USPS Unveils Prescription Drug Card for Workplace Injuries

• The Postal Service has announced a voluntary prescription drug card program for employees who suffer workplace injuries or illnesses, according to the USPS employee union APWU.
• The union said USPS employees who choose to participate in the program will submit their drug card and prescriptions to the pharmacy of their choice, and the prescriptions will be filled at no cost to the employee.
• The program, known as “First Script,” has been reviewed by the Department of Labor, which has determined that it does not affect any existing OWCP prescription drug fulfillment rules or processes.
• The vendors under contract to the USPS to provide these services are First Script Network Services and PharmaCare, a division of CVS. The contracts do not permit the vendors to have access to any information regarding the participating employees or their prescriptions.
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Virginia WC Review Shows Fractures as Most-Costly Claim

• The Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission said its latest annual review showed it processed 32,898 claims forms, received 27,362 requests for hearings, and held 3,295 hearings.
• Fractures were revealed to be the most costly injury claim type, at an average of $11,358.
• The just-released VMCC 2024 review also showed the agency’s Alternative Dispute Resolution unit facilitated over 5,285 events, which provided claimants and employers a faster, more collaborative path to resolution.
• Additional data in the report shows that claimants filed 234,382 first reports of injury forms last year.
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