Physicians are peculiar animals. They are here to help; and from their perspective, success is measured in terms of how rarely a patient returns for further care. The ultimate sentence of failure is to conclude that nothing further can be done for an individual, and one must therefore declare that the patient is permanently disabled.
For the Federal or Postal employee contemplating filing for Federal Disability Retirement benefits from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, whether under FERS or CSRS, such a perspective on the part of the physician is important before approaching the treating doctor with a request for a medical report. That is why the SF 3112C is such an ineffective vehicle of communication.
Consider this: SF 3112C is a government-prepared form; it is formulated by Federal bureaucrats; the language merely proposes generic guidelines concerning what is required — without any amendments or consideration of case-law refinements which have been promulgated over the evolution of Federal Disability Retirement laws over these many years.
Perhaps more importantly, however, is the lack of bedside manners in handing to a physician a standard form. While many physicians themselves lack adequate bedside manners, it is the epitome of bad form to thrust a pre-printed form (no pun intended) under the nose of a physician who is supposed to be treating and taking care of you, and to declaratively order, “Fill this out”. Even an addendum of “please” will not adequately modify such an affront.
The physician-patient relationship is one based upon communication, knowledge, personal sharing, and a good bit of explaining. Taking the time to prepare a physician is the least one should do in preparing for an effective Federal Disability Retirement application.
Sincerely,
Robert R. McGill, Esquire
Filed under: OPM Disability Actors - The Doctor | Tagged: a personal medical report or just filling out the sf 3112c, a rational perspective from your disability claim evaluation, alternative to using 3112c in federal disability application, approaching a physician with the 3112C in your hand, asking a doctor to do an administrative task for you, attorney representing federal workers for disability throughout the united states, avoiding the 3112c and using a medical narrative instead, civil service disability retirement, disability retirement at the USPS, disability retirement for federal employees, doctor and patient relationship, explaining relationship of disability with job performance, federal disability attorney, federal disability law blog, federal disability lawyer, federal disability retirement, federal employee disability, federal employee disability doctor, FERS disability retirement, fers disability retirement and the doctor with good ''bedside manners'', filing a medical release form in disguise: 3112c, instead of using the sf 3112c...., law firm representing clients in opm disability law all across america, legal services for federal and postal workers all across america, nationwide representation of federal employees, OPM Disability and the Ideal Doctor and Patient Relationship, OPM disability attorney, opm disability forms, OPM disability lawyer, OPM disability retirement, opm release of approval information, owcp disability retirement, perspe, physician's statements in an OPM disability case, Post Office disability, representing federal employees in and outside the country, SF 3112C Physician's Statement, the compelling description of physical incapacity, the importance of the personal relationship of the treating doctor in fers disability claims, the opm disability application from the perspective of your physician, understanding a doctor's perspective when he or she declares you disabled, USPS Disability, viewing your federal disability claim from the perspective of your physician, Why not to submit an SF 3112C, why you should not release all your medical information to opm, your treating doctors |
Leave a Reply