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DUTIES OF EMPLOYEES.

1. First-aid treatment.-When a civil employee of the United States is injured in the performance of duty he should immediately go for treatment to the medical officer or dispensary of the establishment in which he is employed.

If there is no medical officer or dispensary in the establishment, the injured employee should obtain from the official superior a request for treatment by the United States medical officer or hospital or by the "designated" physician or hospital.

If there is no United States medical officer or hospital, nor" designated" physician or hospital, then the employee may obtain needed treatment from any reputable private physician licensed to practice "medicine and surgery" under the laws of the State in which the employee resides or from any reputable well-equipped private hospital.

2. Medical and hospital service without cost to employee by "designated "physicians and hospitals.-Necessary medical, surgical, and hospital services and supplies will be furnished to injured employees without cost to them, if given by the person in charge of the first-aid service of the establishment, by Government physicians, hospitals, or dispensaries, or by physicians, hospitals, or dispensaries "designated" by the Compensation Commission, a list of which is in the hands of all medical officers and of the heads of all establishments. If the treatment is to be obtained outside the establishment, the official superior will furnish the necessary order for the same.

3. Medical and hospital service not paid for if employee refuses to accept what is provided.-Any employee who refuses to accept the medical, surgical, or hospital services or supplies offered or provided by the United States, will not be entitled to reimbursement for any such services or supplies he may himself select or secure.

4. Medical and hospital service without cost where no physician or hospital has been designated.—In places where there are no physicians or hospitals designated by the Commission and no United States medical officers, hospitals, or dispensaries, the employee is authorized to select for the treatment of his injury any reputable physician licensed to practice medicine and surgery. This rule does not authorize the employment of doctors of osteopathy, chiropractors, mental

healers, etc., except as their services may be prescribed by persons licensed to practice medicine and surgery.

In cases requiring hospital treatment, a reputable, well-equipped hospital should be selected, and treatment at general-ward rates is authorized. If the injury is such as to require a private room, the Commission will approve the necessary expenditure. An injured employee may, however, in any case, select a private room, provided he pays the difference between the general-ward rate and that of the private room.

An injured employee should not pay physicians' or hospital bills, but forward them without delay, through his official superior, to the Commission for settlement. Such bills should be itemized, showing the nature of the service rendered, and should be approved by the employee as correct. In selecting his physician, the injured employee should inform him that the Employees' Compensation Commission will pay all reasonable charges, but that settlement will be based on the rates fixed or obtaining in the locality for persons receiving the average income of United States civil employees.

5. Transportation to secure medical or hospital service.-When authorized by the Commission or by his official superior, an injured employee may, whenever necessary to secure proper medical or hospital attention, travel at the expense of the Commission from his place of employment or his home, as the case may be, to the designated place where such treatment may be obtained, and return.'

Employees desiring to be reimbursed for transportation and other reasonable and necessary expenses incident to securing the necessary medical and surgical attention and supplies should send to the Commission for its action an itemized statement of such expenses, and, as regards transportation, a statement showing the dates of trips, the points between which each trip was made, and the cost of transportation for each trip, so that the Commission may have sufficient data upon which to take action. Wherever practicable, injured employees will be furnished street car tickets by the medical or injury officer of the establishment, to be used in securing medical treatment.

6. Notice of injury.-Whenever any injury is sustained by a civil employee of the United States while in the performance of his duties, he shall immediately report it to his official superior. If the injured employee is unable himself to give such notice, it should be given by some one in his behalf. Such notice should be given in the case of all injuries, even though they are so slight in character that the injured person has no intention of making a claim for compensation therefor. It often happens that an injury, which at first appears to be slight and causes no loss of time, results later in serious disability. If the injury is not reported at the time of occurrence, it may be impossible

later on to prove its occurrence and to establish a right to compen sation.

This notice shall be given in writing on form C. A. 1, copies of which are furnished by the Commission to the various branches of the Federal service. It shall be delivered to the immediate superior either personally, or by depositing it, properly stamped and addressed, in the mail. Unless notice of injury is given as above required, within 48 hours, or the immediate superior has actual knowledge of the injury, or reasonable cause for failure of this notice is shown, compensation may be refused.

7. Claim for compensation on account of injury.-Compensation for disability will be granted for injuries sustained by employees while in the performance of their duties only when a formal claim is made therefor on form C. A. 4.

The claim shall be made on the first page of that form by the person claiming compensation, or by some person acting in his behalf. It shall be in writing and shall be sworn to by the person claiming compensation, or by the person acting in his behalf. On the second page of the form shall appear the statements of witnesses, if any, and the statement of the establishment medical officer if the claimant has been given medical treatment by such an officer. On the third page shall be furnished the certificate of the physician who attended the claimant during the period of disability. When the first three pages of the claim have been completed, the claimant shall transmit it to his official superior so that the latter may fill out his certificate on the fourth page.

