are available to conduct OWCP briefings at union meetings, or other events such as regional Fac Rep seminars.
The OWCP Committee was established as a proactive measure on the part of NATCA to assist union members who incur a job related traumatic injury, or an occupational disease or illness.
The committee is made up of NATCA activists from each region.
Committee members become certified compensation specialists upon successful completion of training, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Labor.
These specialized representatives offer a valuable resource to NATCA Fac Reps and members facing the complex world of an OWCP claim. In addition to providing individual assistance, Committee members
Please keep in mind that NATCA
also has a team of Critical Incident Stress Management individuals
who you can speak to you one on one, if you have experienced a
traumatic event or a critical incident (any event that causes
unusually strong emotional reactions that have the potential to
interfere with the ability to function normally). Even though the
event may be over, you may now be experiencing or may experience
later, some strong emotional or physical reactions. It is very
common, in fact quite normal, for people to experience emotional
aftershocks when they have passed through a horrible event.
Sometimes the emotional aftershocks (or stress reactions) appear
immediately after the traumatic event. Sometimes they may appear a
few hours or a few days later. And, in some cases, weeks or months
may pass before the stress reactions appear.
The signs and symptoms of a stress reaction may last a few days, a
few weeks, a few months, or longer, depending on the severity of the
traumatic event. The understanding and the support of loved ones
usually cause the stress reactions to pass more quickly.
Occasionally, the traumatic event is so painful that professional
assistance may be necessary. This does not imply craziness or
weakness. It simply indicates that the particular event was just too
powerful for the person to manage by himself.
If you think you may need the assistance of the Critical Incident Stress Management Team, please call 1-800-266-0895 ext. 24911.
*WARNING*
The following was received from NGL RVP Bryan Zilonis, please warn any employees either on OWCP or actively submitting a claim.
Subject: [NEB] OWCP Task force
Hello All,
It appears the agency has instituted an OWCP task force Nationwide. I have solicited input from other RVP’s with respect to the value of this program and as you might imagine what I got back was not good for us.What they do is have an agent of management contact the employee (person on OWCP) directly informing them that they are there to assist them with their claim. They gather all the information they can about the circumstances surrounding the injury and then they send a letter to the DOL informing them the claim is not valid. They make their case by contradicting all the information the employee provided them.
Most of the folks on the task force are former DOL employees so they are skilled in manipulating the facts to get the agency off the hook for your claim. It is important to note that there is no requirement to speak to these people.
I highly recommend that you thank them for their concern and promptly bid them farewell if they call you.
Marc Shapiro is addressing this matter with a national grievance.
Bryan