Q & A
I have been working for the federal government for just over five years. I am in need of my third spinal surgery. This one will be a doozy and will put me out of commission for over a year, and I will no longer be able to sit comfortably, which will make it impossible to do my eight-hour desk job. According to Social Security, I would qualify for full disability, but I have not applied yet. Would I be eligible for both Social Security disability and the early disability retirement under FERS being only 41? If so, which is done first: surgery, Social Security or retirement?
Answer: You only have to have 18 months of FERS service to be eligible to apply for disability retirement. If you do that, you must also apply for Social Security disability benefits. Otherwise, the Office of Personnel Management won’t process your application.
Source: http://blogs.federaltimes.com - November 25, 2013
This posting is presented for informational purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guidance. Any opinions or interpretations presented are either those of the original author or, in the case of articles authored by the AMAC Foundation, are the opinions of AMAC Foundation staff, originally trained and accredited by the National Social Security Association (NSSA) and certified via the AMAC Foundation. Any links included in the article are valid on the posted date; socialsecurityreport.org cannot guarantee the duration of the links’ validity. NSSA and the AMAC Foundation and its staff are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any other governmental entity. To submit a question, visit our website (https://amacfoundation.org/services/) or email us at ssadvisor@amacfoundation.org. Because we are a non-profit organization, there is no charge for these services.