Federal & Postal Disability Retirement: OPM’s Words

Last Updated on October 8, 2009

It is a frightening thought that there may be a percentage of Federal or Postal Federal Disability Retirement applicants who read an initial denial from the Office of Personnel Management, and take their words at face value.  From statements such as, “Your doctor has failed to show that your condition is amenable to further treatments” (by the way, when did the Office of Personnel Management obtain a medical degree or complete a residency requirement?) to “you have not shown that you are totally disabled from performing efficient work” (hint:  this is not Social Security, and the standard is not “total disability”), to a full spectrum of error-filled statements in between, one may suspect that there may be a knowing strategy in rendering a denial, knowing that a small percentage of the corpus of disability retirement applicants will simply walk away and not file a Request for Reconsideration. 

Further, I suspect that this occurs more often with certain more “vulnerable” medical conditions — Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Major Depression, PTSD, anxiety, panic attacks; Chemical Sensitivity cases, etc.  Why do I suspect these?  Mostly because such cases are attacked for “lacking objective medical evidence” (see my articles on Vanieken-Ryals v. OPM, and similar writings) and failing to provide “diagnostic test results”, etc.  There was a time, long ago, when it used to mean something when someone said, “The Government says…”  In this day and age, I would advise that you take it to an attorney to review whether or not the words of the Office of Personnel Management are true or not.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire

0 thoughts on “Federal & Postal Disability Retirement: OPM’s Words”

  1. Dear Sir
    This is Thomas Steptoe with deaf person…
    I want know why OWCP pa’id for their Doctor to do a report but won’t pay my doctor to do a report it doesn’t make sense. I do agree that I shouldn’t pay $600.00 dollars for the report. Dr reasor knows my case and i know can write a good report. but i will talk to my doctors about seeing if they can write a very detailed brief summary of my health. but my doctor still won’t it to his want OWCP pay his report that problem them i want attorney going to federal court now then…

    I want to inform you that OWCP didn’t want to pay my doctor’s for report for my health instead they had paid another doctor to do a report on me who knows nothing about my case.and medicare insurance paid
    for 2 my knee replacement of both right and left knee
    surgeries and hospital stay.Dr Raymond Shea believe
    I am full 100% disabled and should get full claim coverage. please let me know soon call me from relay service number XXX XXX XXXX to ask for my nbr phone XXX XXX XXX … i want you help me to OWCP TO RETIREMENT DISABLITY thanks have a bless day and night

    ATHOMAS STEPTOE

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