(Chats 5-27-26) Q&A: Beating Injury Stigmas, Navigating CA Forms, & Leveraging Your Union

Welcome back to the Breaking OWCP podcast! In this episode, Chris and Gini open the floor for a live Q&A, tackling the most pressing federal workers' compensation questions. We break down exactly why federal employees should never let management intimidate them out of filing an injury claim, highlight the crucial differences between essential CA forms, and explain how EEO protections cover your claim. Plus, we share some highlights from our recent travels to San Antonio and Police Week in D.C., and Chris finally drops the origin story of how he and Gini teamed up to help federal workers. 

Key Takeaways

• Overcoming the Fear of Filing: It is a crime punishable by fines or imprisonment to prevent an employee from reporting a workplace injury. Don't let management intimidation stop you from getting the help you deserve. 
• CA-1 vs. CA-2: File a CA-1 on ECOMP for injuries that happen during a single shift. Use a CA-2 for injuries that develop over time, such as carpal tunnel syndrome or knee osteoarthritis. 
• Crucial Deadlines to Know: You have three years to report an injury, 12 months to file an OWCP 915 for out-of-pocket expenses, and 12 months to file an OWCP 957 for mileage. 
• The Power of Your Union: While you can technically remain on OWCP indefinitely, job protections vary. For example, city carriers and clerks are protected for one year, while rural carriers are protected for two. Union backing is critical for filing grievances and securing your job once those timelines pass. 
• EEO Protections: OWCP considers you temporarily disabled when you have an accepted claim and are out of work, meaning EEO laws require that you be treated fairly and without discrimination. 

Medical & Claims Advice

• Handling Second Opinions: If a claims examiner mandates a second opinion, take detailed notes with exact timestamps of the doctor's actions, type them up, and submit the timeline to your claims examiner via ECOMP. 
• Proving Medical Necessity: If OWCP denies an imaging request like an ultrasound, your doctor must submit a bulletproof letter of medical necessity explaining exactly why the procedure is the key to your treatment. 
• The QAM Reality: A Quality Assurance Manager (QAM) audits claims examiners, but just like the examiners, they do not operate on a mandated timeframe for making decisions.

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Wednesday Night OWCP Chats with Chris & Gini

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Welcome back to the Breaking O WCP podcast. Join Chris and Jeannie as they bring you expert advice on Federal Workers Comp guiding you step by step to get back to work the right way. Let's break down the barriers and get you the help you deserve.

SPEAKER_02 0:21

They take care of the yard, they take care of the house, they clean, they cook. It looks like no one's even, it doesn't seem like boys live in this house.

SPEAKER_01 0:30

Yeah, if you want to borrow them permanently, they're all available for eviction.

SPEAKER_02 0:34

Yeah, so you can have there's four of them. So you can take your choice. Different ages from 21 to 27. Take your pick.

SPEAKER_01 0:43

Ladies are all good looking.

SPEAKER_02 0:46

Two are spoken for. Anyway, guys, sorry about last week. Chris was not doing well. Yeah. It's always me. And this time it wasn't me.

SPEAKER_01 0:56

No, I think I get sick like three times a year.

SPEAKER_02 0:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 0:58

Maybe. But this one, not pretty.

SPEAKER_02 1:01

Yeah, so I couldn't do chats by myself. I I'm just the I'm the question reader. Yeah. And so I do know I do know my OWCP stuff, but not anything like Christopher over here. So. In fairness, nobody does. With that said, we've had a busy beginning of the year. And we're going to slow down only because it's time. It's that time of year. We just got back from San Antonio, Texas, which was so much fun. I've never been, and I wanted to go. And uh it just happened to be my childhood's best friend of 38 years. It was her 50th birthday. So we decided to go and then spend a few days in San Antonio. And Chris showed me all the fun historical things in San Antonio. And for all the federal employees that we met, it was great seeing everybody, and we look forward to seeing more of you next time.

SPEAKER_01 2:00

Oh, we met up with some great people.

