FERS Disability Retirement Position of Record and High-3 Average Salary

Why Your Position of Record Matters

Every FERS disability retirement claim is evaluated against one specific document: your official position description. OPM does not ask whether you can work in general — it asks whether your medical condition prevents you from performing the "useful and efficient service" required by the duties listed in your position of record.

Your position of record is the formal job description assigned to your position number in your agency's HR system. It lists the grade level, series, title, and — critically — the essential duties and physical or cognitive demands of the role. OPM compares your physician's description of your functional limitations against these documented duties to determine whether a disabling gap exists.

This means two federal employees with identical medical conditions can have different outcomes. A GS-12 program analyst whose duties are primarily sedentary might not qualify for disability retirement based on a back injury, while a GS-12 customs officer whose position requires standing for extended periods and carrying equipment might qualify based on the same diagnosis.

Getting Your Position Description Right

Before filing, obtain a current copy of your official position description from your agency's HR office or your supervisor. Read it carefully and compare it to what you actually do. Federal position descriptions are sometimes years out of date and may not reflect the full range of duties you currently perform.

If your position description does not accurately reflect the physical or cognitive demands of your actual duties — for example, if it omits a requirement for field travel, lifting, or extended concentration — request an update before filing. An accurate position description strengthens your claim because your physician can map functional limitations to duties that actually exist in the official record.

If your agency refuses to update the position description, document the discrepancy. Your supervisor's statement on SF 3112B should describe the actual duties you perform, including any that differ from the official PD. OPM considers both the official position description and the supervisor's statement when evaluating whether the condition prevents useful and efficient service.

What "Useful and Efficient Service" Means

OPM interprets "useful and efficient service" broadly. It does not mean total inability to show up at work. The standard covers three categories of job performance:

Performance of essential duties. If your medical condition prevents you from performing one or more critical elements of your position — as defined in your position description and performance standards — this element is met.

Attendance. If your condition causes excessive absences that prevent you from being available to perform your duties on a regular and predictable basis, this qualifies even if you can perform the work when present.

Conduct. If your condition (particularly psychiatric conditions like severe anxiety, PTSD, or bipolar disorder) causes workplace conduct issues — outbursts, inability to follow instructions, impaired judgment — this also meets the standard.

Your SF 3112A personal statement and your physician's SF 3112C narrative should address whichever of these three areas applies to your situation, explicitly referencing the duties and expectations in your position description.

How the High-Three Average Salary Works

Your FERS disability retirement annuity is calculated based on your "high-three" average salary — the average of your highest three consecutive years of basic pay. For most late-career employees, this is their final three years of service, since federal pay scales increase with within-grade step increases and annual adjustments.

Basic pay includes your GS base salary and locality pay. It does not include overtime, bonuses, premium pay for night or Sunday work, or allowances. If you were on LWOP for an extended period before separation, those months do not drag down your high-three average — the calculation uses the pay rate you would have received, not the pay you actually drew.

The high-three average matters because it directly determines your annuity:

• Year one: 60% of your high-three average, offset by 100% of any SSDI benefits
• Month 13 to age 62: 40% of your high-three average, offset by 60% of SSDI
• At age 62: recalculated as a regular FERS annuity using your high-three (adjusted for COLAs received during disability) multiplied by total service years (including time on disability)

A higher high-three means a higher annuity at every stage. For employees with recent promotions or step increases, timing the application to capture those higher-paying years in the high-three window can make a meaningful difference in lifetime income.

The FERS Disability Retirement Guide includes an annuity estimator worksheet that walks through the high-three calculation, SSDI offset, and age-62 recalculation based on your actual salary history.

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