Medical Retirement Benefits for US Government Employees: The Purpose of Standard Forms

Standard Forms represent the Federal Government’s attempt to streamline and create efficiency.  For FERS & CSRS employees who are seeking to obtain Federal Disability Retirement benefits from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, a compilation of Standard Government Forms will have to be completed.  

Obviously, this will not be a surprise to the Federal or Postal employee, inasmuch as such an encounter with the requirement of completing Standard Forms is a necessary evil during the course of any Federal or Postal career.  However, the difference in the case of filling out the Standard Forms for purposes of applying for Federal Disability Retirement may be encapsulated in a cautionary remark:  it is not just “information” which the Office of Personnel Management is seeking; it is also a particular kind of “proof” which, if not met, will result in a denial of a Federal Disability Retirement application.  

Thus, while SF 3107, and Schedules A, B & C (for FERS employees), and SF 2801 and Schedules A, B & C (for CSRS employees) may be the vehicles for providing basic personal information (e.g., name, address, agency for whom one works, etc.); it is the second series of SF Forms — 3112A, 3112B, 3112C & 3112D which seek to obtain information directly relevant to “proving”, by a preponderance of the evidence, one’s Federal Disability Retirement application.  

Remember the old cop-shows, where the officer says, “You have the right to remain silent, but anything you say may and will be used against you“?  The SF 3112 series should take that precautionary statement to heart.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire