“Is it possible…” is an impossible question to answer. For, the conceptual distinction between that which is possible, as opposed to probable, is one which reveals the chasm between the world of fantasy and one of reality. The world of the “possible” is unconstrained and unbounded; the world of probable occurrences may be fenced in by statistical constructs, actual circumstances, and real-world experiences.
While it is possible to stay on OWCP for a long duration, it is also probable that OWCP will cut off one’s benefits at some future, undetermined and unexpected time.
Thus, for the Federal or Postal employee who is on, has been on, or even is contemplating filing for, OWCP/FECA benefits because of a work-related injury, the benefit itself is attractive enough to remain on the rolls of OWCP until such time as (A) the Federal or Postal employee can return back to work, (B) the Federal or Postal Worker is deemed recovered, and the OWCP benefits are cut off, or (C) the Federal or Postal Worker decides to “move on” in life.
The first two choices are essentially out of the arena of “control” of the Federal or Postal employee, for one cannot determine or expedite the recovery period of a medical condition, and further, only the doctor (or its surrogate, the Office of Worker’s Compensation Programs) can determine whether or not the Federal or Postal work is now recovered.
As for the last choice, however, it is the Federal or Postal worker who can make the determination — especially if one has already gotten an approval from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management on one’s Federal OPM Disability Retirement application.
OWCP is not a retirement system; one cannot work at another job while on OWCP; one must sit and do what the OWCP case worker tells you to do. It is only with Federal Disability Retirement benefits, whether under FERS or CSRS, that one can actually engage in another, alternative vocation or career, and begin to move on in life, and become released from the stagnant waters of a constraining medical condition — or that of OWCP.
Sincerely,
Robert R. McGill, Esquire
Filed under: OPM Disability & OWCP Workers Comp Filings | Tagged: at the mercy of the office of workers compensation programs, attorney representing federal workers for disability throughout the united states, decisions a federal employee under workers comp dol must make, disability owcp, disability retirement for federal employees, feca-owcp is not a permanent safety net, Federal Disability, federal disability retirement, federal employees using short-term medical benefits for long-term medical retirement, federal workers' temporary compensations versus a retirement system, FERS disability retirement, fers disability retirement and the freedom to control your future, freedom and business opportunities under federal disability retirement, if you have to switch from owcp to postal disability, law firm representing clients in opm disability law all across america, long term disibility us postal service, more control over your future with opm disability retirement, moving from owcp to federal employee medical retirement, nationwide representation of federal employees, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP), OPM disability retirement, owcp temporary vs permanent disability, Postal disability, postal employees short term disability, representing federal employees from any us government agency, short term disability usps, starting a business on federal disability or owcp rehabilitation, switching from workers comp owcp to opm disability retirement, the owcp and a false sense for long-term security, the temporary nature of the federal workers comp system, total versus partial disability in owcp's and opm's laws, trying to change things you have some control over, us dept of labor owcp, USPS disability retirement, usps light duty owcp, usps short term disability, when the federal employee confuses workers comp with fers disability, Workers Comp disability, Workers Comp is a temporary disability program, workers comp short-term disability and opm long-term disability |
OPM Disability Retirement 
Leave a Reply