These are difficult economic times. For the everyday worker, both Federal and Postal employees, the decisions made at the top echelons of the Federal Government and the U.S. Postal Service impact the financial security and viability of each and everyone. Bad decisions have a cumulative impact upon future alternatives for economic security. Wasted funds thrown at various programs which engendered political favoritism and popular responses at the time, are spent resources which now squeeze out necessary services and programs.
Category: Federal Disability Retirement Process
Don’t Fill Out the OPM Standard Forms before You Know the Law
In undertaking any endeavor, one should never engage the activity until one has thoroughly analyzed and understood the overarching rules which govern the enterprise, whether it is in sports, a trade, a craft – or applying for a benefit at the Local, State or Federal level. Would you advise your child to play football without first going over the rules? Would you hand a power tool to a novice? Or entrust a large sum of money to an individual who possesses no knowledge about financial management?
Sticking to Basic Approaches is the Road to Success
The preparation, formulation, and finalization prior to filing a Federal Disability Retirement application, whether under FERS (the Federal Employees Retirement System) or CSRS (Civil Service Retirement System), should be sufficiently reviewed and carefully scrutinized prior to submission to the Agency of the Federal Employee (if still employed or separated but not more than 31 days) or the H.R. Shared Services Center for the Postal Employee (in Greensboro, North Carolina, where all Postal Disability Retirement applications are processed….
Preparing, Formulating, and Filing for FERS Disability Retirement benefits
Federal and Postal employees who are attempting to prepare, formulate, and file a Federal Disability Retirement application under FERS & CSRS must somehow endeavor to “put it all together” in order to meet the 7-part criteria which the Office of Personnel Management has extracted and extrapolated pursuant to (so they claim) Sections 844.101 to 844.404 of Title 5, Code of Federal Regulations (for those under FERS) and similar provisions for those under CSRS (which is becoming a rarer animal close to extinction).
OPM Disability Retirement: While the Law May Favor the Applicant, the Process Does Not
There is often a suspicion that certain forums are “weighted” in favor of the government. In speaking with Federal and Postal Workers who are contemplating filing for Federal Disability Retirement benefits from the Office of Personnel Management, a concern which often surfaces repeatedly is that the Merit Systems Protection Board is “weighted” in the government’s favor. While it may be true that the MSPB may find in favor of the Federal Government and its agencies in a majority of cases, this does not necessarily mean that there is a bias on the part of the Administrative Judges.
FERS Disability Retirement: Understanding the Different Perspectives and Differing Interests
As with most things in life, attempting to secure a Federal Employee Disability Retirement annuity under FERS or CSRS requires an extraordinary amount of time, effort, planning, and the collection, formulation and coordination of a compendium of information. Multiple questions arise at the early stages of planning: Can I live on 60% of the average of one’s highest-3 consecutive years of salary for the first year, then upon the second and subsequent years at 40% (planning stage)? Will my doctor support me (collection of information stage)?
Federal Disability Retirement: The Case Does Not End Until a Final Order is Issued and the Time for Appeals Has Expired
In Law, not only is persistence necessary (as well as being a virtue), it is necessary in order to prevail. It is always disheartening to go up against a governmental Agency; it is even harder when a person suffers from a medical condition which impacts one’s physical abilities, or perhaps one’s emotional or cognitive capabilities — or both. The process of obtaining Federal Disability Retirement under FERS or CSRS from the Office of Personnel Management is a long road […]
How to Win a FERS Disability Retirement Case
Individuals attempting to file for Federal Employee Disability Retirement, either under FERS or CSRS, on their own, and without an Attorney, must meet the same standards, same criteria, and same legal thresholds, as those who are represented. While it may cost an individual in the short term to hire an Attorney, that cost may be insignificant compared to the loss of a long-term investment….