I Receive Social Security Disability and OWCP Benefits

Is there anyone out there that receives both of these benefits? I am also eligible for OPM FERS disability but I can't receive it.

I understand that all these programs have different rules regarding disability. However, my disability is the same for all three. The Social Security Disability means that you are not able to do any type of work. OWCP your illness must be work related and I understand why for the eleven years I have been disabled why they would keep asking my doctor if it is work related. I can't comprehend, however, why they keep sending me off to doctors for second opinion's? This seems like such a waste of money. Are they just trying to cut me off the workers comp at any cost? The Second Opinion exams have never went against me yet but what if they do? Would that affect my social security benefits? Should I tell the second opinion doctors that I receive Social Security Disability? I never have. Is there any consideration medically given the fact that you receive social security disability? Anyway, it doesn't seem fair or cost effective. I think when you have the same disability for all three programs there should be some consideration given to that.

The approval of your claim for SSDI was an administrative one. It is not medical evidence. Therefore, it has no bearing on any decision that OWCP makes. If, for some reason, SSA terminates SSDI, you do not need to notify OWCP unless SSDI is converted to a retirement SS benefit. Generally, that only happens when you reach your full retirement age for SS (anywhere from 65 to 67, depending upon when you were born.)

If OWCP does terminate (or even reduce its benefits), do notify SSA. Your SSDI benefit probably is subject to the workers' comp offset. Ergo, you want to be sure that SSA has the correct info and makes any appropriate adjustment to your SSDI benefits.

A second opinion physician is supposed to base his opinion on the medical info that OWCP furnishes and his/her physical examination of you. You can inform such a physician about the status of your SSDI claim, but that decision really is not medical evidence. Therefore, it really should not matter one way or the other to the examining physician.

In short, each program has its own rules and regulations and relies upon the info that it receives, not the determination of eligibility made by some other Gov't program.

The approval of my SSDI claim was not an administrative one. That's why this whole thing doesn't make sence. I had to apply for social security disability just like anyone else does and the state agency that makes medical decision's made their decision based on all the medical records. So, I disagree with the argument that it is not medical evidence. I had to submit medical evidence to SSA, OWCP and OPM and there is nothing administrative about any of them. The ssa medical decision is very, very hard to prove.

Anyway, I know how it works it just seems very, very wrong when you got approved for each one of them separately for the same disability. SSA you have to be unable to do any type of work, OWCP you have to be unable to do any type of work or at least your old job, OPM you have to be unable to do your old job. All I am saying if you are totally disabled under social security for the same disability you shouldn't have to be sent to all these doctors repeatedly and owcp paying them to do another and another opinion. They never take my treating physician's opinion they always send me for another opinion.

I guess I am not asking for help I am very clear on hall it all works. I just think it makes no sense at all and cost the taxpayers a lot of money. The only sence it makes is that the owcp will do anything to try to cut someone off.

My DH is in the same situation as you are. All OWCP is trying to do, is find a DR who will say that you can go back to work.
My DH was sent to a DR who spent 5 minutes with him and sent a report to OWCP that said there was nothing wrong with him, and he should go back to work.
We had to appeal, we then got sent to another OWCP Dr who said the other Dr was wrong and he could not return to work. OWCP with contiune to shop you around until they find a Dr that will send you back to work. If this happens be sure to appeal and fight back.
We are putting a claim in to the VA, hoping to get my DH 100% on VA, so we can stop OWCP and not have to do the Dr schuffle anymore. If we get the VA, we will collect SS, FERS and VA.

I don't disagree with you about OWCP.

But, unless that SSA decision was signed by a licensed doctor who examined you, it AIN'T medical evidence in the eyes of OWCP and there is NO legal requirement for OWCP to treat it as such.

Same is true of SSA with respect to the OWCP award.

Thank you for your input. I understand that their is no requirement that OWCP consider the SSA decision, but since their were medical records used to make the decision with doctors names on it after examing me and it is the same disability as the OWCP disability that the law should be changed and should allow consideration of other medical decisions. It is totally not right since Social Security has decided that I am unable to do any type of work based on medical records. It would save the government money because they pay a bundle for all those second opinion exams when you have a permenant disability. They could devote more efforts to getting people that aren't totally disabled back to work. It just doen't seem right. Anyway, nothing will change unless we change the law. Anyway, I'm done beating a dead horse! I just got a new doctor and he asked me at the exam if I get Social Security Disability? I told him, yes, he said well your totally disabled for work then. That was good enough for him! It does matter to some doctors when they are doing an exam for the owcp report, I just found out.

Thank you for your input. Sometimes it makes you feel better if you know others are in the same boat. I wish you and your family the best of luck!

Hi I am new here and I am sorry if Im not posting this right.  I have a really good question that I can't find the correct answer to...I was on OWCP and selected to recieve a Scheduled Award, at that time I switched over to Disability Retirement (FERS) and I am recieving SSD.  My question here is will Social Security off set my benifits due to my Scheduled Award?  Im no longer collecting OWCP, switched over to Fers, so I accepted my SA.  I'm waiting to hear from SS because when I first was approved for SSD I was recieving benifits through OWCP, so now that I switched over, and there is a change in my status, but I did get the Schedule Award so I don't know if SS is going to off set the amount i recieved from them. through OWCP. I hope that i was clear on my question. Thank you all

With SSA, it does not matter what kind of benefit you are receiving from OWCP. If your combined benefits from OWCP and unreduced SSDI is more than 80% of your average predisability earnings, then SSDI will be reduced to get you to 80%.

I do not know how SSA will treat the OPM benefit. It's very possible that you could lose your eligibility for SSDI for the duration of the SA.