Where injured federal workers in the DC Metro find the right doctor.
When a federal injury claim works as designed, it starts with the right physician. At Andrews Connected Care — Dr. Darell Andrews' two-location practice in Fort Washington and Laurel, Maryland — federal work comp is the specialty. CA-1, CA-2, CA-7, OWCP-957. Every form, every billing line, routed directly to the U.S. Department of Labor. Coverage from the Pentagon to Joint Base Andrews, the Census Bureau in Suitland, and every federal facility across America's capital region.
Comp Patients
Fort Washington & Laurel
Direct DOL Billing
USPS · VA · DoD · More
Treat your federal injury like the specialty case it is.
The federal workers' compensation system operates under its own statute, its own forms, its own documentation requirements, and its own deadlines — all separate from the state workers' comp systems most physicians are accustomed to working in. When a general chiropractic office or family medical practice treats a federal injury claim the same way they'd treat a private insurance case, the consequences arrive quietly. Continuation of Pay days lost. CA-1 filings rejected for insufficient narrative. Charges accidentally billed to private health insurance. Care delayed because the right form wasn't filed. Schedule Awards forfeited because nobody knew to evaluate for them.
None of those outcomes are the federal worker's fault. Federal workers' compensation under FECA is genuinely intricate, and most DC-area medical practices simply aren't structured to navigate it well. That's the gap Andrews Connected Care exists to fill for the Washington DC Metro federal workforce.
Headquartered at 12805 Old Fort Rd in Fort Washington, Maryland — roughly 15 minutes from Joint Base Andrews, 10 minutes from the U.S. Census Bureau headquarters in Suitland, and a short drive from the Pentagon — the practice is a federal work comp clinic by design. A second Andrews Connected Care location in Laurel, Maryland extends practice coverage north toward Baltimore and the BWI airport region, giving federal workers across both halves of the DC Metro convenient access to specialty FECA-covered care. Both locations bill the U.S. Department of Labor directly. Both handle every OWCP form. Both are led, as the entire organization is, by Dr. Darell Andrews.
Whether you've been searching for a federal work comp doctor in the Washington DC area, a federal workmans comp clinic that knows how Joint Base Andrews and Census Bureau claims actually flow, or simply doctors that take DOL without putting your benefits at risk — this is where the search ends.
Same injury. Very different claims.
Picture two federal workers in the DC Metro with identical on-duty injuries — same date, same agency, same incident. The only variable is which doctor they see in week one. Here's how it actually plays out.
Where the claim quietly fails:
- Front desk doesn't process OWCP billing codes
- Insurance gets billed by mistake — months of cleanup
- CA-1 paperwork delayed past the 30-day COP window
- Medical narrative is generic, fails OWCP examiner review
- No knowledge of CA-7, OWCP-957, or Schedule Awards
- Patient pays out of pocket when DOL won't reimburse
- Claim gets controverted; benefits stall for months
Where the claim works as designed:
- OWCP billing built into the practice workflow
- DOL-OWCP billed directly — never the patient
- CA-1 filed inside the COP window, every time
- Medical reports written for OWCP examiners specifically
- Full forms suite: CA-2, CA-7, CA-16, OWCP-957, more
- Schedule Award eligibility evaluated and pursued
- Claims approved, benefits flowing, recovery underway
Six rights every DC Metro federal worker should know cold.
These aren't suggestions or perks. They're the legal protections Congress wrote into the Federal Employees' Compensation Act for the civilian federal workforce. Most injured workers don't learn what they're owed until they've already lost some of it.
Choose your own treating doctor
FECA gives every federal employee the legal authority to select their own treating physician. Your agency doesn't get to override it. Your supervisor doesn't get to override it. Joint Base Andrews, the Pentagon, the Census Bureau, USPS — none of them get to override it.
Up to 45 days of Continuation of Pay
Traumatic injury claims filed on a CA-1 unlock up to 45 calendar days of continued full salary. Miss the 30-day filing window and you forfeit some of the benefit entirely. The window matters more than most federal workers realize.
Zero out-of-pocket for authorized care
An accepted OWCP claim means every authorized service is billed to the U.S. Department of Labor. If you've been billed for OWCP-covered care, you've been billed wrongly — by a doctor whose practice doesn't actually handle DOL the way it should.
Mileage reimbursement via OWCP-957
OWCP-957 reimburses every mile driven to an authorized appointment. For DC Metro federal workers — where commutes from Anacostia, Capitol Hill, Bowie, or Waldorf to medical care can stack up — these reimbursements add up over the life of a claim.
Wage loss compensation & schedule awards
Time off work for an accepted injury is compensated under FECA. Permanent impairment may entitle you to a Schedule Award — a lump-sum benefit typically far larger than most federal workers expect, and one many never claim because no one tells them to evaluate for it.
Appeal a denied or controverted claim
A denied OWCP claim isn't the final word. Federal workers have explicit reconsideration rights, OHA hearing rights, and Employees' Compensation Appeals Board (ECAB) review rights — and most denials are recoverable when the right medical evidence is rebuilt around them.
Make your federal claim work for you.
Schedule a consultation at Andrews Connected Care — Fort Washington or Laurel. We'll review where you are in the OWCP process, identify what's been missed, and walk you through every right you're owed under FECA.
Request a Consultation →Few federal workers' compensation chiropractors in the DC Metro can match Dr. Darell Andrews' combination of credentials and clinical longevity. A graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic — the founding institution of the chiropractic profession, established in 1897 — Dr. Andrews opened his own practice in 2011 with a clear specialty focus: workers' compensation and personal injury. He grew that practice from a single Fort Washington office into a two-location operation by 2019, when the Laurel, Maryland clinic opened and the company rebranded to Andrews Connected Care to reflect its expanding medical services.
Today, with 14 years of clinical experience and multiple certifications from the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners, Dr. Andrews leads a practice built around the principle he calls the Three D's: Details, Dedication, and Desire. Details means meticulous attention to each patient's individual case. Dedication means ongoing continuing education across every facet of chiropractic medicine. Desire means a relentless commitment to seeing each federal worker recover fully — and helping their OWCP claim succeed in parallel.
For injured federal workers across the DC Metro — from the Pentagon and Joint Base Andrews to the Census Bureau in Suitland, from USPS routes throughout Prince George's County to federal workplaces across DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia — Andrews Connected Care offers something genuinely rare: an established two-location workers' compensation practice that takes DOL-OWCP and treats federal injury cases as the specialty they are.
- Doctor of Chiropractic — Palmer College of Chiropractic, Davenport, IA (2007)
- Multiple Certifications — National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE)
- 14 Years of Clinical Experience — Workers' Compensation & Personal Injury Specialist
- Founder, Andrews Connected Care — Established practice in 2011 (Fort Washington); second location added 2019 (Laurel)
- Specialized Treatment Modalities — Chiropractic adjustments, foot levelers, hydromassage, rehabilitation, physiotherapy
- Workers' Compensation & Personal Injury Focus — Dedicated practice areas for federal & private claims
The kinds of cases we see every week.
OWCP recognizes several distinct categories of federal injury claim, each with its own documentation requirements and benefits pathway. Here's what Andrews Connected Care handles most often — organized by the form on which each claim is filed.
Traumatic injury claims
A single workday incident — the on-duty fall at the Pentagon, the lift injury at a Census Bureau warehouse, the parcel that wrenches a back on a Capitol Hill USPS route, the on-duty vehicle accident along Suitland Parkway. These are the injuries that unlock Continuation of Pay eligibility, and they live or die on documentation filed within the first 30 days.
Common examples we treat: USPS letter carriers injured on PG County routes · TSA officers hurt at Reagan National or Dulles · DoD civilians with on-base injuries · VA medical center staff with patient-handling injuries · federal employees in motor vehicle accidents on duty.
Occupational disease claims
Conditions that develop over time from cumulative workplace exposure rather than from a single incident. These cases are harder to document because the start date is fuzzy and the mechanism of injury is gradual — they require a detailed medical narrative that establishes work-relatedness across months or years of duty.
Common examples: carpal tunnel from years of postal sorting and scanning · plantar fasciitis from walking federal routes · chronic shoulder impingement from repetitive lifting · occupational hearing loss · cumulative lower back pain from postal carrier duty · stress-related conditions in high-pressure federal positions.
Recurrence and consequential claims
An old accepted injury that flares again — or a new condition that develops as a consequence of an accepted injury. (Example: an approved back injury produces compensatory knee pain a year later.) These claims require linking the recurrence or consequential condition back to the original accepted case with proper medical reasoning.
Common scenarios: recurrent disc herniation in postal workers · post-injury arthritis · gait alterations causing new joint problems · psychological conditions secondary to physical injury · re-injury during return-to-work assignments.
Schedule Award evaluations
When a federal injury results in permanent partial impairment, FECA pays a Schedule Award — a lump-sum benefit calculated against AMA Guides methodology. Eligibility requires reaching Maximum Medical Improvement and obtaining a permanent impairment rating from a qualified physician. Many DC Metro federal workers are owed Schedule Awards they never claim simply because nobody told them to evaluate.
Common scenarios: permanent range-of-motion loss in spine, shoulder, or knee · permanent neurological deficits · chronic pain syndromes with documented impairment · post-surgical residual impairment.
Wage loss claims
When your federal injury keeps you out of work or limits you to reduced-pay duty, CA-7 wage loss compensation activates. The form requires ongoing medical documentation establishing your continuing disability — exactly the kind of documentation a DOL-fluent physician produces routinely. Many federal workers underclaim wage loss because their doctor doesn't know to support it.
