Remember that a "position" in the federal employment system is "required to be classified and graded in accordance with the duties, responsibilities, and qualification requirements associated with it. The 'resulting position-classification' system is 'used in all phases of personnel administration'. 5 U.S.C. 5101(2)" (Bracey at page 1359). It cannot be a position "consisting of a set of ungraded, unclassified duties that have been assigned to an employee who cannot perform the duties of his official position." Id.

Similarly, for Postal employees, you cannot be slotted in your craft position, but then be given duties crossing over from other crafts; and you cannot be told that you have been slotted into an already existing "vacant" position, but then be offered the same "Limited-Duty" position a year later. If it was truly a permanent "vacant" position, why would you be offered the same position a year later?

Remember that under 5 C.F.R. Section 831.502(b)(7), an offered position must be, among other things, of the same tenure as the position from which the employee seeks disability retirement. "Tenure" is defined at 5 C.F.R. Section 210.102(b)(17) as "the period of time an employee may reasonably expect to serve under his current appointment."

If you are a Federal or Postal employee, and you find this discussion about the Bracey decision to be somewhat confusing, do not let the complexity of disability retirement laws keep you from inquiring about your eligibility. In its simplest form, disability retirement is about 2 issues: Are you able to perform the essential elements of your job? If not, Can your Agency slot you into an already-existing position at the same pay, grade and tenure, and not just in some "made up" position that hasn't been graded and classified"? If your answer is "No" to both questions, then you are entitled to disability retirement benefits.

As true with all things in life, it is always better to affirmatively act with knowledge, especially knowledge of the law. Like the Tibetan proverb, to act without knowledge of the law is to act blindly. To fail to act, or to allow your circumstances to control your destiny, is to allow your Federal Agency or the U.S. Postal Service to dictate your future for you. If you are disabled, and unable to perform the critical elements of your job, then you should consider the option of disability retirement. Opting for disability retirement does not mean that you can no longer be productive in society in some other capacity; indeed, you are allowed to receive a disability annuity and go out and get another job, and make up to 80% of what your position currently pays. Opting for disability retirement merely means that you have a medical condition which is no longer a good "fit" for the type of job you currently have.

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