When we were young, a sense of invincibility can set in even when tragedy strikes others, and we are always — somehow — left to spare. Perhaps we begin to believe that we are “special”, or that fate has something unique for us; or even that our genetic make-up is somewhat superior than others.
Whatever the reasonings, it is always “the other person” who is hit with the bad luck, the seasonal flu, the chronic illness, the bad relationship, left without an umbrella on a rainy day, and multiple other small and larger calamities. But time and age take care of such things; at some point in life, the “other” person becomes you — and the youthful you becomes the other person who looks at you and says, “I must be different”.
For Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who suffer from a medical condition such that the medical condition now prevents you from performing one or more of the essential elements of your Federal or Postal position, you are now that other person — the one who needs to consult with an attorney to discuss the possibility of filing for Federal Disability Retirement benefits through the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
What you do not want to do is to become like the other person who fails to act, and instead lives out the calamity without a hopeful future.
Sincerely,
Robert R. McGill, Esquire
OPM Disability Retirement, Et Cetera… 