Federal Disability Retirement: The Value of Complaint

The older generation would probably disagree.  For, complaining about anything in this world “never gets you anywhere”, is the refrain often heard from a generation which endured the Great Depression, a World War, the Cold War, nuclear threats — and, more recently, of global terrorism.

And where did “complaining” get us?  Nowhere.  Government keeps getting bigger and bigger, more intrusive into our lives, while the services offered become less efficient.  Things always seem to get worse, over time, despite promises of greater efficiency and openness.

Yet, there is a value in complaining — at a minimum, of simply releasing the pent-up frustrations amassed through standing in long lines, inability to get through to a live person on the telephone, and a myriad of other frustrations and withheld, repressed irritations.  Complaining also has the value of letting your concerns be known to others.

There is, of course, a “fine line” between complaining (a negative connotation) and expressing one’s “concerns” (a valid, more-acceptable linguistic contortion that is somehow a “positive” engagement).  Perhaps it has to do with the accompanying tone of voice, facial expression, or just the plain fact that if the listening individual likes you, then you are expressing a concern, but if he/she decides to not like you, then you are “complaining”.

For Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who are considering filing an effective Federal Disability Retirement application under the FERS system, through the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, “complaining” is a necessary component in preparing an effective Federal Disability Retirement application.  For one thing, you need to — at a minimum — have some documentary proof of your health complaints (i.e., have a history of medical treatment).  Moreover, it is often helpful if your agency knows of your health concerns (here we go again — a more “positive” way of putting it).

And when you are ready, call a Federal Attorney who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement Law, and begin to complain to him about the complex bureaucratic process of preparing, formulating and filing an effective Federal Disability Retirement case.  And as to the value of complaint?  I promise to listen.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill
Lawyer exclusively representing Federal and Postal employees to secure their Federal Disability Retirement benefits under FERS from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

 

Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Disability Retirement: The Drama of Life

There is drama everywhere — whether in theaters, local plays, movies or daytime soap operas, the drama of life is being played out.  “Drama”, “dramatic”, “melodrama” — whichever word or concept you apply, we all know what it means.  Most of us try to minimize it, avoid it, marginalize it — and the quick response to cut it down to size is often, “I’m not into that kind of drama” or, “Aren’t you being a bit over-dramatic?”

Once upon a time the fable of lessons learned included “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” — of that story with a moral lesson of the importance of truth-telling, and if you over-dramatized a lie too often, your reputation would suffer.  And so the moral of the story taught 2 things: “Truth” is important; creating drama for your own amusement would have consequences.

But in life, there are times when the drama of life cannot be avoided.  One such time is when a Federal or Postal employee is beset with 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.  That is a time when the drama of life must be faced, especially in terms of a career choice — of whether you can continue on, or file for Federal Disability Retirement benefits under FERS.

Contact a Federal Lawyer who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement Law and begin the process of facing up to the drama of life.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Lawyer
FERS Disability Retirement Attorney

 

Federal Employee Disability Pension: Avoiding the Rabbit Hole

The figurative “rabbit hole” originates from the famous Carroll classic, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.  As applied, it refers to the labyrinthine distractions which we pursue in acts of futility — of irrelevancies and asides that detract from the importance of a focused and purposeful endeavor.

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, avoiding the proverbial “rabbit hole” is important both in terms of focus, as well as relevancy of application.

Avoid the obvious rabbit holes — Federal Disability Retirement is not the time to complain incessantly about how badly you have been treated by your agency; it is not the moment for revenge; it is not the forum for blasting your supervisor and how mean he or she has been, etc.  The focus is the rabbit, and not the rabbit hole.

Contact a FERS Disability Lawyer who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement Law, and make sure that your application for Federal Disability Retirement benefits leads to an approval — meaning, the prize of the rabbit, and not the empty rabbit hole.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire

 

Federal & Postal Employee Disability Retirement: Failures

When ascribed to a task or a project, it all depends upon how it is characterized.  When identified or closely associated with an individual, we tend to be harsher judges — especially when it involves our own participation.  Perhaps there is a simple, even “objective” definition which encapsulates the concept of failure: Of merely not achieving that which was expected.

If we work with that definition, then the focal point would be upon our own expectations, and perhaps we simply needed to adjust them to a more realistic perspective.  Then again, such an approach would merely be a circular tautology, and there would never be any failures — i.e., every time a failure occurred, we could just say, “Oh, we expected that”, and every time our expectations were not met, we would say, “Oh, we changed our expectations, so it is no longer a failure”.  But clearly, that does not reflect reality, and there are truly times when failure does occur.

In the end, what is important is to recognize that our expectations — both of ourselves and of outcomes in reality — cannot always be met, precisely because there are other intervening factors that may account for the prevention of meeting them.

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, it is important to recognize that the intervening factor of the medical condition itself is what prevents you from meeting that expectation of reaching full retirement, and that is why Federal Disability Retirement benefits are there to assert.

It is not a “failure” to file for Federal Disability Retirement benefits; rather, our expectations concerning our own health intervened in the meantime, and we have to adjust to accommodate — not a failure, but of human frailty.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire

 

Federal Employee Disability Retirement: Finishing a Novel

There is a great sense of accomplishment in finishing a novel, just as there is in completing any task or endeavor begun and ended.  Reading is a peculiar and unique endeavor: Of being able to become transported into a fantasy world created for no other reason than to become lost.  You can travel to other countries, become a part of a stranger’s life, or enter into a universe where time matters not, space is of little value and worlds can be quite different from the one you are familiar with.

Reality can jolt you out of the imagination of your mind created by the mere reading of a couple of pages, and then after the chore is done, you can pick right back where you left off, by picking back up the novel left — and upon rereading that sentence you had left behind, get right back into the world of the author’s tale.

Compared to the actual cost of a plane ticket, hotel and expenses, reading a novel which takes place in a country of your choice is relatively inexpensive.  The novels we read tell much about the person we are, just like the novels we create reflect the lives we live.  And just as in fictional storytelling, there is much in real life that we cannot control — one’s health being one of those circumstances over which we have little, if any at all.

For Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who suffer from a medical condition such that the medical condition prevents the Federal or Postal worker from performing one or more of the essential elements of one’s Federal or Postal job, it may be time to finish that “novel” which tells of a story of struggle and despair, and to begin a new one beyond a career with the Federal workforce.

Consult with an attorney who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement Law, and write the ending to your own novel — one that finishes with a theme different from the harassment at the hands of an agency or Postal unit that cares not for happy endings.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire

 

Federal Disability Retirement: The Hunt for Nirvana

The initial question is: Is there even such a state?  That would, of course, preemptively undermine the very “hunt” for it, precisely because it would be an act of futility.  On the other hand, don’t most of us chase after chimeras of various sorts — whether of fame, wealth, lost loves or repressed daydreams?  So, why not hunt after the paradigm of paragon-like virtues — a state of release, of a transcendent experience devoid of self, suffering and selfish self-centeredness; or, as some might say, of a death-like state in living form.  Many would not even have a desire for such a state.

The amalgamation of we “think” is the state of Nirvana is probably quite different from the actual concept as attained or sought after by those who profess a belief in it.  It is the complete loss of self; of a state where one’s ego no longer exists, and with its disappearance, both sides of the human “coin” are also transcended: pleasure and pain.  One cannot go through life without its opposite and corollary: If you are capable of experiencing pleasure, then you are open to feeling pain, just as the person who can have happiness must by necessity tolerate sadness.  It is, unfortunately, part of being what it means to be “human”, and it is an act of futility if you try and expunge one while attempting to retain the other.  It is simply not possible.

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, it is likely time to consult with a FERS Attorney who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement Law.  Preparing an effective Federal Disability Retirement application under FERS is not a hunt for Nirvana; no, not even close.  In fact, it is another bureaucratic morass which can be a pain in the proverbial behind, and is a long and complex administrative process which makes the hunt for Nirvana like a pleasurable vacation in comparison.

Consult with an experienced attorney who specializes and knows about Federal Disability Retirement Law, and leave the hunt for Nirvana to those who like to trek through the Himalayan mountains.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire

 

FERS Disability Retirement for Federal Employees: Maintaining the Fakery

Is it like a bakery, or perhaps some other manufacturing facility where things are made?  In some sense, perhaps; but it is not the “making” of it, but of maintaining it.

To a great extent, we all have a feeling of fakery — that we are not as competent as others believe us to be; that our outer appearance of confidence, boldness, knowledge and positive attitude do not reflect our inner sense of insecurity, tentativeness and lack of certainty.  Are there people in this world where the “inner” self actually reflects the “outer”?  Or, are we all beset with being a quivering ball of showmanship — like the famous actor who falls apart before every show but somehow regains his composure and acts like a star every time?

Maintaining the fakery is what is required daily; some are better at it than others; still other thrive by it; and the few detritus of human beings who cannot abide in it, fall apart and admit to being unable to maintain it any longer.

For Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who suffer from a medical condition such that the medical condition prevents the Federal or Postal worker from performing one or more of the essential elements of one’s Federal or Postal job, maintaining the fakery is an essential part of the medical condition itself: Of trying to keep up one’s performance level; trying to hide the symptoms of the medical condition; trying to maintain the level of attendance and hide the debilitating effects of the medical condition itself, etc.

But fakery can only deceive for a limited amount of time; and when the truth begins to seep out, it may be time to consult with an attorney who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement Law, lest maintaining the fakery leads to the greater truth about yourself, that in the meantime your health is what is being sacrificed upon the altar of truth.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire