I’m writing this article in the hopes that it won’t apply to anyone who reads it. Still, I’ve been in the business long enough to know that it will – sadly – apply to some of you, and that what I have to say might make things easier for you and your loved ones.
I’m talking about steps that have been taken by OPM to speed up the applications of those with limited life spans who are applying for disability retirement. OPM has now asked agency retirement counselors to provide that information directly to its disability branch as soon as the application is submitted to them. That way OPM can begin reviewing the medical documentation before the retirement package is officially sent to them.
They are asking that a copy of the disability retirement application be faxed or e-mailed to them along with the documents in support of disability retirement and the medical documentation. To make sure that the urgency of the case is recognized, they’ve asked that it be flagged with the words Expedited Processing.
To help agency officials they’ve provided a list of the medical conditions that automatically qualify for expedited processing. They include: aortic stenosis, which is severe and cannot be corrected; metastatic and/or inoperable neoplasms; Class IV cardiac disease with congestive heart failure; respiratory failure, chronic and progressive, cor pulmonale with respiratory failure; emphysema with respiratory failure; severe cardiomyopathy – Class IV; aplastic anemia; uncontrolled hypertension encephalopathy; cardiac aneurysm not amenable to surgery; agranulocytosis; severe, chronic hepatic failure; severe hypoxic brain damage (encephalopathy); severe portal hypertension with esophageal varices; AIDS (active – not AIDS related complex or only seropositivity); schlerodema with severe esophageal involvement; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, rapidly progressive); Huntington’s disease; end-stage multiple sclerops; end-stage Parkinson’s disease; end-stage renal disease, which cannot receive dialysis or transplantation; or quadriplegia with life-threatening complications.
If the applicant’s condition fits into one of these pre-approved categories or some other equally grave one, the disability branch will be able to quickly determine if additional information is needed and be ready to decide the case when the official disability retirement package arrives.
I know this all seems rather grim. However, if you should ever be in a position where you need a speedy decision to allow you to move from active employment to disability retirement, you’ll be glad that OPM has taken steps to make that transition as fast as possible.
