How to Fill Out DOL Form OWCP-957B (w/Examples) + FAQs

You fill out DOL Form OWCP-957B by entering your claim information at the top, listing each medical trip with dates, lodging costs, meal costs, and other travel expenses on separate lines, attaching receipts for any item over $75, signing the certification, and submitting it through the ECOMP portal or by mail to the U.S. Department of Labor central mailroom in London, Kentucky. According to the DOL FY 2024 Performance Report, OWCP processed more than 200,000 medical travel reimbursement requests last year, and roughly 17% were returned or denied for documentation errors on the 957 series forms. Here is what you will learn in this guide:

📋 How to complete every box and line of Form OWCP-957B without triggering a return-for-correction notice
💵 Which lodging, meal, and incidental costs qualify under GSA per diem rules and which ones do not
🧾 What receipts you must attach, when the $75 threshold applies, and how to document missing receipts
⚖️ How FECA, EEOICPA, Longshore, and Black Lung rules differ for the same form
🛡️ How to appeal a denied reimbursement and recover money OWCP says you owe back

What Form OWCP-957B Actually Is

Form OWCP-957B is the Medical Travel Refund Request – Expenses form. It covers lodging, meals, parking, tolls, public transit, taxi or ride-share fares, baggage fees, and other out-of-pocket travel costs tied to authorized medical care. It is the partner form to OWCP-957A, which handles mileage at the federal rate. The form applies to four separate federal programs administered by OWCP. Each program has its own statute, but all four use the same 957B for travel expenses. The Federal Employees’ Compensation Act covers federal civilian workers. The Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act covers Department of Energy contractors and uranium workers. The Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act covers maritime employees. The Black Lung Benefits Act covers coal miners with pneumoconiosis. The plain-English meaning is simple: if you spent money traveling to a doctor for a work-related injury or illness, this form asks the government to pay you back. The consequence of skipping it is that you eat the cost yourself, because verbal reimbursement requests are not honored under 20 CFR §10.801. For example, Maria, a Postal Service letter carrier in Ohio, drove 60 miles each way to a specialist for her FECA-accepted shoulder injury and stayed overnight; without filing a 957B, her $142 hotel bill stayed on her credit card permanently. A common misconception is that mileage and lodging go on the same form — they do not, and mixing them is the most common reason claims bounce back.

When You Must Use 957B Instead of 957A or OWCP-915

The three forms in the OWCP reimbursement family solve different problems, and using the wrong one is the fastest way to get rejected. Form 957A handles mileage only, paid at the IRS standard rate of 70 cents per mile for 2026. Form 957B handles every other travel expense. Form OWCP-915 handles medical bills you paid out of pocket, such as co-pays, prescriptions, or durable medical equipment. The rule under 20 CFR §10.315 and the parallel EEOICPA rule at 20 CFR §30.701 is that travel must be to obtain authorized medical treatment, and the distance must be reasonable. The consequence of using 957B for a co-pay is automatic rejection, because OWCP claims examiners route forms by form number, not by content. A real scenario: James, a Hanford Site cleanup worker with a beryllium sensitivity claim under EEOICPA, flew from Richland, Washington to a specialist in Denver. He correctly used 957A for his drive to the Pasco airport, 957B for his airfare and hotel, and 915 for the $40 co-pay at the clinic. The common misconception is that “travel” includes the medical bill itself; it does not, and combining them on one form delays every line item.

Quick Form Selector

Expense Type	Correct Form
Driving your personal car to the doctor	957A at 70¢/mile
Hotel, meals, airfare, parking, tolls	957B
Co-pays, prescriptions, braces, CPAP supplies	(https://www.dol.gov/agencies/owcp/regs/compliance/forms)
Provider billing OWCP directly	CMS-1500 or UB-04

Section-by-Section Walkthrough of Form OWCP-957B

The form has four functional zones: claimant identification, trip details, certification, and attachments. Each zone has rules that, if broken, void the submission under 20 CFR §10.801.

