Know your separation date
The ordinary FERS disability filing window runs while you are employed and for one year after separation. Use the effective date on your separation SF-50, not your last day physically in the office. The deadline does not pause while a physician or agency completes documents.
Current applications use ORA
OPM directs current employees to begin the Online Retirement Application through HR. Separated employees start a disability application through ORA's former-employee option. OPM's current instructions say a former employee's application must be received within one year of separation. A saved draft is not proof of submission; keep the confirmation.
What the filing regulation actually says
5 CFR 844.201 contains delivery-specific rules for personal delivery, fax, mail, and overnight delivery. For example, mail is generally dated by postmark, and commercial overnight delivery by the date given to the carrier. It is inaccurate to describe every method as using only the arrival date. Those rules should not be read as advice to bypass OPM's current ORA instructions.
The same regulation recognizes a timely incomplete application or a filing in a form not prescribed by OPM, while requiring the prescribed application before adjudication or payment. If missing documents or an ORA issue threatens a deadline, contact OPM immediately and seek qualified legal help about preserving a filing. Do not wait until the final day or assume any particular partial upload is sufficient.
The waiver is narrow
OPM may waive the one-year limit for mental incompetence at separation or within the following year. In that circumstance, filing must occur within one year after competency returns or a court appoints a fiduciary, whichever comes first. Illness, confusion, or waiting for records does not by itself establish this exception.
A five-point self-check
- Confirm the effective separation date.
- Write down the one-year anniversary and plan to submit well before it.
- Confirm the current filing route with HR or OPM.
- Request required agency and medical documents early.
- Retain submission confirmations and dated correspondence.
For a missed or disputed deadline, consult an attorney. TFDR offers independent process education and does not decide whether an exception applies.