Requirement(s) for SMC's

[allansc2005]

Morning folks,

Correct me if I'm wrong: In order to be eligible for SMC's, you must have one condition, or combined conditions that are either 100% Schedular/IU..., AND..have other SC condition(s) that are totally separate from your 100% Schedular/IU that are at least rated at 60% or higher.

Q. Can these other SC conditions stated above have a COMBINED rating of 60%+, or must EACH SC condition be 60%+?

 

Thanks,

 

Allan 2-2-0 HOOAH!

 

 

[allansc2005]

brokensoldier244th,

Can you be both 100% Scheduler AND IU?

Allan 2-2-0 HOOAH!

[brokensoldier244th]

To my knowledge, no- Long/short. I started at 40% years ago when I discharged in 02. Over the years various parts of me increased or presented themselves and I got up to 80% in around 2012. Somewhere in there I did Voc Rehab, got my bachelors in IT and drove on. In 2013-2014 I crashed and burned physically and mentally and ended up going on FMLA from my job (and eventually terminated). During my FMLA I approached Voc again, and was found 'unemployable' but eligible for independent living. I had other things pending at the time with VA.

VA took my Voc letter into consideration along with other things and in 2017 they found me 100% scheduler. BUT somewhere in there I was TDIU for a period, too, before they just made it scheduler as the final decision. So, my award letter showed that at one point I was IU (I didnt know because they hadn't awarded it or finalized it yet) then something changed their minds and they made it scheduler instead. There was language in the letter that said "from X to Y you were found to be unemployable...... but from Y to Z you are 100% scheduler based on the severity of your disabilities, rendering the IU  moot" or something to that effect. All my conditions at that point were considered static as well, so I was P@T also. *shrug*

 

I spent the next few years feeling useless, then started working at a public library a few days a week for a few hours here and there. In 2020 A VSR positioned opened up locally and I threw my hat in, figuring that w/covid starting that the workforce might shift to remote, at least for a while, and id figure out how to integrate myself (or not) within an office environment again when it came up and see how it affected me. I guessed right.

That was in 2020 and It doesn't look like Ill be in the office anytime soon, plus I have a request for accommodation in status right now for when we do start to integrate back to hopefully be able to retain my full time telework status. I don't now that I could successfully function in a day to day where I had to commute, be around people, deal with partial urinary incontinency (back/nerves), migraines, low days, manic days, etc- at home I can mitigate all that to a degree and not have the added stress and anxiety of coworkers having to see me that way. 

Edited January 21, 2022 by brokensoldier244th
Clarity, bad typing, furnace installer distractions

[allansc2005]

brokensoldier244th,

 

You're not "broken", you served our country well, and now through hadit.com, you're doing a great job helping those who are on the verge of being broken!

Thanks brother for your wisdom.

 

Carry on soldier!

 

Maj

 

 

[deedub75]

@brokensoldier244th

I hope that reasonable accommodation process run smoothly for you. My last job was with CBP working in the finance division. At one point, I was working from home 4 days a week. I didn't have to get up early and make that 45 minute comment everyday. This helped my health conditions tremendously and allow me to keep working and be productive. Then management decided they didn't want us having that many telework days so they said we could no longer have consecutive telework days so I could only have 5 telework days in a 2-week period. I started having health issues that made it difficult for me to work. I started missing a lot of days and had difficulty working on the days I did work. I went on intermittent FMLA and eventually full FMLA for a while. 

I applied for reasonable accommodation that would allow me to work from home 5 days a week. I also applied for FERS disability retirement. They fought me tooth and nail on the reasonable accommodation and treated me like crap and would not approve my request. Though the union, I appealed and it eventually reached one of the big bosses in DC. I had to have a teleconference with him, my managers, and my union attorney. He laid out everything and really made them look stupid. About a week later my request was approved. Shortly after, my FERS disability retirement was approved and I retired out of the federal government. I seriously considered rescinding the FERS disability retirement application since I was finally allowed to telework 5 days a weeks but even with that I was afraid that my health would eventually get worse and I'd still have trouble even teleworking 5 days a week. 