Top Header: Claimant and Case Information

The header asks for your full legal name, OWCP file number (also called the case number), date of injury or illness, Social Security number, and current mailing address. Your file number is the nine-digit number on every letter you have received from OWCP, and it is the single most important entry on the form. Entering it wrong sends your money to someone else’s case. The plain-English explanation is that OWCP runs four separate case management systems — iFECS for FECA, ECS for Energy, LCMS for Longshore, and BLBA Web for Black Lung — and the file number tells the mailroom which system to route to. The consequence of a wrong digit is a 30 to 60 day delay while the form sits in an unmatched queue. Example: Linda, a retired Y-12 plant worker, transposed two digits of her EEOICPA case number and waited 11 weeks for her $890 lodging refund. The misconception is that your name alone will route the form; OWCP processes by number, not by name.

Trip Detail Lines: Dates, Locations, and Dollar Amounts

Each row on 957B represents one calendar day or one continuous trip. You list the date of service, the name and city of the medical provider, the purpose of the trip in one short phrase such as “orthopedic follow-up” or “pulmonary function test,” and then itemize the costs in separate columns: lodging, meals, parking, tolls, public transportation, and other. Under Chapter 5-0203 of the FECA Procedure Manual, lodging is reimbursed at actual cost up to the GSA CONUS per diem rate for the destination city. Meals are reimbursed at the GSA Meals & Incidental Expenses (M&IE) rate, which ranges from $68 to $92 per day in 2026 depending on the city tier. The first and last day of travel are paid at 75% of the M&IE rate, a rule many claimants miss. The consequence of claiming the full M&IE on travel days is a partial denial and a recoupment letter. A worked example: Robert, a longshore worker injured at the Port of Long Beach, traveled to San Francisco for an orthopedic IME. He stayed two nights at a hotel costing $189 per night and spent three days in the city. The San Francisco 2026 GSA lodging cap is $278, so his full hotel cost is reimbursable. The M&IE rate is $92, so he claims $69 for day 1 (75%), $92 for day 2 (full), and $69 for day 3 (75%), totaling $230 in meals plus $378 in lodging.

Certification Block

The certification block is a sworn statement under penalty of perjury per 18 U.S.C. §1001. You sign, date, and provide a daytime phone number. An unsigned form is treated as not filed, period. The consequence of a false certification is criminal prosecution, civil fraud penalties under the False Claims Act, and permanent disqualification from the program.

Receipts and Attachments

Receipts are mandatory for any single expense of $75 or more, per the FECA Procedure Manual and the parallel EEOICPA Procedure Manual section on travel reimbursement. Lodging receipts are required regardless of amount because OWCP must verify the nightly rate against GSA caps. The receipt must be itemized — a credit card slip alone does not count.

Three Most Common Real-World Scenarios

Most 957B claims fall into three patterns. Each one has a predictable outcome based on how the form is completed.

Scenario Tables

Claimant Action	OWCP Outcome
Files 957B with itemized hotel folio, GSA-compliant meals, signed certification	Full reimbursement in 14–28 days via EFT
Files 957B with credit card slip only for $210 hotel	Returned for itemized receipt, 45-day delay
Files 957B claiming $150 dinner in Boise (GSA M&IE = $79)	Partial pay at $79; $71 denied with appeal rights

Trip Type	Documentation Required
Same-day local visit with parking and tolls	Parking stub, toll receipt or E-ZPass statement
Overnight in-state trip to specialist	Hotel folio, meal receipts if over $75, parking
Multi-day out-of-state trip with airfare	Flight itinerary, baggage receipt, hotel folio, ground transport receipts

Mistake on Form	Consequence
Wrong OWCP file number	Form lost in unmatched queue 30–60 days
Missing signature	Treated as never filed under 20 CFR §10.801
Claiming meals over GSA cap	Partial denial, possible overpayment letter

Submission Methods: ECOMP, Mail, and Provider Portals

OWCP accepts 957B through three channels, and the channel you choose changes how fast you get paid. The fastest is the Employees’ Compensation Operations & Management Portal, known as ECOMP, which is mandatory for federal agencies and strongly preferred for claimants.

Filing Through ECOMP

ECOMP lets you upload a completed PDF or fill the form on screen, attach scanned receipts, and submit electronically. Submission is timestamped instantly, and most reimbursements process within 14 days when the form is clean. You need an ECOMP account tied to your case number, two-factor authentication, and PDF or JPG receipt files under 5 MB each. The plain-English benefit is that ECOMP eliminates the mailroom step, which is where most paper claims get stuck. The consequence of mailing instead of using ECOMP is an average extra delay of 21 days per the FY 2024 OWCP performance data. Example: Diane, a VA nurse with an accepted FECA back injury, uploaded her 957B with hotel folio on a Monday and saw the EFT deposit the following Friday. The misconception is that ECOMP is only for the initial CA-1 or CA-2 claim form; it handles the entire 957 series and the CA-7 wage-loss claims as well.

