Ultimately, federal disability retirement is a benefit that must be fought for and secured in order to achieve a level of financial security for the future. The questions that are asked when you are first faced with a medical condition that has begun to interfere and that leads to your inability to perform one or more of the essential elements of your job are varied and many. Where to look for the answers, who to trust, and then decide what knowledge is both accurate and useful, are the keys to a successful application for federal disability retirement benefits for federal and postal employees under FERS and CSRS.

The internet has flourished and expanded. Information on any topic is simply a Google search. However, a distinction must always be made between information and knowledge. The large amount of information on any subject does not necessarily result in knowledge on the subject. This opinion is true in the field of federal and postal disability retirement information and knowledge.

Initially, the type, extent, and severity of the medical condition should be determined. So, is the medical condition physical or psychiatric in nature, or is there a combination of physical and psychiatric medical conditions? If physical, do medical conditions affect one’s ability to perform one or more of the essential elements of one’s job? Does the job itself, the job description, require physical demands that are affected by particular medical conditions? If it is psychiatric, have the appropriate treatments been contracted? Have psychotropic medications been prescribed? Have psychotherapeutic interventions been produced?

Proper medical documentation is important to the basis of compiling an effective federal disability retirement application. Please note the distinction between “proper medical treatment” and “medical documentation.” This distinction should not be easily overlooked. Because, while the treating physician may be the best orthopedic specialist in the world, or a top-notch neurosurgeon, if that same physician is unwilling to formulate and take the time to write a complete and proper medical narrative report, then that specialty Knowledge and experience are ineffective in preparing and filing a federal disability retirement application.

A federal disability retirement application is a paper submission. Therefore, as part of the compilation of the federal disability retirement application, the two most important components are: (1) Supporting medical documentation and (2) Applicant’s Declaration of Disability (Standard Form 3112A, both for employees of FERS and CSRS). As a paper submission, without clinical examinations by a physician in the Office of Personnel Management (the agency that reviews and decides on the approval or denial of all federal disability retirement applications under FERS or CSRS, both for employees federal and postal employees), the description of medical conditions, the impact of medical conditions on one’s inability to perform one or more of the essential elements of their job, all must be conveyed effectively in narrative medical reports , as well as in the applicant’s Declaration of Disability. Therefore, knowledge is the path to success, and such knowledge must be adequately and descriptively transmitted to the Office of Personnel Management.

Keep in mind the important distinctions between a federal disability retirement application and an application for OWCP (Worker’s Comp) benefits. Worker’s Comp is not a retirement system; its purpose is to temporarily compensate an injured worker for the purpose of rehabilitation and eventual return to the workplace; the causation of the injury may be an important issue; and the person seeking Workers’ Compensation compensation may be examined by a physician other than their treating physician, which is often referred to as a “Second Opinion” or “Independent Medical Examination”, and in addition, by a “arbitrator” or Third Opinion Physician. Furthermore, one should not be surprised if OWCP sends a nurse to visit him during his clinical meetings with his own treating physician.

One question that is often asked is whether a particular type or type of medical condition “qualifies” for federal disability retirement benefits. OPM Disability Retirement is less concerned with an official diagnosis; rather, what is the major focus in Federal Disability Retirement cases involves the underlying symptoms of the medical condition (or conditions) and their impact on a person’s ability to perform one or more of the essential elements of their job. Therefore, some common physical conditions may include (but are not limited to): cervical, lumbar, or thoracic disabilities; Shoulder impingement syndrome; Carpal tunnel syndrome; Plantar fasciitis; Migraines; Systemic lupus; various heart problems; Chronic Fatigue Syndrome; Multiple chemical sensitivity; Parkinson’s disease; Fibromyalgia; and many, many more medical conditions. Note that the importance of such medical conditions is not so much the “official” diagnosis; rather, what is important are the symptoms that then impact one’s physical inability to perform one or more of the essential elements of their job.

Similarly, in psychiatric medical conditions, from major depression, anxiety, panic attacks, agoraphobia, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, to paranoia, ADD, ADHD, schizophrenia, suicidal or homicidal ideas: the dysfunction Cognitive, the inability to focus, concentrate, being able to perform intensive cognitive work, or work that requires sustained daily focus and attention, are the major central emphasis of the medical conditions described and outlined.

Ultimately, it is the cumulative knowledge of multiple factors that will ensure the success of a federal disability retirement application under FERS or CSRS submitted to the Office of Personnel Management. Knowledge is gained through a combined synthesis of knowing medical conditions, obtaining appropriate medical narratives, and documentation that will enhance the feasibility of a person’s Declaration of Disability, as outlined in Standard Form 3112A. Since knowledge is the path to success, proper knowledge of medical issues, legal tools, and effective documentation gathering will provide greater success in obtaining approval for a federal disability retirement application.