FERS Disability Retirement: Calm’s Appearance

There is much angst in this society.  The old saying, “The calm before the storm” — but, more aptly, the appearance of calm before the storm.  For, beneath the surface of society’s semblance of seeming silence and serenity, there is widespread unrest, and a fury which bellows remorsefully.

Like the birds singing a moment before, but with a trepidation as the tectonic shifts beneath the earth groaning in anticipation of the reverberations of the coming earthquake which shatters and crumbles, society’s growing anxiety crawls along like caterpillars inching unknowingly towards the mouth of an awaiting frog; and when capillaries of angst await the crushing footsteps of disasters foreboding, we deny that which is obvious to most and fleeting to some: Something is just not right.

What does it mean when calm’s appearance has a twitching eye?  Or when the facial smile just doesn’t quite match the anxious window to the soul?

Calm’s appearance can fool some; but, even in the act of fooling, there comes a time when the nervous laughter reveals the internal casting of an askew glance elsewhere.

For Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who suffer from an illness or disability such that the illness or disability no longer allows you to maintain calm’s appearance, the alternative is not just to panic and go off the deep end; rather, it is best to retain some semblance of calm, and to contact a FERS Attorney who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement Law.

For, in the end, what is the choice?  You have to keep plugging away as best you can and, in the meantime, let your OPM Disability Attorney begin the process of preparing, formulating and filing an effective Federal Disability Retirement application under FERS, through the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

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.

 

FERS Medical Disability Retirement: Larger Than Life

Every culture paints the picture of the mythological character, woven into the fabric of stories told, of narratives given, of heroes and heroines looming larger than life.

Of Caesar, Jefferson (somewhat cut down to size in recent years); of David versus Goliath; Patton and his 7th mechanized Army, beating out Montgomery and the 8th Army in the race to Messina; of a recent leader (who will be left unnamed) who was once a reality-T.V. star and now mythologized for his excesses; and although you may disagree with everything the “larger-than-life” figure may represent, you cannot avoid the fact that every culture, all countries, all around the globe and throughout history, have created, fostered, maintained and eulogized anointed figures at the altar of idol worshippers.

Perhaps it is a necessary prelude, or at least an ingredient, for any civilization; that, by creating such characters and caricatures, we can better deal with the regular humdrum lives which most of us experience.  We say to ourselves, “Well, if David could have slain Goliath, then surely I can solve my own insignificant problems!”  Or, has it had a reverse, negative effect?  Of saying, “Yes, but I am not a Marvel-comic book hero; I can’t flight or zap my enemies with a thunderbolt; for goodness sakes, I can’t even pay my rent”?

And then, when a medical condition suddenly appears on the horizon — and in the end, all medical conditions are “larger than life”, precisely because many of them can defeat one’s life — it can result in devastating consequences.

For Federal employees and Postal workers who suffer from such a medical condition where it appears that the medical condition will necessitate the end of your Federal or Postal career, you may need to contact a FERS Disability Retirement Attorney who specializes in Federal Employee Disability Retirement Law, where the “larger than life” bureaucracy of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management may need the specialization of a FERS Lawyer who can contend with the Leviathan of a Federal Goliath, with a few smooth legal stones to cast at its heartbeat.

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.

 

Disability Retirement for FERS Employees: Perils of the Solitary

There is a time for the solitary — for reservation and reflection; for thoughtful contemplation; for rest, reclusive respite; to charge one’s battery, as the metaphor goes.  But of the perils of the solitary, they remain great: Of a growing sense of isolation leading to despondency; a loss of orientation with the world around; severing from necessary contact, of human engagement; a distorted view of a world sometimes hostile but rarely threatening beyond a de minimus reality.

The “solitary” can also take the form of having a semblance of community — such as the individual who sits day after day alone in a room, engaging in social media.  One can be drawn into a false sense of being part of a specific community, yet remain isolated and alone.  Cults take advantage of such individuals; as well, the danger of depression and despondency can overwhelm.

For Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who suffer from a medical condition such that the medical condition necessitates filing an effective Federal Disability Retirement application under FERS — the perils of the solitary begin immediately after the Federal Agency or the U.S. Postal Service begins to suspect that you are unable to perform all of the essential elements of your Federal or Postal job.

You become the outcast.  You become the weakest link.  You become scorned.

To avoid the perils of the solitary, contact a disability attorney who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement Law, and begin the process of preparing, formulating and filing an effective OPM Disability Retirement application under FERS, through the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, and avoid the perils of the solitary by teaming up with a FERS Lawyer who specializes in these types of issues.