SPEAKER_02 2:02

So let's do some housekeeping, other than us being in San Antonio, which was like a two-for-one trip, which is great.

SPEAKER_01 2:10

If you haven't ever been to San Antonio, the river walk is incredible. I'm look, I'm a Texan. I lived the first 41 years of my life in Texas. I've lived the next 10 in Tampa where I love. I'm never moving back. But I'm a Texan through and through. And when I was there, a part of me, like there was a part of my heart that got left there.

SPEAKER_02 2:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:33

I really struggled with it, but I love being in Texas. But I love being in San Antonio. The river walk is really, really fun.

SPEAKER_02 2:38

We did some fun things.

SPEAKER_01 2:39

Saw the Alamo.

SPEAKER_02 2:40

Yeah, that was very, very if you if you I asked the boys, hey, what do you guys know about the Alamo? And they said they did not learn anything in history about the Alamo. And I said, I don't know, maybe it was because we lived in Utah and I learned about it in our history. But it was it's kind of sad. These kids don't really know much about the world. They don't get taught anything anymore. No. But hello everybody. Hey to Nora from Portland, Norax from YouTube. How are you guys doing tonight? The only other housekeeping thing is we are going to be in Phoenix on June 18th for our Phoenix office open house. Chris is going to be doing a mini OWCP training, and we're so excited to see all of our old federal friends and all the new federal friends that are going to be there. So we're excited for that.

SPEAKER_01 3:33

She calls it a mini training. Believe me, every training I do is worthwhile. So if you're in the area, I recommend showing up. It's going to be good. I love doing live talks. We just did a live talk with an AFGE group, which was awesome.

SPEAKER_02 3:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:47

And uh some APW groups. And uh I love doing those. In fact, I just I just changed my presentation.

SPEAKER_02 3:54

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:54

And I added like seven slides to it just on stuff that I'm learning. You know, I'm constantly learning just like you need to be. But you're here to uh to learn from us, and I try to give you everything I got.

SPEAKER_02 4:04

Lewis, it's been a while. What's happening?

SPEAKER_01 4:07

How are you doing? Appreciate you being here. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_02 4:10

So tonight we're gonna have you guys ask any question you want. So tonight is QA. You ask, we answer, and it's stump the chumper.

SPEAKER_01 4:20

It's never happened.

SPEAKER_02 4:22

Yes, it did one time.

SPEAKER_01 4:23

No, no, that wasn't even an OWCP question. I'm not getting stumped tonight either. All right. I want you to just like bring your A game and try your best. Even if you ask the wrong question, I'll give you the right answer.

SPEAKER_02 4:34

Yeah. The wrong question.

SPEAKER_01 4:37

And while we're waiting on questions, and just you what you do is you just type your questions in the comment section and she'll read them and I'll answer them. Also put the at sign in your friends' names and ask them to join because too many people don't know that we're here.

SPEAKER_02 4:50

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 4:50

Every time I walk into a room, even though we've been doing this for 10 solid years, I walk into a room and the vast majority of the people in the room have never heard of us before. I don't want to be famous. I've never tried to be, I don't see myself as that. So that's not even the point. The point is if you don't know who we are, then you're not getting good OWCP information because nobody else is teaching it.

SPEAKER_02 5:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:11

And I know other people that teach it, but nobody else is teaching it. Right. This is the like A to Z book on OWCP, and you can learn it right here. So I put the at sign in your friends' names and tell them to follow us. Just tell them to come and if they have any questions, they should ask them. Whatever problems you're having tonight, you should not have them tomorrow.

SPEAKER_02 5:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:30

APW Union Strong. So our friends at APW gave me this shirt and it's super soft. Brian made this, right?

SPEAKER_02 5:39

Yeah. And you guys, if you ever want great quality, like whatever you want your shirt to say, whether you're a union person or you're having a party or an event or all these families that go out and have matching shirts, like we saw in San Antonio, contact Brian at Design Lab. I will post his number at the bottom, but contact Brian because that's your guy. And if you are interested, he does put the union bug. So all the union groups out there, you can get the union bug on any of your material that you want.