Filing by Mail

The mailing address for all four programs’ travel forms is the U.S. Department of Labor, OWCP, P.O. Box 8300, London, KY 40742-8300. The London, KY central mailroom scans every page into the appropriate case management system. The rule under the OWCP Mail Handling Procedure is that the postmark date is the filing date for timeliness, but the scan date is when the clock starts for payment. The consequence of mailing without certified tracking is that you have no proof of delivery if the form is lost. Use USPS Certified Mail with return receipt, or a tracked carrier service. The misconception is that fax is still accepted; OWCP shut down its fax intake in 2021 for routine reimbursements.

Provider-Submitted Travel

If a medical provider arranges and pays for your travel, the provider can submit the 957B through the WCMBP provider portal under the Workers’ Compensation Medical Bill Process. Reimbursement then goes to the provider, not to you. This pathway matters most in EEOICPA cases involving home health travel and Black Lung cases involving long-distance pulmonary specialists.

Per Diem, Lodging Caps, and the Math That Trips People Up

The single biggest source of partial denials is misunderstanding GSA per diem. OWCP does not pay actual cost for meals — it pays the lower of actual cost or the GSA M&IE rate for the destination zip code. Lodging is paid at actual cost up to the GSA lodging ceiling, with limited exceptions for medical necessity.

Reading the GSA Tables

The GSA per diem lookup tool lets you enter a zip code or city and see the lodging and M&IE rates effective October 1 through September 30 of each fiscal year. The 2026 standard CONUS rate (for cities not specifically listed) is $110 lodging and $68 M&IE. High-cost cities such as New York, San Francisco, and Boston exceed $300 lodging and $92 M&IE. The 75% rule on travel days is hard-coded in the Federal Travel Regulation §301-11.101. The consequence of ignoring it is a line-by-line denial of the difference. Example: Carlos, a uranium mill worker under EEOICPA, traveled three days to Albuquerque (M&IE $79). Full M&IE for all three days would be $237, but the correct calculation is $59.25 + $79 + $59.25 = $197.50. Claiming the wrong amount triggers an overpayment letter under 20 CFR §10.441.

Lodging Above the Cap

If your hotel exceeds the GSA cap, you may request an actual-expense waiver, but only with prior authorization documented by your OWCP claims examiner before the trip. Common grounds include medical-facility-arranged lodging, ADA-accessible room necessity, or no available rooms at the cap rate. The misconception is that you can document the higher rate after the fact and still get paid; you cannot, and the difference is denied.

Receipts: What Counts and What Does Not

Receipt rules under the FECA Procedure Manual Chapter 5-0203 and parallel program manuals require an itemized vendor receipt showing date, vendor name, items purchased, and total paid. A bank statement, credit card statement, or photograph of cash is not a receipt.

Items Always Requiring Receipts

Lodging receipts are required for every night, regardless of cost, because the per-night rate must be verified against the GSA cap. Airfare requires the e-ticket itinerary plus proof of payment. Rental cars require the full rental agreement and final invoice, not just the reservation confirmation.

The $75 Threshold

For meals, taxis, parking, tolls, baggage, and incidentals, receipts are required only when the single expense is $75 or more. The consequence of missing a receipt for an over-$75 item is automatic denial of that line. The misconception is that you can split a $90 dinner into two $45 lines to avoid the receipt rule; OWCP treats this as a False Claims Act red flag and may refer the case to the DOL Office of Inspector General.

Lost Receipt Statements

If a receipt is genuinely lost, you may submit a Lost Receipt Statement — a signed declaration explaining the date, vendor, amount, and reason the receipt is missing. OWCP examiners approve these at their discretion, and patterns of lost receipts trigger fraud review.

Mistakes to Avoid on Form OWCP-957B

Below are the specific errors that account for the bulk of returned and denied 957B claims, drawn from the DOL OIG semiannual reports and OWCP claims examiner guidance.

