An appeals court recently ruled that federal employees’ disability retirement benefits cannot be denied solely based on a lack of “objective” medical evidence.
Some federal employees may now have an easier time qualifying for disability retirement benefits, following a recent precedential decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
In April, the court ruled that federal employees’ disability retirement applications cannot be denied solely based on a lack of “objective” medical evidence. The ruling applies in cases where federal employees have already been removed from their jobs due to a “medical inability to perform.”
Objective documentation, like lab tests or prescription lists, can support an argument but cannot be the sole basis for denying claims, the court said. “Subjective” medical evidence, like a diagnosis based on self-described symptoms, must also be considered. If employees’ disability retirement claims rely on subjective evidence, they won’t automatically be denied benefits.
The decision last month overturned a 2024 ruling from the Merit Systems Protection Board, which had upheld the Office of Personnel Management’s denial of a disability retirement application from a former OPM employee in 2016.
“[The new decision] helps protect employees in a lot of ways for disability retirement applications,” said Christopher Bonk, partner at Gilbert Employment Law and attorney for the OPM employee. “If somebody is in a position where they’re not able...
After Saudi Arabia announced in October 2026 it had executed two Bangladeshi nationals for what it called "indecent act" at a mosque, a photo and videos circulated online with a false claim they s...