Caring for Our Federal Workforce
Federal workers deserve timely access to health care, especially when they have been injured on the job. Nurse practitioners (NPs) already care for our federal workforce as providers within the Federal Health Benefits Program yet outdated federal law limits NPs from diagnosing and overseeing the care federal workers need when they are injured at work.
S. 131/H.R. 618, the Improving Access to Workers’ Compensation for Injured Federal Workers Act, would amend the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA) to authorize NPs to diagnose, certify disabilities, and oversee treatment for injured federal workers, consistent with state law. This would ensure that federal employees receive the care they need to recover and return back to work.
Over two million federal employees deserve access to the high-quality care NPs provide when they get injured on the job.
In a 2022 report to Congress the Office of Workers Compensation Programs noted the lack of access for patients to obtain appointments with medical providers to treat a workplace injury. This bill increases timely access to care by updating FECA while deferring to state law and ensuring care is delivered by a patient’s chosen health care provider.
NPs are highly trained clinicians who make up over a quarter of our primary care workforce nationwide and almost half in rural communities.
This legislation improves continuity of care by allowing injured federal employees to continue treatment with their trusted NPs.
Congressional Budget Office noted
S. 131/H.R. 618, the Improving Access to Workers’ Compensation for Injured Federal Workers Act, would not impact federal spending because the increased access to care would help federal workers return to work more quickly.
Reports issued by the American Enterprise Institute, the Brookings Institution, World Health Organization, the Federal Trade Commission, the Bipartisan Policy Center and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under multiple administrations have all highlighted the positive impact of removing barriers confronted by NPs and their patients.
Additionally, the National Academy of Medicine’s Future of Nursing: 2020-2030 report recommends that “All organizations, including state and federal entities and employing organizations, should enable nurses to practice to the full extent of their education and training by removing barriers that prevent them from more fully addressing social needs and social determinants of health and by improving health care access, quality, and value. These barriers include regulatory and public and private payment limitations; restrictive policies and practices; and other legal, professional, and commercial impediments.”
Reports issued by the, American Enterprise Institute the Brookings Institution, World Health Organization, the Federal Trade Commission, the Bipartisan Policy Center and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under multiple administrations have all highlighted the positive impact of removing barriers confronted by NPs and their patients. Additionally, the National Academy of Medicine’s Future of Nursing: 2020-2030 report recommends that “All organizations, including state and federal entities and employing organizations, should enable nurses to practice to the full extent of their education and training by removing barriers that prevent them from more fully addressing social needs and social determinants of health and by improving health care access, quality, and value. These barriers include regulatory and public and private payment limitations; restrictive policies and practices; and other legal, professional, and commercial impediments.”