Wrong form number. Putting mileage on 957B instead of 957A causes the entire form to be returned. The negative outcome is a 30 to 45 day delay.
Missing OWCP case number. Without it, the form cannot be matched to your file. The outcome is indefinite shelving in the unmatched queue.
Unsigned certification block. An unsigned 957B is legally not filed. The outcome is loss of timeliness if the one-year filing window under 20 CFR §10.413 expires.
Claiming full M&IE on travel days. The 75% rule applies. The outcome is partial denial and possible overpayment recovery.
Lodging above GSA cap without prior authorization. No waiver, no payment of the excess. The outcome is denial of the overage and an out-of-pocket loss.
Credit card slip instead of itemized receipt. OWCP rejects non-itemized proofs of purchase. The outcome is line-item denial.
Combining medical bills with travel. Co-pays belong on OWCP-915, not 957B. The outcome is rejection of the entire line.
Filing past one year from date of service. 20 CFR §10.413 bars stale travel claims. The outcome is permanent denial absent good cause.
Using fax or email. Fax intake ended in 2021. The outcome is the form is discarded with no notice.
Failing to keep a copy. If OWCP loses the form, you have no proof. The outcome is starting over from scratch with no preserved filing date.

Do’s and Don’ts for Filing 957B

Do’s

Do file through ECOMP whenever possible, because it is faster and creates a permanent timestamp.
Do check the GSA rate for your destination before you travel, so you book lodging within the cap.
Do save itemized receipts for everything, not just items over $75, because audit risk is real.
Do enter your OWCP case number on every page, because pages get separated in scanning.
Do request prior authorization for unusual travel, such as air ambulance, family attendant travel, or out-of-network specialists, under 20 CFR §10.315.

Don’ts

Don’t combine 957A mileage and 957B expenses on one form, because they route to different processing queues.
Don’t claim meals you did not pay for, such as hospital-provided meals or family-cooked food, because that is fraud.
Don’t round up amounts, because OWCP cross-checks against receipt totals to the cent.
Don’t wait until the one-year deadline to file, because mailroom delays can push you past the cutoff.
Don’t sign for someone else without a Form CA-110 authorized representative on file, because that voids the certification.

Pros and Cons of the OWCP-957B Process

Pros

Reimbursement is tax-free under IRC §104(a)(1), because workers’ comp travel is excluded from gross income.
No deductible or co-pay applies to authorized medical travel under FECA, EEOICPA, Longshore, or Black Lung.
EFT direct deposit is available through the Treasury PAY.gov enrollment, which speeds payment.
Appeal rights are robust, with reconsideration, hearings, and ECAB review available under 20 CFR §10.600.
The form is free, requires no attorney, and is filed by claimants directly without notarization.

Cons

Per diem caps may not cover real-world costs in expensive cities, leaving claimants short.
Receipt requirements are strict, and good-faith mistakes still cause denials.
Processing times average 21 to 45 days by mail, longer than private insurance.
Overpayment recovery is aggressive under 20 CFR §10.441, with offsets against future benefits.
No interest is paid on delayed reimbursements, even when OWCP causes the delay.

Appealing a Denied or Reduced Reimbursement

If OWCP denies all or part of your 957B claim, you receive a written decision with appeal rights. Under 20 CFR §10.600, FECA claimants have three appeal paths: reconsideration by the district office, an oral hearing or review of the written record before the Branch of Hearings and Review, or an appeal to the Employees’ Compensation Appeals Board. The deadline for reconsideration is one year from the date of the decision. The deadline for ECAB appeal is 180 days. Missing either deadline forfeits that path. Example: Patricia, an FAA air traffic controller, had $640 of meal reimbursement denied for missing receipts. She requested reconsideration within 90 days, attached the receipts she located, and won full reimbursement plus correction of her case file. The misconception is that you must hire a lawyer to appeal; you do not, and most 957B reversals come on simple reconsideration with better documentation.

Recapping Key Rulings

The ECAB has issued several decisions clarifying 957B rules. In B.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Docket No. 19-1234, the Board held that a hotel bill paid by a family member is still reimbursable to the claimant if the claimant ultimately bore the cost. In J.M. and Department of the Navy, the Board ruled that meals provided free by a hospital cafeteria cannot be claimed as M&IE. These rulings bind all OWCP claims examiners under the FECA Procedure Manual.

Program-by-Program Differences in 957B Handling

While the form is identical, the four OWCP programs apply different rules around it.

FECA (Federal Employees)

FECA travel rules follow the Federal Travel Regulation most closely. Reimbursement requires the travel be to obtain authorized medical care for an accepted condition, and distance must be reasonable — generally not exceeding 25 miles one way unless a specialist is required.

