Q. My husband has early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. His doctors believe he was affected at least three years prior to retirement. Several of his colleagues knew something was wrong. They informed me he was forced to retire. His supervisor forced his retirement. His doctor knows he should have retired based on disability. How can I proceed?
A. As a rule, a former employee must file an application for disability retirement within one year of leaving government. That window can be extended only in the case of an employee who is mentally incompetent when he leaves the federal service or who is found incompetent within one year thereafter. You’ll find the instructions for filing a late application at http://www.opm.gov/retirement-services/publications-forms/csrsfers-handbook/c060.pdf. Scroll to Section 60A4.1-1D if he was covered by CSRS or 60B2.1-1D if covered by FERS.
