OWCP Basic Training - 15th Annual Federal Workers ...

Requesting Medical Reports Cont.2. If the treating physician does not reply or his report is equivocal or the objective findingsdo not support the restrictions assigned by the physician our office (only our office) mayrequest a second opinion. The agency should never contact the second opinion physician. Thisaction could compromise our offices effort to secure an independent opinion.3. The second opinion report must meet the same standard as any other medical report. Thesecond opinion physician will be instructed to perform an examination. This will includeauthorization for any non-invasive test and if requested the functional capacity evaluation. Ouroffice will evaluate the quality of the report and determine if the opinion carries the weight ofmedical evidence. If the weight of medical evidence is with the second opinion, these worktolerance limitations will be forwarded to the employer asking if a position can bemodified and offered for the employees reemployment.4. If the second opinion does not carry the weight but is adequate to establish a conflictmedical opinion with the treating physician, our office will set up a referee examination.Again the agency must not contact the physician and all reports must be evaluated by our officebefore any action is taken to reemploy the injured worker.B. If our office determines the referee examination meets ourrequirements the physicians opinion carries the weight of evidenceand the agency must use these work tolerance limitations indesigning modified job for the employee.