Compensated Work Therapy (CWT) is a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) vocational rehabilitation program that provides veterans with work ready skills in an effort to launch them back into the workforce. These experiences range from desk work to heavy labor, for which the veterans receive a steady paycheck from the Veterans Administration.
Despite receiving a paycheck directly from the Veterans Administration, these working veterans are not considered "employees" of the VA. Which means...what happens when a veteran is injured "on the job"?
38 U.S.C. 1151 allows a veteran injured in the CWT program to receive compensation for injuries sustained in the course and scope of their duties in the program.
There are two ways to approach compensation for the work injury:
- File a tort claim against the Veterans Administration outlining the standard damages associated with the work injury;
and/or
- File a claim through the same disability system used for veterans seeking service-connected disabilities.
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