OPM Medical Retirement: Empathy: What it Says About Us

In a recent Wall Street Journal Article, there was a story about 3 people who died — of professional individuals who had purchased cocaine, but where the “product” was tainted with fentanyl and perhaps some other deadly additives.

Why was it so difficult to feel a sense of empathy for these people?  The fact that they all seemed “privileged” — of having good jobs, being young and having all of the alleged “appearance” of having social, professional and financial advantages — seems to come into play.  The judgment we make is: It was their “choice” to buy the drugs, to take them, to understand the chance they were taking, and so….

Yet, how are they any different, substantively, from the child who grows up in the “projects” and is daily surrounded by drug dealers, criminals and bad parenting?  What is the substantive difference between the two?  Why do we have empathy for the child who grows up with disadvantages and succumbs to them, but not for the ones who seemingly have all of the advantages in life, and yet, squanders them and descends to the level of those who have always been without?

Empathy is a funny animal; and moreover, it probably says something about us when we show it for some, feel it for others, and yet for those “others” — none at all.  Which is a lesson for Federal and Postal employees who suffer from an injury or disease, and who have shown a sense of loyalty to their Federal Agency or Postal Unit for many years, and expect to find some sympathy when they file for Federal Disability Retirement benefits under the FERS system.

Perhaps you believe that you will receive some modicum of empathy from your Agency or Postal Service.  Don’t.  And when you do not, don’t begin ruminating about it; for, in the end, it says something about your Agency, and not about yourself.

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 Disability Retirement: Ostensibly

It is a funny word, in many respects; for, it presumes and assumes what may not actually be the case.  The word, “Ostensibly”, is used to describe that which is apparently so, or purportedly assumed, but may not actually be so.

Thus, one might say of an individual who is wearing clothes appearing to suggest that he or she works in a blue-collar job, and perhaps wears a tool-belt which suggests and confirms him/her to be such, that “he is ostensibly a carpenter”.  How does the adverb qualify the noun?   Because we don’t actually know, do we?

By his appearance and the fact that the individual carries around a tool belt which contains, perhaps, a saw, a hammer, a nail gun and other pertinent and revealing instruments indicating what a carpenter would require, we make an assumption that he is “ostensibly” a carpenter.

Now, it would be strange if you were to ask the individual what his profession was, and he confirmed that yes, he was a carpenter, then to state to a friend later on that “Joe is ostensibly a carpenter”, because if you have confirmed that the person “Joe” in reality is a carpenter and there is no longer an assumption, then to apply the word “ostensibly” would be rather odd — unless, of course, you thought that he was lying and that he only wore the tool belt to fool you, or was a half-wit who was engaging in “make believe” that he was a carpenter, etc.

In other contexts, the term “ostensibly” often applies, as well — as when the U.S. Office of Personnel Management denies a Federal Disability Retirement case and makes a multitude of arguments which, in the end, implies that you are merely “ostensibly” disabled (although they will never use the word itself).

For, what OPM is saying in a Federal Disability Retirement case under FERS in denying the Federal employee’s application for Federal or Postal Disability Retirement benefits, is that while you may allege to be disabled or unable to perform one or more of the essential elements of your job, you are actually not disabled.

If that happens, you will need to contact a disability attorney who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement Law; for, you will need more than an attorney who “ostensibly” does Federal Disability Retirement Law — rather, one who is, in reality and in fact, an attorney who specializes in it.

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 Law: The Stories We Carry

How we allow our thoughts to narrate the inner voices we carry, matters in how we see ourselves.  The proper stories we tell ourselves; what words we choose when describing an incident we were involved in; even the tone of the voices heard within the inner, insular world of our own thoughts — they are important in formulating who we are, what we believe, and what the future holds for us.  The correspondence theory of language is now an antiquated, outdated theory of language.

When Bertrand Russell stated with a mischievous smile that the “ present King of France is bald” — he knew at the outset that there was no “present King of France” and, moreover, that “baldness” cannot be attributed to a non-existent royal entity; and yet, we fully comprehend the statement.  By comprehension, we admit to its meaningfulness, and even its coherence.

But how can a nonsensical statement having both meaning and coherence?  That is the point — that meaning and coherence have nothing to do, necessarily, with existence in the objective universe.  Then, one might query, what is so important about the stories we carry within our heads if they have no correspondence to the objective world?  Not only is it important, but moreover, it is significant; for, in the end, the stories we tell ourselves, about ourselves, which we carry within ourselves, provide the inner psyche to possess the confidence and strength to maneuver through the world we must occupy for the limited time we have in this world.

For Federal employees and US. Postal workers who suffer from a medical condition such that the medical condition prevents the Federal or Postal employee from continuing in his or her career, you need to contact a Federal Disability Retirement Lawyer and quit beating yourself to death about failures, inadequacies and debilitating incompetencies that your Federal Agency has come to make you believe.

Contact a lawyer who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement Law and begin the process of moving forward and beyond, so that the stories you carry will keep you growing into the next decade — and beyond.

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 Attorney Representation: Confusion

What is it?  Does being uninformed and acting upon wrong information result in the conclusion that one suffers from it?  What if you deliberately ignore facts?  Or, must it involve some notion that in spite of the information available, one cannot either comprehend the available data or there exists some inability to understand the presented information?

Confusion is rampant in modernity, and whether we can define it or understand its origins, the fact remains that there appears to be a proportionality between the greater volume of information made available, and the number of individuals who suffer more and more from this malady designated as “confusion”.

The world has devolved more and more into a technical field of information gluttony; and while we may fool ourselves into believing that our present civilization is the most advanced in the history of the universe, the lack of coherence in thought, rationality and capacity to comprehend the available information gathered is astounding.

Federal Disability Retirement Law, as well, can be confusing and confounding.

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, contact an attorney who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement Law and make sure that confusion is not the basis for which the U.S. Office of Personnel Management denies your Federal Disability Retirement application under FERS.

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 Law: King for a Day

We have all had that sense of triumphant euphoria, where all of the complex and disparate components of life’s makeup somehow coalesce into a coordinated bundle of seamless and effortless symphony; where life is great; your plans and dreams are bearing fruit; restorative rest has been attained; friends and family have resolved their differences; and at least for a day, you are the King.

But such a state of perfection never lasts beyond that day; and tomorrow brings problems, difficulties, contradictions and conflicts; for the secret of life itself is that ever since the fall of Adam, or of any tale of the origins of Paleolithic beginnings — the original sin of life never dissipated.

The frailty of the body; the fragile makeup of the mind; the emotional turmoil experienced daily by the stresses of a world gone berserk with technology and the cold, unfeeling environment of the human workplace; these, and more, tell the story not of kings and lords, but of pawns and sacrificial lambs.

For Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who suffer from a medical condition such that the medical condition no longer allows you to remain a King — even for a day — it is time to consider filing for Federal Disability Retirement benefits under FERS.  Chronic medical conditions which impact a Federal or Postal employee’s ability and capacity to continue in their chosen careers present an even greater challenge: Of the loss of any hope for betterment until health itself becomes a prioritized activity to pursue.

Contact a Federal Lawyer who specializes in OPM Disability Retirement Law and consider whether or not the loss of being the King for a Day is worth the price of continuing in a career which is no longer tenable.

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 & Postal Disability Retirement: A Reason for Everything

Why must we attach one to each event, every occurrence, all episodes?  Is there one for everything?  Must there be a “reason” for every event in life?

We require explanations — whether of a transcendent nature, a motive or a foundation explaining a causal connection; but is the necessity inherent in the event, or does it reveal more about ourselves as a species which demands a rational explanation?  Does it matter, ultimately, whether the rising of the sun is explained by referring to the awakening of the gods or that the revolution of the earth rotating around the sun explains the phenomena, and that the sun doesn’t actually rise, but because of the spinning cycle of the earth, dawn comes upon us?

