5 CFR § 831.1208 - Termination of disability annuity because of recovery.

(a) Each annuitant receiving disability annuity from the Fund shall be examined under the direction of OPM at the end of 1 year from the date of disability retirement and annually thereafter until the annuitant becomes 60 years of age unless the disability is found by OPM to be permanent in character. OPM may order a medical or other examination at any time to determine the facts relative to the nature and degree of disability of the annuitant. Failure to submit to reexamination shall result in suspension of annuity.

(b) A disability annuitant may request medical reevaluation under the provisions of this section at any time. OPM will reevaluate the medical condition of disability annuitants age 60 or over only on their own request.

(c) Recovery based on medical documentation. When an examination or reevaluation shows that a disability annuitant has medically recovered from the disability, OPM will terminate the annuity effective on the first day of the month beginning 1 year after the date of the medical examination showing recovery.

(d) Recovery based on reemployment by the Federal Government. Reemployment by an agency at any time before age 60 is evidence of recovery if the reemployment is in a permanent position at the same or higher grade or pay level as the position from which the disability annuitant retired. The permanent position must be full-time unless the position the disability annuitant occupied immediately before retirement was less than full-time, in which case the permanent position must have a work schedule of no less time than that of the position from which the disability annuitant retired. In this instance, OPM needs no medical documentation to find the annuitant recovered. Disability annuity payments will terminate effective on the first day of the month following the month in which the recovery finding is made under this paragraph.

(e) Recovery based on a voluntary request. OPM will honor a written and signed statement of medical recovery voluntarily filed by a disability annuitant when the medical documentation on file does not demonstrate that the annuitant is mentally incompetent. OPM needs no other documentation to find the annuitant recovered. Disability annuity payments will terminate effective on the first day of the month beginning 1 year after the date of the statement. A disability annuitant can withdraw the statement only if the withdrawal is received by OPM before annuity payments terminate.

(f) When an agency reemploys a recovered disability annuitant at any grade or rate of pay within the 1-year period pending termination of the disability retirement benefit under paragraph (c), (d), or (e) of this section, OPM will terminate the annuity effective on the date of reemployment.