SPEAKER_01 6:18

Okay, Lewis. For those of you that are new here, we like to have a good time. Lewis and I like to have a good time about this one topic, Notre Dame. And uh it was 1988, is the last time they won a championship. The next time it'll be 2026-27. So don't worry, it's on its way. I'm taking my son to the first game of the season. We're watching uh Notre Dame play Wisconsin at Lambeau Field. A couple of uh Princeton boys out of Texas gonna go to Wisconsin to watch a Notre Dame game. It's gonna be awesome. You know, on the fourth quarter, they play Metallic and everybody goes crazy. Can't wait. Can't hardly wait. I'll be the biggest Wisconsin fan wearing a Notre Dame shirt.

SPEAKER_02 6:59

When Notre Dame plays BYU, it's it's on.

SPEAKER_01 7:03

Yeah, we're gonna go to that game too. She's from Utah, so uh this year Notre Dame goes to Utah. And everyone's like, why are you talking football? Because you haven't asked me any questions yet. Okay, ask an OWCP question and I'll stop talking football. All right.

SPEAKER_02 7:14

Oh, and another thing too. Those of you that uh listen to podcasts, go ahead and we have a breaking OWCP podcast as well as Richie Ray with the Hot House. He's with NALC. Check out the audio. You've got to listen to his uh podcast.

SPEAKER_01 7:33

We never miss it.

SPEAKER_02 7:34

Yeah. And he's all over TikTok. You gotta go follow Richie Ray on TikTok. He does the best good mornings and good evening videos.

SPEAKER_01 7:45

I did ask a question. What, Victor, what question did you ask? I don't see it.

SPEAKER_02 7:50

If you're talking about the text you sent, Victor, that doesn't count.

SPEAKER_01 7:53

That doesn't count. All right, so let me just get everybody warmed up. I'm gonna give you some things that'll just make you think. And if it gives you uh, you know, a question, you should ask it. But every time I'm in, you know, teaching, live live audience, right? Same thing every time. People don't know how long they have to report an injury. And so they're just walking around, their co-workers are walking around, and you know, they just don't know that there's still time. It's three years. Almost nobody's ever heard of a CA 10, what a federal employee should do when injured at work. That thing, among other things, says you can choose your own doctor and that you have a right to get a CA 16 that pays all your bills for 60 days, your healthcare bills. And almost nobody knows that you have 12 months from every expense to file uh OWCP 915 and for all the miles to file an OWCP 957. And those are good questions to ask. So go ahead and bring them.

SPEAKER_02 8:47

Victor said, why does USPS employees are afraid to file OWCP when they get injured at work? When we did the last training, that was one of the questions. Why are employees having fear of filing their OWCP claims?

SPEAKER_01 9:01

Well, there's a there's several reasons. One, they're just scared of the system because it's confusing. I just mentioned the CA 10, what a federal employee should do when injured at work. And most people never heard of that form. But if you did, then you'd be like 75% of the way there. The other 25% is the doctor writing a great narrative to get a claim accepted. What else are they scared of? They're scared of management. Because management frequently, I mean, almost all I don't want to say almost always, but a lot. Management threatens you. You know, they're intimidating, and and they say if you do this, we're gonna do this, you know, retaliation, which is a crime. Yeah. And even OSHA says that it's a crime to prevent an employee from exercising their rights. And one of the rights is to report a work injury. So they're scared of management, they're scared of the system. And they really shouldn't be. There's really nothing to fear in this as long as you don't tell a lie. So don't file a false or fraudulent claim or statement, and you're good. There's nothing to be scared of. Get a form CA 10 and just follow the five steps on there, and then you can have a claim initiated. Then all you got to do is find a doctor who knows how to get a claim accepted.

SPEAKER_02 10:04

Yep. Let's see. We got Michelle. Hello, my name is Michelle. Can you tell me when your case is with the QAM? What does that mean? And how long do they usually take to make a decision on your case?

