FERS Medical Retirement from OPM: Internal Turmoil

A man walks out early in the morning to retrieve the newspaper thrown onto his driveway; from across the street, you see him; he looks vibrant, confident, self-assured; you think to yourself, “Why can’t I be like him?”  A woman, well-dressed, punctual, competent, with always a smile; a sure “go-getter” who will climb up the corporate ladder with ease; you think to yourself, “Some people are just successful and happy.  Why can’t I be like her?”

The calm before the earthquake; the tectonic plates which are invisible and the above-surface topography which has been undisturbed for centuries; then, one day, the calamity occurs, and buildings collapse and countless lives are buried and lost.  What happened?

It is always the unseen, internal (or beneath-ground) turmoil which is the “true” essence of a life, a geographical location, or an entire population which masks its veiled soul.

Plato and the entire history of Western Philosophy were based upon unmasking the essence of Truth by digging beyond the appearance of Falsity.  Human Beings, particularly, have a great knack for hiding the internal turmoil which is the truth of what we are.  The smile which masks the saddened eyes; the outward appearance of confidence which is a facade for the depression and sadness within; the quiet steadiness of nature before the convulsion of the volcanic eruption; all, the internal turmoil, hidden by the falsity on surface’s artificiality.

For Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who suffer form a medical condition such that the medical condition can no longer be masked, it is always the internal turmoil which cannot be contained, restrained or curtailed forever.  It may be time to prepare, formulate and file an effective Federal Disability Retirement application under FERS laws, through the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

Contact a FERS Lawyer who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement Law, and begin the process of quieting that Internal Turmoil before it erupts like the quiet volcano waiting to reveal itself from behind the facade of contained quietude.

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.

 

OPM Disability Retirement under FERS: Subjectivity

The “aim” of Western Thought has always been to gain credibility — of attaining to Eternal Truths and Universalities.  In a dinner conversation, the quickest way to denigrate someone’s opinion or viewpoint is to merely say, “Yes, but what you have said is merely subjective; it has no objective basis in fact”.

In a previous epoch, John Adams is attributed to having said that objective facts “are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”  He was making the distinction between the subjective world and the objective universe, and placing greater weight upon the latter.

In modernity, such a statement has lost some of its luster, if not its very essence of relevance, because we live in a post-factual world where objective facts do not hold such an esteemed status, anymore.  And yet…. Even in this world, there are somehow the remnants of elevated claims to greater significance, if something is “objectively” factual, as opposed to subjectively stated.

There is always the implication and inference that when something is deemed “subjective”, and purely so, that it is somehow concocted, imagined, “made-up” — like the child who believes that he/she is a master chef of world renown, when in fact the kitchen set-up in front of him/her is a toy kitchenette made of plastic and wood.

For Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who suffer from an illness or disability and who need to file for Federal Disability Retirement benefits through the U.S. Office of Personnel Management under FERS, OPM systematically will make deriding and denigrating statements when it comes to “subjective” statements — of psychiatric symptoms, of chronic pain, of profound fatigue, etc.

They will say: “There is no objective verification of your X”.  Really?  Pain is subjective by its very definition; and so are psychiatric symptoms of depression, panic attacks, insomnia, nightmares, feeling sad, etc. How to counter it?  The good news is that the law is on the side of the Federal Disability Retirement applicant.

Contact a FERS Disability Lawyer who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement Law, and let not the unlawful tag of “subjectivity” defeat an otherwise valid Federal employee’s OPM Disability Retirement Application under the FERS system.

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: Tomorrow and Beyond

It is the, “…and Beyond” which is of greater concern to most; for, the greater majority of us can handle the tomorrow-part because of its inherent specificity in project-required duties listed.

We are all trained to be competent in “checking off the list” of things to do:  This report to be filed; that memorandum to be drafted; the garbage to be taken out; the dishwasher to be unloaded, etc.  What happens after tomorrow — which became today just a few hours ago, and then of tomorrow which already comes with it a specific list of things to do — is that “beyond” which cannot be fathomed in the mental milieu which encompasses the residue of the day’s compacted detritus.

That is why most of us are unprepared for retirement; whether left unplanned, always in the category of that “beyond”, or “just because” — the fact is that human beings are so engrossed in the today and just beyond — of “tomorrow”  — that it is simply too much to consider the “and beyond” beyond just the beyond of tomorrow.

And thus, when a medical condition begins to become a chronic issue, a progressive deterioration that may last more than the “just beyond” of tomorrow and becomes an issue of “and beyond” — it begins to become a devastating forecast of the rift which may have to be.  “To be” — itself a concept of complexity, involving existence, quality of life, of what the future holds; all of these must somehow be contended with.

