§10.516. How will an employee know if OWCP considers a job to be suitable? — Inbound Citations

(a) 5 U.S.C. 8115 outlines how compensation for partial disability is determined. If the employee has actual earnings which fairly and reasonably represent his or her wage-earning capacity, those earnings will form the basis for payment of compensation for partial disability. (See §§ 10.500 through 10.521 concerning return to work.) If the employee's actual earnings do not fairly and reasonably represent his or her wage-earning capacity, or if the employee has no actual earnings, OWCP uses the factors stated in 5 U.S.C. 8115 to select a position which represents his or her wage-earning capacity, which include the nature of the injury, the degree of physical impairment, the usual employment, the age of the employee, the employee's qualifications for other employment and the availability of suitable employment. However, OWCP will not secure employment for the employee in the position selected for establishing a wage-earning capacity.

(b) After providing the two notices described in § 10.516, OWCP will terminate the employee's entitlement to further compensation under 5 U.S.C. 8105, 8106, and 8107 on all claims where the injury occurred prior to the termination decision, as provided by 5 U.S.C. 8106(c)(2). However, the employee remains entitled to medical benefits as provided by 5 U.S.C. 8103.