Have you lost a limb or had a surgical amputation? If you are a federal employee, and you find that your condition has cost you the ability to do your job, you should learn about your right to obtain federal disability retirement benefits. You may be entitled to annuity that will pay a percentage of your salary for the rest of your life – regardless of whether the amputation was work-related.
Harris Federal can explain these benefits to you, help you to determine your eligibility and take you through the process of applying for them. We can help you if you are a federal employee no matter where you live in the U.S. It starts by contacting us today to receive a free consultation about your case.
Why Do Amputations Occur?
According to the Amputee Coalition, the majority of loss-of-limb or amputation cases, or 54 percent, can be traced to vascular disease. Poor circulation leads to narrower or damaged arteries. This reduces blood flow. The affected limbs fail to receive enough oxygen and nutrients. Tissue death and infection can result. Amputation becomes the only viable alternative to save the life of the patient.
Trauma is the next highest cause, representing 45 percent of reported amputations. The limbs most often involved in traumatic amputations are fingers, toes, arms and legs. Quite often, accidents with heavy machinery or equipment, power tools, frostbite and car accidents are responsible for limbs being crushed or partially or wholly severed.
Cancer is responsible for less than two percent of limb loss.
Does the Loss of a Limb Keep You From Doing Your Job?
How the loss of a limb affects one’s job depends on what the job entails and the limb involved. For example, losing a thumb can render use of a hand almost useless, since the thumb is the core element needed in a hand’s function.
Losing any of the other fingers, while not as crucial as the thumb, will weaken the hand in general, make grasping objects more difficult. However, there are prosthetic devices available, and the technology is advancing rapidly. In some cases, a person can continue their job with the use of one of these devices.
Of course, some loss-of-limb cases may require that a person’s job be modified, or the employee be moved to another job entirely. For example, someone who experiences a loss of one or more fingers and whose job requires working with a keyboard may not be able to manipulate a keyboard – even with a prosthetic device. The loss of a leg or foot, on the other hand, may or may not inhibit the ability to function at certain jobs if an adequate prosthetic device is used.
We Help Federal Employees Who Have Suffered Loss of Limb / Amputations
Harris Federal features a skilled and experienced team of attorneys and other professionals, including Chartered Federal Employee Benefits Consultants (ChFEBCs). We can review your case and guide you through the process of seeking federal disability retirement benefits you have earned and rightfully deserve.
For a free consultation, simply call or contact us online today.
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