FERS Medical Disability Retirement: Icelandic Horses

It is a delightful little book; weaving mythology, magic and majesty of a time now gone.  Just over 100 pages, set in a time when nature was never divorced from man’s place within it, the title says it all: All the Horses of Iceland.

How the horses came to that land; the unlikely hero who traveled afar to foreign lands and found himself amongst mysterious languages; the dangers encountered; of territories plundered and wars fought; and of the beauty of that unique animal — the horse.

Magicians still possessed the power to heal; the world had not yet been overrun or dominated by the technological leviathan of fated despair; and the universe yet contained the mysteries of unknown spiritual forces, where a man could cross over from the world of harsh realities to the dreamworld of the invisible — like the white horse who was visible only to Eyvind, and to no one else.

Every now and again, one comes across that special little book which grabs you and where you cannot put it down until you have devoured the last and final sentence; and then you realize that it is past midnight, tomorrow is another work day, but you feel no sense of tiredness; only delight, and satisfaction at having had the honor to visit a world of pure fantasy and ecstatic storytelling.

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 question is: What does this little book about horses in Iceland have to do with Federal Disability Retirement?

Well — nothing.  But at least, if you were to contact a FERS Attorney who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement Law, hired him, endured the retirement process, then obtained an approval from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, then at least you might have the time to read that delightful little book entitled, All the Horses of Iceland, by Sarah Tolmie.

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 Medical Retirement from OPM: The Hand We are Dealt

No one is ever satisfied with the hand we are dealt.  Every now and again, of course, an exception is declared: The Lottery Winner; the sudden “star”; an unexpected turn of events; a once-in-a-lifetime coalescence of positive circumstances, etc.  But in the whole, we are not satisfied with the “hand” we are dealt.

Of course, the metaphorical reference has to do with cards — poker, black jack, other games of card usage.  Or, in living our lives, the reference can be made to the circumstances in which we find ourselves — a contentious marriage; a seemingly hopeless situation; a medical condition; a job we can no longer perform.

In the end, the hand we are dealt can only change by the manner in which we respond.  Do you hold the cards we are dealt?  Do we put them down and walk away?  Do we exchange some for others?

It is the choices we make with the hand we are dealt, which makes all of the difference.

For Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who have a medical condition which impacts one’s ability and capacity to continue in one’s career, you have the option of filing for Federal or Postal Disability Retirement benefits.

Contact an experienced FERS Disability Lawyer who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement Law — and consider whether or not the hand you are dealt can become a winning hand.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire

 

Federal Disability Retirement: When Hiring a Lawyer

When hiring a lawyer or a law firm, what are your expectations and who are you hiring?  Are you hiring an “Intake Officer” (whatever they are); a paralegal; a legal assistant; a “Disability Specialist” (whatever THEY are) — or are you hiring a lawyer?  That is, a person who holds the law degree, who is entitled to practice law, and who is the knowledgeable “expert” in the field of Federal Disability Retirement Law?

How can you tell?  Do you know you are hiring a lawyer merely because someone tells you so?  Or, are these the indicators: When you make a call, the lawyer answers your call.  When you leave a message, the lawyer calls you back.  When you send an email, the lawyer responds.

Or: You always only speak to an “assistant”, and never to the lawyer; the “Disability Specialist” (again, what is a “Disability Specialist” — and what does it mean to be a “specialist”, especially if you aren’t a lawyer?) is always the one who seems to be handling your case; and what happens if your case get denied at the Initial Stage of the Federal Disability Retirement process, and then again at the Reconsideration Stage of the process — who will see you through at the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board?

When hiring a lawyer or a law firm, make sure that you are actually getting what you are paying for: An actual FERS Disability Retirement Lawyer who will guide you with his experience, wisdom and legal acumen.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire

 

OPM Disability Retirement under FERS: The “Right” Way

There are many ways to do things.  Often enough, we have heard our parents say gently, “Yes, you can do it that way, but the better way is…”.  The increasing superlatives — “good”, “better”, “best” — are like the houses in the story of the Three Little Pigs, of the house that was made of straw; the one constructed of sticks; and the last one, of bricks.

Can we say that all three were “good” houses?  It depends, one supposes — upon the utility, the comfort, and the “reason” behind why and what the house was built for.  As a matter of mere location for sleep and comfort, one could argue that any of the three homes were adequate.  If, however, as the story unfolded and revealed, for protection from predators, then there was indeed only one which was the “right” one — the one constructed of bricks.

For Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who suffer from a medical condition 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, it is important to prepare, formulate and file a Federal Disability Retirement application in the “right” way.  Yes, there are many ways to do it, but in the end, the sequence of how one formulates and puts together a FERS Disability Retirement application is, indeed, the “best” and “right” way.

Consult with a Federal Attorney who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement Law and begin the process of preparing your Federal Disability Retirement case in the “right” way.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire

 

Federal Disability Retirement: Righting the Mistakes

Some have posited that we actually need 2 lifetimes: One for living, and another for righting the mistakes made in the first lifetime.  Then, a “Mark-Twain humorist” once quipped that, No, human beings need at least 3 lives — the first to live; the second to right the mistakes of the first; and another to do all of the things we always wanted to do but didn’t get a chance to because we were too busy worrying about it.

Life, indeed, is a series of regrets, and most of us still have consciences such that we worry and ruminate about the mistakes we made; how we go about “righting” those mistakes; and finally, on our deathbeds, to simply cry out for forgiveness because the weight of our past is too much to bear.  We can spend most, if not almost all, of our lives trying to correct the errors of our error-filled past; and, if not that, to worry about it.  Often, we don’t even know that we are making the mistakes until it is too late, or until that moment of revelation when we say to ourselves — How did I get myself into this mess?

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, it is important to try and file an effective and — as much as possible — an error-free Federal Disability Retirement application.  There is much to be worried about in filing a Federal Disability Retirement application: the complexity of the process itself; the legal hurdles which must be overcome; the bureaucratic morass that must be fought.

Consult with an attorney who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement Law and try and avoid the mistakes at the outset. In Federal Disability Retirement, you surely do not want to spend your “second life” righting the mistakes of your first life.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire

 

Postal & Federal Employee Disability Retirement: The Albatross

The reference is likely outdated.  One doesn’t hear of the phrase, anymore, that “X is like an albatross around my neck.”  If it is referenced at all, one is likely to witness everyone standing around within earshot to whip out their smartphones and Google it, to find: Literally a large sea bird.

The phrase alludes to Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” in which a sailor who shoots a friendly albatross is forced to wear its carcass around his neck as punishment.  But who reads Coleridge, anymore, leaving aside poetry as a genre outmoded in an age where entertainment and leisure must by necessity be at the click of a button or within the scrolling universe of a Smartphone?

The antiquated reference is an allusion (as opposed to an “illusion”) — you know, the poet’s attempt at painting a word picture of something else by referencing a certain concept; i.e., that literary device banned in SATs now because it became too difficult a subject to bear — is of something that brings about bad luck, or of negative consequences resulting from something we have done or an event which has caused things to turn against us.

Medical conditions can become an albatross around our necks; as our health progressively declines, it becomes a greater weight and burden because of the impact it has upon our ability to work.  For Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who suffer from the albatross of a medical condition, it may be time to consult with an attorney who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement Law.

When one’s medical condition becomes an albatross which begins to prevent the Federal or Postal worker from performing all of the essential elements of one’s Federal or Postal job, whether as an allusion or an illusion that the medical condition will resolve itself, filing for Federal Disability Retirement benefits through the U.S. Office of Personnel Management becomes a necessity beyond the poet’s representation; it becomes a reality which must be attended to.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Attorney