Postal Workers call me daily inquiring about the viability of filing for Federal Disability Retirement benefits under FERS or CSRS. Often, it is in response to the U.S. Postal Service’s initiation of actions resulting from the NRP. The “National Reassessment Program” (which is neither a “program” designed with any rational basis, nor a “reassessment” of [...]
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July 14th, 2010 | Tags: a low profile -- almost unknown reality -- the usps is getting rid of its disabled workers quietly, A Re-Assessment in the Value of Disabled Postal Workers: NRP, accommodation under OPM disability law, all light duty positions almost 'gone' with the postal nrp, attention postal workers with light or limited duty, can postal workers get fired under nrp?, city letter carrier in rehabilitation, civil service disability, CSRS disability retirement, disability retirement at the USPS, disabled postal workers and wal-mart greeting jobs, distribution clerks with medical problems, feca workers comp is not a retirement system, federal lawyer helping postal employees, FERS disability retirement, financial stability for the disabled usps worker even with the nrp, help against the usps nrp, how the postal service is getting rid of all its light duty employees, how the reassessment program affects postal employees, how to deal with the national reassessment process, if the postal worker doesn't qualify for workers comp and is sent home under nrp, latest outcome usps nrp, law firm serving disabled postal workers, light duty and reasonable accommodation, light duty jobs USPS, light duty postal workers being escorted out and losing jobs, limited duty and rehab employees in the postal service, mail handlers with back problems, National Reassessment Process (NRP), nrp 2010, nrp and the "re-assessment" that rehabs are worth nothing (that's why they are been sent home), OPM disability retirement, owcp vocational rehabilitation, postal excessing, postal lawyer helping the disabled, postal nrp, postal service downsizing light duty workforce, postal workers blog nrp, temporary duties or assignment, the apwu and the post office reassessment program, the cons of feca in the usps, the national reassessment program outsource of injured on duty, the new world order for light duties in the postal service, the nrp and how about if you don't qualify for feca workers comp?, the p.o. is walking people out who are unassigned and on limited duty status, the program that "re-assess" a wrong value to postal employees: nrp, the usps and the disappearance of light duty jobs, the usps national reassessment problem, us postal service 'today': getting rid of the ill and injured, usps nrp process, usps nrp updates, what can disabled postal workers can do now?, work restrictions back strain mail carrier, Workers Comp is a temporary disability program | Category: Actions against the Postal Worker, OWCP Workers' Comp, USPS’ Latest "Great" Ideas | One comment
For many years, being on Worker’s Comp when injured while working for the Postal Service, worked fairly well. The Postal Service, in conjunction with, and in coordination, would offer an acceptable “light duty position”, delineating the physical restrictions and medical limitations based upon the treating doctor’s clinical assessment, or in accordance with the OWCP-appointed doctor. The [...] October 25th, 2009 | Tags: accommodation of federal employees, applying for disability in the postal service, Arkansas OPM Disability Retirement, csrs medical retirement, disability retirement for federal employees, disability retirement opm legal accommodation, excessing light duty from post office, failing to provide limited duty to injured workers, FERS disability retirement, future of limited duty us postal employees, government employee on the job injury, how the reassessment program affects postal employees, injured postal and federal employees, legal accommodation under fers disability rules, light duty accommodation versus disability retirement, limited duty assignments united states postal service, limited number of limited duty job offers, no light duty jobs in the usps with the recession, no light or limited duty for a severe non-work related disability, no work available for injured postal workers, OPM disability retirement, opm disability retirement blog, opm medical disability, postal employees with intermittent lifting restrictions, postal employees with physical restrictions, postal personal injury and the rules of the game, postal reform package and the future of light duty employees, postal service disability attorney, postal workers with standing restrictions, reasonable accommodation of federal workers, the ill postal workers and their rights to pensions and benefits, usps disability attorney, usps disability benefits, USPS disability retirement, usps medical disability, USPS Reasonable Accommodation Committee, USPS Return to Work Certification, usps workers with medical limitations, when excessing light duty from usps then consider disability, when the federal government doesn't accommodate you, when the owcp sends injured federal workers to do menial jobs, when the postal service wants the resignation of an ill employee, when the usps refuses accommodation of employee | Category: Light & Limited Duty, OWCP Workers' Comp, USPS’ Latest "Great" Ideas | Leave a comment
I have had far too many calls by individuals who were complacent with being on OWCP/DOL temporary total disability compensation. The old adage, “Ignorance of the law is not an excuse”, is still generally true. It is the responsibility of the Postal employee to file for USPS Disability retirement benefits under FERS or CSRS in a [...] October 12th, 2009 | Tags: 1-year OPM disability rule, agency actions against federal employee, CSRS disability retirement, disability retirement at the USPS, disability retirement with the federal government, FECA, federal disability retirement attorney, federal disability retirement lawyer, federal employee disability benefits, federal owcp, federal workers disability, FERS Disability, FERS disability retirement, ill federal employee, injured postal worker, OPM disability doesn't have to be job-related, OPM disability retirement, opm owcp, OWCP benefits for federal workers, OWCP claim, OWCP has to be job-related, OWCP lawyer for federal employees, OWCP medical treatment, OWCP Schedule Award, owcp vocational rehabilitation, PS Form 50, separated from service, SF-50, the OWCP/DOL process, USPS Workers Comp, Workers Comp is a temporary disability program | Category: OWCP Workers' Comp | Leave a comment
Many people get confused when they first consult with an attorney about disability retirement benefits for Postal Workers. Indeed, before consulting with an attorney, an individual who is faced with a medical condition which (1) is beginning to impact one’s ability to perform one or more of the essential elements of one’s position and (2) will [...] September 2nd, 2009 | Tags: "Second Opinion" doctor from the OWCP, CSRS disability retirement, federal agencies and secop doctors, federal disability retirement application and process, federal employee lawyer, federal employees miraculous recovery, Federal employees' work-related injury or disease compensation, FERS medical retirement, helping injured federal workers, Initial Stage of the OPM disability process, medical condition must last one year, medical disability lawyers opm, nexus between medical condition and essential elements, OPM disability application tips and strategies, OWCP benefits for federal workers, OWCP case manager, owcp retirement, OWCP Termination of Benefits, OWCP/Disability Retirement, Post Office disability, postal service workers compensation claims, Robert R. McGill, separated from service, the federal agency and occupational medicine, the OWCP/DOL process, the Postal Service best kept secret, us postal service disability retirement, USPS Disability, USPS disability retirement, usps medical retirement, work-place accident in a federal or Postal job, Workers Comp caseworker, Workers Comp is a temporary disability program | Category: Clarifications of Rules, OWCP Workers' Comp, The Postal Disability Process | Leave a comment
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Issues That Will Be Covered on This Blog* How the US Postal Disability program works - What are the requirements to qualify? * What US government agency administers and approves the US Postal Service disability program? * What are my chances for disability retirement given my current medical condition? * Do I have to be completely incapacitated or permanently disabled to qualify for medical retirement? * How long must my disability last in order to qualify for US Postal Disability Retirement? * What benefits are covered under the US Postal Service disability retirement program? * Will I be able the keep my current health insurance? * Will I automatically qualify for the USPS Medical Retirement program if I am under the DOL Workers' Compensation Program (OWCP)? * Will I be constantly hounded by someone who will check on me and constantly demand more medical documentation from my treating physicians? * Will they assign me nurses to go with me to my doctors' appointments? * Will they send me to secop (second opinion) or referee doctors? * What if OWCP denies benefits -- do I still have a chance to qualify for OPM Disability Retirement? * Does my illness or injury have to be job-related? How about a pre-existing illness or injury that is aggravated by my current Postal job? * Will I be required to take a Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE) or any other occupational medicine or rehabilitation evaluation in order to qualify for USPS Disability Retirement? * How much money will I receive in disability annuities? Will there be a disability rating system that will affect how much money I receive each month? * Will I be allowed to get another job or start a new business if I qualify under the current US Postal Service Disability program? Is there any limitation on how much money I can make in the future? * When should I apply for USPS Disability Retirement? Should I quit the US Postal Service first? Can I file for Federal Disability Retirement while I am still working? * If I got a serious medical condition, should I wait until the US Postal Service separates me from service in order to qualify for medical retirement? * If the Post Office is constantly sending me home early because they claim not to have anything left for me to do, will that improve my chances to qualify for Postal Disability Retirement? * Will the latest The National Reassessment Process or Program (NRP) or Voluntary Early Retirement (VER or VERA) affect in any way my eligibility for USPS Disability Retirement? * Is there any time limitation or deadline to file for disability benefits after I am separated from employment? * Do I really need to hire an experienced US Postal Disability attorney? Will they take my disability application seriously if I apply alone and without a lawyer? * If my application is initially denied, should I file a brand new application or appeal the current claim? What if my case is denied a third time? * If I am denied at the first try, are there deadlines for OPM disability appeals? How about the third stage of the appeal? How many stages or appeals are there in the US Postal Disability Retirement process? * Will I be able to receive both DOL Workers' Comp benefits and USPS Disability benefits at the same time? Is there any offset? * Can I get a Federal Employees' Schedule Award (SA) or a personal injury award from a private company or insurance company if I qualify for medical retirement under current US Postal Service rules? * How about the Social Security disability programs? Can I receive SSDI and/or SSI benefits while I collect USPS disability benefits at the same time? Is there any offset? * If I'm a military veteran with a service-related disability, would I qualify for US Postal Medical benefits too? Is there any offset? * How do I find out the status of my disability retirement application? Will they give me that information over the phone or will I have to wait for a formal written decision? * If my postmaster or supervisor denies me sick leave (SL), annual leave (AL), or leave without pay (LWOP), should I quit the Post Office and still file for Postal disability? * How do I make a living while waiting for a decision? Should I apply for state unemployment benefits in the meantime? * If I withdraw my money from my Postal retirement fund, will I still be eligible for medical retirement? * What does an Attorney who specializes in Postal Disability Retirement do in order to prepare and win a Postal Disability claim? * Where do I find the proper forms to get USPS Disability Retirement? * Should I ask my Postal supervisors/managers for help? Can I trust them? How about if they don't like me? * What if the Postal Service claims that my Postal bosses gave me a reasonable accommodation? What happens if I refused an offer to take a job that was going to worsen my disease or injury? * What happens if they give me another job offer after I apply for US Postal Medical Retirement? * Can they disqualify me from US Postal Medical Retirement if I refuse medical treatment such as undergoing a dangerous/risky surgery? * In what way is the US Postal Disability Retirement different from the DOL Workers' Comp program? Does the DOL OWCP have a competing disability program? * Is there a list of diseases, injuries, or any other medical conditions listed that will automatically qualify for medical retirement in the US Postal Service? * Will the symptoms or the secondary effects of required medications influence eligibility under current US Postal or OPM disability rules? * Will I have any problems getting my disability claim approved if my medical conditions are subjective in nature? How about if I apply for stress-related disability, can I do that? * If I was fired from the USPS for a non-medically related issue, will I still be eligible for medical retirement for US Postal workers? * How about if I was fired for excessive sickness, will that entitle me for automatic medical retirement? * Must I have a cooperative or supportive physician to have a good chance to qualify for medical retirement? * What happens if my treating physician does not know anything about US Postal Disability Retirement -- will that be a problem? * What can I do if my treating doctor refuses to cooperate with my Postal Disability claim? * Will physical evaluations or treatments from chiropractors, physicians' assistants, or nurses help to make my disability claim stronger? * What is more important -- to have a supportive treating doctor or an experienced lawyer? Is Postal Disability Retirement a medical or a legal issue, or both? |
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