CA-1 & CA-2 Forms: Traumatic Injury vs Occupational Disease

CA-1 or CA-2: Which Form Opens Your Claim

Every OWCP claim starts with one of two forms, and choosing correctly matters because the two claim types run on different rules. The CA-1 covers traumatic injuries. The CA-2 covers occupational disease. Core Medical Center evaluates and documents both as an OWCP-authorized clinic in Blue Springs, serving federal employees across the Greater Kansas City metro.

In short: use the CA-1 when the injury came from a single event within one workday or shift. Use the CA-2 when the condition developed over more than one workday, such as repetitive strain. CA-1 claims can include continuation of pay; CA-2 claims cannot.

CA-1: Traumatic Injury

The CA-1 is the Federal Employee’s Notice of Traumatic Injury. It fits injuries with a clear moment of cause: a slip on a wet dock, a lifting injury moving a parcel, a fall from a ladder, a vehicle incident on duty.

• What counts: injury from a specific event or exposure within a single workday or shift
• The 30-day window: filing within 30 days preserves continuation of pay, up to 45 calendar days of your regular salary while the claim is processed
• Early treatment: after a traumatic injury your agency can issue a CA-16 authorization, which guarantees payment for initial examination and treatment
• The medical burden: a documented diagnosis and objective findings tying the condition to the event

CA-2: Occupational Disease

The CA-2 is the Notice of Occupational Disease. It fits conditions that build over time rather than striking in one moment: carpal tunnel syndrome from repetitive casing, shoulder and elbow tendon injuries from years of overhead work, a degenerating disc aggravated by a career of lifting, hearing loss from sustained noise exposure.

• What counts: a condition produced by work duties over more than one workday or shift
• No continuation of pay: wage loss on a CA-2 claim is claimed through the CA-7 process instead
• The medical burden is heavier: the physician’s report has to connect the diagnosis to specific job duties performed over time, which means a careful work history and a clearly reasoned causal opinion, the same standard described on our CA-20 guide

Filing, Deadlines and Where Forms Go

Both forms are filed through your employing agency, most commonly online through ECOMP, and your agency completes its own portion before the claim reaches the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs. FECA carries an overall three-year filing limit, but waiting helps nothing: memories fade, exposures get harder to reconstruct, and untreated injuries worsen. Official forms and instructions are on the Department of Labor’s OWCP site. Eligibility decisions belong to the Department of Labor; the medical evidence is where we come in.

Get the Medical Evidence Right From Day One

Whether your claim is a fresh CA-1, a CA-2 for a condition years in the making, or a claim that was denied for thin evidence, the path is the same: a physician-directed evaluation, objective findings, and documentation written for the claims examiner who reads it. Our OWCP Claims Assistance service handles that documentation, the OWCP Forms Library maps every form in your file, and our OWCP Doctor page covers treatment. USPS and postal employees can start with our dedicated USPS Postal Worker Injury Doctor page.

Treatment for an accepted OWCP claim is billed through the Department of Labor rather than to you, and same-week appointments are typically available in Blue Springs.