Last Updated on June 11, 2010
We all know what the “Second-Class” medical conditions are: Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Diffuse Pain, Chemical Sensitivity issues, etc. To some extent, such medical conditions have always been a paradigm of a society — at one time, one could argue that all psychiatric conditions were treated in a similar manner: accepted at some level as a medical condition, but stigmatized as somehow being less than legitimate.
In a Federal Disability Retirement application under FERS or CSRS, it is patently obvious that the Office of Personnel Management treats certain medical conditions as “second-class” conditions. They often deny such cases at the initial stage of the process, and unless you point out a compendium of established case-law authorities, OPM will often get away with their groundless assertions.
Words matter, and which words and arguments are chosen to rebut the Office of Personnel Management matters much in a Federal Disability Retirement case. Such medical conditions are not second-class medical conditions, and OPM should not be allowed to treat them as such.
Sincerely,
Robert R. McGill, Esquire