CHARLOTTE, NC, September 06, 2026 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Federal employees who get hurt at work usually learn that federal workers' compensation can pay for their medical care. Far fewer know the same program can cover treatment for a mental health condition caused by the job.

Dynamic Health Complete Care, a mental health practice in Charlotte, treats injured federal workers and people with claims under the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs. The practice sees patients at its South Boulevard office and by secure video anywhere in North Carolina.

What the law actually says
Under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act, the federal government furnishes the services a qualified physician prescribes for an injury an employee suffers while performing their duties (5 U.S.C. 8103). The same law defines an injury to include a disease caused by the employment. That wording is what opens the door to a claim for a condition that is not a broken bone.

Whether a psychiatric or emotional condition qualifies is decided case by case. It is not automatic, and the government does not promise to pay for any treatment a person asks for.

One sign that these claims exist at all: the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs keeps a form built for them. Form OWCP-5a is titled "Work Capacity Evaluation, Psychiatric/Psychological Conditions." It is used for conditions the program has already accepted as caused or made worse by work.

The paperwork path is different, and that is where people get stuck
A sudden injury from a single shift can be authorized quickly. A supervisor issues Form CA-16 and treatment can begin. A condition that builds up over more than one shift is handled as an occupational disease instead, and the rule changes. The Department of Labor states that in occupational disease claims, Form CA-16 may not be issued without prior approval from the program.

Most work-related mental health conditions develop over time, which means they travel the slower route. A federal worker who expects the fast path can conclude, wrongly, that no path exists.(Form CA-10)

Federal employees do have the right to choose the physician they initially see for treatment of a work-related injury. (Form CA-10)

"Federal employees often tell us they did not know this kind of care could be part of their claim," said Thomas Fitzgerald, MD, a psychiatrist with Dynamic Health Complete Care. "They spend months managing the physical injury and treat the mental health side as something they have to carry alone. It does not have to be that way, and the first step is just asking the question."

ABOUT DYNAMIC HEALTH COMPLETE CARE

Dynamic Health Complete Care treats depression, anxiety, stress and post-traumatic stress disorder in federal employees, including workers from the Postal Service, the Transportation Security Administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security. Therapy is provided by licensed clinical mental health counselors and a licensed clinical social work associate. Medication management is provided by Thomas Fitzgerald, MD.

The office is at 4705 South Blvd, 2nd floor, Charlotte, NC 28217. Office hours are Monday through Thursday, 9am–5pm, and Friday, 9am–2pm. The practice can be reached at (888) 750-0980.

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