SSDI vs Federal Disability Retirement (FERS/CSRS)
TL;DR: Federal employees can apply for both FERS/CSRS disability retirement and SSDI. FERS disability retirement has a lower bar (unable to do your current job) while SSDI requires inability to do any job. FERS requires you to apply for SSDI. If approved for SSDI, your FERS payment is reduced by a portion of your SSDI. CSRS disability retirement has no SSDI offset. Both can be collected but the interaction affects total payment amounts.
Federal employees have a unique disability retirement system that interacts with SSDI. Understanding both systems helps maximize your total benefits.
Key Differences
| Factor | FERS Disability | SSDI |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | Unable to do your position | Unable to do any SGA work |
| Minimum service | 18 months | Work credits (varies) |
| SSDI application required | Yes (FERS) | Independent |
| Offset | Reduced by 60-100% of SSDI after year 1 | No offset from FERS |
FERS-SSDI Offset
Year 1 of FERS disability: 60% of high-3 average salary minus 100% of SSDI. After year 1: 40% of high-3 average salary minus 60% of SSDI. The offset means your combined payment is less than both individual amounts added together.
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