Is it to merely reach retirement age? Does it matter what the “quality” of life will be, or is it just enough that one has reached the age and “time-in-service” requirements, despite being debilitated by a medical condition?
Goals are funny animals; once set, most of us are determined to reach them no matter what the cost. Yet, there is no unchangeable rule that states that a given “goal” cannot be modified. Yes, we tend to liken goals to “rules” by which we play games, conduct sports events and live our lives according to the “laws” of which we are aware. But personal and professional goals — they are set within the constrictions of our own minds, desires and will, and can be modified as circumstances change.
For Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who suffer from a medical condition such that the medical condition prevents the Federal or Postal employee from performing one or more of the essential elements of one’s Federal or Postal job, the question must be asked, What is the Goal?
If a career goal is impacted by a medical condition, then the goal itself must by necessity adapt to the new circumstances. Filing a Federal Disability Retirement application is a form of adaptation to a changed circumstance.
Consult with an OPM Disability Attorney who specializes in OPM Disability Retirement Law, and consider what the goal is, in the first place, and secondly, whether your present condition and circumstances might not warrant a modification of that original goal.
Sincerely,
Robert R. McGill, Esquire
OPM Disability Retirement, Et Cetera… 