There are two retirement systems for federal employees – the “old” Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the “new” Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). Generally, anyone initially hired by the government after January 1, 1984 is covered by FERS.

If an employee becomes disabled while employed by the federal government, and the employing agency can’t or won’t accommodate the work to the disability, he or she can file an application for disability retirement. The longevity requirements are: under CSRS, 5 years; under FERS, 18 months.

For disability retirement purposes, the employee must show that he or she can no longer perform useful and efficient service for full-time, full-duty work in the last position held. The application must, with few exceptions, be filed while still employed or within one year of the employee’s termination date; this is true even if the employee is receiving or has applied for workers’ compensation benefits.

Most disability retirement applications are decided primarily on medical evidence. Therefore it is important that your doctor understand what he or she must state in writing, as insufficient medical reports submitted to OPM will result in a denial.