Whether, and to what extent, Federal agencies will support a Federal Medical Retirement, goes to the ultimate issues of sufficiency, necessity and relevancy. Sufficiency is satisfied by the minimal act of completing the two primary standard forms which the agency is responsible for: SF 3112B (the Supervisor’s Statement) and SF 3112D (Agency Certification of Reassignment and Accommodation Efforts).
Necessity is further accomplished by processing the Federal employee’s Federal Disability Retirement application if the Federal employee or the U.S. Postal employee is still on the rolls of the agency or the U.S. Postal Service, or even if he or she has been separated, the separation has not been for more than thirty one (31) days. If the Federal employee (now former) or U.S. Postal worker (also now former) has been separated for more than thirty one (31) days, then the Federal Disability Retirement application must be submitted directly to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, whether the individual is under FERS or CSRS. In either case, the current Federal agency’s Human Resource’s Office would still have to complete SF 3112D, and the former or current Supervisor must complete the Supervisor’s Statement (SF 3112B). Lack of cooperation on the part of an agency or the U.S. Postal Service, once the Federal employee or U.S. Postal worker is separated from Federal Service, is often a problem — but, then, lack of cooperation can be a problem in any event, even if one is still with the agency.
Finally, the question of relevancy is always a problem to be encountered and confounded. Is what the agency states on SF 3112B and/or SF 3112D helpful, significant or even relevant? It all depends. Some statements can be less-than, while others can remain neutral or somewhat helpful. Relying upon one’s agency, whether current or former, to help in a Federal Disability Retirement application, beyond doing that which is sufficient or even necessary, is to run on a fool’s errand.
But then, when a Federal employee or a U.S. Postal worker finds it necessary to file for Federal Disability Retirement benefits, whether one is under FERS or CSRS, through one’s agency and then ultimately to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, is to sufficiently reflect a choice of wisdom, and thereby the wise person has already shown a necessary discernment between the importance of priorities in life, as opposed to the irrelevant glitter of fool’s gold.
Sincerely,
Robert R. McGill, Esquire
Filed under: OPM Disability Actors - The Agency | Tagged: a process of frustration: federal disability retirement, additional guidance on sf 3112b and sf 3112dforms, agencies inaccurate statements about their disabled employees, agency's extraordinary assessment in fers disability applications, attorney representation federal employees in and outside the country, civil service disability retirement, considering the fact that agencies and supervisors don't always tell the truth during a postal service disability retirement claim, delay from the hr office during the processing of a disability claim, erroneous misstatements as basis for denial, ethical issues when filing the 3112b form, federal disability retirement benefits and the agency's input, federal employees retirement system (fers) retirement, federal supervisors and managers, fers and csrs disability forms, FERS disability retirement, hoping for uncooperative neutrality from agency as a reasonably positive expectation, how to neutralize negative statements from supervisor's statements in sf 3112b, law firm representing clients in opm disability law all across america, legal services for federal and postal workers all across america, more on the sf 3112b or supervisor's statements, negative responses from the agency and supervisors, negative statements made by supervisors to undermine a federal disability retirement application, opm disability retirement standard forms, opm forms sf 3112b & sf3112d and their inaccuracies, postal service disability retirement, questions the agency will answer in the 3112d, sf standard forms disability compensation federal employment, Standard Form 3112b, the agency's human resources office & fers disability retirement, the disabled federal employee and the minimal cooperation from the agency, the forms that the agency must fill out in a federal disability retirement case, the hr department opposes an employee's federal disability retirement application, the human resource’s office during the processing of the federal disability retirement forms, the influence of agencies in disability retirement, the many-time mean actions from the federal agencies or the us postal service, the opm disability application supervisor's statements, the opm sf 3112b form: supervisor's statements of disability, uncooperation from the agency with opm disability paperwork, usps disability retirement forms, what an agency may say in the federal disability retirement forms, what the agency may say in the 3112d may not be very accurate, what to realistically expect from the agency or the postal service when is their time to fill out their forms, when the agency will not cooperate with the rehab fed worker, why federal agencies don't always tell the truth in cases of disability retirement | Leave a comment »
OPM Disability Retirement: What Ifs
“What Ifs” are hypotheticals which can paralyze a process. Often, such imaginary road blocks are pragmatic irrelevancies, and are better left alone. Others, one should affirmatively confront.
Thus: “What if my Supervisor says…” There are things in one’s control, and those which are not. A Federal Disability Retirement application contains an implicit concept which must not be forgotten: It is actually a Federal Medical Disability Retirement application. What the Supervisor says or doesn’t say is not ultimately relevant. Can the Supervisor’s Statement have an influence or impact? Obviously. But it is not one of those things which should be worried about, because it is beyond anyone’s control — for the most part.
“What if my doctor won’t support my case?” This is a hypothetical which one has control over, in filing for Federal Medical Disability Retirement benefits. As such, one should make an appointment with the doctor before starting the process, or even contemplating starting the process, and have a frank discussion with the doctor. Bifurcate those issues which one has control over, from those which one does not. In filing for Federal Disability Retirement benefits under FERS or CSRS, one needs to confront the reality of today, in preparation for tomorrow’s future.
Sincerely,
Robert R. McGill, Esquire
Filed under: Pre-Application Considerations | Tagged: a doctor's comments are more important than a supervisor's comments in an opm claim, civil service disability, CSRS disability retirement federal attorney, deciding what medical documentation is relevant to your opm claim, ensuring a supportive physician even after opm application, ethical issues when filing the 3112b form, federal disability retirement is primarily a medical issue, fers disability application supervisor comments, FERS disability lawyer, FERS disability retirement, focusing on the main medical issues of your illnesses or injuries, getting the medical support you need for your federal disability case, how to seek the support of your treating doctor, law firm representing clients in opm disability law all across america, neutralizing negative statements from supervisor's statements in sf 3112b, OPM disability lawyer, OPM disability retirement, owcp disability retirement, postal service disability retirement, remembering that opm disability retirement is primarily a medical issue, representing federal employees from any us government agency, should I find another physician to support my opm claim?, super, supervisors' revenge against Postal workers, the 3112c form, the doctor's support for owcp and opm medical claims, the limited power of a supervisor in the fers disability retirement process, the most and the least important actors fers disability retirement, the relevant medical information in opm disability, the supportive physician, trying to change things you have some control over, usps disability and the support of a doctor to your workers comp claim, USPS disability retirement, usps form 3112c, why the sf 3112b matters less than the doctor's statements, why your doctor's support is critical to your opm disability claim, worrying about keeping your doctor on your side under workers comp, worrying about things out of your control | Leave a comment »