If you’re a federal worker that’s suffered an injury so severe or have an illness that show no signs of letting up or have been told that it is most likely going to be chronic and ongoing, it may be wise to think of applying for federal disability retirement. The Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) is a retirement compensation plan instituted and overseen by OPM (Office of Personnel Management), and it allows for individuals who have suffered injuries or are living with a chronic, disabling illness to go on permanent retirement while receiving compensation until a certain age.
Are you looking for more information on OPM disability retirement? Are you wondering “How do I apply for OPM disability retirement?” or “How is FERS disability retirement calculated?” or “What is the OPM disability approval rate?” We can help you with these and other pressing OPM disability retirement questions for FREE from a legal standpoint. Please call us to learn more about OPM disability retirement from one of our friendly and experienced OPM disability attorneys to know what you qualify for depending on your unique health circumstances.
In order to qualify, you must first file an application with the OPM where your claim will be looked over to determine whether your injuries or illness are severe enough to qualify you for the program.
Here are the other conditions you must meet in order to receive OPM disability retirement from FERS:
- You need to have no other jobs that you can fill due to your health circumstance
- You need to be suffering an illness or disability that is expected to last a year or more.
- You need to have worked for the federal government for a minimum of a year and six months.
- You need not to be able to perform essential job duties for your designated position.
I Got Sick or Injured Outside of Work – Do I Still Qualify Under FERS?
What’s great about OPM’s FERS disability retirement (and you can learn more about it here) is that you don’t need to have suffered an injury or illness at your place of work in order to qualify for benefits. However, you must be below the age of 62, and you should have been out of work for a minimum of 31 days before sending in your application. Don’t forget, however, that you need to apply for Social Security Disability Insurance in order to be considered for OPM disability retirement benefits; OPM won’t start working on your claim until you meet the disability requirement.
Experienced OPM Disability Retirement Attorneys – Call Today!
It takes about 6 to 12 months for an application to be processed. OPM does not have a 100% approval rate and has historically been known to deny applications for federal disability retirement benefits: this is why it’s so important to work with a FERS attorney in order to get it right the first time. If you’d like FREE information on how we can help you guide you through the bureaucracy and get you your benefits in no time, please contact us and speak with one of our best federal disability retirement benefits attorneys. We look forward to hearing from you.