If an injury seems likely to result in prolonged disability, a claim for compensation should be submitted at the expiration of 18 days after pay stops. If the disability is likely to last for less than 18 days, the claim for compensation should be submitted upon the termination of such disability.

In no case shall the submission of a claim for compensation be delayed beyond 60 days after the injury, or compensation may be refused. The Commission is allowed at its discretion, however, to award compensation, if, for reasonable cause shown, a claim is filed within one year from the date of injury.

8. Waiver of affidavit when necessary.-An injured employee desiring to claim compensation, who is confined to a hospital and is, therefore, unable to go to a notary public, justice of the peace, or other officer authorized to administer oaths generally, to make his affidavit on the claim form, is authorized to certify to the correctness of his statements in the claim before the superintendent or some other officer of the hospital in which he is confined.

An injured employee who is in an isolated locality and unable to appear before a notary public, justice of the peace, or other officer

authorized to administer oaths generally, may certify to the correctness of his statements in the claim for compensation before his official superior.

9. Waiver of claim.-No person is authorized to require an injured employee to enter into any agreement either before or after an injury to waive his right to claim compensation, and any such waiver, if secured, will not affect the employee's right later to claim compensation from the Commission.

10. Penalty for false statement in claim.-Any false statement knowingly made by a claimant in a claim for compensation on account of injury or medical, surgical, or hospital services, or supplies, constitutes perjury and renders the claimant guilty thereof liable to a fine of not more than $2,000, or imprisonment for not more than one year, or to both such fine and imprisonment.

11. Claim for payment for medical or hospital service. In all cases where medical or hospital services or supplies are to be paid for by the Commission the bills should be forwarded, unpaid, by the claimant, through his official superior, or by the physician or hospital furnishing the services or supplies. Nothing further is required in those cases where a claim for compensation has already been submitted.

When, however, an injured employee does not claim compensation on account of time lost, but when a bill for medical or hospital service and supplies against the Compensation Commission has been incurred, payment therefor will be made direct to the physician or hospital furnishing the same. In order that the Commission may have evidence that the service was rendered and that the bill is a proper one, formal claim should be made by the employee for these expenses on form C. A. 6.

12. Semimonthly claims for continuance of compensation.-An employee whose injury results in disability continuing beyond the time covered by the first payment of compensation shall, on the 1st and 16th of each month, or as soon after each of these dates as practicable, fill out his portion of form C. A. 8, secure the certificate of the official medical officer at his place of employment (if there is one and he has been treated by such officer), together with the certificate of the attending physician, in cases where he has been treated by a physician other than the official medical officer, and then transmit the form to the official superior, who will fill out his certificate and forward the same to the Commission. These forms, requesting a continuance of compensation on account of disability, serve as the basis for the compensation payments for the periods which they cover and should be submitted promptly on the dates named in order to avoid delay in payment. Failure to furnish such semimonthly

certificates will be regarded by the Commission as evidence of the employee's recovery and will result in a stoppage of compensation payments unless evidence of disability satisfactory to the Commission is later furnished.

13. Medical certificates.-Injured employees claiming compensation on account of disability shall furnish such medical certificates as their official superiors or the Commission may require from time to time.

14. Medical examinations.-Every employee claiming compensation for disability shall submit to medical examination whenever required by the Commission or by his official superior or by the medical officer in charge of his case. The employee may, if he desires, have a duly qualified physician, selected and paid by him, present to participate in such examination. For all medical examinations after the first the employee may, in the discretion of the Commission, be paid his reasonable traveling and other expenses and loss of wages incurred in order to submit to such examination. Employees desiring to be reimbursed for their traveling expenses or loss of wages for such examinations after the first, should submit itemized statements to the Commission showing: First, the dates of trips; second, the points between which each trip was made; third, the transportation charges for each trip; and, fourth, the amount of wages lost by reason of each trip, in each case stating the dates, as well as the number of days or fractional parts of days, and the actual wage loss for such days or fractional parts thereof.

15. Refusal or obstruction of medical examination.-If an employee refuses to submit himself for, or in any way obstructs, any medical examination, his right to claim compensation shall be suspended until such refusal or obstruction ceases. No compensation will be paid while such refusal or obstruction continues, and the period of such refusal or obstruction will be deducted from the period for which compensation is payable to him.

16. Refusal to submit to hospital rules.-An injured employee sent to a hospital for treatment should understand that compliance with all reasonable hospital rules and requirements is necessary, and that a refusal on his part to submit to such rules and requirements, which results in discharge from a hospital, may be construed by the Commission as a refusal to accept the treatment furnished under the terms of section 9 of the Compensation Act, in which case further medical or hospital treatment will not be furnished by the Commission.

17. Partial disability-Failure to return to work or to seek work when able will end compensation.-When total disability to perform work ceases and the employee is able to perform a part of his usual duties,

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