Medical Retirement Benefits for US Government Employees: Loss & Grief

Loss results in an absence; what was once there, we mourn for, and it is the memories which we embrace which correspondingly magnify and quantify the profound sense of such negation of what once was.  Entering and exiting that insular world within ourselves too often, and the objective world of the physical universe takes note of our lack of productivity in the arena of employment, family, or social interactions. Sometimes it provides a greater sense of security to remain lost in the world of memories; but in the harsh reality of an unforgiving society, spending too much time in a virtual reality leaves little patience from bureaucracies, organizations, agencies and the like.

Medical conditions and debilitating diseases are likened to a loss; it takes time away, and for the suffering soul, it is a negation and an absence of that which once was a vibrant and fully functional mind or body.  The difference, however, is that loss which results in grief embraces memories of that which never again will be, whereas loss from a medical condition is often of a temporary nature, where regaining that which once was possible and attainable.

In order to reach a plateau where rehabilitation is possible, however, one must have time.  Federal Disability Retirement benefits, filed through the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, whether the Federal or Postal employee is under FERS or CSRS, is a route to a destination. Obtaining the benefit successfully can result in the attainment of an intermediate goal: to reach that plateau of stability, such that one can focus upon one’s health, as opposed to being constantly lost in the anxiety of one’s fearful imaginations.

As grief is the accompanying chorus to loss, so stability is the background orchestra to the negation of health. For the Federal and Postal employee who needs to file for OPM Disability Retirement benefits, time is the crucial factor which is needed; not for the sake of procrastination, but to reach that plateau of reclamation of what once was.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire

CSRS & FERS Medical Disability Retirement: Stuck in Time

Each of us embraces an era, a period, a slice of time with which we relate to, have fond remembrances of, or for whatever quirky reasons, possess an affinity or attachment to.   Perhaps it is the Fifties, with its stodgy reputation for conventionalism; or the radicalization of the Sixties; via music, movements, political upheavals or cultural phenomena, certain time periods seem to have a hold upon people, depending upon personalities, upbringing, backgrounds and interests.

There is nothing wrong with such creative time travels; it is a recreational endeavor of which we all engage; of watching movies, about which we read books; or even some will don a piece of clothing, such as a bow tie or a style of shoes.   Enjoying a time period can be a soothing leisure activity, often without being conscious of the affinity and connections itself; but it is when we become stuck in time, that problems arise.

That is often how a medical condition pivots a person; unexpectedly and unpreparedly, a chronic, progressively deteriorating medical condition will freeze a person’s family, career, goals and aspirations in a period of time, unable to get unstuck or have the flexibility and options necessary for forward movement or progress.

For Federal and Postal employees, the alternative of filing for and obtaining Federal Disability Retirement benefits through the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, whether the Federal or Postal employee is under FERS or CSRS, allows for the potential capacity to become unstuck again.

Imaginary time travel, for purposes of recreational activities, can be an enjoyable past time; but when one becomes stuck in time involuntarily and through unforeseen circumstances, getting stuck in time becomes a pathway of unforgiving proportions which must be maneuvered out of.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire

Medical Retirement Benefits for US Government Employees: Memories

Memories induce a peculiar phenomena; by expunging them, we can perhaps sidestep sadness and loss.  With them, we are left with a lasting image of who we were, who we are, and who we have become, with a hope for recovery when we have lost our “place in society”.

Illness and disability often perverts our memories; the suffering person will often have a misplaced and skewed memory of the person he or she once was.

For the Federal or Postal Worker who is experiencing and undergoing the trauma of a medical condition, such that the medical condition impacts one’s ability to perform all of the essential elements of one’s job, it is often the pervasive memory of a time past, which continues to impede a necessary present course of action.  But before one gets to a critical point of crisis management, it is important to engage a realistic assessment of one’s present circumstances, and determine one’s future course of actions, and not be diverted by the memories of one’s past glory days.

Federal Disability Retirement is a benefit accorded to all Federal and Postal Workers who have the minimum eligibility criteria met (18 months for those under FERS; 5 years for those under CSRS), and should be looked upon as part of one’s total employment benefits, to be utilized when needed.

It is a benefit which must be ultimately submitted to, and approved by, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

Consider the future; let not memories of past days confound the need to take direct and proper actions today; for, in the end, there will time to reflect and remember in future days to come.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire