If you are a federal worker who has been hurt on the job, and your agency has tried unsuccessfully to find a way to accommodate your injury or reassign you, your best option may be to pursue federal disability retirement benefits under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS).

Eligibility for Federal Disability Retirement Benefits

To qualify for federal disability retirement benefits, you must meet a number of criteria:

• You must have worked for an FERS eligible entity for at least 18 months
• The injury causing your disability must have occurred while you were working for the FERS eligible agency or organization
• The injury must have prohibited you from “useful and efficient service” in your job—i.e., fully successful performance of the critical components of your job, as well as appropriate conduct and attendance
• The disability must be expected to prevent you from working 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
• Your application for federal disability retirement benefits must be received 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.