OPM Medical Retirement: Of a World No Longer

One can lament the destruction and non-existence of what once was; or, following upon youth’s folly where memories have not yet formed in order to compare and contrast anything in the past and therefore such lamentations cannot be validated, we can just walk about in ignorance.

As we grow older, we perhaps exaggerate the pleasantries of our past — of a world no longer in existence.

Was it better “back then”?  Obviously, it depends largely upon whose perspective we are seeing the world from.  From the perspective of those classes of individuals who were once oppressed, where discrimination and legally-enforced restrictions of opportunities constituted the mainstay of daily living, perhaps that yearned-for world that is no longer in existence, is the not the preferred opinion.  Yet, even among the previously – oppressed, there is often a nostalgia for the simplicity of days gone by.

“Worlds”, of course, can take on different meanings.  It need not refer to large chunks of civilization’s great epochs; instead, it can be — from an individual standpoint — a person’s own prior period of one’s lifespan.

Thus, for Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who now suffer from a medical condition such that the condition no longer allows for continuation in one’s Federal or Postal career, of a world no longer in existence may be represented by that individual of some distant past who was vibrant, healthy and able to take on the world.  That is a world which no longer exists, because of a medical condition which will not go away.

Contact an OPM Disability Lawyer who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement benefits from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, and let not the past — of a world no longer — dominate your present or future comforts.

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.

 

Federal Disability Retirement Law: Innocence & Wonder

The loss of the former results in the disappearance of the latter; for, it is the conditional existence of the former which allows for the latter.  The question in modernity is, Can a child even possess a modicum of innocence these days, in the midst of technological dissipation?  And if the answer is a fervent, “No”, then what chance is there of preserving that wide-eyed characteristic of Wonder — of curiosity compelled by a belief that there is value in the world to search for?

How often have we heard parents say something to the effect of, “I just want my kid to have some sort of childhood to enjoy,” or, “Let kids be kids.  They will grow up soon enough”?

In today’s world where pressures are so persistent to excel, to competitively grow up in order to have the greater advantage of material success, it is a wonder that children have any childhoods at all, as innocence has become equated to a disadvantageous naïveté and wonder a mere byproduct of ignorance.

For Federal employees and U.S. Postal Service workers who suffer from a health condition such that the health condition prevents the Federal or Postal employee from performing one or more of the basic elements of one’s Federal or Postal job, the time for innocence and wonder has long passed; for, while you may once have had the experience of both, your medical condition combined with the way that your Agency or the Postal Service has treated you, has likely resulted in a more cynical perspective.

Don’t let that, however, prevent you from reaching the ultimate goal: Of obtaining a Federal Disability Retirement annuity under the FERS system from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.  Contact a Federal Attorney who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement Law and return to a time where Innocence & Wonder may still be experienced.

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.

 

Federal & Postal Worker Disability Retirement Benefits: Time Spent

We have all had that experience — of time spent, perhaps on a project, a hobby, a career goal or some other pursuit — but which resulted in a dead end.  Time spent on something which fails to produce the fruit desired is often considered “wasted time”; or, perhaps something is salvageable, like some lesson learned which can then be transferred to the next pursuance of something worthwhile.

But time spent on something which has no possibility of a positive outcome — like a medical condition which is becoming a chronic, intractable fact of life — becomes a self-defeating pursuit.  For, what is the purpose of such time which is spent?  It is merely to obsess upon a condition of one’s life, to deplore its effects and become despondent over the future.

Time spent upon dead-end thought-processes is merely to waste and whittle the time away for no good reason.

Better to put one’s energies into securing one’s future by preparing, formulating and filing an effective Federal Disability Retirement application under FERS, then to turn one’s energy and time upon another career beyond the federal government.  Contact an OPM Attorney who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement, and begin the process of reevaluating the time spent on what you can no longer do, as opposed to spending time on what you might be able to do in the future.

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 Employees Medical Retirement from the OPM: The Insatiable Appetite

This is a world which possesses it; each species is driven by it; the human experience confirms it.  The insatiable appetite is one which wants more, craves more, and is never satisfied.  Technology hints at it; and when Plato discusses the need for a balanced soul, whereby the rational part must govern the appetitive, he understood the nature of the extreme.

We may give lip service to our desire to live a more contemplative, laid-back life, but the plain fact is that the combination of unfettered capitalism and loss of societal boundaries naturally results in the insatiable appetite — of greater stimulation in video formats; of wealth beyond what a single person can consume; of a national debt which cannot have a ceiling; of brutality in war that has no humanity, etc.

For Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who suffer from a medical condition such that the medical condition “slows down” the pace of life — by necessity, because there is a natural limit as to what the human body and mind can take — filing for Federal Disability Retirement benefits under FERS is an acknowledgment that there is a cost to the insatiable appetite.

We cannot go on forever at the frenetic pace which life attempts to force upon us, and instead, we are left with making certain critical decisions: Is the cost of my health worth the job I have?

Contact a disability attorney to discuss the possibility of filing an effective OPM Disability Retirement application under FERS, and begin considering whether the insatiable appetite can at least be confined to the cages of medieval moats and dungeons of the past.

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.

 

Postal and Federal Employee Disability Retirement: Progressive Deterioration

We witness it in others — in our parents; in ourselves, we “feel” it more than see it, as we don’t visually view ourselves in the mirror or observe our own reflections as a third party; and in a community, sometimes we are witness to either ends of the spectrum — of the slow crumbling and abandonment or the “gentrification” of a neighborhood; and in the greater society, the progressive deterioration, of a loss of commonality and retraction of civil behavior, etc.

Progressive deterioration is also how a medical condition “works” — of an incremental, almost imperceptible loss of function, lessening of efficacy, regression of capacity.  Then, there comes a point where such loss no longer allows a person to perform in the same manner as he or she once was capable of.  People compensate in various ways to overcome such deterioration, almost always, however, at a further cost to one’s body or mind.

For Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who suffer from a medical condition such that the medical condition has reached a point where the progressive deterioration no longer allows you to perform one or more of the essential functions of your position, contact a disability attorney who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement and consider the option of leaving that phase of your career behind, and moving forward to apply those other functions in a different capacity.

Progressive deterioration is rarely one of complete devastation; not of totality, but of partial loss and lessening.

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 & Postal Workers: The Saddest Story

What makes for a sad story?  What touches us as the saddest story?  Is it a tragedy unexpected — as in, the death of a parent, leaving behind a grieving spouse or partner, and dumbfounded kids?  Or is it the story of a promising young person whose life is cut short by an accident?

Does “fault” matter?  If death or grave injury occurs, does the sadness of the story depend upon whether and to whom one can ascribe blame?  And does intentionality also come in as a factor — of whether the death, injury or unfortunate circumstances resulted from a deliberate and intentional act, or whether it was an “accident” where the event just played itself out without any participatory involvement of the “victim” in a given case?  Or, is the sad or saddest story dependent upon the viewer, the reader, the witness, etc. — of how sensitive that person is, whether he or she possesses an empathic character or one which is somewhat more blunted and callous?

Or, as is more likely — does it depend upon both: Of the story and the receptor in combination to determine the “sadness” of a story or narrative?

In the end, the saddest story combines the elements identified: Of a potentiality cut short; involving circumstances beyond one’s control; where fault cannot be ascribed; and where someone must pay an unwilling price.  Sounds somewhat like a Federal or Postal employee who must file for Federal Disability Retirement benefits under FERS.

Of course, there are greater tragedies — where death and grieving widows are concerned; but one should not discount the plight of the Federal or Postal employee who can no longer continue in his or her career, and must file for Federal Disability Retirement benefits.

Contact an attorney who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement benefits under FERS, and begin the process of preparing, formulating and filing an effective Federal Disability Retirement application, and preparing the Applicant’s Statement of Disability for OPM to ponder the saddest story.

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.

 

Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) Disability Law: Loss of a Cosseted Life

What does it mean to “take things for granted”?

Often, it is only when something is taken away that the value of the vanished item of vacuity vainly verifies the validity of its valuation.  Sorry for the alliterative illustration.  Similarly, the cosseted life is one where over-indulgence of protected care may have existed, and the sudden or gradual disappearance of that sense of security leaves one vulnerable and potentially open to harm.

Health, itself, offers the cosseted life; and loss of it, an overwhelming sense of vulnerability.

In youth, when health is so often taken for granted, we are apt to embrace challenging and silly endeavors.  We might jump out of planes, for instance; or engage in other acts of mindless stupidity.  We expect failing health in the metaphorically twilight days of our lives, but when it occurs in the middle years, it often catches us off guard, and the loss of a cosseted life is felt all the more fervently.

For Federal employees and U.S. Postal Workers who suffer from a medical conditions 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 sequence of dealing with the loss of that cosseted life often follows a familiar pattern — First, attend to the medical condition; Next, try and accept the available treatments such that a return to a level of functionality may be attained where your Federal or Postal career can continue.

Then, if the medical condition reaches a level of chronicity such that it becomes clear that you will not be able to perform all of the essential elements of your Federal or Postal job, contact a FERS Lawyer who specializes in OPM Medical Retirement Law.  For, in the end, the loss of a cosseted life should never be the end of something, but rather the beginning of a different phase, a varying period, an alternate condition, and a future still available for adaptive living.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Lawyer

 

Federal & Postal Disability Retirement: The Simulated Life

We all engage in it, to some extent; it is all in the “extent”, however, that matters.  The manufacturing of something which approaches the original; of pretending “as if”; they all constitute a simulation of sorts.  Whether of an expensive handbag that is made in another country where labor is cheap and copy-catting is the norm; or merely a smile when you actually want to cry; or of the rote response to, “Hi. How are you doing?” — where we reflexively declare, “Fine, and how about you?” — when in fact you are not doing “fine” but instead are forced to simulate the required rhythm of normalcy.

Society requires the simulated life until life itself becomes too real such that it must crawl out from the cocoon of artificial existence.  It is as if the metamorphosis from one form of existence into another must by force erupt, and that is the point when reality must by necessity force its being into existence.

For Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who suffer from a medical condition where, each day, a simulated existence must be lived because to do otherwise might mean that you may lose your job, consideration should be given to possibly filing for Federal Disability Retirement benefits under FERS, especially when the real life being lived — the pain and anguish from a medical condition — can no longer remain contained within the cocoon of a simulated life.

Federal Disability Retirement allows for a lifetime annuity that lets you focus upon your health, and thus circumvents the simulated life and instead allows you to be the “real” you, and not some manufactured form of a fake smile, a forced joy or an artificial existence.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire

 

OPM Medical Retirement: Tomorrow and the day after

Tomorrow is for delay; to procrastinate, the day after.  Isn’t that the adage that recognizes what is truly going on — of saying, “Oh, I will get to that tomorrow”, but when asked about a project you dread (perhaps the unfinished novel that has sat in the bottom desk drawer for the past year; the basement that needs cleaning; the shed where all unused items and discarded castaways need “straightening up”, etc.), it is always to be accomplished “the day after tomorrow”.

Why is it that tomorrow may yet come and become realized, but the day after that somehow never arrives?  Is a single day delayed beyond the thought of tomorrow somehow too far from the reality of today such that it never arrives beside the closeness of tomorrow?

Saturday brings the smile of Sunday yet to be enjoyed, and leaves Monday too far to worry about, just as Sunday brings the anxiety of Monday because Monday is merely tomorrow and not the day after that.

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, the delay in postponing the preparation of a Federal Disability Retirement application, to be filed with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, whether the Federal or Postal employee is under FERS, CSRS or CSRS Offset, is often understandable because it is, indeed, a “major step” into the unknown beyond, where careers must change, life enters a period of upheaval and the future holds a modicum of uncertainty.

But while delay until tomorrow may be reasonable, don’t let the “Day after Tomorrow” catch you into a trap where tomorrow never comes except in a rush where tomorrow’s exigency suddenly becomes an emergency too far delayed.

Filing for Federal Disability Retirement benefits is something no one thought about for tomorrow; but tomorrow quickly becomes today, and for the Federal or Postal employee suffering from a medical condition, the today that was once tomorrow’s comfort of delay will not change the reality of what must be done the day after.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire

 

Legal Representation on Federal Disability Retirement Claims: Proof

What constitutes it, and how do we learn of its sufficiency or relevance?

Take the following scenario: A group of boys are gathered together along with Billy, the “town bully”.  A discussion of sorts ensues — who is the toughest kid in town?  Some of the boys offer that “Dave” from across town is the meanest and toughest — a black belt in Hapkido, a state wrestling champion and a middle line backer for the high school football team.  Some others counter that Dave was once beaten up by Joe back in February, and doesn’t that “prove” that Joe is the toughest?

Then Billy suddenly stands up and everyone else becomes quiet.  He starts slowly and deliberatively pounding his right fist into the open palm of his left hand, and juts his prominent chin out in an intimidating manner, and says, “Okay!  Enough of this talk!  How ‘bout me?  Which of you weaklings says that I’m not the toughest guy in town?”

There are multiple sounds of gulps and fearful drops of sweat begin to trickle down the backs of each, and one of the other kids — a skinny little weasel with thick, black-rimmed glasses, suddenly shouts, “That’s proof enough for me!”  Following was a loud and unequivocal consensus of unanimous agreement.

In such a scenario, two things occurred: One — Billy “proved” that he was the toughest kid in town, and Two — all of the other kids took the lesson to heart that the proof of a physical presence and the threat presented was “sufficient” proof, as well as relevant as all get-go.

Thus are all of the components necessary to establishing verification of a propositional truth established: the town bully’s declarative utterance, backed by the force of a metaphorical persuasion (for one would argue that no overt coerciveness was used, but merely an innocent act of pounding one’s fist into the open palm of one’s other hand, and if asked whether Billy “threatened” anyone into declaring him as the toughest kid in town, he would and could innocently declare that there is “no proof” of any such accusation established or verified), and further reinforced by the scientific consensus of his peers and fellow students.

Proof was offered, considered, and accepted in full by a persuasive methodology of a succinct and effective form.

For Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who are considering filing for Federal Disability Retirement benefits from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, whether the Federal or Postal employee is under FERS, CSRS or CSRS Offset, the systematic and methodological “proof” which must be gathered and presented to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management in establishing the Federal or Postal employee’s eligibility and entitlement to Federal Disability Retirement benefits must, of course, be somewhat more sophisticated than the rudimentary — but effective — amassing of proof portrayed by Billy the Town Bully.

Of course, some of the characteristics may still be relevant — of what constitutes “effective” proof; of what works as “persuasive” proof; of what is comprised of proof itself.  But the difference is that, while proof that leads to an approval from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management should last for the lifetime of the Federal or Postal employee, “proof” for the kids who agreed that Billy was the toughest guy in town lasted only so long as the threat presented kept everyone convinced.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire