Last Updated on February 22, 2010
One would like to think that the Office of Personnel Management takes each case independently, reviews each case according to the merit of that particular case, and that, based upon a fair, independent and careful evaluation process, a decision is made for an approval or disapproval. When a decision from OPM reaches a Federal Disability Retirement applicant under FERS or CSRS, that applicant will see such a decision, and that decision alone. When an attorney who specializes in OPM Disability Retirement sees such a decision, it is clearly based upon a template, and after viewing thousands of such template-based decisions, a pattern begins to develop.
Templates are not in and of themselves a negative thing; one need not “reinvent the wheel” each and every time. It is only when a template does not “fit” a particular case, or where it is clear that a decision contradicts the substantive content of the disability retirement application or the documentary attachments, that there is any negative issue with a template. Fortunately, most OPM decisions are fair and properly evaluative; every now and then, however, it is evident that a template-driven decision has been issued without thought or fair analysis. That is when a true problem has arisen.
Sincerely,
Robert R. McGill, Esquire
If I hire you as my representative, how do you get paid for your services and how much is it? I have two (2) injured shoulders and am considering disability retirement, I am 59 yrs old and still working full-time as a carrier for the usps. Thank you