“Resignation” in a non-technical sense is the belief or feeling of withdrawal, whether from a position, a job, society in general, or of any chosen lifestyle. One can have a feeling of resignation; or, there can be a formal resignation given — as in a cabinet minister who offers a letter of resignation to the prime minister or the president. Or, in literature, it can apply to a person, as in: “He had a look of resignation, with a gaunt face and a sense that he no longer belonged in this world.”
It is often characterized by a state of desperation, where all avenues have been closed off, the alternatives have been exhausted, and there are no choices left but to resign.
Often, Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers “feel” that way, and then resign out of this sense of desperation. A self-contained universe based purely upon one’s own thinking can result in a myopic, distorted view of one’s circumstances and situation, and it is often a good idea to seek outside counsel before making a rash decision.
For Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who suffer from a medical condition such that this condition prevents the Federal or Postal employee from performing one or more of the essential elements of one’s Federal or Postal job, isolation is often what leads to desperation, then to resignation. There are unique obstacles which present themselves in a Federal Disability Retirement case resulting from a premature resignation from Federal employment.
The problem of resignation is not limited to a feeling of desperation; it has practical consequences in the field of Federal Disability Retirement Law, and therefore you should consult with an attorney who specializes in FERS Disability Retirement Law before desperation results in greater obstacles beyond the resignation itself.
Sincerely,
Robert R. McGill, Esquire