Injured postal workers who may have sustained a permanent injury may have a hard time getting their claim approved for FERS disability retirement benefits for reasons we’ll take a look shortly. Before we begin, however, it is important to note that all injured federal workers who may have suffered a permanent injury or contracted a health condition or had an underlying condition made invariably worse to the point where they may be unable to go back to work permanently may be eligible for FERS disability retirement benefits which essentially puts them into early retirement or a situation where they have to reach maximum medical improvement.

Injuries within the USPS abound, with postal workers often facing the brunt of aggressive customers, dangerous dogs, a host of environmental hazards and allergy-inducing compounds, trips and falls on uneven sidewalks, and so much more. To this end, postal workers face one of the highest injury rates within the federal government, and the FECA Act was established to cater to these eventualities. The Act, passed into law in 1916, outlines the compensation and qualification requirements for all injured workers, which forms to fill, conditions that are acceptable and which agencies to liaise with to ensure your claim gets the attention it deserves.

While this may all seem like a walk in the park, the process itself is convoluted and complicated, and replete with pitfalls especially when it comes to getting the medical reports right as regards to demonstrating causation, and so on. Given the likelihood of receiving a denial should you decide to represent yourself, it is prudent to work with a law firm that has handled thousands of such claims to ensure approval the first time round, and we’re here to help with that.

Experienced FERS Disability Retirement Attorneys for Postal Workers

Are you looking for a FERS disability retirement benefits attorney? For over two decades, the compassionate and efficient federal disability retirement lawyers at McCready Law have helped thousands of postal and federal workers just like you get the justice and compensation they are owed after getting injured on the job. A permanent injury as a postal worker may mean you may not be able to work within the USPS again, necessitating a form of early retirement.

Permanent injuries or illness require a lot of treatment and assisted care, and the cost of the same can run into the tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars. Our federal workers’ compensation lawyers cater to ALL injured federal workers countrywide, and we run a bilingual office (hablamos Español). If you have questions about FERS disability benefits, or if your claim got denied, we have your back: please give us a call NOW at 312-444-0214 regardless of where you are in the country, and we’ll provide you with a FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION so you can have a comprehensive overview regarding how much your claim is worth. 

The Waiting Game – Reasons Why Your FERS disability retirement benefits are Taking Forever

FERS disability retirement benefits are known for taking a long time to be accepted or even processed due to a number of factors. Most injured postal workers often find themselves stressed or on pins and needles waiting for a determination from the Office of Personnel Management, or OPM. However, a delay doesn’t always mean a denial, and we’re here to demystify why your application could be taking forever to be process. 

Here are some of the most common reasons why your FERS disability claim has stalled:

Inaccurate or Incomplete Applications

You’re required to provide extensive documentation which details proof of federal service, medical records showing causation, as well as an extensive medical report of your injury and how it may impact your ability to work as a postal worker going forward. 

These incomplete or missing applications or documents will more likely than not be shuffled aside as OPM clerks work on other complete applications, before returning the application to you, which in turn may increase the wait time between your applying for and receiving benefits. This is why we always advise applicants to work with an experienced FERS disability retirement attorney in order to ensure your application is complete and accurate your first try. 

Inadequate Medical Evidence

Medical evidence forms the backbone of any FERS disability claim because it provides definitive and objective proof which demonstrates what caused your injury or illness, the diagnosis, your impairment level and how said injury or illness will permanently render you unable to perform a specific work function. If OPM decrees that your medical evidence is insufficient, they may request additional opinions or evaluations from healthcare providers. This in turn may include things like booking and waiting for medical appointments, additional tests as well as waiting for the healthcare provider to furnish you with yet another report, which in turn may add a couple of weeks or even months to your timeline. 

Inter-Agency Coordination

What most injured federal workers don’t realize is that OPM must work in tandem with other agencies to make sure that your application for FERS disability retirement is comprehensively handled and that you are appropriately compensated. To this end, you also must apply for Social Security Disability Insurance or SSDI, and the Department of Labor may be called upon to ensure there are no overlapping issues with compensation. Due to the back and forth between agencies, you may experience extended wait times that may range from a couple of weeks to months. 

Need Help? We’re Here for You: Call Our Experienced FERS Disability Attorneys Today!

FERS disability retirement can be quintessentially considered to be a form of early retirement as your benefits will continue until you reach the age of 62. To this end, you want to make sure that your application is impeccable and comprehensive in its scope, and the only way to do this would be to work with an experienced FERS disability retirement attorney in order to ace the application at your first try. If you’d like help getting started with your FERS disability retirement benefits application, or just need clarity before making the first step, please feel free to give us a call NOW at 312-444-0214 to speak with a friendly and experienced FERS disability retirement benefits attorney. Thanks for choosing us, and we look forward to helping you.