Why do some Federal Agencies (and the Postal Service) act in non-supportive, negative ways, while others go out of their way to support their employees? The answer to such a question essentially is as complex (or simplistic) as individuals themselves; for agencies are made up of individuals, and the reaction of an agency is often a reflection of the individuals who lead the agencies.
When it comes to an employee filing for Federal Disability Retirement, this is often important to understand, because while Agencies (i.e., supervisors) cannot ultimately block a Federal Disability Retirement application under FERS or CSRS, they can sometimes make the process more difficult for the applicant, by engaging in certain tactics (e.g., placing a person on AWOL as opposed to LWOP; delaying the writing of a Supervisor’s Statement; the H.R. Department being obstructionist, etc.)
In dealing with an Agency, it is important to remain courteous, but not weak; professional, but not a “pushover”. Further, it is important, where possible, to have an attorney deal with the Supervisor or the H.R. Department as a “buffer” between the Applicant and the Agency, to de-personalize the process. When Agency Supervisor’s take things personally, problems arise. It is as if all of the pent-up angers of accumulated personal slights come roaring to the forefront. One should always try and avoid such personalization of the process, and allow for the smooth transition of the employee to becoming a Federal Disability Retiree.
Sincerely,
Robert R. McGill, Esquire
Filed under: OPM Disability Actors - The Agency, OPM Disability Actors - The Supervisor | Tagged: "AWOL" for medical reasons, accepting opm disability clients all across america, administrative separation from federal employment for medical reasons, agency actions against federal employee, attorney representing federal workers for disability throughout the united states, awol instead of sick leave after serious injury or illness, cooperation between the supervisor and the employee in opm disability cases, disability retirement federal agencies, effective personal skills when dealing with supervisors, excessive sick leave in federal employment for legitimate illness, federal civilian disability retirement for honolulu employees, federal disability retirement law enforcement agencies, federal employee's transition to medical retirement, federal employment advanced sick leave or medical retirement, federal employment and the failing to follow proper sick leave "procedures" excuse, federal opm disability retirement for colorado springs residents, how will your agency will react after they find out about your illness?, law firm representing clients in opm disability law all across america, leave without pay for medical reasons, legal services available for injured federal workers in minneapolis, legal services for federal and postal workers all across america, nationwide representation of federal employees, OPM disability retirement, opm federal disability law firm for employees in arlington, postal service worker terminated awol sick leave, postal supervisors and managers, protecting your rights if you are fired from the federal job for medical reasons, representing federal employees from any us government agency, representing federal employees in and outside the country, sickness disability united states postal service, sometimes federal agencies will support its disabled workers, st. louis federal disability retirement legal services, supporting the injured federal worker, the fact is that many agencies will retaliate against the disable workers, the postal service and the supervisor's use of awol to retaliate against injured employees, the venom of the supervisor, trying the carrot before the stick when dealing with agencies, tulsa federal employment disability retirement, using awol as a tool for revenge, USPS disability retirement, when the disabled federal worker gets the support she needs from agency, wichita ks opm disability retirement attorney | 1 Comment »
Federal Employee Medical Retirement: The Potential Drawback
One of the potential drawbacks in pursuing collateral employment issues concomitantly with a Federal Disability Retirement application is that, as such employment issues are active and clearly in the collective consciousness of the Agency, the Supervisor, and all involved, the issue itself often gets sneaked into a Federal Disability Retirement application under FERS or CSRS via the back door.
This is not necessarily a negative thing, but can be a potential drawback if the Supervisor insists upon inserting the details of the collateral action in the Supervisor’s Statement. Whether such insertion and accompaniment with a Federal Disability Retirement application is “proper” or not, is a separate matter. From the perspective of the applicant who is awaiting a decision from the Office of Personnel Management, it matters not as to the proper actions of the Agency. What such actions by the rogue supervisor does, is to deflect the focus away from the medical issue, and redirects the reviewing official/representative at OPM that the “reason” for one’s early retirement is not one based upon a medical issue, but rather, is because of stresses or other factors caused by a hostile work environment, harassment issues, etc. This is normally a proposition which can be easily sidestepped, by arguing to OPM that whether or not such workplace issues have any basis or not, the treating doctor has nevertheless stated X, Y & Z. However, it can still be problematic, and that is why collateral workplace issues should be avoided, if at all possible.
Sincerely, Robert R. McGill, Esquire
Filed under: OPM Disability Actors, Theory and Practice: Tips and Strategies for a Successful Application | Tagged: avoiding using the "hostile environment" term in your opm disability claim, cases where the opm claims situational disability, collateral issues while on the federal disability retirement application process, CSRS disability retirement federal attorney, dealing with an harassment issue and the usps disability application, disability eeoc cases against federal agencies, discrimination against disabled federal workers and eeoc, eeo complaints and workers comp, federal disability attorney, fers disability application supervisor comments, FERS disability retirement, harassment in the Postal Service, harassment is not a medical issue, hostile work environment federal government, law firm representing clients in opm disability law all across america, many federal disability retirement cases are situational at the beginning, mixing discrimination complaints and medical issues in the usps disability retirement application, mixing your federal disability retirement claim with other lawsuits, nationwide representation of federal employees, neutralizing negative statements from supervisor's statements in sf 3112b, OPM disability retirement, owcp disability retirement, postal service disability retirement, potential problems with your fers disability application, psychiatric disorder caused by a hostile work environment, pursuing collateral issues besides csrs disability retirement, remembering that opm disability retirement is primarily a medical issue, representing federal employees in and outside the country, situational disability and the hostile environment claim, Standard Form 3112b, supervisors' revenge against Postal workers, the dangers of getting your opm claim situational, the injured federal worker and the unfair supervisor, the limited power of a supervisor in the fers disability retirement process, the unfair postal supervisor, the venom of the supervisor, unequal treatment issues in the federal workplace, USPS disability retirement, why the sf 3112b matters less than the doctor's statements, your supervisor and federal disability retirement | Leave a comment »