SPEAKER_01 10:18

So these this is a quality assurance manager, but quality assurance managers, they sort of oversee the claims examiners and they review claims, they audit, you know, claims examiners, they monitor compliance. And so, like, how long can it be with them? I don't know. There's usually no rules as far as like times, like claims examiners don't have any time frame, they have to make a decision. So you can assure you can be assured that their quality assurance manager also doesn't have a time frame. Yeah. I wish I had a better answer, but for sure they don't.

SPEAKER_02 10:50

Uh Miss Rosa said reason for fear is stigma and repercussions from fellow employees. I'm surprised you say fellow employees. No, that's a good point. This happens. I mean, oh, here's a story. It was it's an employee in Florida. We won't say with where, but her sister is a supervisor. And her sister refused filling out her CA1 form. And she calls us and tells us that her sister refused to fill out the form. We're like, your sister, and she's like, Yeah, my sister's a supervisor. And I'm like, Do you guys get along? And she says, We're best friends, but not where they work.

SPEAKER_01 11:25

Yeah, and I think there is a stigma, at least I just imagine if it was me. And it's all fun and games until it's you that's hurt. Yeah. And then you stop thinking that and you hope nobody thinks it about you. So the thing I would tell everyone is you got to forget everyone else's feelings. What you have to do is follow the rules and take care of yourself. Yeah. And OWCP is there with the rules to take care of you. So you just got to follow them and take care of you as well.

SPEAKER_02 11:49

Yeah. Lewis said, I know the difference between a CA1 and CA2. Can you explain the difference? Thanks.

SPEAKER_01 11:55

Of course. Lewis, thank you. So a CA1 is what you fill out on e-comp to report an injury or file an injury claim that happened in a single shift. If something happened to you today, that's a CA1. A CA2 is something that develops over time, like carpal tunnel syndrome or osteoarthritis of the knee, right? Low back pain just develops over time. And you're like, well, I didn't step off a curb. I didn't lift a package and fill a pop. What's this all about? Most people don't know the difference, unfortunately. But all of these, whether it's a one or a two, all of them can and should be approved by OWCP at a nearly 100% pace when they're legit entries. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:32

Tamicia. Hi guys. I have an appointment with the second opinion with QTC mental health. Are there any pointers? I am super nervous.

SPEAKER_01 12:43

So when you go to a second opinion, if it's a second opinion visit that was mandated by the claims examiner, you want to just take really great detailed notes. Here's what time I showed up, here's what time I started seeing the doctor, here's what happened during the visit, and here's what time I left. I'd like you to put a timeline together that says, I don't know what their decision was, but they only spent X number of minutes with me. And this is all they asked. This is all they said. They looked at me or didn't. They touched me or didn't. You know, I don't know. They did a physical exam or not, but take tedious notes and then put that into a, I don't want to call it narrative, but type it up and then e-comp that to your claims examiner and let them know this was my experience with the second opinion doctor.

SPEAKER_02 13:26

Yep. Victor said, excuse my language, F management, OWCP is law, and any and all USPS employees should file an on-the-job injury. Don't be afraid under the law, each federal employee we have the right to file. That's right. You do.

SPEAKER_01 13:43

You have the absolute right to report an injury, and it is against the law for anyone to prevent you from reporting the injury.

SPEAKER_02 13:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:48

They call it a crime that's punishable by fines, imprisonment, or both.

SPEAKER_02 13:52

And every time, well, once a year we do our national OWCP training, and we go over all these rules, laws, and regulations through our class, but it is so worth it because a lot of people don't realize you have all of these, you know, code of federal regulations, all these rules, all of these laws. And when Chris goes over it, people are like stunned. The fines, the imprisonment, and all of that. They're just blown away because nobody files grievances to do something or you know, take the next step. You don't contact OSHA. You don't contact your union president or your national. You need to follow through with all of this so you management can be held accountable. All right. What other questions do you guys have? All right.

SPEAKER_01 14:40

I work for MSHA. We know who they are, Mind Safety Health Administration. And I got hurt on the job and I filed a claim and got my surgery. To make a long story short, I need to find a federal attorney. Understood. So anybody that needs an attorney, just Google. And I'm like, oh crap. Seriously, Chris, what you're saying is Google? Yeah. Google OWCP Work Comp attorney. Don't it doesn't matter if they're near you. They can be in Alaska and you can be in Florida. They can be in San Diego and you can be in Maine. It doesn't matter. If they're a federal attorney who specializes in OWCP, they're going to be found on the top of the page without even having to scroll down Google. Yeah. So OWCP work injury attorney.

SPEAKER_02 15:23

Yeah, Kenneth, we were just training M. Shaw about two, three weeks ago, too. Yeah. So it was. That was our third time. Yeah, it's pretty, it's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_01 15:31

No, fourth time. We did it in in Colorado as well.

SPEAKER_02 15:33

Yeah, it's it's really worth it. Let's see. Lucille. My accepted back injury is causing ridiculous, nerve pain in the leg. It was suggested by my doctor to have an ultrasound on my leg, but OWCP will not approve. What should I do, please? Can you read that again? My accepted back injury was causing nerve pain in the leg. Uh-huh. It's suggested by my doctor to have an ultrasound on my leg, but OWCP will not approve what I should do.

SPEAKER_01 16:05

Okay, so OWCP is not approving it because the doctor hasn't proven that it's necessary. The doctor's got to write a solid letter of medical necessity explaining why that ultrasound is necessary. And then if it doesn't get approved, you have to decide if you're willing to run the red light or not. I always say if you're stuck at a light and never turns green, what do you do? Well, eventually you got to run it. Well, in this case, if the doctor feels like the ultrasound is the key to getting your claim approved, it's the key to you being able to get treatment and get back to work, then you have health insurance, right? And your doctor may have relationships with people who have ultrasound, like imaging centers, who are willing to hold their bills until the claim gets approved.

SPEAKER_02 16:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:50

So there are options, but one of those options cannot be stay at the red light when it never turns green. And that's not a nice answer. Like I actually hate the answer. But that's the bottom line. If they don't approve because maybe your claim's not approved or whatever, and your doctor's letter of medical necessity doesn't get it done, then what?

SPEAKER_02 17:11

Christopher Kane, once you're on OWCP and conditions are accepted, does EEO EEO consider you a disabled employee under discrimination laws?

SPEAKER_01 17:21

Okay, so I'm not an EEO expert, but let me tell you what I do know, and this will answer the question. However, OWCP, when your claim is accepted and you're out of work even a little bit, considers you temporarily disabled. Right? So OWCP says you have a disability. OSHA, you know, seconds that. So EEO typically will treat you accordingly. And you cannot be discriminated against. You cannot be treated differently than someone without an injury. You have to be treated fairly at all times. But that's an OWCP law as well. So with all that said, I would tell you yes is the answer to your question.

SPEAKER_02 18:02

Yeah, we just met with an EEO person, one of the people that actually talks about this, and they said, file your EEOs. Yeah. Don't be scared to file them either.

SPEAKER_01 18:14

I've been looking at these stats for like 20 years and following them. And that's why I know 6.7% of people have an accepted injury claim. That's why I know USPS has been off of there since 2021. Still don't know why or where to find it. And uh but knowing that I was in the room with the person who's using the stats that I've been looking at forever was so exciting to me. I almost didn't want to start my class because I just wanted to talk more with her. People look at me like I'm the celebrity. No, she's the celebrity. She puts together data that helps me train federal employees. It's amazing, actually, that I got to meet her.

SPEAKER_02 18:47

So yeah, we got to meet the FICA girl. Remember, she was there. Of course. We got to meet a couple of claims examiners. That was awesome. It was it was pretty neat.

SPEAKER_01 18:55

We should all be so excited that I'm training claims examiners too. Yeah. But they seem to know their these ones did. These ones seem to know their stuff.

SPEAKER_02 19:02

Yeah, because the girls just kept shaking her head, yep, and saying. What did she say to the person next to her? He's right. He's really good at this.

SPEAKER_01 19:09

So I am really good.

SPEAKER_02 19:11

We got Maria Howdy. Maria, how are you been? Let's see. Who else is on here? Norak said, I'm the EEO queen.

SPEAKER_01 19:19

Okay, so anybody that's got an EEO question. Talk to Norak. There we go. So maybe you could just respond to that person. I'm sure that my answer was correct, but uh correct me if I'm wrong for sure.

SPEAKER_02 19:29

Yeah. So what other questions, guys? We're 24 minutes in.

SPEAKER_01 19:33

If my answer was wrong, don't tell anybody. We don't stomp the chump in this place.

SPEAKER_02 19:37

Oh, I know I last minute I I had a uh a minor procedure done today, and I totally forgot because we came back from San Antonio, which we were supposed to be back since Sunday night. We didn't get here till Tuesday. I hate Dallas Airport. I just hate it. I'm sorry. It's not the airport's fault. It is, it's weather. It doesn't matter. The airport doesn't control anytime we and we have to have a connecting flight, we we're stuck. So I learned my lesson. I'm taking a baggie on the plane. But this happens in Dallas and Charlotte. Oh Charlotte's the worst. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:13

Okay. So that doesn't suck. So and in Dallas at DFW, you can go into the Dallas Cowboys bar.

SPEAKER_02 20:20

Yeah. That we did not go into.

unknown 20:22

No.

SPEAKER_02 20:23

Because we did not go. Anyway, so that's why it was so last minute for me telling you guys that we were gonna continue from last week's chats to bring it over today. So I apologize. So now that we're home for the next month, maybe, maybe, uh, until we go to Phoenix, uh, we will be doing chats every Wednesday, so we won't miss any. So don't worry about that.

SPEAKER_01 20:47

Tamicia said, uh, do you guys suggest filing an EEO with your claim to be on the safe side? And Norax said yes, file your EEO claim. She said, dude, don't be afraid. Submit all your documents on time. So one thing I love here back on this topic is that in this, this is like a community. It's just we're not just a social media page, right? It's a community of people helping each other. So you come here and in an effort to stump me, you get an answer from someone else who has to be an expert.

SPEAKER_02 21:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:15

So that's another reason to be here. Tell all your friends. Uh, there's a lot of benefit to just hanging out here. We're not asking for anything except for you know attention so we can teach you.

SPEAKER_02 21:24

Victor, as an OT as an APW steward, I represent over 35 plus offices. I have custodians that are out for almost two years because of the injury, the on-the-job injury. My question is for how long, where did the question go? My question is for how long does that employee can be out on OWCP?

SPEAKER_01 21:46

All right, Victor. So an employee can be out on OWCP technically forever. I know people that have been out for years and years. I don't recommend it or suggest it, like but the answer to the question is potentially indefinitely. Um But in the post office in particular, a city carrier like NALC, a clerk and a mail handler can be out for one year, a role carrier can be out for two years, and after that point, without union help, you can be assigned another job or removed. Yeah. And so that's why also I'm a big advocate for unions because they can help you with those situations where I can't. I can tell you what the rules are, but there's not a thing I can do about it. So if you are a member of a union and not participating, get involved. And if you're not a member of the union, the monthly dues are really, really cheap and the value is really, really large.

SPEAKER_02 22:40

I mean, it's just like when you guys are paying your money for health insurance and car insurance. Are you gonna get into an accident? Are you gonna wind up in the emergency? Maybe, maybe not, but at least you have that coverage. And with the union, it's best to get involved with the union. No, it's not a union, it's an association. Yeah. And it's it's awesome, but we hear all the great benefits. Maybe you think it's stupid, but when it comes to this type of stuff, especially OWCP, they will have your back. And that's what your insurance and car insurance is all about.

SPEAKER_01 23:14

So Norex said, I am saying it right. Norex, thank you. Tenora said, Rule carrier's information is slightly wrong. Okay, so do me a favor, type in here where I got it wrong. I said two years versus one. I know it's two, but tell me where where I was wrong on that, and I'll correct it.

