Federal disability retirement from OPM and other federal programs

The concept behind the Federal Disability Retirement is simple: given a level of proof, disability should be linked only to the extent of the specific work a person is unable to do; otherwise, the federal or postal employee, once approved for federal OPM disability retirement benefits, must be allowed to remain productive in some alternative capacity, so that they can continue to contribute to the social welfare of the country in their set.

Social Security Disability, unlike federal disability retirement benefits filed with and approved by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, states that one is considered essentially disabled not only from the profession or regular job that was performed immediately before before it was determined that he was disabled. but, in addition, he cannot do other types of work due to his medical condition. Therefore, the big distinction between the Federal Disability Retirement benefits for the Federal or Postal Worker, and Social Security Disability, is the ability and ability to work in another type of work different from the one that is disabled. Of course, federal and postal employees who apply for federal disability retirement benefits, which are under the Federal Employees Retirement System, must also apply for Social Security disability benefits anyway. That’s just part of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s Federal Disability Retirement benefits filing process, because if you’re approved for both Federal Disability Retirement benefits and State Disability benefits, Social Security, there is coordination of benefits between the two. programs – a 100% “compensation” for the first year, then a 60% compensation each year thereafter.

Then, of course, there is always the consideration that must be given to the benefits of the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, administered through the Department of Labor, under the auspices of the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act. This type of benefit is known as a “work-related” injury, where the broad range of issues pertaining to causation, what constitutes an occupational injury or illness as “caused” by work, or occurring at work, and whether and to what extent such work-related injury or occupational disease is compensable under the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act. Often, compensable work-related injuries are temporary in duration, and the goal is to try to rehabilitate the injured worker, compensate as the law allows, and restore the federal or postal employee to their former job, work capacity, and continuity. support.

These are the major tripartite compensation programs for all federal and postal employees, whether the federal or postal employee is under the Federal Employees Retirement System, the Civil Service Retirement System, or the odd and hybrid, System Service Retirement Plan – Compensation. Are there differences between the three? Certainly. Furthermore, such differences must be taken into account due to the overlapping characteristics of the three. Because while all three are determined independently, they can also affect each other in significant ways.

First, one must clearly understand that the Worker’s Compensation program is not a retirement system. Instead, it is a system primarily intended to return the federal or postal worker to work and to temporarily compensate the federal or postal worker during the recovery period from illness or injury. Second, a federal or postal worker who receives temporary total disability through the Office of the Workers’ Compensation Program cannot concurrently work another job (with some exceptions related to part-time or side jobs in which the person you had already been working before you were injured or disabled). On the other hand, a person who receives a federal disability retirement annuity through the US Office of Personnel Management can go out and get a job in the private sector, while still receiving the disability annuity. Income earned in the private sector must be based on a profession, line, or work that is different, in significant and distinguishable ways, from the work the federal or postal worker performed while working for the federal government or the U.S. Postal Service. , the amount you earn cannot exceed 80% of what your previous position as a federal employee or US postal worker currently pays. On the contrary, while some money can be earned while receiving Social Security Disability , the maximum limit is quite low and care must be taken not to exceed the minimum allowable income limit from work.

Third, it is important to understand that if a federal employee or US postal worker is approved for federal disability retirement benefits from the US Office of Personnel Management “feature. This is how It works: In the first year of concurrent benefits received, where federal retirement disability benefits are calculated at 60% of the average of the three highest consecutive years of service, there is a 100% offset between Social Security disability and federal disability Retirement benefits Since Social Security disability benefits are considered primary, therefore, you would receive the full Social Security disability check and 100% of that amount would be deducted from the federal retirement annuity check for Each year thereafter, when the federal disability retirement annuity is reduced to reflect the 40% average of the three highest consecutive years of service, there will be a 60% offset or reduction in benefits.

When receiving both Social Security disability benefits and federal disability retirement benefits, you must be very careful, because if you are receiving the full annuity from both sources, it means that the Office of Personnel Management is overpaying you. It will also mean that, in the near future, the US Office of Personnel Management will require repayment of any amounts that have not been offset between federal disability retirement benefits and Social Security disability benefits. Alleging ignorance or inability to pay are normally not valid grounds to stop refund actions. As such, if after reporting the overpayment to the Office of Personnel Management, no action is taken to reduce Federal Disability Retirement benefits, you should still set aside the appropriate amount of money in anticipation of receiving a future claim for reimbursement. .

Retirement is a major life-changing event; Self-induced early retirement resulting from the occurrence of an injury, medical condition, illness, or work event can also be a traumatic, life-changing event precisely because it was never anticipated and certainly unplanned. While such life changes are stressful by the very nature of being unforeseen, this does not mean that one should forgo gaining as much knowledge or understanding the complex intricacies of impact potentially intersected as a result of the benefits available. Federal and postal employees have many tools and resources available to them, but those compensable benefits and programs lie dormant and inaccessible if not taken advantage of. While major life events, such as unforeseen medical conditions that affect livelihood and ability to continue in a career, can cause sudden changes in plans, such unplanned events need not result in reckless courses of action; and knowing the benefits available, the interplay between benefits and the impact of filing federal retirement disability annuity, Social Security benefits, and even federal workers’ compensation payments will provide a broader framework for financial security for one in the future.