---
title: "Review a federal employee’s return to work against the medical evidence"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/practice/personal-injury-and-compensation/review-a-work-capacity-decision-against-the-capacity-evidence/united-states"
type: "task_jurisdiction_version"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A21-WR20261022-4-US"
practice_area: "Personal Injury & Compensation (workers compensation, CTP/TAC, medical negligence)"
tier: "yellow"
lawyer_review: "required"
jurisdictions: ["US"]
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# Review a federal employee’s return to work against the medical evidence

> From the medical notes and the employing agency’s messages, list the date wage loss began, whether the file says the employee can return to the federal job, and whether a nurse or vocational referral is mentioned.…

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/practice/personal-injury-and-compensation/review-a-work-capacity-decision-against-the-capacity-evidence/united-states  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Personal Injury & Compensation (workers compensation, CTP/TAC, medical negligence)](https://ailawframework.com/practice/personal-injury-and-compensation.md) |
| Human involvement | Yellow: Lawyer and AI draft together |
| How AI is used | From the medical notes and the employing agency’s messages, list the date wage loss began, whether the file says the employee can return to the federal job, and whether a nurse or vocational referral is mentioned. Do not decide that the employee can work. |
| What the lawyer must review | The Department of Labor’s FECA Claims Administration page says the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act gives injured workers the right to reclaim their federal jobs within one year of the onset of wage loss, that a registered nurse is assigned if the injured employee cannot return to work soon after the injury, and that vocational rehabilitation is used if the employee cannot return to the employing agency or the previous job category. 5 U.S.C. § 8102 is the compensation section for disability from personal injury sustained while in the performance of duty, with the three exceptions in subsection (a). You decide whether the medical evidence supports the return-to-work step. This is not a state work-capacity decision. |
| Written for | United States |
| Applies to | [Review a work capacity decision against the capacity evidence](https://ailawframework.com/practice/personal-injury-and-compensation/review-a-work-capacity-decision-against-the-capacity-evidence.md) |

## Checking plan

- What the AI does: From the medical notes and the employing agency’s messages, list the date wage loss began, whether the file says the employee can return to the federal job, and whether a nurse or vocational referral is mentioned. Do not decide that the employee can work.
- Basis: Checked against the linked sources on 22 October 2026. Confirm the current instrument before reliance.

## Notes

- The about page does not state a form number or a filing deadline. Confirm the current claim process on the OWCP site.
- State workers’ compensation return-to-work rules are separate. This entry is the federal employee statute.

## Sources

- [U.S. Department of Labor, FECA Claims Administration](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/owcp/FECA/about) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [5 U.S.C. § 8102, compensation for disability or death of an employee](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/5/8102) (checked 2026-10-22)

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*