Federal Disability Retirement: Doctors and the Peculiarities of Treatment

Last Updated on March 14, 2013

Efficacy of treatment is the goal for a doctor; and upon information that such efficacy has failed to render improvement or incremental signs of progress, many doctors lose interest, or become suspicious.

Social Security Disability, of course, requires a higher standard of proof — one of essentially “total disability”, where one is no longer able to engage in “substantially gainful activity” — and, as such, is an implicit admission of medical failure.

FERS & CSRS Disability Retirement, however, is merely an acknowledgement that there are certain medical conditions which, limited in their scope and impact, prevent a person from performing one or more of the essential elements of a particular kind of job.  Such a person who goes out on Federal Disability Retirement benefits can still remain productive in the work-world, by pursuing another, different kind of vocation.

As such, from a medical point of view, conveying the distinction between the two is like the difference between identifying a hill as opposed to a mountain:  both may have some elevation, but the extent and scope between the two goes well beyond a linguistic peculiarity.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire

1 thought on “Federal Disability Retirement: Doctors and the Peculiarities of Treatment”

  1. I am in the process of a plying and still with my agency but have not worked for at least six months. I have no income and desperately want to go back to work but am being advised not to as this could affect my case.
    How are people expected to get by. My condition is very time sensitive but with no money I cant evin fill my prescriptions or keep the power on
    Is there some kind of recourse if because of the length
    of this process I progress to the point of no return?

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