Last Updated on June 12, 2009 by FERS Disability Attorney
Federal Employees and Postal Employees should never consider or entertain the thought that filing for disability retirement benefits is a negative judgment upon his or her lengthy and productive career. It is merely a statement of reality — that the Federal and Postal employee has had a good career; medical conditions may have shortened the first career, but this merely means that there will be opportunities to have a second career; and, in no way does it mean that there is a blemish upon the Federal career; merely that it is time to move on to something else. And, indeed, the interruption of the Federal or Postal career as a result of impeding medical conditions merely is a statement that you are no longer a “good fit” for a particular kind of job. Further, if you are removed from the Federal sector because of your medical inability to perform your job, such a removal is a “non-adversarial” and “non-disciplinary” action, and therefore (again) should not, and cannot, be considered a “blemish” upon one’s career. And, finally, it is often the case that it is precisely because of the long and loyal hours you put into your job, that you paid a price for such loyalty — by embracing the stresses of the job, of working despite impending medical conditions. In other words, very often I see that the stresses inherent in the position took a large and heavy toll upon the individual, such that medical conditions resulted from the long years of such heavy toll. There is never a need to feel guilty about taking disability retirement; you’ve paid your dues; it is time to move on to another phase of your life.
Sincerely,
Robert R. McGill, Esquire
I am a letter carrier who fell down on the job while delivering mail jan. 2008. I tore a rotar cuff and had an operation and was out of work for an extended period of time. I returned to work on light duty and the postal service placed me back on my mail route jan. 2010. My doctor’s examination and report to the department of Labor allows me to work 6 hours a day as a mail carrier with the remaining 2 hours of wages to be paid by the department of labor. The only problem is the post office gives me 6.25 hours of work a day to be done with no breaks and hardly any time allowance to go to the bathroom. they expect me to be done in 6 hours. This rigorous schedule puts additional stress on myself and my body. There also was a restriction of no more than 20 lbs. to be lifted by myself. However, many packages and parcels may be more than 20 lbs. but who is to know. The post office has failed to acknowledge these problems.
sincerely yours
Antoinette McCann
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