Are you going to work, day after day, hoping it will get easier? Are you worried about making it to retirement age while dealing with a medical condition that feels like it’s robbing you of your ability to do your job?
Working for the federal government gives you access to so many valuable benefits – a solid pension, reliable insurance, and much more. Even if you’re facing challenges at work because of a health condition, you shouldn’t have to give up the benefits you’ve earned.
That’s where Federal Disability Retirement comes in. It’s there to support federal employees who can no longer work because of a disability. With Federal Disability Retirement, you can keep your benefits and pension intact, ensuring a stable income. Plus, there’s even an opportunity to earn more money if you’re able.
But before you can apply, it’s crucial to understand what qualifies as a disability under this program. *Check out this infographic for a quick reference on qualifying conditions.
Every case is different, and there’s no one-size-fits-all list of conditions. But don’t worry—we’re here to walk you through it. Let’s dive into the requirements together and go over some of the most common medical conditions we’ve seen.
On the job vs Pre-existing Disability
A lot of people confuse Disability Retirement with Workers’ Compensation benefits, but they’re two completely different things. Unlike Workers’ Compensation, your injury or illness does not have to happen on the job to qualify for Federal Disability Retirement. You could qualify with an injury from playing tee ball with your son, walking your dog, or even from when you played football back in college. This means you can have a pre-existing condition and still qualify. However, your condition must have worsened while in your federal job.
Mental vs Physical Disability
An important thing to note is that both mental and physical conditions can qualify for this benefit. The requirement is that your medical condition must be diagnosed and impacting your ability to perform your job. This means that if you have anxiety or chronic knee pain, it must be diagnosed and impacting your ability to work.
A few common physical conditions we see are:
- Carpal tunnel
- Degenerative disc disease
- Arthritis
- Cancer
- Scoliosis
- Diabetes
Some common mental conditions we see are:
- PTSD
- Anxiety
- Depression
- OCD
- ADHD
While it can be difficult to get an official diagnosis for a mental condition, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will not approve your case based solely on symptoms or assumptions. You can always be approved for more than one condition, and having more than one diagnosed condition may strengthen your case.
Situational vs Occupational Disability
An important distinction to be aware of is that your medical condition must be occupational, not situational. These are technical terms that can be difficult to understand, but the gist is that a simple change to your work or environment wouldn’t improve your disability.
An occupational disability is one that prevents you from fully performing your job. Occupational disabilities can’t be resolved by changes around the office or with coworkers.
On the other hand, a situational disability could be resolved by a change in your specific situation. Basically, this means that a situational disability is only dependent on your current work situation, so if something changed, like moving your desk or changing teams, you’d be able to continue working without a problem.
Let’s look at an example: If you had a co-worker that is causing you anxiety and making it impossible to perform your job, this would be a situational disability. Even though your anxiety is impacting performance, this could be resolved by changing the situation and moving that coworker or yourself to another team. An occupational disability could not be resolved by changing situations or offices. So, if you have generalized anxiety disorder not caused by a coworker and it’s impacting your ability to perform your job, that may qualify for disability retirement.
Having an occupational disability does not mean that you’re totally disabled. It can be difficult to hear the word “disability” and not see yourself as disabled. But it’s important to recognize that disabilities do not define your potential.
Long vs Short-Term Disability
One of the key qualification requirements for Federal Disability Retirement is that your medical condition must last for at least 12 months. If you break your wrist, it may not meet the criteria for Federal Disability Retirement since it’s expected to heal quickly. However, if complications like arthritis or carpal tunnel arise, hurting your ability to work, you could be eligible for disability retirement. The OPM wants to know your condition will last.
Many medical conditions can become long-term or chronic if treatment is not effective. Many of our clients were injured years ago and thought they were healed, only for their issue to come back and turn into a chronic condition. Situations like this can be challenging, but that’s why Federal Disability Retirement is available.
Knowing when to seek help is an important part of life, and we don’t want you to miss out on this life changing benefit because you’re unsure what qualifies as a disability. There are so many medical conditions that qualify for this benefit.
Call our office to schedule a free consultation – we’ll help you determine if your medical condition qualifies. We’re not only here to discuss your experiences, but to give you a clear path forward.
