OPM Medical Retirement Attorney: The Cauldron of One’s Past

The oversized iron pot hangs over the open fire, and the gurgling of ingredients steams and burps the lid in predictable sequences of rhythmic timing; the aroma is an admixture of sweet and mysterious combinations of one knows-not-what; perhaps of bones, marrow and herbs, here a whiff of something which touches upon the dark recesses of one’s memory, and there a hint of harboring horrors, reminding us of past deeds and loathsome reminiscences.

The figure who stands hunched over the source of pervading uprisings, is covered in a dark shawl; a bony hand gripping the large wooden ladle, mixing, turning, crouching over to sniff and taste; and from the chasm of the figure’s hollow mouth, toothless and echoing a chamber of snorting chafes, the sigh of satisfaction emits, as the cauldron of one’s past is ready to be served.  And so the story goes.

Who among us would want the fullness of one’s past and history of deeds to be revealed?  What pot would hold the full taste of one’s misdeeds, private concerns and actions engaged?

For Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who are considering filing for Federal Disability Retirement benefits, the process itself sometimes feels like one is forced to partake of a witch’s brew — who will be in the mix?  What private information will have to be revealed?  When will the pot of information be ready?  Who will mix the ingredients?  The mysteries contained within the mixture of the witch’s brew is indeed terrifying.  Every process which is unknown and, moreover, unknowable, is one fraught with concerns and trepidation of purpose.

For Federal and Postal employees under FERS, CSRS or CSRS Offset, the decision to file for Federal Disability Retirement benefits through the U.S. Office of Personnel Management is like the witch’s cauldron — it must bring to the fore one’s current circumstances (the medical condition), the impact upon the future (finances, future job prospects, etc.), and potentially the confrontation with one’s past (agencies love to do that).

The key is to understand the complexities of the administrative process, and to maneuver through the bureaucracy of the witch’s brew.  In doing that, one must always be cognizant of the cauldron of one’s past, and keep out of the reach and grasp of those bony fingers which reach out to encircle one’s throat, lest you become an ingredient in the admixture of the skeletons found at the bottom of the pot.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire

 

Federal & Postal Disability Retirement: Conceptual Relationships

Word associations are revealing.  When once a word is uttered, the immediate association of another concept provides a prelude to the cognitive perspective of an individual.  Conceptual relationships are forged through upbringing, personal experiences, and memories fulfilled through impact, trauma, significance of meaning, and attribution of value.  The thinking “I” within the subjective realm of a personal universe, is made up of ghosts of the past, goblins of present fears, and gadflies yet to swarm.

Medical conditions, and terms associated with diagnoses and disabilities, whether physical or psychiatric, tend to engender fear and loathing, precisely because of the limitations they impose, the havoc they wreak, and the problems they present.

For Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who suffer from a medical condition, such that the medical condition begins to impact the ability and capacity to perform the essential elements of one’s Federal or Postal job, the option of choice to resolve the impending problems of unbalance — of the growing and magnified inability to juggle work, medical care, and physical/cognitive/emotional health — is to file for Federal Disability Retirement benefits through the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, whether the Federal or Postal worker is under FERS, CSRS or CSRS Offset.

No, it is not a perfect solution.  Yes, it is an option which is final, in the sense that one is retired from the Federal System.  But when alternative courses of actions are delimited within the purview of pragmatic choices, conceptual associations must be tempered within the objective realm of reality.

The moon may well be made of blue cheese, and such conceptual associations can be wrought within the realm of Platonic Forms and cognitive gymnastics; but in the real world, conceptual relationships must by necessity be forged within the iron ore of a witch’s cauldron brewing the germinations for future discourse.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire

 

The Sequence of Steps during Federal Disability Retirement Filing

Confusion often results in a meandering of purposes; on a graph, it is rarely the linear focus of a clear start point with an end goal; instead, the zig-zagging effect of wasted energies manifests a lack of insight into the procedural methodologies which should be followed in any endeavor.  Just as a broken clock can be correct in telling time twice in a 24-hour period, so an endeavor engaged can sometimes result in an effective product, but one should never rely upon the statistical chance that success will result from confusion.

In a complex conundrum of an administrative, bureaucratic process, such as that represented by filing for Federal Disability Retirement benefits for Federal and Postal workers under FERS, CSRS or CSRS Offset, it is important to employ a clearly goal-oriented, methodological approach in completing an effective Federal Disability Retirement packet.

Yes, there are many forms to complete (SF 3107 for FERS employees; SF 2801 for CSRS & CSRS Offset; SF 3112 series for all three, FERS, CSRS & CSRS Offset); yes, the tentacles of administrative and procedural requirements are numerous and overlapping, creating a confused cauldron of conundrums one cannot fathom to complete in a rational manner; and, yes, there is an amalgamation of tasks to complete, all within the context of dealing with the medical condition itself, the problems at work (if one is still employed with one’s agency), and the worries overwhelming with future concerns.

But the options are clear and limited; the reasons for filing for Federal OPM Disability Retirement benefits are clear and unequivocal:  as choices in life reflect a linear path with few outlets beyond the stated goal, it is important to identify the efficacy of the steps which are required, and to implement them in the proper sequence in order to reach the intended target:  an approval from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire