SF 3112, Mapped: Who Completes Parts A Through E of Your FERS Disability Retirement Package

The Federal Disability Review · Educational guide for federal employees

General educational information only. TFDR is not a law firm and does not provide legal or medical advice, represent applicants before OPM, or predict individual outcomes.

If the FERS disability retirement application feels like one enormous form, that is because it is easy to mistake a package for a single document. The heart of the package is Standard Form 3112, and it is not one form at all. It is a set of related forms, each completed by a different person. When you know who owns each part, you can route the pieces in the right order and avoid the most common cause of delay: a form sitting on the wrong desk. This guide maps the five parts and points you to the authorities behind them.

The package is a relay, not a solo form

OPM’s SF 3112, “Documentation in Support of Disability Retirement Application,” is built from five lettered components (OPM SF 3112). Two are completed by you or your doctor, one by your supervisor, and two by your agency. A companion form, SF 3107, “Application for Immediate Retirement,” travels with the package, and OPM’s SF 3112-2, “Information About Disability Retirement (FERS),” explains the process in plain terms. The regulation that governs supporting documentation, 5 CFR 844.203, states that the evidence must be provided “in a form prescribed by OPM” and that applicants generally bear the cost of their own medical documentation. In other words, the burden of assembling a complete package rests largely with the applicant, even though several of the forms are filled in by others.

Part A — SF 3112A, Applicant’s Statement of Disability (you)

SF 3112A is yours. It is where you describe your medical conditions and, just as importantly, connect them to the duties of your position. This is the part no one else can write for you, because only you can speak to how your condition affects your specific work. It is also the part most worth drafting carefully and reviewing before it goes anywhere (OPM SF 3112).

Part B — SF 3112B, Supervisor’s Statement (your immediate supervisor)

SF 3112B is completed by your immediate supervisor, or by someone who regularly observes your work. It addresses job performance, conduct, attendance, and whether accommodation was attempted. Because a supervisor contributes observed job impact that clinical records cannot, this part often adds context the medical file does not (OPM SF 3112).

Part C — SF 3112C, Physician’s Statement (your physician)

SF 3112C is completed by your physician. Your job here is to give your doctor what they need, including a current copy of your position description so the medical opinion can speak to your actual duties. OPM’s instructions ask the physician to respond on letterhead and to return the statement in a sealed envelope marked as private medical information. Remember that under 5 CFR 844.203, unless OPM orders its own examination, the applicant pays for the medical documentation (OPM SF 3112; 5 CFR 844.203).

Part D — SF 3112D, Agency Certification of Reassignment and Accommodation Efforts (your agency)

SF 3112D is completed by an authorized agency official. On it, the agency certifies what it did to try to accommodate your condition or reassign you to another position you could perform. Every item is supposed to be completed with supporting documentation attached. This is agency territory, not yours, but it is worth knowing it exists so you can confirm your agency has been asked to complete it (OPM SF 3112).

Part E — SF 3112E, Disability Retirement Application Checklist (your agency)

SF 3112E is the Disability Retirement Application Checklist. The employing agency uses it to verify that every required document is present before the package is submitted. Think of it as the agency’s quality-control step. It does not replace your own review, but a missing item flagged here can send the whole package back (OPM SF 3112).

Why the map matters for timing

Routing matters because the clock does. For separated employees, 5 CFR 844.201 sets a one-year deadline to file after separation, and OPM’s own guidance warns applicants not to wait for every last record before filing. If you know that Parts A and C are yours to drive, Part B belongs to your supervisor, and Parts D and E belong to the agency, you can start the slow-moving pieces early rather than discovering late that a form never left someone’s inbox (5 CFR 844.201; SF 3112-2).

A quick self-audit

Use these five questions as an administrative check on your own file. They do not evaluate your medical evidence or tell you whether you qualify; they simply confirm each part is with the right owner.

1. Do I have my own draft of SF 3112A, the Applicant’s Statement of Disability?
2. Has my immediate supervisor been asked to complete SF 3112B?
3. Does my physician have my current position description to complete SF 3112C?
4. Has an authorized agency official been asked for SF 3112D?
5. Is the agency using SF 3112E to confirm the package is complete?

Where TFDR fits — and where it does not

The Federal Disability Review is a non-attorney consulting practice. We provide education and strategy, and we review the documents you have prepared yourself, such as your SF 3112A and your OPM forms. We do not draft your application for you, represent you before OPM, or handle reconsideration or MSPB appeals. If you are dealing with a denial, an appeal, or a live dispute over accommodation or a deadline, that is attorney work, and we will tell you so and encourage you to consult qualified counsel.

Ready to have your own SF 3112A and OPM forms reviewed against OPM’s standards before you route them? Book a Document Review at thefederaldisabilityreview.com.

Sources: OPM Standard Form 3112 (Documentation in Support of Disability Retirement Application); OPM SF 3112-2 (Information About Disability Retirement, FERS); OPM SF 3107; 5 CFR 844.201; 5 CFR 844.203.