Last Updated on January 30, 2023
Why is it that some words are known primarily by their negation? For example, we use the word “unfettered” to convey the meaning of freedom and release, but rarely see the usage of its non-negative form, as in, “He is fettered”. Perhaps it is because we no longer approve of placing chains or manacles upon prisoners, and instead have become more civilized, with a concurrent alteration in the usage of the term for more genteel societies.
Often, it is the very negation of X — whether through minimization or leaving out completely that which we originally thought to be so indispensable — which makes for the effective case. Thus, in a Federal Disability Retirement application through the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, whether under FERS or CSRS, the problem is normally not one of what to write about or how much to submit; rather, it is the editing process and the paring down and streamlining of a case which is the hard part.
Most people who suffer from a chronic condition which has come to a crisis point where it prevents one from performing one or more of the essential elements of one’s job, are not at a loss for words or volumes of documents ready to submit. But not everything which is material to a case is relevant, and in order to obtain a Federal Disability Retirement from U.S. Office of Personnel Management, it is always best to streamline on the basis of relevance per statutory criteria.
Thus, we come full circle: negation of a concept is often the most effective avenue of discourse; the un-negated bundle, left alone, may include too much baggage for the untrained eye.
Sincerely,
Robert R. McGill, Esquire
Disability Lawyer for Federal employees