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.

 

OPM Medical Retirement for Federal Employees: Lachrymose

The word for the day — “of or given to weeping”, as in, “A lachrymose temperament”, or a “lachrymose story about orphan children in Eastern Europe.”

Its opposite, of course, is what is more of the case — of stoicism and keeping that upper lip stiff; for, the antonym of life is comprised of being uncomfortable with revealing too much empathy, lest the tears shed would open up vulnerabilities likely taken advantage of.

The synonym of life is the danger of becoming too maudlin; and the worst of all combinations would thus be: “A person with a lachrymose temperament given to maudlin reactions”.

For Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who suffer from a medical condition where the medical condition begins to impact the Federal or Postal employee’s ability and capacity to perform all of the essential elements of one’s Federal or Postal job, there may in fact come a point where one’s lachrymose circumstances require the next step beyond merely trying the hide the medical condition from your supervisors and coworkers.

Filing a Federal Disability Retirement application under FERS is not an admission that one has been defeated by a lachrymose attitude; rather, it is the realization that an incompatibility exists between one’s chronic medical condition and the type of job you are required to perform.

Contact a retirement attorney who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement Law and begin the process of countering the lack of empathy manifested by or Agency or Postal Unit, where the lachrymose condition is viewed as mere weakness to be taken advantage of.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Lawyer

 

FERS Disability Retirement Law: Vestigial Lives

We never like to think about our lives in those terms — of what is left of it; of being a smaller part where once there represented a larger segment.  Vestigial lives — those remnants trailing behind; a shadow of its former self; the residue and indications of what once was.

Medical conditions tend to caricature a belief that it is now the “leftovers” where the main course has been largely consumed and the breadcrumbs are all that remain, left to be swept away by the waiter who stands by ready to pounce upon the vacated table.  Is that how we view our lives?  Do medical conditions leaves us so devastated, of a vestigial shadow of a former self that we cannot see a future brighter than the darkest days remembered from our past?

For Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who suffer from a medical condition such that the medical condition no longer allows the Federal or Postal worker to continue in his or her career path, contact an OPM Disability Lawyer who specializes in FERS OPM Medical Retirement, and begin to prepare for a life beyond the Federal government, and much more than mere vestigial lives representing a shadow of a former self — and instead, to consider going out into the private sector and making up to 80% of what your former job currently pays, on top of the Federal Disability Retirement annuity you can receive.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Lawyer

 

Federal & Postal Disability Retirement: The Unexpected

It can be exciting, yet disconcerting; a pleasant surprise, but moreover an unwelcome event; and perhaps even a pleasurable moment but with an uncomfortable edge.

We live by routines but thrive through tumults.  The “unexpected” is what jolts us out of the doldrums of daily repetitiveness, and is sometimes that which is needed in order to bring us out of the complacency of comfort and monotony.  Some thrive on it so much that they seek the adrenaline that accompanies, and attempt to make it as the mainstay of life — like the high of addicts which is constantly needed in greater doses in order to return to the baseline of euphoric feeling itself.

Some forms of the unexpected are unwanted; others, tolerable and endurable; and still others, perhaps gleefully embraced with open arms.  Much of the unexpected, or course, was fully expected; it is just that procrastination and disregard allowed it to remain out of our consciousness for a time such that, when the unexpected finally arrived, we forgot that it was to be expected but wanted it not to be so.

Isn’t old age expected?  Aren’t the chances of an automobile accident to be expected if you commute 100+ miles every day?  And aren’t medical conditions to be expected over a lifetime of stressful living?

For Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who encounter the unexpected — a medical condition — which begins to impact you in an unexpected way — of preventing you from performing one or more of the essential elements of your Federal or Postal job — it may be time to consider the unexpected: Of preparing, formulating and filing an effective Federal Disability Retirement application under FERS.

Consult with an attorney who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement Law, lest the unexpected bureaucratic complexities involved in filing a Federal Disability Retirement application with OPM should further complicate the unexpected, and so that the unexpected can be exposed to reveal the greater expectations of a future yet unexpected.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire

 

Federal Disability Retirement Representation: Of frauds and believers

Who is the greatest fraud of all time?  Of whom do we consider a “fraud”, and what is the criteria upon which we compare and determine the final judgment?

Certainly, many would include Bernie Madoff in that category; but what of tricksters and hoaxes that will have you believe in magical powers of levitation, bending spoons and non-invasive surgeries?  Is the greater hoax based upon the sheer number of believers, or upon the amount gained and the fervency of trust betrayed?  Do the number of believers following a cult leader count, based upon the quantifiable nature of the fraud itself, or is it the level of unquestioning belief that makes up for the lesser crowds garnered?

And what about the common fraudster — of the smiling face during times of need, but the quick stab once your worth is no longer apparent?  And of the workplace where the smiling backstabber whispers in conspiratorial glee, when once the boss listens and smirks at your every deed, replacing the accolades once passing for sincerity when all that was truly there was a Noh mask that concealed the sneer of disdain?  And what of that believer who persuades all of the others who were doubtful, but because you respected him or her, the fact that the believer lead others into the flock of deception — is that first believer also a fraudster?

And in the lonely quietude of one’s own thoughts and reflections, studies have shown that a great many people believe they themselves are fraudsters — perhaps not on the grand scale of having bilked millions, but merely that you are not whom you appear to be, and thus the empty shell within haunts in the conscience of a sleepless night.

For Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who suffer from a medical condition such that the medical condition begins to prevent the Federal or Postal employee from performing one or more of the essential elements of one’s Federal or Postal job, there is often a sense that a “fraud” is being committed — that having to be forced to “hide” the seriousness of the medical condition at the expense of one’s health; of striving to extend one’s Federal or Postal career beyond that which is medically advisable has been a necessity; and of having that conscience in disrepair because you cannot do everything that you once were able to — these are the characteristics of the Federal employee and Postal worker who possess a high degree of conscience and work ethic.

But do not mistake and confuse the difference between “fraud” and “conscience”; for, the former has no inkling of the latter, and it is because of the latter that the Federal workforce is so effective in administering goods and services in such a wide range of ways, with so little to work with.  But when it comes time to take care of one’s health, the Federal or Postal employee who must consider preparing, formulating and filing an effective Federal Disability Retirement application, whether under FERS, CSRS or CSRS Offset, must take into account the cost of fraud — of being untrue to one’s self by continuing in a job which is no longer consistent with one’s health.

Now, that is the greatest fraud of all — of lying to yourself and allowing your health to deteriorate.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire

 

FERS & CSRS Disability Retirement: The mindful debate

The concept itself can take on various meanings: of a “thoughtful” discourse or disagreement between two or more individuals; of a debate that takes into account factors leading to a courteous and conversational engagement; or of even a third meaning — that of an insular soliloquy, where the only voices participating in the debate are those of one’s own: voices that are never heard by the public ear, nor recognized by anyone else but the lonely voice within.

That is often the most dangerous of debates; for, in the end, who is the judge of such a debate, as to who wins or loses the argument?  Was there ever a chance for a third voice — an “objective” party outside of the confines of one’s own mind — to bring in another perspective, a different thought or a distinct voice of reason?

No — the mindful debate that includes only the purveyor of a one-sided perspective is predestined to conclude with a narrow viewpoint, and moreover, one that cannot be properly judged as right or wrong precisely because it was predetermined at the outset to a perspective unwilling to listen to differences. How often and how many walk about silently while never engaging others, forever having the mindful debate within?

It is too often the voices that consider the validity of such a debate to be singular, lonely and irrational, if only because rationality needs the input of voices other than one’s own.  Such mindful debates can turn to the solitary agony of troubled waters resulting from a myopic and wrongheaded view that things are worse than they seem, and it is the “seeming” that leads one astray.

For Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who suffer from a medical condition, where the medical condition begins to prevent the Federal or Postal worker from performing one or more of the essential elements of one’s Federal or Postal job, the singular voice that occurs in the loneliness of one’s mind is too often a one-sided debate until and unless you seek the advice of an attorney who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement Law.

Don’t let misinformation misguide you; do not allow for wrong paths to take you down error’s lane just because you have engaged in the solitary conclusions of a mindful debate.  Instead, before preparing, formulating and filing for Federal Disability Retirement benefits, to be submitted to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, whether you are under FERS, CSRS or CSRS Offset, consult with an attorney who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement Law and start including others in the mindful debate such that the mindfulness of the debate becomes also a thoughtful one.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire

 

Legal Representation for OPM Disability Claims: The stand-around guy

It is pointed out in contrast to the other finger pointed towards another — not the “stand up” guy (or girl), but the “stand-around” guy (or girl).   The former refers to a person who can be trusted at all times, is straightforward when asked about his or her opinions on a matter, and is generally known as an individual of “good character”.  By contrast, the latter describes a person who is unsure of himself; who loiters because he cannot decide what his purpose is for being anywhere; and is generally picked last, or next to last, when teams are chosen for a pick-up game of basketball or touch football.

