What Does Medical Support Look Like for Federal Disability Retirement?
What your doctor’s records need to show, and how to ask for it.
You are reading this because you completed our assessment. In federal disability retirement, one of the most important pieces of the application is often what your doctor puts in writing. Once you have talked with your doctor and have documentation in hand, reach out to LMH Law.
It’s worth printing and bringing to your next appointment.
Why this conversation matters
FERS disability retirement isn’t decided on how serious a condition is. OPM generally asks whether a medical condition keeps you from giving “useful and efficient service” in your position, and whether it’s expected to last at least a year.
Physical · Standing & lifting
What a chart often says
“Patient reports ongoing pain. Continue current treatment.”
What OPM is looking for
“Cannot stand more than 20 minutes or lift the 40 lbs the position requires. Expected to last more than a year.”
Mental health · Focus & deadlines
What a chart often says
“Patient reports ongoing symptoms. Continue medication.”
What OPM is looking for
“Cannot sustain the concentration that case review requires or meet the deadlines of the position. Expected to last more than a year.”
Physical · Hands & repetitive tasks
What a chart often says
“Symptoms persist. Follow up in three months.”
What OPM is looking for
“Cannot perform the sustained typing and data entry that make up most of the position’s duties. Expected to last more than a year.”
Mental health · Attendance & public contact
What a chart often says
“Seen for follow-up. Symptoms ongoing.”
What OPM is looking for
“Missed 18 workdays last quarter despite ongoing treatment. Cannot keep a regular schedule or handle the public-facing duties the position requires. Expected to last more than a year.”
Illustrations only, not real patients or real medical statements. Physical and mental health conditions are generally judged by the same standard: how the condition affects the duties of your position.
Many doctors are willing to help. Most have simply never been asked the question this way.
Before the appointment
Get your official position description.
Ask HR or your supervisor for the current PD. It lists the duties your doctor will measure against.
Circle the duties you can’t do reliably anymore.
Standing, lifting, concentrating, keeping a schedule, dealing with the public, driving. Be specific.
Write down what’s happened at work.
Missed days, leave used, tasks others took over, warnings, accommodation requests and what the agency said.
Keep a two-week symptom log.
What happened, when, and what you couldn’t do because of it.
Book a visit just for this.
Tell the office you need time to discuss how your condition affects your work. A quick follow-up usually isn’t long enough.
At the appointment
You don’t need legal language. Something like this works:
What you can say
“My condition has gotten worse, and it’s affecting my ability to do my job. Here’s my position description, and here’s what’s happening day to day that my condition interferes with. I’m considering applying for federal disability retirement. Would you be willing to give your medical opinion on whether my condition keeps me from doing these duties, what restrictions you would put in place, and how long you expect this to last?”
Bring: your position description, day-to-day notes, and symptom log.
Use your own words, and describe only what’s true for you. Your doctor’s notes, your own statement, and your agency’s records should all tell the same story.
What OPM generally looks for
In the doctor’s documentation:
- ✓The history of the condition and treatment so far
- ✓Clinical findings, test results, and the diagnosis
- ✓The prognosis, including how long it’s expected to last
- ✓How the condition affects specific duties of your positionMost often missing
- ✓Any restrictions, and why they’re medically necessary
What tends to make medical evidence stronger
Every case turns on its own facts, but some kinds of records tend to carry more weight than others.
Physical conditions
Objective findings
- Imaging such as MRIs, X-rays, or CT scans
- Surgery, or a surgeon’s recommendation for it
- Hospitalizations and ER visits
- Especially in physically demanding jobs, where the duties are easy to measure against
Mental health conditions
Long-term specialist care
- Ongoing treatment with a psychiatrist, psychologist, or therapist, not only a primary care doctor
- A treatment history over months or years, including medication changes
- Documented problems at work: missed days, performance or conduct issues, leave records
If your records don’t look like this yet, start gathering what exists: imaging reports, surgical and hospital records, specialist notes, and anything from work that shows the problem. Ask your doctor whether a specialist referral makes sense.
What can make a case harder
Some situations come up often and tend to weaken an application. Knowing about them early gives you and your doctor a chance to address them.
“Situational” conditions
Tied to one supervisor or workplace
When anxiety or depression is linked mainly to one supervisor, one office, or one conflict, OPM often treats it as situational. The reasoning is that the condition might ease with a new supervisor or location, so it isn’t keeping you from the position itself.
Worth documenting: whether symptoms continue outside that environment, such as at home, on leave, or after a transfer, and how long they have lasted.
Well-controlled conditions
Managed well by medication
If treatment keeps a condition under control and you can do your duties, OPM may conclude it doesn’t prevent useful and efficient service. That’s true even when the diagnosis is serious.
Worth documenting: symptoms that break through despite treatment, and side effects like drowsiness or slowed thinking that interfere with specific duties.
If things aren’t that simple
No treating doctor right now
Start by getting care. A doctor who treats you over time is generally in a better position to document your condition than one who sees you once. Your primary care doctor can refer you to a specialist.
Your doctor is hesitant
Ask what they would need to feel comfortable writing something: more records, more time in treatment, or a specialist’s input. A doctor may decline to write what they don’t believe, and that’s worth knowing early.
⏱ Watch the clock
- Already left federal service? The application generally must reach OPM within one year of your separation date. Don’t wait on this.
- Received a denial letter? Reconsideration and appeal deadlines are measured in days. Contact us right away instead of working through this guide first.
When you’re ready
Your doctor is on board. Now let’s talk.
Once your doctor has agreed to support your application in writing, call us or reply to our email, and we’ll set up a time to go over your situation.
Call (615) 767-2685Start the Eligibility Check
LMH Law, PLLC is a private law firm. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) or any other federal agency. OPM makes all decisions on disability retirement applications.
Attorney Advertising. This guide is general information, not legal or medical advice. Reading it, or contacting us, does not create an attorney–client relationship, and information you send before an engagement is not yet protected as a client confidence.
Your doctor’s opinion is theirs. LMH Law does not ask any medical provider to state anything other than their own honest medical opinion. Decisions about your treatment belong to you and your doctor; do not change or stop treatment because of an application.
Deadlines keep running. Reading this guide does not stop or extend any filing deadline. If you have a denial letter or have left federal service, contact an attorney promptly.
No outcome is guaranteed; results depend on the facts of each case. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Rules and procedures can change; last reviewed September 2026.
Attorney responsible for this content: Leen Heresh, LMH Law, PLLC. Licensed in Tennessee and Kentucky; federal disability retirement matters handled nationwide. (615) 767-2685 · [email protected]