Of course, in daily living, whichever explanation we accept — whether of the gods yawning and awakening or the more “scientific” explanation about planets and their rotational movements — matters not except perhaps to raise eyebrows during the course of a conversation with your boss, but it does, of course, make a tremendous difference if you work at NASA and are planning the next space mission.

We seek a reason for everything; that is the nature of human beings, and for Federal employees and 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 reason given to the question, “Why me?” may not be a simple one.

Filing for Federal Disability Retirement benefits under FERS may not answer the age-old questions concerning causality, but it will at least allow you to focus upon your health and the priorities in life.  Consult with an attorney who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement; at the very least, some of the questions and reasons concerning the complex conundrum concerning disability retirement may be answered.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill
FERS Disability Attorney

 

Federal Employee Disability Retirement: What we Seek

Can everyone’s desire be placed under a single rubric, a single conceptual umbrella which captures the essence of human want?  Is it happiness we all seek?  A sense of security, or perhaps of joy, contentment, peace or love?

And if we were to all agree concerning the single most important goal for which we seek and strive, would we agree as to the definition of what it all means to each of us?  If of happiness, what would constitute the particulars of it?  For some, perhaps unlimited wealth?  For others, of love, endless satisfaction, or a single lifelong partner to share one’s dreams and aspirations?

What about for the person who suffers from a medical condition — perhaps of being “pain free” is what he or she would seek?  Of “good health” — is it something which we all seek but often take for granted and overlook?

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 job, what is sought is often a return to health.  Federal Disability Retirement is one component of a wide variety of elements which assists in returning to a level of health, by relieving the stresses inherent in attempting to juggle work and health-issues.

While filing for FERS Disability Retirement benefits may not be the final goal or solution to that which we seek, it is one component within the multiple elements which make up for the array of those things we seek.

Consult with a FERS attorney who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement Law in order to attain and satisfy at least one of those components.  It is, in the end, an often-overlooked element necessary as a prerequisite for any of those other human goals — whether of happiness, contentment, peace or joy; and even of love.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire

 

FERS Disability Retirement Benefits: The Feeling of Late

Do other species experience the same phenomena?  You know — of the feeling of late; or, more precisely, the pressures and stresses of “being late”, or some similar state of being.  How does the feeling come about; what creates it; and when does it go away such that there is no internal pressure that exacerbates the feeling we place under the general aegis of “stress”?

The feeling of late is an internal, insulated and cognitive sense, self-created and entirely manufactured within the context of a uniqueness caused by societal conditions.  It is entirely artificial (as Rousseau would deem it) and is not necessarily experienced by all.  Does it irritate to know someone who seemingly is oblivious to that experiential phenomena?  You know, the person who is incessantly late for appointments, never makes it on time to a dinner reservation, and seemingly is unaffected by a world which is obsessed with keeping time as a barometer of orderly self-control.

Time governs us all; for some, it creates a time-bomb of conflicted stresses; for others, a passing glance of concern; and only for a few, an irritant ready to be cast aside and ignored with aplomb and deliberative disregard, like a gnat on a summer’s night to be swatted and forgotten.

For Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who are considering filing for Federal Disability Retirement, there is often very little difference between the feeling of late and the stresses pervasive stemming from a degenerative medical condition: In the end, whatever the sensation that destroys and gnaws, it is an experiential phenomena that debilitates and overwhelms.

Filing for FERS Disability Retirement may not be the complete solution to all problems, but it does allow for a Federal or Postal employee to focus upon that which should be a priority — of one’s health.  For, it is health itself which is the antidote to the feeling of late.  And, oh — to be like that person who cares not whether the appointment is at a given time, or that the dinner reservation is already past.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire

 

Early Retirement for Disabled Federal Workers: The empty plaque

Somehow, they only retain their meaning and significance if there is an ongoing recognition of current accomplishment and recent reinforcements.  Commemorative plaques may provide a historical context of one’s abilities and talents, and even reveal a shadow of a person’s former self; yet, they also magnify the contrast between what once was and the current state of difficulties one faces.

