How a schedule award is figured
- Weeks: each listed member has a number of weeks of compensation for total loss or loss of use (5 U.S.C. 8107(c)). A partial loss of use is paid in proportion, so a 10% arm rating is 10% of 312 weeks, or 31.2 weeks (8107(c)(19), 20 CFR 10.404).
- Rate: the award is paid at 66⅔% of pay, or 75% when you have at least one dependent (8107(a), 20 CFR 10.404(c)).
- Pay: monthly pay is the pay at the time of injury, when disability began, or when a recurrence began, whichever is greater (5 U.S.C. 8101(4)). This calculator turns annual pay into weekly pay by dividing by 52.
- Rating: OWCP rates impairment with the edition of the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment it specifies. The rating comes from your doctor and OWCP, not from this page.
- The award is in addition to compensation for temporary total or partial disability (8107(a)(3)).
- The monthly rate of disability compensation can't exceed 75% of the monthly pay at the top of the GS-15 scale (5 U.S.C. 8112(a)). This calculator doesn't apply that cap, so very high salaries may be limited.
Special rules
- Loss of binocular vision, or loss of 80% or more of the vision of one eye, counts as loss of the eye. Losing more than one phalanx of a digit counts as losing the whole digit; the first phalanx is half (8107(c)(14), (15)).
- When two or more digits of the same hand or foot are affected, the award is proportioned to the loss of use of the hand or foot (8107(c)(17)).
- Awards for more than one member run one after another (8107(c)(20)). Figure each member separately and add them. The exception is partial hearing loss in both ears: it is rated as one loss affecting both ears (200 weeks), not two one-ear awards.
- Organ awards apply to injuries on or after September 7, 1974; skin, to injuries on or after September 11, 2001 (20 CFR 10.404(b)).
- Serious disfigurement of the face, head or neck can add up to $3,500 (8107(c)(21)).
Schedule award chart
| Body part | Weeks (100%) | Weeks at 10% | 10% award at $60,000/yr, no dependent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arm | 312 | 31.2 | $23,999.98 |
| Leg | 288 | 28.8 | $22,153.82 |
| Hand | 244 | 24.4 | $18,769.21 |
| Foot | 205 | 20.5 | $15,769.22 |
| Eye | 160 | 16 | $12,307.68 |
| Thumb | 75 | 7.5 | $5,769.23 |
| First finger | 46 | 4.6 | $3,538.46 |
| Great toe | 38 | 3.8 | $2,923.07 |
| Second finger | 30 | 3 | $2,307.69 |
| Third finger | 25 | 2.5 | $1,923.08 |
| Other toe | 16 | 1.6 | $1,230.77 |
| Fourth finger | 15 | 1.5 | $1,153.85 |
| Hearing, one ear | 52 | 5.2 | $4,000.00 |
| Hearing, both ears | 200 | 20 | $15,384.60 |
| Breast (one) | 52 | 5.2 | $4,000.00 |
| Kidney (one) | 156 | 15.6 | $11,999.99 |
| Larynx | 160 | 16 | $12,307.68 |
| Lung (one) | 156 | 15.6 | $11,999.99 |
| Penis | 205 | 20.5 | $15,769.22 |
| Testicle (one) | 52 | 5.2 | $4,000.00 |
| Tongue | 160 | 16 | $12,307.68 |
| Ovary (one) | 52 | 5.2 | $4,000.00 |
| Uterus/cervix and vulva/vagina | 205 | 20.5 | $15,769.22 |
| Skin | 205 | 20.5 | $15,769.22 |
The dollar column uses weekly pay of $1,153.85 and the 66⅔% rate. Cost-of-living adjustments and OWCP's own pay-rate figures can change the actual payment; OWCP's decision is what counts.
Frequently asked questions
How is a FECA schedule award calculated?
Weeks for the body part (5 U.S.C. 8107(c)) × your impairment rating × your weekly pay × 66⅔%, or 75% if you have at least one dependent (20 CFR 10.404(c)). A 10% impairment of the arm is 31.2 weeks of compensation.
How many weeks is each body part worth?
Arm 312, leg 288, hand 244, foot 205, eye 160, thumb 75, first finger 46, great toe 38, second finger 30, third finger 25, other toes 16, fourth finger 15, hearing in one ear 52 and in both ears 200. The Department of Labor added organs such as a kidney or lung (156 weeks each) and skin (205 weeks).
Who counts as a dependent for the 75% rate?
A spouse who lives with you, gets regular support from you or is owed court-ordered support; an unmarried child under 18 (or over 18 and unable to support themselves) who lives with you or gets regular support; a student until 23 or four years of school after high school; or a parent wholly dependent on you (5 U.S.C. 8110, 20 CFR 10.405).
What if I already had an award for the same body part?
OWCP reduces the new award by the weeks already paid or payable for the earlier injury when the impairments are to the same member or function and the compensation would duplicate (20 CFR 10.404(d)).