SPEAKER_02 23:29

Yeah. What else, guys?

SPEAKER_01 23:31

And a minute ago, so oh Chris, you're promoting unions. You're just carrying water for the unions. No, look, my job is to tell you how to do your job right when it comes to OWCP. My job is to tell you everything that will work for you. Yeah. All the things you need to do so that you don't have any problems. And one of the things that I've seen over my entire career, which started when I was 21 years old, well, one week before I was 21. So for 30 years, what I've seen is that people that get a CA 16, that elect COP, and that choose their own doctor and use their union when they need them, people that do those four things almost have no problems whatsoever. So I believe the union is a powerful tool.

SPEAKER_02 24:14

It is.

SPEAKER_01 24:15

And I'm not just pandering to unions. Unions are a powerful tool. In my presentation that I teach, my two-hour, three-hour presentation, I talk about filing grievances. Well, how the heck are you going to file a grievance if you're not helping if you don't have union help? Can you do it still? Yes. But most of you don't. You need help. So that's just one reason. So Tenorah said after two years, they're put on a uh phantom route unless the doctors say they'll be at 100% within six months. Then they can be on OWCP for years and years that they know can be tasked with something like becoming an academy instructor. Okay, so after two years, that's when the questions start coming up. But I get that. That that was a good uh clarification. Thank you, Tenor.

SPEAKER_02 24:55

I remember you a couple years ago. Met you guys, Joe, just received my schedule award, and I'm very satisfied. Thanks for your help. Congratulations.

SPEAKER_01 25:04

See you guys soon. That's amazing. Congratulations.

SPEAKER_02 25:07

Jennifer said, DFW construction is horrible. It is.

SPEAKER_01 25:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 25:11

Rob, what up? What up? Rob said, I just filed a CA1. My supervisor gave me an extreme pain in my butt. I believe this is going to be an ongoing issue.

SPEAKER_01 25:24

That's not a question.

SPEAKER_02 25:25

No, he's just making a comment.

SPEAKER_01 25:27

Rob. I just filed a CA1. My supervisor gave me an extreme pain in my ass. I believe this is going to be an ongoing issue. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 25:35

Victor said.

SPEAKER_01 25:36

Hold on. He's just setting me up. So I don't I don't care what your supervisor thinks, neither should you. If they don't like it, who cares? They're sleeping good at night when you're not. Everyone should understand if you die tonight, they'll replace you tomorrow. Yeah. So who cares? I don't care what my supervisor thinks is rule 25 and the 25 things. So that was a softball, Rob. Appreciate that.

SPEAKER_02 25:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:59

Victor said Rob Rios, Victor.

SPEAKER_02 26:01

Victor said, Jeannie and Chris promoting union. It's the right thing to do. Sorry, not sorry for the people in this chat that don't support their unions.

SPEAKER_01 26:09

Yeah, and I'm not mad at you if you're not involved at all. I'm just telling you it's a missing piece for you. There's an X factor that I can't fill. Like I just that's a blank in a sentence that I can't set in. You need the unions for that. And I think that they're so powerful.

SPEAKER_02 26:23

Did you really see that one? Did you say something about it?

SPEAKER_01 26:26

We have one now that's been off route hurt for many, many years, and she's still technically a role carrier. Okay, yeah, yeah. So still can, but understandably, after two years, they can start doing things. And I don't want any of those things to be done.

SPEAKER_02 26:39

Right.

SPEAKER_01 26:39

You know, it's just my job is to make everyone's job easier, everyone's life better. And when they start jacking with your job after two years, nobody's life is made better.

SPEAKER_02 26:48

Yeah. What else, guys? Are we ending chats at 8 30?

SPEAKER_01 26:53

I don't want to, but this has been fun. I really appreciate uh feedback we've had. And uh any other questions? I'd love to get your questions. Won't you? I I do, I talked about my shirt. I want you to tell everybody about yours.

