXPLANATION OF MATERIAL TRANSMITTED:

The Division of Federal Employees’ Compensation (DFEC), with this issuance, announces a revision to the manner in which the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA) Procedure Manual (PM) will be displayed. The PM previously consisted of nine parts and 89 chapters that were displayed separately. With this revision, all parts and chapters will be displayed within a single document. Effective the date of the publication of this transmittal, this single document, FECA PM Version 1.0, replaces the prior version of the PM.

DFEC also administers claims filed under the War Hazards Compensation Act (WHCA). The WHCA affords coverage for the injury/death of an employee within the meaning of the Defense Base Act, if the injury or death proximately results from a war risk hazard as defined by the WHCA. Currently, procedures for these cases are housed in the FECA PM, Chapter 4- 0300. Because these claims are separate and distinct from those filed under the FECA, DFEC has removed those procedures from its FECA PM and created a separate single document containing only those procedures. Effective the date of the publication of this transmittal, this single document, WHCA PM Version 1.0, replaces the prior WHCA procedures housed in the FECA PM.

Neither FECA PM Version 1.0 nor WHCA PM Version 1.0 contain substantive changes to technical procedure, and the overall content of the PM remains the same.

Additionally:

• No changes were made to part numbers or chapter numbers. This includes Part 4 of the FECA PM, in which chapter 4-0300 was left vacant; subsequent chapters were not renumbered.
• Full tables of contents were added at the beginning of FECA PM Version 1.0 and WHCA PM Version 1.0.

When changes to technical procedures are made in the future, new version numbers will be assigned and prior versions will be archived.

Jennifer Valdivieso
Director for
Federal Employees’ Compensation

Distribution: All DFEC Staff

EXPLANATION OF MATERIAL TRANSMITTED:

The Division of Federal Employees' Compensation, with this issuance, announces revisions to the above-referenced Procedure Manual (PM) Chapter. With these revisions, the use of SF-1034 vouchers has been eliminated when processing War Hazards Compensation Act (WHCA) reimbursement payments. These revisions apply to any reimbursement claims for which SF-1034 vouchers have not been issued, effective the date of this Transmittal. However, for claims where SF-1034 vouchers have been issued, those vouchers must still be completed, signed, and returned to finalize processing those reimbursement payments.

PM Chapter 4-0300, War Hazards. This chapter outlines the procedures to be followed in adjudication and processing of claims covered under the WHCA. Included in this chapter are instructions related to reimbursements for accepted claims. The claims examiner is responsible for reviewing the documentation submitted in support of the payments and expenses incurred by the insurance carrier, or self-insured employer, and determining which of these payments and expenses are reimbursable, as related to the war-risk hazard. After the total amount of the reimbursement has been calculated and certified, the claims examiner prepares a letter explaining the reimbursable amounts, and processes payments for these reimbursements.

Paragraph 11, Reimbursement of Insurance Carriers and Self-Insured Employers under Section 104; sections c and d, have been revised to remove the references to issuing SF-1034 vouchers to insurance carriers, self-insured employers, or their representatives, for their signature before processing reimbursement payments. Instead, claims examiners will continue to issue letters to these payees explaining which payments and expenses claimed on Form CA-278 have been determined to be reimbursable, and which have not. Then, claims examiners should concurrently process these reimbursement payments, without awaiting the return of a signed SF-1034 voucher.

These procedural updates will be effective on October 1, 2025.

Jennifer Valdivieso
Director for
Federal Employees' Compensation

Distribution: All DFEC Staff

RELEASE – REVISION TO CHAPTER 4-0300, WAR HAZARDS, PART 4 – SPECIAL CASE PROCEDURES, FEDERAL (FECA) PROCEDURE MANUAL

EXPLANATION OF MATERIAL TRANSMITTED:

Exhibit 3 is updated to show the 1999 and 2000 yearly increases under the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act.

DEBORAH B. SANFORD
Acting Director for
Federal Employees' Compensation

File this transmittal sheet behind the checklist in front of the Federal (FECA) Procedure Manual.

Distribution: List No. 1 – Folioviews Groups A and D
(Claims Examiners, All Supervisors, District Medical Advisors, Systems Managers, Technical Assistants, Rehabilitation Specialists, and Staff Nurses)

Back to Top of FECA Transmittal No. 01-01

Back to Table of Contents

RELEASE - REVISION TO CHAPTER 4-0300, WAR HAZARDS, PART 4 - SPECIAL CASE PROCEDURES, FEDERAL (FECA) PROCEDURE MANUAL

EXPLANATION OF MATERIAL TRANSMITTED:

Exhibit 3 is updated to show the 1996, 1997, and 1998 yearly increases under the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act.

THOMAS M. MARKEY
Director for
Federal Employees' Compensation

File this transmittal sheet behind the checklist in front of the Federal (FECA) Procedure Manual.

Distribution: List No. 1--Folioviews Groups A and D
(Claims Examiners, All Supervisors, District Medical Advisers, Systems Managers, Technical Assistants, Rehabilitation Specialists, and Staff Nurses)

Back to Top of FECA Transmittal No. 99-01

Back to Table of Contents

RELEASE - REVISION TO CHAPTER 4-0300, WAR HAZARDS, PART 4 - SPECIAL CASE PROCEDURES, FEDERAL (FECA) PROCEDURE MANUAL

EXPLANATION OF MATERIAL TRANSMITTED:

Exhibit 3 is updated to show the 1994 and 1995 yearly increases under the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act.

THOMAS M. MARKEY
Director for
Federal Employees' Compensation

File this transmittal sheet behind the checklist in front of the Federal (FECA) Procedure Manual.

Distribution: List No. 1--Folioviews Groups A and D
(Claims Examiners, All Supervisors, District Medical Advisers, Systems Managers, Technical Assistants, Rehabilitation Specialists, and Staff Nurses)

Back to Top of FECA Transmittal No. 96-08

Back to Table of Contents