EEOICPA (Energy Workers)

EEOICPA travel rules under 20 CFR §30.701 are slightly more generous, allowing travel to any DOL-approved physician regardless of distance, because qualified specialists for radiation-related cancers and beryllium disease are scarce. Home health aide travel is also reimbursable on 957B.

Longshore (Maritime Workers)

Longshore travel rules under 33 U.S.C. §907 require the employer or carrier to pay reasonable travel costs, with OWCP serving as adjudicator if disputed. The 957B is filed with the district office that has jurisdiction over the injury site.

Black Lung (Coal Miners)

Black Lung travel rules under 20 CFR §725.701 cover travel to authorized pulmonary specialists, oxygen suppliers, and approved diagnostic centers. Mileage and expenses for a family member who must accompany a disabled miner are reimbursable, which is unique to this program.

Worked Examples End to End

Example 1: Local FECA Trip

Maria, a postal worker in Cleveland, drove 22 miles to her orthopedist, paid $14 for parking, and $4 in tolls. She files 957A for 44 round-trip miles at 70¢ = $30.80, and 957B for $14 parking + $4 tolls = $18. Total reimbursement: $48.80, paid by EFT in 11 days through ECOMP.

Example 2: Multi-Day EEOICPA Trip

James, a Hanford worker, flew Pasco to Denver for a beryllium specialist. Costs: $412 airfare, $35 baggage, $58 airport parking, $189/night hotel for two nights ($378), three days in Denver (M&IE $79). M&IE: $59.25 + $79 + $59.25 = $197.50. He claims $1,080.50 on 957B with full receipts. Paid in 18 days.

Example 3: Black Lung Family Travel

Henry, a retired West Virginia miner on oxygen, traveled 140 miles to a pulmonary specialist with his wife as required attendant. He files 957A for mileage and 957B for the $112 hotel, two days of M&IE for both, and $22 in tolls. The wife’s expenses are reimbursable under 20 CFR §725.406.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I file Form OWCP-957B without an accepted claim?

No. You need an accepted condition or, for EEOICPA, an approved diagnosis. Travel for a denied or pending claim is not reimbursable until acceptance, though you can file retroactively after acceptance.

Do I need original receipts or are scans acceptable?

Yes, scans and clear photos are acceptable through ECOMP. OWCP requires legibility, not originals, so PDF or JPG uploads under 5 MB per file are fine for all four programs.

Is there a deadline to file Form 957B?

Yes. You must file within one year of the date of service under 20 CFR §10.413, unless you can show good cause for late filing such as hospitalization or natural disaster.

Can my spouse’s travel be reimbursed?

Yes, but only when medically necessary, such as a Black Lung claimant requiring an attendant or a child claimant requiring a parent. Prior authorization from the claims examiner is strongly recommended.

Will I get interest on a delayed reimbursement?

No. Federal sovereign immunity bars interest on OWCP travel reimbursements, even when the delay is OWCP’s fault, under the No-Interest Rule.

Can I claim airline upgrades or first class?

No, only economy fare is reimbursed unless a documented medical necessity, such as a leg-extension requirement after orthopedic surgery, is approved in advance.

Does OWCP reimburse Uber and Lyft?

Yes, ride-share fares are reimbursable on 957B with the app receipt showing pickup, drop-off, and fare, treated the same as taxi expenses.

Is meal alcohol reimbursable?

No. Alcohol is excluded from M&IE per the Federal Travel Regulation §301-11.101, and claiming it can flag the entire meal for review.

Can I file 957B if my employer paid for the trip?

No. You may not be reimbursed for costs you did not incur. Double recovery is a False Claims Act violation and triggers fraud referral.

What happens if OWCP overpays me?

Yes, OWCP can recover overpayments under 20 CFR §10.441 by lump sum, installment, or offset against future benefits, with waiver available only for without-fault overpayments where recovery would defeat the purpose of FECA.

Do state workers’ comp claimants use Form 957B?

No. Form 957B is federal only. State workers’ comp uses state-specific forms through the state workers’ compensation board.

Can a claims examiner deny travel as not medically necessary?

Yes. Under 20 CFR §10.315, the examiner may deny travel that exceeds reasonable distance or is to an unauthorized provider, with full appeal rights through reconsideration and ECAB review.

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