SPEAKER_02 27:05

Can you see it? It says police week. So three weeks ago, uh we were invited by the national, the past national presidents to come out with FLIOA to be at police week in DC. This is our second year, and we're going again next year, and we're gonna go the following year and the following year, and they invite us to everything because we are a part of the association with FLIOA. With that said, these galas that they do and these dinners, and you sit down there, you know, it's like a lot of you have seen our pictures. It looks all fancy and we're all dressed up, but it is so emotional when you go there and you hear about people that are no longer with us and what they did for this country, and they can't be here with us. The stories, the prayers, the cries. I mean, it's very emotional. And the stories from the families that are I think my favorite police officers are the ones from California because there's like a thousand of them, and they have their motorcycles shipped by a semi, and they're just all stacked up, and it is just so awesome to see what these guys do, and there's just cops everywhere. Everybody, it's whether it's state or federal, they're all there and they're all doing one thing and uh vigil, vigil, yeah, vigil. And all the experiences there, it is so heartfelt. So it really is. Thanks for taking.

SPEAKER_01 28:38

We have some more comments, I'll get to it, but we've been really blessed over the years to have been brought in as family to so many of you. Um it's I I didn't I never expected that. Yeah, you know, when I first started learning OWCP, I didn't expect that you know 30 years later, that so many of you would be like family to me. You know, like Victor says, Where's Ian Williams? I mean Ian, like brother from another mother, right? Just like Victor, just like Rob. I mean, but I'm who would have ever guessed? Tammy Newman. You know, I remember the first time I ever talked to you, Tammy. Like, I never will forget that conversation. And Carly just got on. Hello, Carly. And uh, you know, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association was nice enough to let us become honorary members because we are huge supporters of law enforcement, especially federal, but all law enforcement. And uh, you know, when they get hurt, they need help too. And so there we are. You know, we want to just we want to be there for them, like we are.

SPEAKER_02 29:38

Yeah, for you. And then Chris, first time listening to you guys. Thank you for putting this together for all of us. I'm sure I'll have questions in the future, but let's start with how did you guys start this?

SPEAKER_01 29:50

Well, our our story is actually really interesting to me, more than her, and definitely more than you. I started dabbing in OWCP in 2007 in Texas, where I have a management background, but I was managing a medical practice in Texas that out of necessity had to switch and either go out of business, Texas legislation changed. But when the law changed, we had to do something about it. And I said, What's this OWCP thing? And the doctor I was working for said, Nah, that sucks. Uh, you know, it's awful. We're not doing it, which by the way, is the opinion of most doctors. Fortunately, I was able to convince him that he was wrong. And over the next few years, we be we in Texas became the largest federal workers' comp practice in the country. And after 21 years of working there, I left. Yeah. And uh started this company, but started this company, it was fun, like not fun. It was actually really, really stressful as hell. I wasn't sure I was gonna be able to make it. Yeah, how was I gonna pay my bills? And it was tough. Flying all over the country, doing the things we do, doing healthcare consulting, just trying to stay afloat, teaching doctors how to have better websites. I'm a jack of all trades, okay, when it comes to business, I can do a lot of things. But then I met her. We happened to work for the same company, the healthcare consulting company.

SPEAKER_02 31:07

Yeah, in in Fort Lauderdale, actually. And I didn't know who he was, and he didn't know who I was.

SPEAKER_01 31:12

So she was doing sales for some of the doctors that were clients of the company, and I had become essentially CEO of the company of in like just it seemed like overnight. Yeah. The actual owner of the company said, Gosh, can you do for me what you do for these doctors? I said, Yes, of course I can. And so that's what happened. So um, but now everybody's like, Well, that's not the answer. That's not the question. The question is, how did we get here? All that happened, and then she said, Hey Chris, have you they can still hear us? Uh tell the rest of the story.

SPEAKER_02 31:48

Okay, I don't even know if they could hear. Okay, so we don't know what's going on with our cam our camera, but it's coming back on. Anyway, so Facebook Live came to us.