Common scenarios: extended time off work · light-duty assignments at reduced pay · loss of overtime opportunities due to medical restrictions · partial return-to-work with continuing wage loss · intermittent disability periods.
Every federal employee, every DC-area agency.
The Washington DC Metro is home to the largest federal workforce concentration in the United States. Andrews Connected Care treats injured federal workers from every agency that calls the capital region home.
Postal Service
Affairs
of Defense
Security Admin.
of Investigation
Service
Agriculture
Treasury & all others
Where our DC Metro patients work
Within a 25-mile radius of the Fort Washington clinic sit Joint Base Andrews (home of Air Force One — a massive civilian federal workforce), the Pentagon, U.S. Census Bureau headquarters in Suitland (about ten minutes from the clinic), USDA headquarters, the FBI's J. Edgar Hoover Building, the Department of Treasury, the State Department, the Department of Veterans Affairs Central Office, the Washington DC VA Medical Center, USPS regional facilities across Prince George's County, TSA workforces at Reagan National (DCA) and BWI airports, federal courthouses, agency offices, and civilian military installations scattered throughout DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia. When a federal worker from this enormous regional workforce is injured on the job, Andrews Connected Care is the DOL clinic ready to step in — with the documentation, the treatment, and the federal claim expertise the case requires.
Across the District and the Maryland side.
Patients drive in from across the District of Columbia and the entire Maryland suburb ring. The Fort Washington and Laurel locations together cover the bulk of the DC Metro federal worker population.
Inside the District
The Maryland Side
Two Maryland locations, one DOL specialty practice.
Andrews Connected Care operates two locations across the DC Metro. Both bill DOL-OWCP directly. Both handle every OWCP form. Both are led by Dr. Andrews.
Fort Washington, MD 20744
9:00 AM – 6:30 PM
Closed Friday – Sunday
Serving DC Metro north & BWI corridor
Direct billing · All OWCP forms
Contact Fort Washington to schedule
From injury to resolution — step by step.
The OWCP process has more moving parts than most federal workers realize. Here's the full pathway, with the windows and forms that matter at each phase.
Report the injury to your agency
Tell your supervisor as soon as you can after the incident. Document it in writing. For traumatic injuries, the calendar starts ticking immediately on your Continuation of Pay window.
Choose your DOL-fluent doctor
The single most consequential decision in your entire claim. Pick a physician who actually handles OWCP — one who knows the forms, the deadlines, and the documentation OWCP examiners need to see — and begin care.
File the right OWCP form
CA-1 for traumatic injuries, CA-2 for occupational diseases. The form has to be filed inside its window to preserve full benefits — and your doctor's medical narrative is what gives it the weight to clear OWCP review.
Ongoing treatment & documentation
Receive the care your injury requires while your physician maintains the medical record OWCP needs. CA-7 for wage loss, OWCP-957 for mileage reimbursement, periodic narrative updates — every piece of the file built correctly.
Resolution & long-term benefits
Schedule Award evaluation at Maximum Medical Improvement when appropriate. Return-to-work planning, vocational rehabilitation if necessary, and ongoing maintenance care for chronic accepted conditions. The claim closes only when it should.
I work at Census Bureau headquarters in Suitland. After a fall in our parking garage last spring, my regular doctor had me chasing my insurance company for two months before someone finally told me that wasn't how OWCP works. Switched to Dr. Andrews' clinic — ten minutes from my office — and within weeks the billing was straight, my CA-1 was approved, and treatment was actually moving forward. Federal injuries need a federal injury doctor.
— Census Bureau Employee · Suitland, MD · Verified Patient
Answers for DC Metro federal workers in our region.
Direct answers to the questions injured federal employees ask before scheduling care at Andrews Connected Care. If yours isn't here, ask us in the inquiry form below.
How do I find a federal work comp doctor in the DC Metro?
Dr. Darell Andrews at Andrews Connected Care is the DC Metro region's federal work comp specialist for injured federal workers. The primary location is at 12805 Old Fort Rd, Suite 201, Fort Washington, MD 20744 — phone (301) 292-1960 — with a second location in Laurel, MD serving the northern half of the metro.
The practice bills DOL-OWCP directly and handles every OWCP form. To become a patient, complete the inquiry form on this page or call the Fort Washington clinic during open hours (Monday through Thursday, 9 AM to 6:30 PM).
What makes a doctor a DOL doctor or OWCP doctor?
A DOL doctor — also called an OWCP doctor — is a licensed physician who actively treats federal employees under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act, bills the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Workers' Compensation Programs directly, and works fluently with the entire OWCP forms ecosystem (CA-1, CA-2, CA-7, CA-16, CA-17, CA-20, OWCP-957).
It's not a separate license category — it's a practice specialty, and most general medical and chiropractic offices in the DC Metro are not built around it. Dr. Andrews' practice is.
Will I pay anything out of pocket?
No. For all authorized federal workers' compensation care, Andrews Connected Care bills the U.S. Department of Labor directly. Federal employees with accepted OWCP claims should never receive an invoice from the clinic for covered services.
If you've previously been billed for OWCP-covered care, that itself is a signal you weren't seeing a true DOL doctor — and the situation can usually be corrected when you transfer your care.
What deadlines apply to a federal injury claim in the DC Metro?
Several windows matter:
- Traumatic injuries (CA-1) must be reported within 30 days to preserve full Continuation of Pay eligibility — you can still file later but you forfeit some COP days.
- Occupational disease claims (CA-2) carry a three-year statute of limitations from awareness of the work-relatedness.
- Recurrence claims have their own filing windows tied to when symptoms returned.
- Wage loss claims via CA-7 are filed on a rolling basis as periods of disability occur.
The practice helps patients meet every deadline.
Can my agency or supervisor force me to see a specific doctor?
No. FECA grants every injured federal employee the legal right to select their own treating physician for OWCP-covered care. Your agency may suggest a preferred provider — Joint Base Andrews, Pentagon, Census Bureau, USPS, and every other DC-area federal employer may have one — but you are never bound to that suggestion.
Choosing a doctor who actually specializes in federal work comp is a protected federal right and one of the most consequential decisions in your entire claim.
I already saw a non-DOL doctor for my injury. Can I switch?
Yes. Federal workers can request a change of treating physician through OWCP. Andrews Connected Care handles change-of-physician requests as part of new patient onboarding, including the paperwork OWCP requires.
The earlier in the claim you make the switch, the cleaner the transition — but it's rarely too late to course-correct, even when a claim has been controverted by another provider's documentation.
My OWCP claim was denied. Is there still hope?
Often, yes. Most denied federal injury claims fail on documentation rather than substance — missing physician narratives, weak medical rationale, incomplete forms. A reconsideration package built with the right medical evidence can frequently overturn a denial.
Dr. Andrews routinely takes on denied and controverted claims and rebuilds the clinical documentation OWCP needs to approve them. If reconsideration fails, the next steps are Office of the Hearings and Review and the Employees' Compensation Appeals Board (ECAB).
What is a Schedule Award and am I eligible?
A Schedule Award is a lump-sum FECA benefit paid to federal workers who have permanent partial impairment from a work-related injury. Eligibility requires three things:
- An accepted OWCP claim
- Reaching Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI)
- A permanent impairment rating from a qualified physician using AMA Guides methodology
Andrews Connected Care performs Schedule Award evaluations and prepares the medical documentation OWCP needs to issue the award. Many federal workers are owed Schedule Awards they never claim simply because they don't know to ask.
How long does federal work comp treatment typically take?
It depends entirely on the injury. Soft-tissue injuries with a clean recovery may resolve in weeks. Spine injuries, surgical cases, and complex occupational diseases can extend over many months.
Federal workers' compensation under FECA covers medically necessary care for as long as the condition requires it — there's no arbitrary cutoff like some private workers' compensation systems impose. The treatment timeline is dictated by your injury, not by the clock.
Where are the clinic locations and what are the hours?
Andrews Connected Care operates two Maryland locations:
- The primary Fort Washington clinic is at 12805 Old Fort Rd, Suite 201, Fort Washington, MD 20744, phone (301) 292-1960.
- A second location is available in Laurel, MD, serving the northern half of the DC Metro between Washington and Baltimore.
The Fort Washington clinic is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 6:30 PM and closed Friday through Sunday. Both locations bill DOL-OWCP directly.
Do you accept new federal worker patients?
Yes. Andrews Connected Care is currently accepting new patients from across the Washington DC Metro region. The practice sees federal workers from every agency — USPS, VA, TSA, DoD, Joint Base Andrews civilians, Pentagon employees, Census Bureau workers, IRS, FBI, USDA, and others — whether filing a new injury claim, transferring care, or working through a denied or controverted case.
Does the Laurel, MD location handle DOL-OWCP cases the same way?
Yes. Both Andrews Connected Care locations — the original Fort Washington clinic and the Laurel location added in 2019 — are full DOL clinics that bill OWCP directly, complete every OWCP form, and treat injured federal workers under FECA.
The Laurel location extends practice coverage north toward Baltimore and the BWI airport region, which is particularly useful for federal workers in Prince George's County's northern suburbs, Anne Arundel County, and surrounding communities.
Tell us about your federal injury, today.
Fill out the form below and we'll get back to you to schedule with Dr. Andrews at the Fort Washington or Laurel location, review your OWCP paperwork, and walk through your next steps.