Have you ever wondered how decisions are made? What is the process, and who determines whether or not the methodology engaged is the “right” one or the “wrong” one? What data is analyzed? How is the evaluative input assessed, and to what extent does “missing” information impact the process?
On a spectrum of decision-making, there is on the lower side of an imaginary graph the “process” of choosing a flavor of ice cream. Most would agree that it is based upon a purely subjective, appetitive basis, where the foundation of the process of decision-making (if you can even call it that on such a rudimentary level) is based upon one’s taste for a particular flavor, and whether or not one has a present desire for the intended food.
Can other factors come into play? Of course – for example, say you just read an informative article that all flavors in category X contain a carcinogenic compound, however slight in volume, that over time may cause harm, whereas all other flavors (“Category Y”) are exempted and are considered “safe”.
Now, how much of that data enters into the decision-making process of choosing the ice cream flavor? For, in order for such information to enter into the equation, one must first engage in the prior decision-making process upon the article itself – i.e., is it factual or does it contain unfounded opinions? How “scientific” is the evidence? Does the author have a conflict of interest – i.e., is he being paid for writing the article, and by whom? Perhaps the author works for the industry that produces all Flavors Y and wants to advance a competitive edge over all Flavors X by harming or destroying, or placing seeds of doubt into the minds of customers who might consider those other flavors?
Placing weight and credibility upon the article itself must first involve a process of decision-making; then, even after such a judgment on the information received, how much of it will impact upon the decision-making process of choosing a flavor of ice cream? One might conclude, for example, that the article on carcinogenic ingredients is pure bosh and disregard it – but even in that instance, if you chose the category of Flavors Y, can you ever be sure that you discarded it completely, or perhaps in your subconscious mind you attached your allegiance out of fear and caution? How will you ever know?
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 process of decision-making in preparing, formulating and filing an effective Federal Disability Retirement application can be a complex and complicated one.
One’s future is involved; one’s investment in a career; the health concerns, the deteriorating capacity to continue in one’s chosen line of work, and the increasing difficulty of hiding the medical condition – all, and so much more, must be considered before initiating the process of a Federal Disability Retirement application.
With all of this in mind, of the jumble of information and the complexity of the process itself, the best and first step is to consult with an attorney who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement law, in order to gain a balanced perspective, receive all of the necessary information, and to begin to gather the foundational data necessary in order to ultimately make the “right” decision in the process.
Sincerely,
Robert R. McGill, Esquire
Filed under: Reflections of an OPM Disability Retirement Lawyer | Tagged: ada federal employee reasonable accommodation degenerative disc, advancing sick leave long term medical conditions, back pain and disability retirement with us government as a federal employee, bullying and hostile work environment postal service, civil service hostile work environment against disabled employees, collecting disability retirement after resigning fed government, dealing with sf 3112b supervisor's statement and other opm std forms, defense dpt disability retirement lawyer, disability for postal workers, disability retirement from usps terminal disease, do i qualify for disability benefit after I resign from government job? yes but you must file within a year, expedited disability opm, explaining how your illnesses injuries or condition affect your ability to perform essential elements of federal job, federal attorneys that represent injured us postal employees, federal bureau of prison accommodating disability adhd, federal disability insurance for us government employees, federal disability retirement process, federal disability sf3112, federal employee disability multiple sclerosis, federal workers compensation long term anxiety, federal workers resigning for health issues, fers and csrs lawyers in sc med retirement, fers disability retirement application, fers disability retirement applications, fers early voluntary retirement and to fers disability issues, fers medical retirement ptsd firefighter, fers medical retirement with redux, fers retirement disability blue book guide, fers retirement disability process, form 3112a listing diseases and symptoms, getting an disability retirement application for postal worker, government requesting statements from supervisor for fers eligibility, harassment lawsuits against usps, how much does your med condition interferes with your dol job, if bipolar disorder interferes with you working for the federal government, if i have already summited a medical retirement packet to opm can I resign and still qualify? Yes but not recommended ask attorney, judiciary federal employee incapacity determination, limited duty in the Post Office, mail carriers and plantar fasciitis medical retirement, medical condition and work performance in federal government, medical condition for opm disability retirement must affect job, medical retirement faa, medical retirement from federal government, medical review obstructive sleep apnea fers disability, non work related disability federal system, office of postal management medical incapacities, opm disability survey suspend benefits, opm employee extended sick leave, opm harassment employee policy and anxiety issues, opm how to get approved for federal disability fers or csrs, opm light duty for a federal employee not adequate, opm performance deficiency notice due to a health condition, opm proposal to remove employee fitness for duty, owcp and medical separation from postal service, owcp claim status check with fed government, performance deficiency notices against disabled federal employees, plantar fasciitis among postal mail carriers, postal management bullying causing depression on employees, postal service resignation ps form after a disabling injury or illness not recommended if you’ll apply for future benefits, psychological disability retirement federal government employment, reassignment letter for medical conditions us government employment, resigning from the federal government for disabilities, separating from federal service opm medical issues, SF 3112 disability retirement forms, sf 3112a example or help, sf-3112 help for fers, unequal treatment in the federal workplace due to mental disabilities, us department of defense medical retirement, usps disability requirements, usps employee disability application, usps injury compensation disability retirement, usps light duty disability request forms, usps notification of personnel action ps-50, usps ps form 50 and 3112 forms, what to do if you don’t qualify for federal owcp and cannot work, when owcp stops benefits because of referee doctor, when workers comp agency-paid doctor states nothing is wrong, when working with a disability in the federal government is no longer possible, working while on federal retirement disability, writing a disability statement opm federal employment, wrongful termination related to attendance against us postal service employee with disabilities | Leave a comment »
OPM Disability Retirement: Faking it
We often judge the complexity and sophistication of a species by evaluating the extent of negative capacities. Thus are humans considered to be advanced creatures because of the capability of lying, subterfuge, dissimulation, pretense of behavior, and other such undesirable characteristics. But other species can “lie” as well, if one accepts faking matters and circumstances as constituting that sort of advancement of evolutionary behavior.
