Work Injury Centers of Arizona · Phoenix, AZ

CA-1 or CA-2? How to File the Right Federal Injury Form

Published 2026-09-09 · Written by the team at Work Injury Centers of Arizona

Every federal work injury claim starts with one decision: which form. Get it right and the rest of the process has a chance. Get it wrong and you can lose continuation of pay before a doctor has even looked at you. Here is the difference, in plain English.

CA-1: something happened on one shift

Form CA-1, "Notice of Traumatic Injury," is for an injury caused by a specific event during a single work shift. A postal carrier who slips on ice on the route. A VA nurse who wrenches a shoulder moving a patient. A TSA officer hit by a bag coming off the belt. If you can name the day and describe the moment, it is almost always a CA-1.

The CA-1 has one enormous advantage: continuation of pay. If you file within 30 days of the injury, your agency keeps paying your regular salary for up to 45 days while the claim is processed. Miss the 30-day window and that benefit is gone. This is the single most common way federal employees lose money after an injury, and it is entirely preventable.

CA-2: something built up over time

Form CA-2, "Notice of Occupational Disease," is for a condition that developed over more than one shift. Carpal tunnel from years of sorting mail. A back that finally gave out after a decade of lifting. Hearing loss from a maintenance floor. There is no single moment to point to, so the form asks for a written statement explaining the work exposure and how it led to the condition.

A CA-2 does not carry continuation of pay. Instead, wage loss is claimed separately once the case is accepted. Because there is no "event," the medical narrative carries the whole claim. The doctor's report has to connect the job duties to the diagnosis in specific terms, and that is where most CA-2 claims live or die.

What both forms need from your doctor

OWCP does not accept a claim because you were hurt. It accepts a claim because the medical evidence establishes four things: a diagnosis, the mechanism of injury, a clear statement that the work caused or aggravated the condition, and your work restrictions. Most physicians have never written a federal narrative report and do not know these elements are required. A report that says "patient reports back pain after lifting at work" is not enough. That gap, not the injury, is why claims get denied.

Three mistakes we see every week

Filing a CA-2 for a traumatic injury because the employee did not report it the day it happened. If there was an event, it is still a CA-1. Late is better than wrong.
Letting the agency fill in the form. Your supervisor completes their section; you complete yours. Read what they wrote.
Seeing a doctor who is not enrolled with the Department of Labor. Their bills will not be paid, and their report may not be written in the language OWCP requires.

Which one should you file?

If you can name the day, CA-1, within 30 days, no exceptions. If it built up over time, CA-2, with a doctor who knows how to write the narrative. If you are not sure, call us before you file anything. It is a free conversation and it is the most valuable ten minutes of your claim.

Sources

Work Injury Centers of Arizona is an independent medical clinic. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Department of Labor or the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP). Claim outcomes depend on the facts of each case. If you're an injured federal employee in the Phoenix area, call (602) 760-1401 and we'll tell you exactly what to file.