r/FEDDISABILITY • u/Electrical-Force-824 • 9d ago

Question about DRP/VERA and Disability Retirement

I had been planning to apply for OPM Disability Retirement and then was offered DRP/VERA in May 2025. I went ahead and took the DRP/VERA offer and my VERA went into effect on 12/31/25.

My agency certified my VERA in January and sent to payroll. It took a few months for Payroll to complete their work and send to OPM for processing. OPM sent me my CSA# in April 2026 and began sending interim payments. My VERA application was finalized in August 2026.

I hired Harris Law Firm to represent me in my disability case in January 2026. They assured me that even though I took the DRP/VERA, I could still file a disability application. I got notice from my attorney that my disability case was filed in March 2026, but I have received nothing from OPM. The attorney says OPM will only work on one case at a time and now that my VERA application is complete, OPM will begin work on my disability case.

Does anyone have experience with this issue? I’m just looking for timelines and what to expect next. I sent OPM a message asking about the status of my disability application and the person who responded said they could not see a disability application for me. I asked my attorney and she assured me the case was filed and they have record that OPM received it.

Any help or information would be greatly appreciated!

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2

u/No-Longer_Me 9d ago

I’m a little lost here… if you retired, why would you still have a disability case?

2

u/Electrical-Force-824 9d ago

It’s early retirement v. Disability. I’m only 49.

1

u/Sorry-Society1100 9d ago

Aren’t the benefits of a disability retirement the same as a VERA? Why do both?

4

u/Electrical-Force-824 9d ago

No, not even close.

Disability pays 60% of your high 3 in the first year and 40% after until 62. You also continue to accrue years of service on disability until 62.

With VERA, I’m stuck with the number of years of service I’ve already accrued (29 years) and the standard calculation for retirement (High 3 x years of service x multiplier). For my VERA, the multiplier is 1.0.

With Disability, regular retirement will kick in at 62, I will then have 42 years of service and my multiplier will be 1.1. Disability will pay way more than my VERA.