For injured letter carriers working for the United States Postal Service, the National Association of Letter Carriers can become an innumerable resource and ally when it comes to fighting for their rights as they relate to FERS disability benefits. When one suffers a disabling injury or falls ill either due to occupational risks or the exacerbation of a condition due to work factors, they may discover that they are unable to continue working at their current position as a USPS last mile worker, a job that requires a lot of physical movement and sheer strength given the rise in online shopping and the death of mall culture; lugging 65 inch TVs as well as camping equipment to a customer’s door becomes an impossibility with a back or spinal cord injury, and it follows that these individuals deserve compensation.

However, the Office of Personnel Management doesn’t see things the way the rest of us do, and it is only when these organizations and their Collective Bargaining Agreement come into the picture that OPM is willing to listen to the injured or disabled postal worker’s grievances. In this post, we’ll take a look at the CBA’s position on light duty, limited duty and the grievance-arbitration procedure and show how McCready Law can leverage these in order to get you qualified for FERS disability retirement – read on to find out more.

Let Us Help You

Are you looking for a FERS disability compensation lawyer? Please call us NOW at (314) 481-63338 to learn more about your legal options for justice and compensation. The experienced injured USPS worker attorneys at McCready Law have represented thousands of injured or unwell federal workers who are either looking to apply for benefits such as schedule awards, or those who have sustained a disabling injury or illness that has rendered them temporarily or permanently incapacitated or disabled, requiring early retirement by way of FERS disability compensation.

We have nationwide reach as we work closely with referral attorneys and law firms to cater to all injured USPS workers from every corner of the country, and we help expedite your claim by personally handling all communications with OPM, send you off to physicians who are conversant with the unique needs and injuries as well as illnesses experienced by USPS workers who can perform exams and assessments as well as craft objective, compelling medical reports demonstrating not only causation or aggravation, but the fact that you are unable to perform essential work functions.

We understand and empathize with you with regard to the sometimes-inaccessible nature of legal services: at McCready Law, we aim to ensure that all injured USPS workers are able to access these services and that is why we are pleased to announce the availability of flat, affordable and never-changing hourly fees that we can discuss and agree upon prior to the commencement of representation.

In addition, our fees are usually assessed by OPM to ensure they are fair and reasonable prior to starting our representation as the idea is to leave the injured USPS worker with as much financial resources as possible so they can comfortably take care of their medical, home upkeep and any other financial needs that arise. If you were injured or fell ill while working for the USPS as a last-mile worker or in any department for that matter, please call us NOW at (314) 481-63338 to learn more about your legal options for justice and compensation – our intake team is standing by.

Light vs. Limited Duty – FedComp or FERS Disability Compensation?

The NALC CBA under Article state that if a USPS worker gets injured or falls ill, they can follow one of two paths – light duty or limited duty.

Limited Duty Assignment for Injured Postal Workers

This usually applies only to an employee with a work-related injury or illness, and is overseen by the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act or FECA and the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs, OWCP. Basically, limited duty states that you’re not able to perform the full duties of your job due to a compensable injury, and the USPS is required to provide you with work that matches your limitations as imparted by your treating physician. This program qualifies you for federal workers’ compensation as we shall prove as your injured postal worker attorneys that putting you on limited duty assignment is an exercise in futility and that your condition will only worsen to the point of not being able to do any work at all.

Light Duty Assignment – What’s The Difference?

Light duty assignment on the other hand is a temporary or permanent assignment that is apportioned to USPS last mile worker with non-work-related injuries or illnesses. While management is obligated to acquiesce to requests for light duty, they are not guaranteed to find work for you. Therefore, your supervisor or manager can even go as far as denying your light-duty request stating that there is no work available that’s in line with your medical restrictions

How a Denial May Lead to a FERS Disability Benefits Claim

Upon receiving a denial for light duty, our attorneys will first ensure that you’ve put in a formal, written request for a light-duty assignment together with a detailed medical report and then wait for the agency to respond. Once they furnish us with a denial for light-duty assignment, we shall then use this to prove OWCP cannot accommodate your request, which will then lead to OPM. In the event that they decide not to respond in writing, this can also be used as proof that the management shows lack of good-faith effort to accommodate you, prompting us to file a grievance under Article 13 of the CBA.

Here are the advantages of filing a grievance:

• • This CBA grievance forces the USPS to formally respond as well as defend its position
  • There is the creation of a documented record of the denial, which is a key evidence piece for OPM

• This can also lead to arbitration where a neutral third party is brought in rule on the USPS’s obligation to provide work.

FERS Disability Benefits Attorneys for USPS Workers – Call Us Today!

Armed with all this information and the grievance process, one can be able to formally apply for FERS disability benefits which we can facilitate on your behalf. If you’re an injured postal worker or fell ill and are unable to continue working consequently, please give us a call NOW at (314) 481-63338 to learn more about how we can help you successfully apply for FERS disability compensation by leveraging the NALC CBA process. We serve all injured or sick federal workers countrywide, and your first consultation is 100% FREE. Thanks for choosing us, and we look forward to helping you.