For  Federal Gov. employees and U.S. Postal workers who suffer from a medical condition such that the medical condition have become more than the problem of tomorrow, but constitute the “and Beyond”, contact a FERS Lawyer who specializes in Federal Medical Retirement Law in order to initiate the paperwork needed to take care of things in the “and Beyond” category.

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 Disability Retirement from OPM: Before and After

Do you remember those old pictures on the advertising pages of various magazines?  Or, perhaps they are still there?

Whether for diets, some “Atlas He-Man” powder to build muscles; where the “before” picture is always grainy and indecipherable; whereas the “after” photograph is of a beaming, smiling, clearly and visibly an ecstatic person, satisfied and happy with the product and the end results.

A comparison of the two — the person “before” and the individual “after” — is always of dubious quality (at least with respect to the “before”), and triggers the question:  Is it the same person?

But the question itself is somewhat irrelevant — for, of course, in one sense, it is not the same person; the person “after” is different because that is the whole purpose of the advertisement, to convey to the reader that the person “after” is a different person from the person “before”, and the photographs are meant to show you the difference.

So, is it false advertising if the person photographed in the “after” picture is not the identical person as the one shown “before”?

In one sense, it obviously is, because the advertisement is trying to persuade you that the product being sold is what caused the change, and surely if you photograph the “before” person as being the same — but now different — as the “after” person, some semblance of subterfuge was engaged in.

On the other hand, if the whole purpose of the advertisement is to convince you that both the “before” person and the “after” person (both of whom presumably used the product being sold) are, in fact, “different” from one another, then how is it that there is any falsity in the advertisement?

For Federal employees and U.S. Postal Service 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, clearly — and without false advertising — there is a difference between the “before” and the “after”.

Before the medical condition, the Federal or Postal employee was a vibrant, productive worker.  After the chronic medical condition — well, the clear necessity to prepare an effective Federal Disability Retirement application under the FERS system tells the whole story.

Contact a FERS Disability Attorney who specializes in OPM Medical Disability Retirement Law, and let not the dubious advertising of those “before” and “after” photographs in those old ads detract you from pursuing the need for FERS Disability Retirement benefits before the after of the debilitating health conditions worsens and goes too far.

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.

 

Federal Disability Retirement: Knowledge & Application

We tend to separate the two, and have generally been taught that the former — even without the latter — is a “good” thing.  Our grade school teachers certainly repetitively pounded it into our thick skulls; and higher academia relies upon the belief that knowledge, “in and of itself”, is a valuable thing.  Application — or utility — is of the “business” world, and for academicians, somewhat sullies the purity of knowledge.

Perhaps it began with Plato — on the other hand, doesn’t all of Western Civilization begin with Plato (and by fiat, Socrates)?  Knowledge of the Forms; the metaphor of the famous “Cave”; the conceptual ideal of the purity of ideas; the Socratic method of questioning for the sake of attaining wisdom — all of it, without the worth based upon application or utility.

The first poor fellow who discovered a vein of gold — certainly, the beauty of the glitter must have astounded, but even with that “knowledge” of beauty, did he understand the future application of value in the commodity markets?  And of those oddball individuals who love to collect bits of information — of knowledge — without any practical application — we have all met them; of people who suddenly spout statistical data just to show off their knowledge, etc.

For Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who, because of a medical condition, need to prepare, formulate and file an effective Federal Disability Retirement application under FERS, be fully aware that both knowledge (of the laws pertaining to Federal Disability Retirement) and application (of the persuasive authority of statutes, regulations and case-law) are needed to win a Federal Disability Retirement fight against the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

Knowledge is good; knowledge and application, in the “real” world, are better.

Contact an OPM Disability Attorney who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement Law and begin the process of not only knowing about the complex laws governing Federal Disability Retirement, but moreover, to have the powerful asset of applying that knowledge where it really counts — in the application itself.

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.

 

Long-Term Disability Federal & Postal Employees: The Discouragement Factor

It is the sense of dispiritedness which paralyzes — of the loss of enthusiasm for something.  It is a palpable loss, one which can be discerned and calibrated, and is as real as the tree which cracks open upon being struck by lightning.  It can happen within a wide spectrum of issues and individuals — to the optimist as well as the cynic, to the perennial happy warrior and the pessimist; no one is spared.

Marriages can be destroyed by it; youthful vigor can be constrained and dampened; the tyranny of depression can be exacerbated by it; in the end, the discouragement factor often plays a greater role in failure than we often give credit for.  It can come by word or tone; by a look or a lecture; and when fragile egos are involved, the quiet face of silence in a storm of enmity may be the sullen face of discord not told.

For Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who receive a denial from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management for a Federal Disability Retirement application, or for a termination of benefits already previously approved, contact a lawyer who specializes in FERS Disability Retirement Law.

Don’t let the discouragement factor overwhelm you.  OPM’s intention is deliberate: They want you to be discouraged, and to give up the fight.  But fight on you must, and the best strategy is to contact an attorney who specializes in FERS Disability Retirement Law.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Lawyer

 

Postal & Federal Medical Retirement: The Commodity of More

Of course, by definition, a commodity purchased or otherwise acquired is “more” — but that is not what is meant, here.  The commodity of more implies a greater good beyond the acquisition of the thing itself.  We buy things not for the thing itself; rather, we are sold the goods because of what they represent.  Otherwise, why do companies spend so much on advertising?

If the thing itself is so valuable and needed — or wanted — to such a great extent that it would sell without the “extras” of advertisements, then companies would merely place them on shelves and each morning, like the breadlines in the old Soviet Union, there would be a great clamor to purchase the product.

No — the products we buy are attached to the symbols they represent; of greater status; of more leisure; of increased comfort and superior lifestyle; of a life representing success.  But here is the catch: The commodity of more is like that proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back; at some point, the “more” becomes the greater stress that makes everything less — less worthwhile, less attractive; less enjoyable.  Especially when a medical condition enters the picture-perfect portrait of life.

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, consider filing for Federal Disability Retirement benefits when the commodity of more has reached a breaking point.

Consult with a FERS Disability Lawyer who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement Law, and consider whether or not the commodity of more might not be traded in for a life of less — less stress, less failure, less deterioration of one’s health.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire

 

Federal Disability Retirement: Tomorrow and Beyond

We prepare for tomorrow, and plan for beyond.  There is a difference with a distinction.  For, tomorrow is soon upon us; the “beyond” is an obscure timeframe that dictates minimal physical effort, but much cognitive input.  We can “deal” with today and tomorrow — of pushing forward, setting aside worries and anxieties; but it is the “beyond” that takes a toll when too many uncertainties, unpredictables and unknowns coalesce to present a dark hole that cannot be managed.

Hope is based upon a future that can be imagined, and when the imagination becomes damaged to the point where human creativity can no longer foresee the proverbial “light at the end of the tunnel”, then the darker caves of the mind’s chaos can overwhelm.  Medical conditions tend to do that, especially when they become chronic and intractable.

This most recent pandemic can also undermine one’s sense of hope, and dash the plans for the “beyond”.  But for now, it is the “tomorrow” that we all need to focus upon, and for Federal and Postal employees looking to “solve” the problem of one’s inability to perform one or more of the essential elements of one’s Federal or Postal job, it is enough of a chore just to consider filing for FERS Disability Retirement benefits.

Consult with a FERS Attorney who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement benefits under FERS, and begin the process of taking care of tomorrow, and perhaps even beyond.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire

 

OPM Disability Retirement: Consider the Alternatives

It is a prefatory phrase that forces one to weigh the choices that are available, and by doing so, be compelled to finally make a needed decision.  Decisions are often hard to make.  There are some who become paralyzed merely in being presented with various choices in life, while others appear to breeze through the elimination process rapidly, arriving at a confidently-made decision without much effort.  Or seeming so.

Are some people born as “decision-makers”, while others fret and fume over whether to choose between a chocolate flavor or a vanilla?  How are children taught to make decisions, and for those who become anxious at every turn of being presented with alternatives, is it because such an individual was never taught as to the methodology of “sound” procedural processes in arriving at it?

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 his or her job, consider the alternative: Continue working and deteriorating health-wise in your condition; face increasing pressures at work, resulting in possible termination; resign and walk away with nothing; or, begin the process of preparing, formulating and filing an effective Federal Disability Retirement application, to be filed with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

Consider the Alternative; this one is a no-brainer.  Consult with an OPM Disability Attorney who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement, and certainly, consider the alternative.  You will not be disappointed.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire

 

Federal Employee Disability Retirement: Reactive Responses

By haste do we regret; by unthinking actions do we abide the fool.  Have you seen the sign often placed at the Clerk’s window at the local courthouse?  It will read something to the effect of: “Your procrastination does not create my emergency”.

Reactive responses, whether based upon a “real” emergency or one which seemingly appears so, are often the basis for later regrets and irreparable damage.  It is like the rule that everyone should follow in sending emails or posting comments on the Internet: Wait a day; sleep on it; set it aside for later consideration.

Few emergencies are rarely so; most are merely in the minds of the individual, burning like a forest fire out of control, but yet distant enough to suffer no lives.

For Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who are considering filing for Federal Disability Retirement benefits under FERS, the reactive response is often the fatal one.  Unless it is to meet a statute of limitations deadline, or to respond to an issue with a specific timeframe, most considerations which arise in a disability retirement application are rarely true emergencies and can be thoughtfully approached and resolved.

Contact a Federal Disability Lawyer who specializes in FERS Disability Retirement Law, lest haste results in waste and the thoughtless action reverberates with unintended consequences.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill
Federal Disability Attorney