Predators can “act like” they are asleep, or even dead or noticeably unaware, in order to lure the prey into a somnolence of cautionary approach. Birds can mimicry others; and chameleons can adapt and change in order to engage in subterfuge. But the true test of sophisticated advancement is the ability to defy an inevitable reaction to a cause, and to simultaneously suppress it. As pain is a natural alarm system which the body necessitates a reaction to, so the act of concurrently concealing it requires an enormity of self-discipline rarely found in species other than in humans.
Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who suffer from a medical condition engage in such subterfuge on a regular basis. Whether in attempting to extend one’s career for a period greater than self-interest, or of necessity to survive among the pack of hyenas comprised of Federal agencies, their cohorts and co-conspirators, the Federal and Postal employee who suffers from a medical condition, such that the medical condition prevents one from performing one or more of the essential elements of one’s job, faking it becomes a daily routine requiring self-containment and discipline of an extraordinary capacity.
Filing for Federal Disability Retirement benefits through the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, whether the Federal or Postal employee is under FERS, CSRS or CSRS Offset, is an avenue of relief where the threshold and intersection between concealment and level of pain can no longer be tolerated. It is the exit by which Federal and Postal employees find where once there was none. For, in the end, the predator wounded and laying in wait for the injurious cause to approach with lesser caution, in order for the prey to become the aggressor, the danger is that one may wait too long and bleed to death, and unknowingly reverse the intended fortunes of the day.
Sincerely,
Robert R. McGill, Esquire
Filed under: Reflections of an OPM Disability Retirement Lawyer | Tagged: after a job-limiting disability: should I resign or wait to be terminated from the federal gov't, agency paid owcp referee doctors many times look out the employers interests not of the employee, appealing commentary on usps drac committee recommendations, applying for disability after leaving federal service is possible only within a year, bipolar federal employee retirement lawyer, bop guide to medical retirement by successful federal lawyer, clarity of thoughts in the life of a disabled federal employee, considering postal mental long term health leave or retirement option, early postal disability retirement information, federal disability and early out postal, federal disability retirement questions and potential issues, federal employee retirement system, federal employment psychiatric disability depression, federal gov compensation and pension benefits for on or off the job carpel tunnel, federal government functional capacity evaluation guidelines, federal government supervisor harassment of disabled employee, federaldisabilitypension, federaldisabilityretirement, fers disability retirement applications, fers early voluntary retirement and to fers disability issues, fers pension under incapacity laws, fers resignation request medical inability, fers retirement calculation formula, fighting agency’s effort reassignment to physically challenging position, filing a grievance with the union for immediate federal medical retirement, filling out a fers disability application legal assistance, getting an disability retirement application for postal worker, government employee health insurance after medical termination, grievance filing medical discrimination postal service, health issues at usps after an injury, help with us postal form ca-7 and 3112, how to handle federal government proposal for removal for excessive sickness, how wise is resigning from the federal government when medical issue? not very wise 2 burn bridges behind you, inability to continue working for department of justice, information on the usps disability retirement process, insufficient usps drac committee accommodation, issuing inadequate light duty united states postal service reasonable accommodation committee, it's time to make a decision for change for the good of the disabled federal employee, law enforcement medical restrictions, leo light duty office job and qualifying for early retirement, limited duty in the Post Office, long term disability from the post office, long term usps workers comp benefits, many federal government employee removal proposal are really done as a retaliation against sick employees, medical retirement faa, medical retirement for major depression disorder, office of personnel management and postal employees with disabilities, opm doesn’t have a list of disabilities because requirements depend on job performance, opm private attorney for federal disability accommodation and reassignment, parkinson’s stage can I retire on disability with fers? yes as long as it affects job performance, physician letters to federal employee gov about employee disabilities, pinched nerve in neck and workers comp from department of labor, post office disability retirement lawyer, post office short term disability benefits and long term regular retirement prospects, postal disability lawyer, postal supervisor filing of ca1 and 3112 opm std forms, ptsd owcp federal attorney for, ptsd usps disability retirement attorney, pursuing workers comp cash award and opm disabilities but worry about statute of limitations for opm first, quitting the post office before retirement because of medical condition doesn’t make sense, reasonable care standard during medical treatments in fers med process, rehabilitation after a chronic condition in federal employment, removal of career employees with disabilities in the post office, resigning from federal employment over anxiety in hostile work environment, stress claim usps disability retirement lawyer, supervisors in the federal government trigger employee anxiety and stress, switching from workers comp to opm med ret, termination from federal employment for gross misconduct and stress retirement lawyer, united states postal service reasonable accommodation committee inappropriate limited duty job, us dept of labor owcp permanent disability retirement, usps and disability retirement attorney, usps disability blog, usps disability retirement lawyer, usps long term disability coverage, usps notification of personnel action ps-50, va benefits and fers medical retirement attorney, va employee fired for being awol because of surgery and med condition, when the federal worker finally realizes he or she is unable to perform the essential elements of his or her job, why does a career federal employee get terminated from employment, wrongful termination underlining impairment from the postal service lawyers | Leave a comment »