Dealing with Disability Retirement Concerns
Accidents can happen to any federal employee. This can result into a disability that will make him incapable of performing the usual tasks in his job. In such case, he may decide not to continue his working in such job. He may also seek for disability retirement benefits, which the federal government is obliged to provide. National laws ensure this right of federal employees in gratitude to the service they rendered.
You probably have heard your co-employees mention OPM retirement. Actually, it is how disability retirement is also called. OPM refers to the Office of the Personnel Management, the agency where you submit your claims. This office decides whether you are qualified for benefits of disabled retirees or not. Once your application is granted, you can begin to receive these benefits regularly.
As a federal employee, it is necessary for you to understand the policies for acquiring OPM retirement benefits. If you do, you will not have much trouble in making the first steps in processing it. The very first among these is to obtain a certification from a physician that states your disability. This does not have to be a result of an accident while you are doing your job for the government though.
Processing an OPM retirement can sometimes take a long time and be complicated. The bureaucracy, despite the technology it uses, can sometimes mess it up. Because of this, delays happen or, worse, applications are refused for without any just reason. As a result, many former employees have to file cases just to get their benefits. It may cost them but they have to hire lawyers just to squeeze out their monetary claims from government coffers.
However, you should not hire a good attorney only when you sense that you are going to have trouble in realizing your disability retirement claims. The right thing to do is to immediately seek the advice of a lawyer when you decide to retire. Remember, a long-time federal employee does not always mean that he knows and understands all laws that cover post-employment issues. Lawyers take better initiative at the early phase of the application. If not, they will have to treat more complicated issues with the OPM instead.
A former employee must immediately process his OPM retirement within one year after his separation from the job. If he is not able to do so during this timeframe, his benefits will be forfeited. If he does and it is approved, he will receive regularly receive retirement benefits regardless of whether he has other sources of income or not. He is allowed to work and earn money other than the amount he will receive from the OPM.
If you are unable to continue working because of an injury sustained while being employed by the Federal Government, OPM disability retirement may be an option for you. If you feel this applies to you, discover today if you qualify for disability retirement.