Last Updated on May 24, 2010
Logic is the pathway out of a conundrum; complexity is often the result of confusion; clarity is the consequence of simplicity. Yes, there are complex minefields in filing a Federal Disability Retirement application under FERS & CSRS. The complexity of the entire process is often the result of layers upon layers of legal case laws and statutory refinements and interpretations which form the entirety of the “legal criteria” which surrounds each and every application for Federal Disability Retirement. When an individual files an application for Federal Disability Retirement benefits, he or she is often unaware of the long history of all of the applicants who preceded the singular case being presently contemplated, formulated, and projected for filing. Instead, that individual looks upon his or her disability retirement application without regard to what preceded it.
Perhaps it is best that most applicants are unaware of the thousands of cases which have impacted the entire process over decades; yet, when the glitch occurs — when an application for Federal Disability Retirement benefits is denied — then the importance of knowing the precedent-setting cases which have impacted the various and complex issues surrounding OPM Disability Retirement come into focus. That is why it is best to be prepared beforehand, and to understand the logic behind the laws; by understanding, to realize the simplicity of the process; and by such realization, to put together an effective Federal Disability Retirement application. Such a process is often more than logic and law; it rises to the level of an art form.
Sincerely,
Robert R. McGill, Esquire