It refers to a person who is the “extra” and the odd-man out where, on dinner dates of foursomes or six-somes or whatever-somes, arrives alone and makes it into an awkward three-some, five-some or other-some with an odd number.  She is the little sister tag-along, the younger brother pop-up character and the whac-a-mole that keeps reappearing no matter how many hints are given that his or her company is no longer needed, is undesired or otherwise disinvited; but to be direct and pointed to the stand-around guy would be cruelty in its worst form, as he or she doesn’t quite understand or would rather be subjected to the indignities of being the butt of all jokes rather than to be sent off into the lonely despair of self-confinement and isolation lost upon an island of one’s own thoughts.

He is the person who arrives and never knows where to stand; the last one to be seated, and only if their is an available chair vacated; and yet, the last one to leave despite the desertion of a party where he was unnoticed, never talked to nor engaged and included in conversations where circles and semi-circles of people gathered but no one noticed.

The stand-around guy is the “extra” on a movie-set hoping to get noticed, yet too fearful of such notoriety; and as the activity of the main set continues to focus upon the stars and central figures upon the stage which we call “life”, he or she shuffles about for years and extending into decades, unknowingly contributing to the drama of civilization’s inertness where kindness is rarely shown, humanity is concealed from history, and the cruelty to life’s misery keeps bubbling to the surface like a volcanic eruption percolating unnoticed beneath the seething surface of hidden appearances.

For Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who suffer from a medical condition, where the medical condition begins to prevent the Federal or Postal employee from performing one or more of the essential elements of one’s Federal or Postal job, does it often seem like the rest of the Federal Agency or the Postal Service is beginning to treat you like the “stand-around guy”?

Is it recognized and subtly acknowledged that you are no longer part of that “mission”, and because of your extensive leave-usage or LWOP excessiveness, or merely because you asserted your rights under FMLA, that now relegated into that status of persona non grata, the leper who was mistakenly given a pass out of the leper colony, or like the individual who says things embarrassingly in crowds of socialites who snub their noses at those who feign to be a part of the pseudo-aristocracy?

If you are beginning to be treated like that stand-around guy, it is likely time to begin to prepare, formulate and file an effective Federal Disability Retirement application, to be submitted to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, whether the Federal or Postal employee is under FERS, CSRS or CSRS Offset — lest the stand-around guy becomes the invisible man whose memory is quickly extinguished because of a removal action that came suddenly and unexpectedly from the upper echelons of powers-that-be, who decided to rid the Agency or the Postal Service of that stand-around guy whose presence was no longer needed.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire

 

Federal Disability Retirement: The Battle of Spring

There are various “battles” of historical import, including “The Battle of Britain”, “The Battle of the Bulge”, and many others besides, whether popularly so named or forgotten within the annals of history’s short memory.  Then, every year, around this time where April and May meld into a battle of morning frosts and potentially damaging tug-and-pull between winter’s discontent and spring’s yearning for the robin’s call, we wake up one morning and realize that the desolation of winter has finally passed.

Isn’t that how life is, often enough?  There is that in-between period, where tension remains and uncertainty abounds, until the final resolution appears unnoticed, like the unwanted friend who stays beyond the welcoming time of twilight conversations only to finally depart, and the unpleasantries exchanged during conversations left imagined fade into the inglorious memory of yesterday’s sorrows.

Medical conditions, too, are a “battle” of sorts, and create a tension that will not let go, will not release, and will not give up despite every attempt to ignore, placate and shun.  The stubbornness of a medical condition cannot be ignored; its impact, unwilling to be forgotten; and its tension, unable to be released.

That is why, 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, the tension and anxiety formed by the very existence of the medical condition is likened to the many “battles” that we face in life.

Perhaps it is a metaphorical observation; and like the allegories that give life-lessons, maybe there is an underlying meaning that can be extracted from the trials endured.

In the meantime, what the Federal or Postal employee needs to do, is to prepare, formulate and file an effective Federal Disability Retirement application, to be filed with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, in order to release the tension that exists between work and life, work and medical condition, work and ….

The Battle of Spring will come and go, just like all of the other “battles” that have been fought throughout history; and this private battle against the medical condition itself is merely a private friction that also needs to be fought, on terms that create a more level playing field by consulting with an attorney who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement Law.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire