Image: The Image Party/Shutterstock.com
By: Reg JonesIf you have a physical or mental condition that causes you to be unable to perform your job for any period of time that is expected to last one year or longer and you have at least 18 months of service under FERS or are a CSRS employee, you can file for disability retirement. Note: All CSRS employees have at least 5 years of service needed to qualify for disability retirement.
That raises a big question. Does the government provide disability coverage if your disability is expected to last less than one year? Here’s the answer: No, it doesn’t. There have been proposals over the years to create such a benefit but none of them have gained any traction in Congress.
Therefore, if you are unfortunate enough to suffer from a short-term disability, you’ll have to make use of the options that do exist. And you can use them without regard to the amount of time you’ve been working for the government.
Paid leave
Federal employees earn both sick and annual leave every pay period. If you have a short-term disability, you can use the sick leave you’ve accumulated. When that runs out, you can use any accumulated annual leave. If you run out of that, your supervisor may have the authority to grant you advance sick and annual leave. If you are a full time employee, the maximum amount of sick leave that can be advanced is 104 hours; it’s proportionately less if you are a part-time employee. The maximum amount of annual leave that can be advanced is the amount you would be able to accrue to the end of the leave year.
Leave without pay
If you run out of leave, your supervisor may be able to grant you leave-without-pay (LWOP). If agency policy allows it, he or she may be able to do that even if you haven’t exhausted your sick or annual leave.
Leave transfer program
If you have to take extended leave without pay, the law allows employees to donate some of their annual leave to you to ease your financial burden. If you receive such donations, every hour will be paid at your usual hourly rate of pay until the medical emergency ends or the donated leave runs out.
Workers’ Compensation
If your disability was due to a personal injury or disease sustained while you were performing your job, you may be eligible for worker’s compensation. Workers’ comp payments begin when your leave runs out.
While these alternatives aren’t a match for a well-designed short-term disability program, as of now they are the only options available to you.
askFW: Federal Disability Annuity
Retirement Benefits if You Live Outside the U.S.
What Your Retirement Statement Tells You
OPF: Tweak Your Personnel Folder for Maximum Benefits
Pressure on TSP from Capitol Hill Continues
Your FERS Annuity is Worth More Than You Think
Why So Few are Taking Advantage of TSP Mutual Fund Window
Thanks to a Pension, Feds Are Doing Better than Most in Retirement Preparedness
Retiring from a Federal Job – Getting Started
Retiring from a Federal Job: Make Sure Your Agency Gets it Right
askFW: Calculating a Federal Annuity – FERS and CSRS
askFW: Federal Annuity Calculation for LEOs and Firefighters
