Application readiness and document tracker

Set up one private working file

An organized application begins with a reliable inventory, not a stack of everything you have ever received. Make a private local folder or another secure location you control. Separate original files from working copies and final submission copies. Keep medical records and identification documents away from shared links, public website fields, or ordinary lead forms. This website worksheet is a planning aid: use it privately, and do not enter medical details or personal identifiers into unverified online tools.

1. Create folders for official application documents, employment records, medical evidence, accommodation records, correspondence, and final submission.
2. Keep original signed records unchanged. Put annotations and summaries in separate working files.
3. Choose a naming pattern using document type and date, such as Physician_Statement_2026-09-20.pdf. Avoid Social Security numbers in filenames.
4. Create a tracker with an owner and next action for every missing item; pending is a status, not an instruction.

Know who supplies each piece

Use the current ORA instructions for how each component is entered or uploaded. Paper form labels help identify responsibilities but do not mean every applicant should mail the legacy packet. Former employees still need agency contributions; separation does not transfer the supervisor’s certification responsibility to the applicant.

Make a request that someone can fulfill

1. Identify the correct office and authorized person. Ask HR who handles disability retirement, accommodation certification, service records, and former-employee requests.
2. Specify the item, the relevant date range, the format needed, and your working target. Ask about any release or identity-verification requirement.
3. For the supervisor request, provide your completed applicant statement as the form directs, plus accurate position information. For a provider, send the official position description and focused questions.
4. Record the request date, delivery method, acknowledgment, promised response, and next follow-up. Keep the message itself.
5. When an item arrives, open it. Check that it belongs to you, covers the requested dates, is legible, and includes the necessary pages, signatures, or attachments.

Review relevance and gaps

For each item, ask what question it helps answer. A position description shows duties; a visit note documents clinical care; a leave report supports attendance history. A record can be relevant without proving every part of eligibility. Keep a gap list: missing date, unclear restriction, incorrect title, omitted page, or unanswered prognosis question. Describe the gap neutrally and direct it to the person who can resolve it.

• Use relevant history to explain onset or progression and current evidence to explain present functioning. Do not impose an arbitrary last-year-only cutoff.
• Do not require every client to buy a functional capacity evaluation, vocational report, or other optional assessment. An individualized need should be discussed with the appropriate professional.
• Avoid duplicate uploads that make the packet harder to navigate. Preserve a clear copy of the original if you create a cleaner organizational copy.
• Do not mark a record verified merely because it arrived. Separate received, reviewed, clarification needed, and ready for submission.

Copy this tracker into your private notes

Final handoff checklist

• The filing deadline is visible and an earlier target is recorded.
• Every required item has a responsible source, current status, and next action.
• Required personal and family documents are checked against my individual circumstances rather than a generic list.
• The final copy matches the files actually transmitted; my index does not list missing attachments as included.
• I retained submission evidence and scheduled a check for official follow-up.

If the deadline is approaching, do not simply wait for an unresponsive office. Contact the responsible official and OPM for current instructions, preserve your requests, and obtain professional advice when necessary. This tracker does not create an extension or substitute for submitting the application through the proper channel.