If you’re preparing documentation for the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) as part of a FERS disability retirement application, a psychological evaluation can help clarify how your health affects your federal position. Preparing for an independent psychological evaluation can begin with the work itself.
Start with your position description
OPM’s SF 3112 instructions specifically ask applicants to provide their position description to their doctor. The documentation connects a health condition with the demands of the position.
Before your evaluation, locate your current position description. You can also make a short list of the tasks that have become difficult. Use ordinary language and actual examples.
Connect symptoms with daily and work functioning
A diagnosis alone does not describe what happens during your workday. Before your evaluation, write down a few recent examples connecting a symptom with a specific task, what became difficult, and what happened as a result.
Sleep disruption, persistent fatigue, chronic pain, anxiety, and depression can overlap. Describe what you experience without trying to decide which condition explains every difficulty. Pain and fatigue are not automatically psychological symptoms; your evaluator considers the medical context alongside psychological and cognitive functioning.
Disrupted sleep: After a night of repeated waking, you might lose your place while reviewing records, miss details in emails, or need instructions repeated. Describe how often this happens and whether it affects accuracy, pace, or meeting deadlines.
Persistent or chronic fatigue: You may begin a task but need frequent breaks, struggle to sustain attention through a meeting, or be unable to maintain the same pace throughout the day. Explain how long you can usually work before resting and whether rest helps.
Chronic pain: Pain may interrupt your focus while writing a report or make it difficult to remain seated through a meeting. Describe the interruption, any need to change positions, and whether you can return to the task afterward.
Anxiety or low mood: Repeated worry may make it harder to shift between assignments or make routine decisions. Low mood may affect starting tasks, keeping up with responsibilities, or interacting with others. Give examples that reflect your own experience.
These are examples of possible functional difficulties, not a checklist of symptoms to endorse or proof of eligibility. Include what you can still do, what varies, and what has changed over time.
Include what happens outside the workday
Daily activities provide additional context. For example, fatigue may affect preparing meals or completing errands. Difficulty concentrating may interfere with managing bills or following a conversation. You may keep up at work but need the rest of the evening to recover, leaving household responsibilities unfinished.
Describe typical days as well as better and worse days. Note how often difficulties occur, how long they last, whether you need help, and what happens after sustained activity. Daily limitations add context; the evaluation also needs to address the demands of your particular federal position.
Bring a few concrete examples
A brief note might read: “After several nights of interrupted sleep, I reread the same case notes repeatedly and took longer to complete my documentation. I needed breaks and still missed a deadline.” Include approximate dates or frequency when you remember them. Avoid guessing precise numbers.
If you have them, bring relevant treatment records, attendance information, performance feedback, or accommodation correspondence. Your own account matters, and available records can help clarify the pattern. You do not need to exaggerate difficulties or turn your notes into a legal argument.
Include what you have already tried
Distinguish adjustments you make yourself from accommodations formally requested or provided by your employer. Bringing a record of either can help your evaluator understand your circumstances. If relevant documentation is available, ask whether leave records, accommodation correspondence, or treatment records would be useful.
You do not need to turn your history into a polished argument. The aim is to give an accurate account of your experience.
How health psychology contributes
At Embody Health Psychology, our FERS evaluations consider the relationship between psychological symptoms, medical context, and occupational functioning. Records, interview information, and assessment findings help us explain the limitations supported by the evidence.
The evaluation contributes clinical documentation. OPM makes the eligibility decision.
Learn about our FERS disability retirement psychological evaluations
Sources
OPM SF 3112 instructions and Applicant Statement
NIH: Sleep deficiency and attention, memory, and functioning
