Government affairs

Today, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce unanimously voted (34-0) to advance the Improving Access to Workers’ Compensation for Injured Federal Workers Act (H.R. 3170).

Currently, the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA) limits treatment for injured federal workers, ncluding letter carriers, to physicians only. However, a growing shortage of physicians willing to accept FECA cases has created “provider deserts” in many parts of the country, making it dicult for injured letter carriers to access timely care.

H.R. 3170 addresses this gap by amending FECA to authorize nurse practitioners and physician assistants to treat these cases.

The legislation received strong bipartisan support during the markup.
This bill was reported out of committee in both the 117th and 118th Congresses—the prior two congressional sessions. In the 117th Congress, it passed the House with broad bipartisan support.

“NALC appreciates the committee’s unanimous support to advance this bill,” President Renfroe said. “When a letter carrier, or any federal employee, is injured on the job, nding quality, convenient, and timely care is essential. NALC urges Congress to pass this critical legislation.

The next step is for the bill to be considered on the House floor, where time is limited and securing a vote can be challenging.