If you work for the federal government and you’ve been hurt on the job, your employer’s first course of action may be to pursue and accommodation or reassign you to a different position. If that’s not feasible or is unsuccessfully, you may want to consider seeking federal disability retirement benefits under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS).

Determining Whether You Qaulify for Federal Disability Retirement Benefits

To be eligible for federal disability retirement benefits, you must meet certain conditions:

• You must have at least 18 months in with a FERS-eligible agency or entity
• The cause of your disability must be work-related
• The injury must have prohibited you from successfully performing the critical components of your job
• The disability must be expected to last for one year or longer
• The agency at which you work must certify that that no accommodation can be made in your current position for your disability, and that you have been unsuccessfully considered for all vacant positions at the same agency that:
  • are within the same commuting area
  • are within the same pay grade or level
• You must apply for federal disability retirement benefits within one calendar year of your separation date, unless you can demonstrate that you were mentally incompetent on that date.
• You must file an application for Social Security disability benefits. If you are under the age of 62, any benefits you receive through FERS will be reduced dollar for dollar by the amount of any Social Security benefits you receive (for the first 12 months). Your FERS application cannot be fully processed until you have applied for SSDI benefits.

Contact Uliase & Uliase

At Uliase & Uliase, we have extensive knowledge of the federal workers‘ compensation system. To schedule an appointment, contact our office online or call us at 856-310-9002. We will meet with you weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. We offer a free consultation for injured workers.