OWCP has announced that based upon President Biden signing the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 it is now easier for federal workers diagnosed with COVID-19 to establish coverage under the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA). FECA Bulletin 20-05 explains that because of the new law federal employees diagnosed with COVID-19 who carried out duties that required contact with patients, members of the public, or co-workers, or included a risk of exposure to the novel coronavirus during a covered period of exposure prior to the diagnosis, is deemed to have an injury that is proximately caused by employment.
If your claim is already approved, this has no impact upon you. But if any claim that has been denied or withdrawn is supposed to be reviewed by OWCP to see whether the claim should be approved based upon the new rules. Anyone whose claim has been denied or withdrawn, should follow up with OWCP regarding getting their claim reviewed under the new rules.