As part of the filing for Federal Disability Retirement from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, the Federal or Postal employee who is under FERS (CSRS is exempted from this procedural requirement) must file for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits.
How aggressively should one file for SSDI, and when should it be filed? The latter question will be taken up first: as a practical matter, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management does not need to see a receipt showing that one has filed for SSDI until the date of an approval of a Federal Disability Retirement application.
However, most agencies are under the mis-impression that, procedurally, it must be accomplished prior to submission of a Federal Disability Retirement application, and some agencies actually misinform Federal and Postal employees by insisting that one must receive a “decision” from the Social Security Administration prior to submitting a Federal Disability Retirement application under FERS, with OPM. That is simply untrue. All that OPM requires is a mere receipt showing that you filed. This can be completed and a receipt printed out, by filing online.
As for the extent of one’s efforts in filing for SSDI? In order to answer that, multiple questions should be asked of one’s self: Will I be working at another job in the private sector while on FERS disability annuity? Do I plan to make more than the low threshold ceiling of allowable earned income which Social Security allows for? How likely will it be to qualify for the higher standard of being unable to engage in “substantial gainful activity” under SSDI rules?
These are all questions which should be asked in the course of filing for SSDI under the FERS program of applying for Federal Disability Retirement benefits. Remember, it is the question which narrowly focuses the answer; without the former, it is unlikely that one will arrive with accuracy unto the latter.
Sincerely,
Robert R. McGill, Esquire
Filed under: OPM Disability & SSA Social Security Disability Benefits | Tagged: are fers disability retirement applicants required to file for ssdi too?, attention opm disability retirement applicants - before deciding how strong to pursue ssdi, civil service disability, disabled federal employees applying for ssdi, do I need to get approved for social security disability income before I can submit a claim for fers disability benefits, Federal Disability, federal employees considering ssdi and ssi, federal opm disability retirement and the in substantial gainful activity earning limitation, fers disability and social security disability insurance ssdi, FERS disability retirement, filing for ssdi and opm disability retirement, is there any rules under fers that also apply for ssdi?, nationwide representation of federal employees, not approval but only a receipt that the opm applicant applied for ssdi, opm disability and social security disability, OPM disability retirement, opm disability retirement with ssdi and employment considerations, owcp disability retirement, postal service disability retirement, pursuing another career after getting opm disability retirement, questions about ssdi that federal disability retirement applicants should consider, should I apply for social security disability before even applying for opm disability?, ssdi benefits and its implications in earning capacity, submitting the social security disability application receipt, the ssdi receipt that fers disability applicants need to submit to the opm, the ssdi requirement for disabled postal employee, us government employees: filing for ssdi as a formality or for financial survival, USPS disability retirement, what fers disability annuitants should consider before pushing for ssdi, when it doesn't make sense to pursue ssdi aggressively after getting a federal disability award from the opm, whether it makes sense to get both opm and social security disability retirement, your fers disability retirement and the ssdi mixed blessing | 1 Comment »
