Q: I left work from the Veterans Affairs Department in January. I left because of injury and was awarded workers’ compensation. But I also applied for disability retirement. Now I have been approved for retirement. What happens to my retirement money while on OWCP? And will I be pushed into taking disability retirement? What happens to my time on LWOP?
A: Your disability retirement benefit will be suspended while you are on workers’ compensation. If your workers’ comp ends and you still meet the medical standards for disability retirement, your disability annuity would be reinstated. You’d have to let OPM know so they could do that. For more information about the relationship between disability retirement and workers’ comp, and how they are treated if one or both of them ends, go to www.opm.gov/retire/pubs/handbook/C102.pdf.