[brokensoldier244th]

14 minutes ago, deedub75 said:

@brokensoldier244th

I hope that reasonable accommodation process run smoothly for you. My last job was with CBP working in the finance division. At one point, I was working from home 4 days a week. I didn't have to get up early and make that 45 minute comment everyday. This helped my health conditions tremendously and allow me to keep working and be productive. Then management decided they didn't want us having that many telework days so they said we could no longer have consecutive telework days so I could only have 5 telework days in a 2-week period. I started having health issues that made it difficult for me to work. I started missing a lot of days and had difficulty working on the days I did work. I went on intermittent FMLA and eventually full FMLA for a while. 

I applied for reasonable accommodation that would allow me to work from home 5 days a week. I also applied for FERS disability retirement. They fought me tooth and nail on the reasonable accommodation and treated me like crap and would not approve my request. Though the union, I appealed and it eventually reached one of the big bosses in DC. I had to have a teleconference with him, my managers, and my union attorney. He laid out everything and really made them look stupid. About a week later my request was approved. Shortly after, my FERS disability retirement was approved and I retired out of the federal government. I seriously considered rescinding the FERS disability retirement application since I was finally allowed to telework 5 days a weeks but even with that I was afraid that my health would eventually get worse and I'd still have trouble even teleworking 5 days a week. 

Wow.....

My first RA request for a third monitor went pretty smoothly, so, here's to hoping. We're all on max telework anyway per OPM right now and for the foreseeable future. Just to cover my bases, though, I had a cognitive workup done with MH at VA a few weeks ago- a feather to put in my quiver. I talked to my psychiatrist about some stuff and he said that since he was on the pharmacological side of things that it would have to be psych(ology) that had to do it. 

FERS retirement for medical reasons- does that still require time in grade, etc? Im not fully competitive, yet- only be 2 yrs in March. Plus, since I've been working successfully (from home) I don't know that I would have an argument for it unless I worked in the office and crashed and burned again- and I don't know if I can go through that again. It was a 7-8 month devolvement until I did FMLA the first time at that job and it was demoralizing to know that in my brain I could *see* the work that needed to be done but its application and my interpersonal relationships didn't work that way when I actually 'did' it. MH issues suck. Chronic pain sucks. Etc etc, yada yada, ad nauseam ad infinitum. 

 

you guys all know the drill, right? 

[deedub75]

2 minutes ago, brokensoldier244th said:

Wow.....

My first RA request for a third monitor went pretty smoothly, so, here's to hoping. We're all on max telework anyway per OPM right now and for the foreseeable future. Just to cover my bases, though, I had a cognitive workup done with MH at VA a few weeks ago- a feather to put in my quiver. I talked to my psychiatrist about some stuff and he said that since he was on the pharmacological side of things that it would have to be psych(ology) that had to do it. 

FERS retirement for medical reasons- does that still require time in grade, etc? Im not fully competitive, yet- only be 2 yrs in March. Plus, since I've been working successfully (from home) I don't know that I would have an argument for it unless I worked in the office and crashed and burned again- and I don't know if I can go through that again. It was a 7-8 month devolvement until I did FMLA the first time at that job and it was demoralizing to know that in my brain I could *see* the work that needed to be done but its application and my interpersonal relationships didn't work that way when I actually 'did' it. MH issues suck. Chronic pain sucks. Etc etc, yada yada, ad nauseam ad infinitum. 

 

you guys all know the drill, right? 

FERS disability only requires 18 months of federal employment covered under FERS. It is basically letting me collect my FERS retirement checks early. It doesn't pay much - 60% of my high 3 the first year then 40% of my high 3 after that. Once I turn 62 it will convert over to regular FERS retirement and the amount will be recalculated and my years would add up as if I had been working the entire time. I had 7 years total of federal service and I retired at 44 so when I turn 62 that will basically give me 25 years of federal service. So it would be recalculated as if I had 25 years of federal service.