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    • Accommodation and Light Duty (40)
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    • Evaluation Of Your OPM Disability Claim – How Do I Know If I Have A Strong Case? (18)
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OPM Disability Retirement: Always Verify Submissions

Posted on September 25, 2009 by Federal Disability Retirement Attorney

The old saying:  Measure twice, cut once, can be adapted here:  Verify twice, submit once.  I am always surprised by Federal and Postal employees who have filed for Federal Disability Retirement benefits under FERS or CSRS to hear that a document, a submission, a Request for Reconsideration, an appeal, etc., was sent to the Office of Personnel Management by regular mail, with no manner of verification.  While I have great respect for the personnel who work at the U.S. Postal Service as well as the Office of Personnel Management, such issues have nothing to do with individual competence; instead, it has to do with the recognition that all oversized agencies (do we even have to argue as to what is defined as an “oversized agency”?) have their internal mail problems — not only of sending or receiving mail, but getting it to the right person, etc.  Not everyone needs to be overly “verification-sensitive” like I am, but my methodology for every document forwarded to OPM is as follows:  faxed (with a print-out of a receipt showing that the fax went through), as well as an express mail or FedEx tracking number.  Verify twice, submit once.  The Office of Personnel Management has never won an argument with me that they “never received it.”

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire

Filed under: Application, Appeals, and Other Medical Documentation Submitted To the OPM | Tagged: advice on the opm disability retirement paperwork and process, agency losing employee's federal disability application, being careful with the medical documentation you submit to opm, common sense tips on the disability application and documentation, document verification during the fers disability application process, federal disability retirement lawyer new york ny, fers disability and form filling application, filing and preparing for a long-term federal disability process, following up your disability application with the opm, getting proof you mailed opm disability forms and documents, keeping track of all disability retirement paperwork submitted to opm, keeping yourself on top of your fers disability application, limitations to overcome in the opm disability forms, making sure your federal disability documentation is received, Medical Documentation for OPM Disability Retirement, medical documentation guidelines, medical retirement from federal service, national representation for opm disability retirement, OPM disability application tips, OPM disability application tips and strategies, opm disability forms, OPM disability retirement, opm disability tips for non lawyers, opm medical documents, opm representation in illinois, opm supportive medical documentation, planning an opm disability strategy that goes beyond form filling, post disability application issues, postal service disability retirement, postal workers owcp rights attorney, representing federal employees from any us government agency, representing federal employees in and outside the country, SF 3112 disability retirement forms, taking charge during your fers application for disability benefits, texas opm disability retirement, The Unrepresented OPM Disability Applicant, tips for federal workers filing for disability, tips for unrepresented opm disability applicants, tips on how to handle the opm disability application, USPS disability retirement, verifying documents submitted to the office of personnel management, washington state federal opm disability retirement, when human resources loses your opm disability paperwork, when the opm argues that they "never received" your documentation, when the opm follows up your disability retirement claim, when the opm losses your opm application, when the opm request additional medical documentation | Leave a comment »

  • More on CSRS & FERS Disability Retirement

    • eZineArticles.com Article: The 1 Year Statute of Limitations
    • Federal Disability Retirement Laws, Medical Conditions, and the Intersecting Complications with OWCP, Social Security and FERS & CSRS
    • Federal Disability Retirement: The Full Arsenal of Weapons
    • FedSmith.com Article: Revisiting "Accommodation"
    • FedSmith.com Article: Sometimes the Process is just as important as the Substance of an Argument
    • Latest PostalReporter.com Article: Causation in a Federal Disability Retirement Case
    • Understanding the Complexities of the Law
    • USPS Disability Blog: The National Reassessment Program, the Agency and the Worker
  • Other Resources for Federal and Postal Employees

    • Articles Published in the Postal Reporter
    • FAQs on OPM Disability Retirement
    • FERS Disability Attorney Profile at Lawyers.com
    • Main Website on Federal Disability Retirement
    • OPM Disability Blog
    • The Postal Service Disability Retirement Blog
  • Seven False Myths about OPM Disability Retirement

    1) I have to be totally disabled to get Postal or Federal disability retirement.
    False: You are eligible for disability retirement so long as you are unable to perform one or more of the essential elements of your job.  Thus, it is a much lower standard of disability. 

    2) My injury or illness has to be job-related.
    False: You can get disability even if your condition is not work related.  If your medical condition impacts your ability to perform any of the core elements of your job, you are eligible, regardless of how or where your condition occurred.

    3) I have to quit my federal job first to get disability.
    False: In most cases, you can apply while continuing to work at your present job, to the extent you are able.  

    4) I can't get disability if I suffer from a mental or nervous condition.
    False: If your condition affects your job performance, you can still qualify. Psychiatric conditions are treated no differently from physical conditions.

    5) Disability retirement is approved by DOL Workers Comp.
    False: It's the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) the federal agency that administers and approves disability for employees at the US Postal Service or other federal agencies.

    6) I can wait for OPM disability retirement for many years after separation.
    False: You only have one year from the date of separation from service - otherwise, you lose your right forever.

    7) If I get disability retirement, I won't be able to apply for Scheduled Award (SA).
    False: You can get a Scheduled Award under the rules of OWCP even after you get approved for OPM disability retirement.
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