Federal Employee Disability Retirement: Self-predication

Some people are uncomfortable in doing it; others relish the repetitive self-reference, enjoying the first-person attribution and the incessant pronouncement of the personal pronoun, the centrality of dramatic characterization every time the “I” is inserted; throughout, everyone recognizes that the identification of the “I” can never be fully expunged despite a heightened level of modesty or humility.

There is an artfulness to speaking about one’s self while at the same time making it appear as an objectification of the referential focus.  Talking about oneself; constantly inserting the self-attribution throughout a narrative; dominating every element of a conversation with self referential accolades; these can all be overwhelming, leaving aside the issue of being irritating.  But in some circumstances, such self attribution cannot be avoided.  There are times when we must talk about ourselves, but the manner of how it is done can be the difference between repetitive boredom and referential relevance.

For Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who must file for Federal Disability Retirement benefits through the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, whether the Federal or Postal employee is under FERS, CSRS or CSRS Offset, the requirement to prepare, formulate and file one’s Statement of Disability on Standard Form 3112A is something which must accompany every Federal Disability Retirement application. That is where one tells one’s “story” about the medical condition, the impact upon the ability to perform the essential elements of one’s positional duties, and upon other and personal aspects of living.  Of course, self-reference and attribution of the personal pronoun must be used; but it is also a time and place where a prevailing sense of objectivity should be garnered, and where peripheral irrelevancies should be strictly limited and contained.

Concise brevity should guide one; reference to outside sources and medical evidence should be encapsulated; the story of centrality should be about the impact upon the personal “I”; and yet, throughout, the truth of the narrative should come out such that self-predication does not constitute self-promotion with an ulterior motive, but rather, that the universe of living beings has for a brief moment in time, allowed the spotlight of significance upon a singular entity who has dedicated him/herself to the mission of an agency, but where unforeseen circumstances of life beyond one’s control has necessitated the preparation, formulation and filing of a Federal Disability Retirement application.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire

 

OPM Medical Retirement Legal Representation: Laconic Latitudes

Brevity of words often reveals otherwise unnoticed characteristics through silence; being concise, while important in conveying specific information, can interrupt the natural flow of linguistic rhythms; and, as with music, it is the silence and the pause between notes which create for the beauty of a piece.

In preparing an effective narrative, the essayist, the novelist or the biographer must set a tone in order to draw the reader into the web of verbiage, and like the opening to a secret entranceway leading to the cavernous dark of insular worlds, a light must shine in order to invite the way in. But if the traveler is mired in confusion, how can the journey into a pathless narrative allow for any sense, logic or directed discourse? Even Science Fiction and Fantasy genres must have some relational connection to the world we know; otherwise, it is merely relegated to the private musings of insanity extricated.

The laconic dialogue often requires greater concentration, precisely for the lack of words, where silence and large tracts of pauses mandate implications and inferences.

Federal and Postal employees who suffer from a medical condition are often mired in the confusion of the process of seeking security and a pathway for their future.  In the midst of such confusion, they are asked to fully comprehend the entirety of the administrative process recognized as “Federal Disability Retirement“. To prepare, formulate and file an effective Federal Disability Retirement application is to have foresight, mental acuity, intellectual capacity and physical stamina to embrace a complex bureaucratic process, and all the while deal with major medical problems.

It would thus be understandable if a laconic Federal Disability Retirement application was prepared; but unfortunately, from the perspective of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (which is the singular agency which makes a determination on all Federal Disability Retirement applications), rarely are pauses and silences taken into account.

While there is always some latitude in reviewing an OPM Disability Retirement application, regardless of whether the Federal or Postal employee is under FERS, CSRS or CSRS-Offset, the time for brevity and implied latitude should be replaced by concise verbosity of a longitudinal perspective.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire