Injured Congressman Gets No Special Treatment

There are lots of perks to being a member of Congress, but one of them isn't special treatment if you're injured on the job. Susan Smith of Fedsmith reports today on the case of Rep. John Sullivan, R-Okla, who suffered cuts on his face and an eye injury when a car he was riding in crashed into a security barrier that inadvertently deployed at the Cannon House Office Building. Sullivan filed suit against the government under the Federal Tort Claims Act in an effort to get compensation for his injuries. But federal officials pointed out that the Federal Employees Compensation Act is the exclusive remedy for feds injured on the job -- including members of Congress. So Sullivan was forced to file a FECA claim with the Labor Department. Still, he tried to keep his lawsuit open, complaining that he "has not received a penny to date" on his FECA claim. But a federal court dismissed that argument, saying that FECA was his only option. So for now, Sullivan has to wait his turn like any other injured fed.