FERS & CSRS Disability Retirement for Federal and USPS Workers: Reputation

Reputations are made or broken based upon winning or losing; in the modern age, where presentations of personal and professional credentials and accomplishments are pasted throughout the electronic and technological media without much thought or foresight, one can come to have a skewed idea of one’s self and image.

This is an unforgiving age; one’s reputation, which may have been built over years and decades, can easily be undermined by a single loss, an accusation, or a criticism triggered in anger.

For Federal and Postal Workers who must file for Federal Disability Retirement benefits, whether under FERS or CSRS, it is understandable that because one’s Federal Disability Retirement case may be the basis for securing one’s future, that failing to secure the benefit will result in anger and dismay.

Unfortunately, not every case can be won.

In a perfect world, it would be a welcomed result to be able to conclude that one’s record of success is without blemish.  But in this imperfect world, where a doctor may hesitate to support a case; where adverse actions by an agency may play a greater role than first thought; or where an MSPB Judge may place greater weight upon the testimony of non-supportive evidence over that which should have been sufficient to meet the preponderance of the evidence test; sometimes, cases can be lost despite the best, honest and forthright efforts of everyone involved.

In the end, however, it is merely a loss to the Federal or Postal employee attempting to get Federal Disability Retirement benefits.  What efforts were made are quickly forgotten; blame must be assigned; anger must be vented.

Not every case can be won, but only the effort to be expended, and this can only be determined over time and the extended duration of one’s reputation over such time.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire