On Wednesday, May 20 at 10:00 a.m., the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, chaired by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), will hold a hearing entitled, “Reforming the Workers’ Compensation Program for Federal Employees." The hearing will take place in room 2175 of the Rayburn House Office Building.
Enacted in 1916, the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA) provides workers’ compensation benefits to federal employees who become injured or ill through work-related activity. The program covers approximately three million civilian federal workers and paid out nearly $3 billion in benefits in 2014. The law has not been meaningfully updated since 1974, and there are concerns that current, outdated benefit policies may be too generous and discourage employees’ return to work. The Department of Labor, in its Fiscal Year 2016 budget request, has proposed a series of reforms intended to improve the program.
Wednesday’s hearing will provide committee members with an opportunity to further evaluate the administration’s proposed reforms, as well as other possible legislative changes to reform the law. To learn more about the hearing, visit www.republicans-edlabor.house.gov/hearings. WITNESS LIST
Mr. Leonard Howie
Director of Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs
Department of Labor
Washington, D.C.
Mr. Ron Watson
Director of Retired Members
National Association of Letter Carriers
Washington, D.C.
Dr. Andrew Sherrill
Director of Education, Workforce, and Income Security
Government Accountability Office
Washington, D.C.
The Honorable Scott Dahl
Inspector General
Department of Labor
Washington, D.C.