The “plaque” that is placed prominently on a wall, or occupies a conspicuous space on one’s desk, should never be a “dead” object.  For, once the plaque becomes a forgotten piece of history, as opposed to a mere intermediate interlude on the way to greater heights of accomplishments, it becomes a reminder of a past now irrelevant and unimportant.

Plaques should be the middle portion of a life still to be lived and not the final, indelible stamp of cessation.  Moreover, in modernity, the realization that accolades, fame and yesterday’s recognition mean little-to-nothing in this fast-paced universe where thanks are for a moment ago and resting upon one’s laurels will leave you behind quicker than quick, leaves one with a hollow feeling of trembling insecurities.

The empty plaque is the one you hope will carry you through when nothing much happens, even when you know it will not.

For Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who suffer from a medical condition, where 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 significance of the plaque becoming empty is quickly realized: Whatever accomplishments that were achieved yesterday is unimpressive to the Federal agency or the Postal Service; whatever loyalty you believed was forthcoming because of your loyalty given over so many years…well, don’t hold your breath.

In this world where commitment, loyalty and reliance upon plaques and other objects of recognition hold sway for barely a nod or a wink of time, it is best to begin thinking about yourself, and preparing, formulating and filing an effective Federal Disability Retirement application, to be submitted to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, whether the Federal or Postal employee is under FERS, CSRS or CSRS offset, is the first step in recognizing that the empty plaque sitting on one’s desk or hanging upon the wall became empty once your usefulness to the agency or the Postal Service became compromised by the medical condition itself.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire

 

Federal Disability Retirement: Monday’s Startle

There is not much that needs to be said about Mondays.  The standard response to, “So, how is your day going?” is quickly understood with the response of, “It’s Monday”.  What is it about the first work-day of the week that brings about the startle of life?  Is that why the traditional week’s cycle begins from Sunday-to-Saturday, because we want to avoid the memory of a week beginning so disastrously?

Do we dread work so much that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, where the expectation of the day following the day off becomes so anticipated with angst and considerations of impending disasters, that what we come to expect we impose our will upon the universe such that reality follows our fears and imagination?  Or, is it that there is an across-the-board truce that comes about without a word of acknowledgment — shortly after the close of business on Friday afternoon — when everyone heaves a sigh of relief, goes into the weekend, and everyone follows the protocol of no longer bothering one another?

How did we come to that unspoken rule — you know, the one where emails suddenly become reduced in volume (except by those with OCD who increase the length and number because of the unresponsiveness of the previously-sent dozen or so), phone calls are put on hold and the furious activity of keyboard punching and looking about anxiously at the clock-that-never-moves — where suddenly a peaceful calm descends like a spirit from on high above the clouds, the white flag of a temporary truce is reached without anyone saying a word, week after week, month after month, year in and year out?

It is reported that such unspoken occurrences were common during every war — our own Civil War, the two World Wars (but not in the more recent ones in Southeast Asia and the Middle East), where ceasefires were embraced around Holy Holidays and some Sundays without any need for negotiated settlements, but with merely a wave and a smile.

Then, Monday’s startle comes with a roar.  Whether because it remains such a contrast against the quietude of the day before, or merely the release of pent-up energy allowed to aggregate over the 2 days of respite and restoration, one may never quite comprehend.

For the Federal employee or Postal worker who suffers from a medical condition which necessitates preparing, formulating and filing an effective Federal Disability Retirement application with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, whether the Federal or Postal employee is under FERS, CSRS or CSRS Offset, Monday’s startle is often a chronic condition because of the inability to escape from the anxiety of the medical condition itself over the weekend, Holidays or summer months.

Monday’s startle can be survived, for the most part, precisely because of Saturday’s respite and Sunday’s quietude; but when every day of the week and weekend results in the same angst as Monday’s startle, it is likely time to consider filing for Federal Disability Retirement in order to focus upon one’s health, lest Monday’s startle turns into an endless stream of red flags replacing the white ones of truce where such flags are warning signs of an impending condition that only gets worse.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire